Europe by van Day 27

We had a good long sleep. I think we are beginning to recover from the stress of last weekend, when we didn’t know if the boat man would be able to fix our roof. I had some strange dreams including being chased by a pony - probably as a result of having those cantering cows careering towards me yesterday.

By the time we walked about 1.5 miles from our free parking at the sports centre into Bad Tolz the clouds had cleared, leaving sun and blue sky. What a delight it was. The old centre, with its cobbled streets and painting houses, was so well-cared for. The church bell was ringing and people in traditional dress were hurrying there. The pedestrian-only central street was deserted as we ambled down to the river and back. We spotted some cobble-sized brass plates in the street commemorating people who had died in WW2. Then we saw posters for the up-coming election, one of which was Nazi.

We were on our way by 10.45, heading west but got stuck in a traffic jam when the motorway ended. Suddenly we were on a winding road up a hillside with overhanging rocks on our side but that didn’t last too long before we were into the next valley.

We parked at Linderhof Schloss to walk in the extensive grounds and beautiful gardens. It was stunning. The pristine white palace with its ornate facade was set with a mountain backdrop, south facing and surrounded by colourful gardens, cascades, fountains and statues. It was built around 1872 in rococo style for Ludwig II.

The road to Fussen, our overnight stop for lorries and campervans, became narrow as it twisted along the shore of Am Plansee. There was much involuntary sucking in of breathe from me as we had barely room for 2 vehicles to meet. This drive took us into Austria then back into Germany.

We drove 68 miles today. Walked 5

This is one of the many photos I took of Linderhof, taken from the top viewpoint.