Herrenchiemsee

Fama Fountain and Garden Facade

The first weekend in October we decided to go to the Island of Herrenchiemsee for the day. It rained on and off throughout the day, but we were able to walk around in between the rainfalls. It was a two hour drive from Regensburg and we caught the boat to the island from Prien Am Chiemsee. For the ferry times and prices click here (ALL LINKS ARE IN ENGLISH).

Fama Fountain and Garden Facade

Ludwig II purchased the island in 1873 and 5 years later started building the Herrenchiemsee Castle to resemble the Versailles Castle in France. After his untimely death at the age of 40, many rooms in the castle remained unfinished to this day. We initially purchased the tour in German but were able to exchange it for the English one. Our tour guide, Martina, spoke perfect English. Once the tour began, we weren't allowed to take photos.

Royal Palace of Herrenchiemsee

Ludwig II had built 3 castles and Herrenchiemsee was more expensive than the other two combined. The tour began at the grand entrance and the remainder was all on the upper level. We brought our stroller along and just asked one of the people in the group if they could help us bring the stroller up (and then down) the stairs. People were happy to help.

Monastery Courtyard

After the tour, we strolled over to the monastery and found it to be a quaint museum. On the main floor you had the former library, a "modern" kitchen of its time, and pictures that described Germany's Constitution of 1948 after WWII.

Former library

The Grand Hall

Look closely and you can see two rainbows.

By the end of the day we were tired from all the walking, but the excitement didn't end there. When we took the boat back to Prien, there were two full rainbows that we saw on the lake. Just about anyone with a camera was taking pictures. The photos above are some of the ones that Matthias took.

We decided to stop in Rosemheim for a traditional Bavarian dinner. We were hoping to see an old city center but were a bit disappointed when we only saw shops. It would be a great place to go shopping for the day or weekend.

We were happy to get home. Nothing is more comfortable than your own bed.

Cheers,

Rosa

PS: For additional castles to visit in Bayern click here and for shopping click here.