Ettal Abbey, Linderhof Palace and Oberammergau. 6 days in Bavaria. Places to visit and things to do.

A whole day was needed to visit the 3 places below and a car, although it can be reached by public transport and is just over an hour south of Munich.

Ettal Abbey/Kloster Ettal - A benedictine monastery with more than 50 monks. Founded in 1330 by emperor Ludwig the Bavarian. There's a car park, tea rooms and a gift shop. Guided tours are available.

Linderhof Palace - Built by Ludwig II, crowned in 1864, started building this palace in 1868. It was a former forester's house belonging to his father, it was originally used for hunting expeditions. Although the palace is much smaller than Versailles, it is evident that Ludwig was fascinated by the French Sun King Louis XIV, the staircase is a replica. The symbol of the sun is found everywhere in the decorations. Ludwig's bedroom facing north and shows a self image of him as the Night King. Photography is not permitted inside the palace.

The formal gardens are divided into 5 sections, with Neptune Fountain, Music Pavilion, a bust of Louis XIV, a sculpture of Venus and Adonis, a fountain and terraced gardens.  

Oberammergau known for it's woodcarvers, NATO school and across the world for its 380 year old Passion Play. 

The play resulted in a vow made by the inhabitants that if God spared them from the bubonic plague then they would perform a passion play for 10 years. A man travelling home for Christmas brought the plague with him and it started to spread, once the vow was made, no one else died and everyone suffering with the plague recovered.

The play is now only performed in years ending with a zero and is made up of around 2,000 resident 

actors.

As with all villages and towns in Bavaria the buildings are are famed for their Leftlmalerei or frescoes, of traditional Bavarian themes, fairy tales, religious scenes or architectural tromphe-l'oeil.

Omberammergau is also home to Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shops, selling traditional Christmas decorations and Bavarian crafts.

Gardens around the UK, Dubai, South Africa and Canada with #HDYGG

September took hubby and I to the UK for just over 2 weeks. The main purpose of our trip was child 4 of 5 passing out parade in Catterick.

I travelled for the first few days on my own, arriving in Birmingham and travelling up to Manchester, then over to Bradford where I stayed on a farm, a day out in York with child 3 of 5 and then collecting hubby from the train station in Thirsk.

We then drove down to South Wales where we were based for the rest of our stay with an overnight stay in Lyme Regis with friends.

I haven't seen any other weather other than summer for over 12 months, since moving from South Africa to Dubai in December last year, although winter in Dubai when we arrived it is very similar to a UK summer but without the rain. I visited the UK late April for my niece's wedding and the weather was wonderful and then spent 3 weeks in Canada. I'm off to South Africa next week where it's the end of spring and start of summer.

The gardens I've visited the past 12 months have been wonderful from the Dubai Miracle Gardens in Dubai, Catherine's Garden in Canada, Spring in the Western Cape and of course my Mum's garden twice this year in South Wales.

The towns and cities I've visited were still all in full bloom and looked wonderful.

Birmingham

Allotments in the car park in Saltaire, Bradford

Tewkesbury

Gloucester Cathedral

Bridport, Dorset

Beer, Devon

Thirsk, Yorkshire

York

The Gardens at the B&B in Bradford on the farm

The garden at the B&B in Thirsk

With our daughter on a stroll through Keynsham, Bristol

The Country Lanes of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire

Woodland walks and berry picking

These fir trees were planted by my Mum and Dad at our old house in York in 1976

The Crematorium in Newport where my Gran's ashes are

Log piles

Farmers Markets

My mum's garden