Herrenchiemsee Castle, Germany

I'm continuing my story about our trip to Germany. After Slovenia, we passed through Austria and entered Germany on our way to the first of the Bavarian castles - the Herrenchiemsee castle on the lake Chiemsee - the Bavarian sea. Soon after crossing into Germany we had a nail-biting hour and a half in a traffic jam - but all's well that ends well - we managed to catch the boat that ferries to the Chiemsee islands in time to see the castle before its closing hours:

The grounds of the unfinished castle of king Ludwig II:

One of the transportation means from the port to the castle - by horse cart:

The castle, designed in Neo-Baroque style, was built to imitate the Palace of Versailles:

Because taking photos in the castle is forbidden, I've included a few photos taken from the postcards we bought in the castle.

The staircase - marble and artificial marble, which was even more expensive

First ante-chamber with pomp cupboard

State bedroom, richly guilded furniture, stocco and draperies. The bed was never used:

Conference hall, portrait of Lui IV of France.
Ludwig II was fascinated with the Bourbon dynasty:

Gallery of mirrors - 2200 candles on 33 lustres and 44 candelabras

Bedroom in French rococo style

Dining room with the magic table - a mechanism lowered the table downstairs, 

where it was set for dinner, and then brought up to the king.
The chandelier and the bouquet on the table are made of finest Meissen porcelain:

The study with four clocks

The Dresden porcelain room

The bath - more like a private heated swimming pool. The castle was very advanced
technologically and had central heating

Small hall with mirrors

And after all that mind-blowing luster and exquisiteness - back to the castle gardens:

Ludwig II was so impatient to see the gardens finished, that before these pine-cone shaped trees had time to grow he ordered canvases with drawings of the trees to be placed along the central alley:

And on the boat across the Chiemsee to Prien

There is even a small railroad, which runs from the town of Prien to the port:

Bled, Slovenia

Last week Gaby and I were on a bus excursion to the Bavarian castles. The first stop on our way - Slovenia. This is my first visit to the country and I was totally smitten with what we saw from the bus windows - green pastures, small villages with beautiful church towers and the majestic Alps. In Slovenia we visited the Bled lake - a serene alpine lake with a small island in the middle and a castle on top of the rocks.

We traveled to the island by pletna - a traditional boat, operated by an oarsman.

The most interesting feature of the lake is the island with the beautiful Gothic church. We were told several legends about the bell of the church, which was supposedly blessed by the Pope to fulfill wishes.

Of course, Gaby and I rang the magic bell and climbed to the top of the church tower, to see the mechanism of the tower clock and the view from the top.

A path runs along the edge of the island, which can be walked around for 10-15 minutes.

The waters of the lake around the island were of an amazing emerald color and full with fish:

We didn't have time to visit the castle, built in the Middle ages, which stands 139 m high above the lake:

There were many geese and swans, swimming gracefully around:

We only had time for a walk along the panorama path to the foot of the castle rock:

There are many more interesting places to visit in the Bled National Park - the gorge, the hills, the Triglav peak, but that would require a trip, designated especially for Slovenia.

A postcard from Bled, which shows the location of the island on the lake: