nymphenburg palace and Cece's Advice #6

The summer residence for the kings and queens of Bavaria, Nymphenburg Palace is located towards the outskirts of Munich. Reachable by trolley, the palace is still completely in tact though only a few rooms are furnished and open to the public. However, there is an extensive carriage museum and a few outbuildings that are open for visitors.

I begin my self-guided tour in the center of the main palace, and though I don't remember having an audio guide, I can't help but feel that one was included with my ticket. The upstairs of the center room was open and spacious with gorgeous paintings adorning the white and gold walls. Gold and crystal chandeliers hung from the lovely frescoed-ceiling and the sunlight cast a glow throughout. 

To the left there were a bedroom and accompanying study, I think. In the journal I kept I wrote that I liked the beds, so in addition to the Queen's bedroom I definitely remember, this other bedroom had a cool bed. It was all original furniture, mainly baroque, from the olden days which made each room even more unique. The other small wing of the palace that is open to the public includes the Gallery of Beauties. 36 portraits of women from all ranks of Munich society hang here thanks for King Ludwig I. I found each one to be special and I enjoyed spending the time observing each one individually. The queen's bedroom (though I can't remember which Queen is belonged to) is off the Gallery of Beauties and I thought the style of cloth on the walls was pretty neat. The green color scheme was a bit overwhelming but everything did tie together quite nicely.

The Marstallmuseum (Carriage Museum) was in two long narrow rooms on the first floor of the South Wing of the palace. There were tons of carriages for all seasons and occasions...winter, summer, funerals, long-term travel...and I was shocked by the detail carved into each and every one of them. There were even teeny little steps leading into some of the large ones which I found too be really awesome. The collection of sleighs and sleds were also really, really cool. 

Upstairs in the Marstallmuseum was the porcelain collection. Porcelain is porcelain so the painted designs were amazing but it was all just the same for the most part.

The Amalienburg is a 5-7 minute walk from the center of the palace and is a former hunting lodge on the grounds, most famous for its "Hall of Mirrors." Not what I was expecting, the hall is just a large room but it does have mirrors on all the walls. But they're not floor to ceiling so not overpowering. The side bedroom was really cute and the kitchen had some interesting tile work as well.

Walking back to the main palace I got a good look at the central grounds with its large ponds and what I call "European Geese." The "European Geese" look eerily simialr to Canadian geese but they're a lil smaller, light brown and have orange feet coloring.

After Nymphenburg I spent the rest of the afternoon browsing the other various Christmas Markets in Munich. On my way to Tollwood, the sight of Oktoberfest, I passed a small but nothing special about it market and then walked through the market at Tollwood. Tollwood was highly unimpressive and way too commerical. All the items for purchase were not seasonal in the least and could have been bought any time of the year. The sun set once more and it was early to bed for me, as usual.

Cece's Advice #6: If you have the option for an all-female room without spending any more money, take it. Boys snore. Loudly.


This advice is straightforward. No explanation needed. All my immediate family members, male and female snore, so I'm used to it. But that doesn't mean I want to deal with it on my vacation. Therefore I was not excited when at least 2 of my 3 male roommates in Munich snored so loudly, it took a lot of music to drown it out. How I wished I'd gotten an all-female room (as long as it wasn't going to cost me an arm and a leg) where the chances of this happening were slim. When I tell people that I stayed in hostel rooms with only men, many think I'm crazy and insane and that its dangerous etc. Well, to that I will say the only danger was that of sleep deprivation.