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Switzerland, Austria, and Germany Day Eight - 11/12/26

Today we set off to continue our adventures by heading north to Bavaria, Germany.  We departed the hotel, boarded the bus, and made our way to Ettal Abbey. Here we were greeted by our local guide Angelika who gave us a wonderful tour of this Benedictine monastery founded in 1330 by Louis IV.  We learned the history of the Abbey, toured the Basilica and the dressing room before making our way outside for a treat. You see, the monks at Ettal also brew beer! The Ettal Monastery Brewery stands on a tradition spanning over 400 years

and is one of the few breweries still run by monks. Since 1609, the famous Ettal Monastery beers have been brewed right next to the Abbey.  We enjoyed a taste of both the blonde and dark ales, while shopping a collection of vintage steins.  After an enjoyable morning, we said our goodbyes to Angelika and set off a few miles down the road for a bonus trio to Oberammergau.  


Oberammergau is a town in Bavarian known for its once-a-decade performance of the Passion Play, which was most recently performed in 2022 (two years late due to the pandemic). The play will be performed next in 2030. We took a group photo in front of the Passion Play Theater before heading off to explore this charming town for some shopping and lunch. 



We  departed Oberammergau to take the short ride to Linderhof Palace, the only palace (out of three) that King Ludwig II lived to see completed. We strolled the grounds for a bit before our tour and took a group photo in front of the palace. 


Small but mighty, Linderhof features extraordinary halls gilded in 24 carat gold that were modeled after Versailles, even with its own hall of mirrors, which was used by the king as a drawing room. He enjoyed sitting in the niche, sometimes reading or working there the whole night. Because Ludwig II used to sleep in the daytime and stay awake in the night, the mirrors created an effect for him when they reflected the light of the candles. As a rule, no photos are allowed inside but, trust us, it is truly a magnificent showplace. 

After completing our tour of Linderhof, we returned to Innsbruck to freshen up for our farewell dinner, which took place at Landgastnof Bogner in Absam, a neighboring municipality.  Martin gave a lovely toast to the group and we enjoyed a three course meal.  



Tomorrow is our last full day before departing for home on Saturday.  We will leave bright and early to travel to Munich, Germany for a tour of Dachau followed by one overnight in Munich.

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