Thursday, October 4: My two biggest concerns in the weeks before the trip were, one, will US Air be on time for once (in the two months before my date they averaged 1� hour late, more than that on 11 occasions), and, two, will German Rail be on strike (without the S-Bahn, which is part of German Rail, I could not get from the airport to Oberammergau, my first night�s destination). Well, the flight was on time, and the train were running so my day went well.
I changed trains at the Hauptbahnhof, and, while there, I walked down to the Oktoberfest grounds and took a peek into one of the beer buildings � too crowded, too touristy. That was about it for my little bit of touristy things.
Then I returned to the Hauptbahnhof and took the train to Murnau, where I took the bus to Oberammergau, arriving early afternoon.
Friday: German Rail was finally stuck by the locomotive drivers but this day was by bus. I took the 15 minute bus ride from Oberammergau to Linderhof. I knew Linderhof would be small, but I was unprepared for how small. It really is an abode just for one person, Ludwig. But, the eight rooms on the main floor are incredible ornate. After the main building, I caught the tour of the �Grotto�, a manmade lake in a manmade cave.
Overall, I would say that Linderhof was interesting, but not overly so. If you are on a tight schedule and going to Neuschwanstein anyway, use your time to see Hohenschwangau instead.
I had planned on stopping by Ettal Monastery on the way back, but I was feeling the effects of jet lag and wanted to take a nap. Anyway, no one could tell be that there was anything to see there other than another ornate Bavarian church.