In and Around Munich, Germany

My trip to Munich was a very enjoyable one. (Well, right up until we tried to come home. But you already know all about that.) Our hotel was great, the food was great and the company was great.

One of the things that made me happiest, however, was that I was able to remember so much of my German! Three years ago I lived and studied in Brunswick, Germany, for six months. During those six months I was able to travel to several other cities, including Munich. So it was a lot of fun to show my family some of the places I'd already passed through and to be able to translate for them this time around.

I'll let the photos say the rest.


Above: This is the site of a very popular Biergarten (beer garden) in Munich, known for the Chinese pagoda situated in the middle of it. This particular Biergarten was within walking distance from our hotel. Have you ever had German beer? Even if you don't think you like beer, you'll like German beer. Trust me.


Above: This was a poster for an upcoming event to be held at one of Munich's Biergartens. Do you see the pagoda on the poster? Look familiar?


Above: This is the facade of the main building of Nymphenburg Palace. The palace is not very far from the center of Munich and is a sprawling residence, in which still lives "the man who would be king" if Germany were still a monarchy today. I was told he is "a lovely man, very charming, who never married, but serves on every board in the city." Sounds like he stays busy.


Above: A ceiling in the Nymphenburg Palace.


Above: Another ceiling in the Nymphenburg Palace.


The posterior of the Nymphengurg Palace, just as grand as the front.


Above: The gardens behind the Nymphenburg Palace, filled with fountains and statues and paths.


Above: One of the statues in the gardens of Nymphenburg Palace.


Above: This is a photo taken in the backyard gardens of the Nymphenburg Palace, looking back toward the residence.


Above: One of the lanterns on the bridge of stairs on the "backyard" side of the Nymphenburg Palace.


Above: Munich's famous Glockenspiel. It has been performing every day at 11 a.m., 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. for the last several decades and has never missed a beat. The Glockenspiel, which is on the front of Munich's "new city hall," actually re-enacts scenes from the city's history.


Above: Here is a close-up of the dancing and spinning figurines of Munich's Glockenspiel.


Above: There is a city park in Munich that is much larger than Central Park in New York City. Munich's park is called the English Garden, and it features open meadows, a flowing stream and waterfalls, as well as wooded pathways. Photographed here is one section of the stream in the park.


Above: It is common for citizens to swim in the streams in the state parks in Germany. And, not infrequently -- nude. Photographed here is a pair of boys -- not nude (sorry) -- swimming downstream.


Above: The English Garden of Munich and its gazebo.


Above: It has been a lifelong dream of mine to visit Neuschwanstein Castle. Neuschwanstein translates to "New Swan Stone" and is so named because the visionary behind it lacked any more creativity than to name it after his father's castle, "Swan Stone."


Above: A zoomed-in glimpse of Neuschwanstein Castle. I have to say that this is probably the most romantic castle or palace a person could ever tour in his lifetime. It was only built a little more than 13o years ago, but it was built in the style of the old medieval castles, meaning every ceiling, wall and floor is covered in images depicting the most romantic fairytales and fables of the medieval period. For example, there is art depicting the story of Tristan and Isolde, King Arthur and the knights of his round table and the search for the Holy Grail, etc. And really, who wouldn't fall in love with so many spiraling staircases, towers, secret passageways and furniture and tapestries featuring elegant swan motifs throughout?


Above: A photo of Neuschwanstein Castle's exterior. I took this after having hiked up a very steep mountain, so it's a wonder I could even hold the camera steady.


Above: Another photo of Neuschwanstein's exterior. I wish I had some photos of the gorgeous interior, but photographs inside the castle are extremely "verboten."

Above: This is the Wieskirche, commonly called "The Church in the Meadow" in English. It houses a statue of "the Scourged Savior," on which human tears were seen in 1738. The townspeople declared the incident a miracle and built the church which would become the destination of many pilgrimages. For more information regarding the church's history, and to see a photo of the statue, visit the website I've linked to.

Above: These are the front doors to the Hofbrauhaus, one of Munich's oldest breweries and most famous beer halls. If you ever wake up in Munich, I highly suggest getting some grub here. A HUGE German pretzel is a must, and of course, you had better get a stein of beer in order to wash it all down, right?

Above: The eye-catching Theatinerkirche (it's a church) in Munich's Odeonsplatz (Odeon Square). It was built to celebrate the birth of an heir to the German throne, and the day we were here there was a wedding, so the church bells were playing beautiful music for at least a quarter of an hour.

Above: This is a close-up photograph of the Feldherrnhalle, also in Odeonsplatz. As a person looks at this photo, the yellow church is to your right. During the height of Nazism, this monument was a kind of spiritual center for Hitler and his Nazis. If you go to this page and scroll down just a bit, you will see a few photos of this same town square, filled with Nazis. If you look closely at the statues, you can match up the photos. A little eerie, isn't it?

So those are some of my photos from in and around Munich. Next up, I'll be posting photos from our visit to Dachau, one of the Nazis' concentration camps during WWII. It was a very somber visit, but the place is such an important historical site that I'd like to share those photos.

All photos by Sway Sovay