Posted by We had a lovely drive through the Bavarian countryside on our way from Fussen to Munich and it really gave us a much better feel for life in this beautiful region. It was so lush and vibrant and the villages like Peibenberg below seemed so active and prosperous.
The Alps hugged the edge of the region and verdant fields and rolling undulating hills went on forever. Arriving at Munich we dropped the car off near the Railway station and got a taxi to the Hotel which was located right in the heart of the old town and was a bit a n institution in its heyday but was not a refurbished old dame that was still pretty good. we headed off down to the Beer house the Hofbrauhaus which was just behind the Hotel and entered a world of fun and mayhem and a truck load of people enjoying the experience. There were no spare tables that interested us so we went to the Orlando Platz and enjoyed a nice Japanese lunch watching the passing parade of tourists
We continued our wanderings to the Viktualienmarkt where the permanent markets are set up for all kinds of food and beer as well as other interesting shops such as a garden shop where we bought a bunch of ceramic birds for the garden. We checked out the big revamped Schrannenhalle that was a really up market Italian based Empoioio of quality foods and then made our way to the main square of Munich, The Marienplatz.
Here we found the big old Rathaus ( town hall ) with its famous Glockenspiel clock and an abundance of restaurants, Kellers ( beer restaurants) and that weekend The Jesus Freaks were in town for a shindig and they occupied the Platz with their happy clapping and weird Trump style messages that really freaked us out. Most people were ignoring them but boy was it odd. Formulated messaging but very insincere American Pastors with very obvious fake energy that had their followers in raptures. anyway it was just for a day and no harm was done so everyone just went about their normal stuff.
At night the Platz lights up and the Gothic style buildings turn it on and the tourists and locals alike are out in force one these lovely summer evenings.
The Rathaus and Glockenspiel has some stunning features and when it was time for the show it took a while to take off but eventually the characters were going for it in merry abandonment, well that appeared to be the intention anyway.
The City cathedral and three other significant churches surround the Marienplatz and the Virgin mary plays a big part in the statues.
The Hofbruahaus was still pumping all night long so the thought of all that noise and people made us choose alternative dining venues of which there were plenty and finding another great Vietnamese one made the decision easy on our first night.
The Cathedral (DOM) had some amazing stained glass which was a mixture of original and replaced as so much of it was destroyed in WW2. The lighting effects and the chapels were particularly appealing as we took it all in
We always love the vaulting and artwork of these churches and the Austrian and German Catholic churches have been stunning and full of light and white.
What we saw in Munich especially the St Michaels and the nearby St Mary’s were stunning as was the small but insanely ornate St Asamkirche
The exterior of St Asamkirche was very Baroque and Grand even though it was on a small scale but the interiors were out of this world.
Inside St Michaels was so serene and falloff light with its very Romanesque style and beautiful statue of the Archangel Michael was a treat
The Lions of the Residenz Palace were guarding the entries but the lions Feldherrnhalle Loggia were the most impressive in Munich which overlooks the Odeonplatz near the Hofgarten Palace gardens in the Royal quarter.
There were a great variety of sculpture art around the cit and they covered a great spread of timelines.
We took a walk to the English Gardens that stretch along the river and are really the lungs of Munich and low and behold we stumbled across river surfing at a surge pipe called Eisbachwelle flowing through the park from the river Isar. They que up and take their turns in order and the crowds love it. they mostly very competent and were having a ball.
Our hotel Platz is famous for its vine covered building and restaurant Pfistermuhle so it was interesting to see what the fuss was all about when we turned the corner to get the full view. We spent many hours exploring the old town from end to end and went back to the Markets to see another part and even on a weekday afternoon it was all happening with great interacytions and music.
The nude advertising Museum was very amusing with CocaCola prominent along with Heinz and burger king, absolute classic 60’s chic.
Along the way we bumped into the oddly asembled Michael Jackson memorial attached to a statue and then a new aluminium stripped statue of Maximilian Von Montgelas dominates Promenadeplatz alongside of it. A very strange combination indeed
There is no shortage of Theatres and Palaces but we could not access the State Theatre house so headed out to the Schloss Nymphenburg Palace which was built for King Maximilian to rival Versailles but it fell short on execution but was a purpose built very well laid out structure that made plenty of sense.
We loved capturing the street life in munich and this couple were the epitome of casual style as they cycled home after adinner out in town.
Visiting the Residenz Palace Museum on our last day we were really taken by the stunning Antiquarium with its massive chamber of antiqities and amazing frescoes all over the vaulted ceiling . A truly unique and amazing place that has to bee seen to be appreciated
The collection of mostly Imperial Roman busts were extensive and really well curated and laid out so that out could be really understood and enjoyed.
The Palace was massive and it took ages to get around as it was a real rabbit warren but the highlights and collections were well wotth the time.
This was far more like Versailles with its mirror halls, gold leaf ceilings, massive reception rooms and marble everywhere.
The crockery China and gold collections were very impressive and it just shows how crazy the Royalty of Europe were but also how the fine arts and crafts benefited from their insanity and excesses.
We really enjoyed our time in Munich and would highly recommend spending at least three days there to get a good feel