Munich, Germany - Day 4, The former royal residence and walkway

(got a bit behind, but I'm pulling notes from my notebooks as fast as I can)

Today was more tours around Munich. This time we rose, then went into town to see Ludwig IIs tomb, the royal residence and a grand plaza that sits outside the residence.

The residence was amazing! It was more of a palace than a castle. Wood carvings, fresco ceilings, all were layered with gold. In between that, paintings adorned the ceilings and walls of scenes from battles to mythology. Red marble stairs with imported Italian marble for the slabs of walls. It was very much what I'd thought of when I thought of 'palace'.

The most impressive was the relic shrine. It was a ten by ten room, with the walls, floor and ceiling dripping with gold covered baroque carvings. Behind that, the walls were a dark purplish-black and seemed to gleam dark and heavy in the lights that shone on the cases.

Centerpiece of that room was the menagerie of items that sat in cases around the room. In glass and steel cases, silver challises, sections of burial cloths, skulls and even the skeletons of two young children. I've no idea what they were and the usual information card was missing. Ancestors? Saints? I'm not certain.

Beyond was a private worship chamber for just the ruler of Bavaria. Simply magnificent gold leaf baroque trim, dark marbled floor and walls that all combined to an arched ceiling that was dominated by an impressive mural of what I think were saints, clouds and a rich blue sky.

Further in was tall corridors and a staircase to the royal residences themselves. Most of this had been destroyed during World War II, so part of what was there was recreations. But still some furnishings, and oak desk inlaid with lapis luzi from Afghanistan for example, survived the bombing of Munich.

The biggest sight was descending below to come out in an enormous room roughly fifty yards long and what seemed to be thirty feet across. The ceiling was arched, giving the room a decided semi-cylindrical shape. Every literal square inch of the walls and ceiling were covered in the baroque style trim again, only this was fashioned with a Roman classical theme in mind. The floor was an amber colored marble and the only lights were from wall scones intermittently placed between major sections of room supports that were, for all intents and purposes, gold-leaf spines along the curve of the marble walls and fresco covered wooden ceiling. To finish the sight, was a collection of classic Roman and Greek antiquities. Busts, statues, and other works were regularly distributed along the walls. The entire room was commissioned by Maximillian II, I believe, to simply house these antiquities. Nothing more. Even in photographs, the light along the walls was caught by the gold leaf trim and expanse of marble, surrounding them all with an eerie glow.

Besides the 'treasure room', that left the actual audience chamber for the king, and one for the queen, and the family's personal chapel (for family gatherings). The chapel was two story, comprised mainly of oak and white marble with the occasional gold leaf trim accenting the walls and furnishings.

Two hallways and the royal dish collection, which filled the floor to ceiling cabinets in a twenty foot by twenty foot, two story tall room, later we returned to the exit just in time before they closed the residence for the day. Being close to dinner, we took our cameras and made our way to a bierhaus to eat and plan for tomorrow for the tour of two of Ludwig II's castles. One of which, was the inspiration for Walt Disney.

Munich, Germany - Day 3, Salsburg and Moondee in the Austrian Alps

Rising early we grabbed a quick breakfast and headed for the train station (bahnhof) to catch a train for Salsburg.

A quick rundown of Salsburg. A border town between Bavaria and Austria, it's a modest sized city of 150,000 people. Despite that, the buildings of the town are tightly packed together so Salsburg is a small city. Other things Salsburg is known for is being the home of Mozart, the world famous music school, various castles there that belonged to the Hapsburgs, and being the primary location (and inspiration) for the movie, the Sound of Music (which is based on a real family from named von Trapp.

We signed up for two tours, one for the city itself and the other called the Sound of Music tour. There are other tours but it was enough to get these two for today.

The city tour drives you around Salsburg in a slightly larger than normal minivan where a guide explains the city. Naturally he was quite passionate for music, and so took great pleasure to explain about Mozart's personal home, his family's home and so on. No complaints really, it was fascinating information. Like how he preferred to dress, the various titles of nobility that were conferred on him and that he never , ever bothered to use them or pay attention to them and so on. Really fun stuff.

After that hour tour, we ran over to a coffee shop and got some lunch. They had gulash so of course I had some! I'm raving about the gulash because it's nothing like what we have in the US. The gulash here is not spicy at all. It's closer to a beef stew with vegetables, only the stew broth is not so thick. Goes quite well with the Bavarian pretzels which are good all by themselves. Apparently real Bavarian pretzels have a crunchy outside but are very soft on the inside.
In a way, twisted toast comes to mind.

Afterwards I was quite proud to have managed a complete transaction in German. Now, Im sure I fooled no one, as most certainly I'm sure I've an accent. That aside I was proud to have managed the conversation. If I keep practicing, I bet I can be well on my way to getting a handle on this language.

After the coffee we went back over and joined the tour going to all the sites used for the Sound of Music movie. Fantastic stuff. Various castles were used, and many tree-lined areas. Surprisingly, the working Abbey there wanted to have nothing to do with the movie but the castles did. Maybe not so surprising as they possibly didn't want the disturbance.

Part of the tour led us up into the Austrian side of the Alps proper. Just an amazing sight! Snow capped mountains skirted in fog with a hint of gray to the trees that dotted the snowy slopes. The large mountain lakes were like glass, reflecting the sky and the Alps themselves. just takes your breath away.

Finally we wound up in a little town called Moondee. That was were the 'wedding scene' of the Sound of Music was filmed. The church there is every bit magnificent as anything. It has been so far the highlight of the architecture that I've seen. Simply magnificent. words fail to describe the appearance. Everything had some glow or luster to it. everywhere you turned 'wow' did not do it justice.

When we had our fill of the sights there, the tour leader took us to a small cafe in Moondee that reportedly has the best hot chocolate in the world. After having some, I agree. I've heard some people call hot chocolate a 'warm fuzzy' when drunk on a cold day. If that's so, this is a 'warm fuzzy that wraps itself around you and hugs you for 30 minutes while purring'. That was, beyond any shadow of doubt, a fantastic cup of hot chocolate.

The tour leader, amid playing songs from the Sound of Music, took us back to the terminal for the train, told us the stories about the historical Von trapp family. She even had a CD with a recording of the real Von Trapp children singing. They were very, very good. Mostly hymns and choral pieces and a few German folk tunes. And she had a few stories about the historical Maria. Apparently she was a wild child. Who knew?

After that we boarded the train and returned to Munich for dinner and to turn in. A note on the trains. As in Scotland, it is a fantastic way to travel and the most comfortable. With that said, there are some differences. German trains are a touch more utilitarian. They don't have the tables in the middle of four seats. I missed that.It made for a good place to sit and unpack your things for the trip if you so chose. Still, it was comfortable and a very quick two hour trip back to Munich from Salsburg.

Munich, Germany - Day 2 (a day late to blog , sorry bout that)

It was supposed to rain today but the weather decided against it. More's the better, it made for cool air while walking around. Woke a bit late today due uploading pictures, but a little extra sleep wasn't bad.

Lunch was at a bierhaus named the Augustina Keller. Supposedly they had the best beer in Munich. I didn't try it so I'll take everyone's word for it. I did have a super good veal. Lunch in Germany is quite a bit what I was told. It isn't the meal, it's the moment. Our waiter was great, he was from Croatia but had lived in Munich for twenty years. His wife's 40th birthday was tomorrow also, he said they had a big blowout planned. I bet they have fun.

My grasp of German is improving slowly, due to necessity overall. Yes, they speak English but it's 'basic' English. Accents and slang throw them. Which is to be expected. I've been asking for more help with my diction, but I've learned I'm being taught Bavarian-German. I've noticed a difference too. Bavarian speech is much like American southern, relaxed. Makes it easier to learn by listening.

After lunch, we took a taxi back to the Marianplatz and toured more shops and churches. The churches and cathedrals are amazing. The architecture is overwhelming with the sweeping baroque styles and gold layering over all the carved wood. What wood that isn't painted in gold, silver and so on is polished and oiled until it glows with a character all its own.

One cathedral allowed walking tours up to the bell tower, so naturally I had to go. I'm uncertain how many stories it was but I lost count at fifteen flights of stairs. The view from the top was amazing! I could take photos of places like the Glockenspiel from above! I stayed for quite awhile.

In between the churches, we walked through the shops. They range from a variety of tourist fair to expensive (there was a rolex store) to crafts (a local clockmaker's shop). Among that, I discovered ... the bookstore! I browsed awhile and settled on a book or mathematical formulas and a biography of da Vinci, both in german.

After the bookstore we wound past a bag store, naturally I stopped there for while until I realized my own messenger bag was good enough for me. I did pick up some small utility bags, after all, you never know when you'll need them.

Dinner was at a place called Augustiner on Domm. There I had some Bratwurst with saurkraut with some hot chocolate on the side. Now that was quite good! The saurkraut was sweet,something I had been told but it's better to experience than be told about. I really need to figure out how to make that.

We lingered awhile then walked down to a church dedicated to a Father Mayer, a priest who defied and spoke out against the Nazi's in WWII. They killed him for it eventually, but is buried there in the church. My father, as it turns out, knows a lady there at the church. We stayed and visited awhile, she wanted to know where we had been, what we had done, and so on. When we left, she gave us each keepsakes, blessed sections from a hat that the Father (whom I understand may be considered a saint) wore regularly. I was touched, of anything, that will stay with me always. I should figure a way to wear it so I don't lose it.

Finally we returned to the hotel and made plans for tomorrow and the next day. Good to plan ahead, eh? Tomorrow we catch a train to Salsburg, home of Mozart and where the Sound of Music was filmed, for the day. The Alps will be in view and we'll be on the Austrian border. I'm looking forward to the view.

Munich, Germany - Day 1 (aka Adventures in Grammar-sitting)

Hmm it's been awhile here hasn't it? I should get out more.

This time the journey led to Munich, Germany. At first I have to admit, I was nervous. Travel that far out is new for me and this time it's to a country where language becomes a barrier, or an embarrassment as many in Germany speak English better than I do (and it's supposedly my native language! Ah the benefits of a public education eh?)

I digress. The flight was as I expected, long and boring. I amused myself with books and some writing to pass the time when the shrill siren's wail of the three year old child across the aisle from me serenading the flight. Hm little angel has the lungs I tell you.

Customs was not nearly as invasive as the UK or Amsterdam. I was grateful, nine hours on a plane is taxing. Arriving at the hotel, I waited for thirty minutes for my room, choosing instead to enjoy some space on a bed in my parents room next door. At some point I passed out to have three hours of blissful sleep.

After the nap, I went with my father out of the hotel. Munich! What a lovely place! Urban without being too irritating, yet not so rural with urban trappings to lean it in the opposite direction.

Munich is old, hailing as of 2008, a hearty 850 years of existance. Their main marketplace, the Marianplact, still is in use!

We toured through that but were not in time to watch the famous Glockenspeil. But instead we browsed shops and found a cafe where the employees and owners did not or would not speak English. Ah I do have the luck! Fortunately my father speaks German to an acceptable degree and this was just ample moment for me to stretch my own linguistics skills. This little enterprise proved to me that apparently I'm funny in at least two languages because my grammar is ... lets say 'bravely utilized' ... in both English and German. Thankfully the cafe staff sought to fix that so I've been corrected on many a sentence structure now.

After the cafe, we walked through st Michael's church. An impressive church, still in use today. The architecture had been recreated in many places as it suffered during the Allied bombings in WWII, but nonetheless, it was awe inspiring.

that took some time (though it was well spent) and then we wandered the shops again. Finally mom had recovered enough to join us and we tooled back along the Marianplact showing her around. I found a hardback biography on da Vinci (in German of course), so I bought it as a keepsake.

By the time we walked the Marianplact four times over, we settled on a place called the Ratskeller. The food was fantastic! Sadly I'm not sure I would ever have the skill to reproduce those meals, all I can do is enjoy them. But the meal is as what I've been told ... German restaurants are an experience not 'sit down, eat, leave'. it was quite relaxing and our waiter was fantastic to talk to and put up with my attempts to lay waste to his native language.

In the end, we returned to the hotel to rest for tomorrow.