Southern Germany- Day 5

Visiting Herrenchiemsee was spectacular. The entire island was beautiful and it felt as if we were stepping into the countryside. Upon taking a ferry and reaching Herrenchiemsee, we walked through a dirt pathway surrounded by lush green trees and meadows until we came across King Ludwig's palace. The garden was magnificent with three water fountains containing Greek styled sculptures and a clear view of the island's main lake. 

Inside the palace was absolutely incredible. The palace was modeled after Paris' Palace of Versailles and originally 70 rooms were designed; however, only 20 were completed since the king ran out of money before finishing all the rooms. Due to King Ludwig's obsession with France's Louis XIV, all the artwork depicts King Louis XIV and his successors' life (palace contains no artwork of the king himself). The rooms of the palace were extraordinary and overembellished witht eh porcelain chandelier, pool-sized bath tub, and gold leaf covering nearly 3/4 of some of the rooms. With such a beautiful palace, it's surprising that the King only spent a total of 10 days in the palace in isolation. With the exeption of his servants,  King Ludwig didn't invite any guests into his palace at Herrenchiemsee nor his Castle of Neuschwanstein. He was very depressed and died at a young age of 40. 

After touring the palace, we took the ferry again to the nearby town on the island. Here, we visited with the chapel, restaurants, and other shops. It was nice exploring the town area- it was so quainte and it was interesting seeing individuals dress up in traditional German attire such as dirndl dresses and lederhosens.