Wing Flex: Germany, There and Back Again: Getting Acquainted with our 2016 M5 and Linderhof Palace

For other parts of this journey click below!
Part 1 - Introduction
Part 2 - LAX to FRA
Part 3 - FRA to MUC
Part 4 - BMW Welt and Delivery
Part 5 - First drive and Linderhof Palace
Part 6 - Füssen, Ulm, and Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Part 7 - Speyer Museum and Heidelberg
Part 8 - FRA and the Flight Home

Part 5

I have a small correction on our driving map from my first entry about this trip. We didn't actually drive to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (it's still really fun to say). We actually drove from Munich, to Kochel, Oberau, then the Linderhof Palace.

Munich to Linderhof Palace

Now on with the story!

Right after we drove out of the Welt we parked right outside in one of the reserved spots. I think there's a complimentary valet service too but we didn't use it. By around this time it was midnight on the US east coast so we high tailed it up to the lounge to use the computers to order B's iPhone 6s. We grabbed a few more drinks and headed out back to Marienplatz to pick up our mechanical stop watch from Bucherer.

We parked a few blocks outside the pedestrian zone in a very swanky looking part of town. It was the first time we encountered a European parking meter. Luckily a very nice parking enforcement lady showed up like a German fairy godmother and educated us on the process. Turns out it is actually really easy. You have to pay in 50 cent Euro increments. Once you have decided your time you get a printout which you stick on your dash.

Somewhere in Munich

Mercedes Benz GT-S. WOW!

After running around the pedestrian zone and a little bit lost we finally found Bucherer where we were helped by a very kind lady. She knew exactly what we needed when I showed her our voucher. Only M car deliveries get the mechanical stopwatch.

"What kind M car did you get?"

"The M5"

"Oh........wow...that's a very fast one."

We were beginning to get the sense of what Wolfgang had told us. The M5 is a rare car in Germany. Probably even more rare than it is in the US.

Our Hanhart mechanical stopwatch. Yes, it does the loud ticks!

We were a little hungry so we grabbed some sandwiches from a local shop and ate in the plaza near a church. B had never visited a European church before so I insisted we stopped in after we finished eating.

We were on a mission to get to Linderhof Palace so we hightailed it out of there towards Kochel.

As we left Munich the countryside began to open up as we headed towards the mountains. I cannot begin to describe how beautiful the Bavarian countryside looks. We just kept on saying "Wow" as we approached the mountains.

In Kochel we decided to make a stop at a gelato stand for some rest.

Really?

The gelato stand was right by a busy road so we got to see a lot of cars driving by. It was a beautiful day out so of course everyone was taking full advantage of it.

A hotel next to the gelato stand

Enjoying some sun. "Whew that Munich traffic!"

As we were pulling out of the lot a very burly looking German man and his family had just arrived. He looked at our car and gave a big smiling thumbs up. I smiled back at him, nodded, and gave him a thumbs up too.

B let me drive this time since the roads weren't as crowded and he was starting to feel jet lagged. On our way out of Kochel we encountered a similarly colored BMW i8. I am sure I annoyed a few locals with my blocking of the road as I backed out of a driveway to drive back for this photo.

"Hello nice to meet you i8! I'm an M5!"

The road turned in to miles of twisty mountain roads on the Alpenstrasse. Luckily I had a car in front of me to keep me honest. Germans for the most part will drive according to the speed limit. Plus the car was new and going through all these different speeds and turns would be good for the initial break in. The M5 handled the roads like a champ. It was so steady that B fell asleep. There were a few instances where I woke him up with me screaming, "OMG TAKE A PICTURE OF THAT."

Towards Linderhof the roads got a little bit narrow for two way traffic and I could finally understand why Wolfgang likes the M235i so much. It's fully capable of handling the smaller roads in the mountains and still has power. Our sizeable car did have to slow down or just stop a few times to let other cars pass. Better that than a scratch! However I would not trade an M5 for an M235i anyday. :)

This is our "We got lost" photo

We're off to see the palace! The wonderful palace of Ludwig II

Eventually we made it to Linderhof where we saw probably 15 BMW i8s parked. There must have been some kind of meet up at the biergarten near the palace.

There's a lot of area to explore at Linderhof. We didn't have a lot of time but I at least wanted to tour the main palace area. King Ludwig II was King of Bavaria from 1864 to 1886. He was somewhat of a recluse and preferred to be in his own quiet and very romantic surroundings. This is evident in the castles that he had built which include Neuschwanstein Castle - the real life inspiration of the Cinderella castle. More on that later.

"Castle Park Linderhof"

Linderhof Palace and the surrounding area is just drop dead gorgeous. It is something straight out of a fariytale. I think this is what King Ludwig II was going for and it really shows in the details and lengths he went to build this place.

Front view of palace

Fountain in rear of palace

Side garden

View off of one of the park paths

Pond near the palace

There's a lot to see but we didn't have the time and B wasn't in much of a mood to hike. I definitely want to go back there and spend a day there! Perhaps I'll have to make him get in shape a bit.

Cafe prices and of course beer prices. Not too bad eh?

After Linderhof we stopped at a little beer stand by a lake on our way to Fussen. It was just too gorgeous to not stop.Unfortunately I don't remember if this was in Austria or in Germany. Luckily for the road we drove on through Austria we didn't have to buy a toll sticker as this road was exempt.