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.

Munchin' in Munchen

When I got back to downtown Munich, in the Marienplatz, (city center) it was much colder and the rain drizzled away. Among all the buildings there, Marienplatz houses the famed Frauenkirche, Peterskirche as well as the old and new city halls. And since it was late November, Marienplatz was home to one of the many Christmas markets central Europe offered. Inside a small tower in the Altes Rathaus ("old city hall") is the Spiegelzmuseum. A cute toy musuem, it contains a variety of toys and dolls, old and new, from all over the world. I recognized some of the toys such as Barbie but there were many famous foreign ones too. There wasn't much by way of English information, but I spent a good deal of time soaking in all the toys' details. The elaborate train tracks were quite fascinating.

Braving the rain once again, I decided to browse the Christmas market. It was pretty busy yet not too busy that I felt claustrophobic and annoyed by all the people surrounding me. Taking my time, I browsed all the stands, taking in all the trinkets, ornaments, and decorations. Since I eventually visited at least 15 of these markets, I will save my discussion on them for it's own post. In short, they're really cute.

By the time I'd circled the market once, bought a cookie and a couple of gifts, I was freezing and ready to return to my hostel. I checked in, dropped my bag and departed one final time because I really wanted to see what the Munich "Medieval Christmas Market" was all about. Turns out, "Medieval Christmas Market" is a pretty self-explanatory title. Much smaller than the market at Marienplatz, and with much fewer people, the Medieval market seemed to be the hotspot for food. I can't read German so I have no idea what was being cooked but it was definitely meat. The non-food items for sale consisted of various Middle Ages themed products such as bow and arrows and dresses and robes all with a medieval flair. All the workers were dressed in Medeival appropriate garb which made it all the more cuter.

Though I don't think it was really worth the time I'd spent traveling to the market and walking in the rain, it was definitely interesting to see. There was nothing particularly "Christmas-y" and I felt it could have taken place anytime of year. Back at the Wombats hostel, I used my free drink on a cranberry juice (so wild, I know), took a hot shower, bundled myself for sleep since the room was freezing and passed out. I was exhausted and when you're traveling so much, sleep=heaven.

The next morning was an early one, but I'd gone to bed so early that I woke up after 10 hours of sleep. My first stop of the day was Odeonsplatz, home of Theatinkirche, Ludwigkirche, Feldernhalle, Residenz, Hofgarten and only a short walk from the Siegestor. In short, there was lots to see. The sun was still rising so the light cast on the mustard yellow of the Theatinkirche was gorgeous especially since the bright blue skies provided such a beautiful backdrop.

The Feldernhalle sits across fromt the Theatinkirche and is a monumental loggia honoring the Bavarian army. Stone lions guard the entranceways to the space under the arches were soldier statues stand.

West of the Feldernhalle is the east side of the Residenz, the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs and the largest palace in Germany. On the backside of the Residenz is the Hofgarten so though I decided not to go inside, I was able to see it's north side which was quite large.

The Hofgarten, built in the early 17th century, was quite nice and as it was still so early the only people were a few bikers and joggers passing through. Being in one of the biggest German cities, the stillness and peacefulness was much appreciated. In the center of the garden was a pavillion for the goddess Diana; inside, I really liked the fish fountains decorated entirely from mosaic.

Back at Odeonsplatz I walked north towards Ludwigkirche whose exterior architecture was very simple compared to the massive Italian churches, but nevertheless was still pretty in its own right.

Continuing north is the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and plenty of students were passing in and out of buildings. My last stop on this road was the Siegestor ("Victory Gate") at the north end of the University's main buildings. Munich's version of the Arc de Triomphe, the Siegestor is not as large but it is certainly glorious in its own right. Its carvings are just as detailed as the others I'd seen before, and the Siegestor has a chariot and horses sitting up on top. Originally built to honor the army, it is now a reminder of of peace.

Next... I head into the U-Bahn, the Munich metro which is lovely and very easy to use, and take the short train ride to Olympiapark.

everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love. - claude monet

I think I've mentioned in other posts before this, but if you ever go to Paris and want to see a lot of famous museums, I highly recommend getting the Paris Museum pass. Not only did it save me a lot of money, it allowed me to skip lines and visit and see artwork I wouldn't have otherwise. The 5 attractions that were on the top of my sightseeing list and included in the pass were the Lourve, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle and the Concierge. The total admission for all these places was more than a 48-hr museum pass so I decided the pass was certainly worth it in regards to these places only. However, because I had the pass I then went to the Hotel des Invalides, Rodin Museum and Musee l'Orangerie without spending any extra money. It was really awesome.

Anyway...travel tips aside, this entry will be about my visit to the Musee l'Orangerie as well as my nice long walk up the Champs-Elysees and my visit to the Arc de Triomphe. From the Metro stop at Hotel deVille, I got off at the Place de la Concorde. It is the eastward end of the Champs-Elysees, home to the obelisk and between the Jardin du Tuileries and another garden I don't know the name of. It offers a great view of the Eglise de Madeline and is right next to the Musee l'Orangerie. The Place de la Concorde is also the home of a GIANT ferris wheel that may or may not be permanent but is indeed a huge eye-sore. I truly believe it should be removed as soon as possible, never to return.


Upon arriving at the Place de la Concorde I take a look towards the Madeline and admire the large fountain in the middle of the oblong rotary. A huge rotary by the way that has no lanes painted where you really would want some. After the fountain I wait awhile for the lights to change so that I can cross the rotary to look more closely at the obelisk which is very pretty and intricately carved with symbols I have no translation/meaning for. Although the obelisk is a very nice sight to look at, the island it's on is small and overcrowded so I head back to the sidewalk the next time the lights change.


I make my way into the museum (through another metal detector) and head to the main exhibit, Monet's Nympheas. The Nympheas is a collection of Monet's water-lily paintings that encompass two very long, narrow, circular rooms. Each room has 4 paintings that are each a unique panorama of color and design. Very beautiful and I sat and stared at them for awhile before heading downstairs to see the other impressionist work.


I don't remember any of the names of the artists but I do remember enjoying quite a number of paintings in the gallery. Overall, the museum was nice and I'm glad I went for free. If I had to pay I might have thought it as overpriced at 7.50Euro. The place isn't very big so compared to the 9Euro fee at the Lourve you can see where I feel the overpriced-ness.

After finishing the museum and feeling a huge wave of fatigue, I decided to try and find an internet cafe that might be cheaper than the hostel before going up the Arc de Triomphe and then the Lourve for the evening. A worker at the museum told me there was internet in the Grand Palais, a 10-15 minute walk northwest of the museum along the Seine. Turns out, he was mistaken and there is no internet. Or the people at the Grand Palais didn't understand me and told me there was no internet. I did get to see the outside of the Grand Palais and Petit Palais up close, so the walk wasn't a complete failure.

The Grand Palais workers said to look along the Champs-Elysees so I decide that the walk from there to the Arc de Triomphe isn't that long so I start up the famous avenue.

The Champs-Elysees is pretty much the equivalent to 5th Ave, Park Ave or Madison Ave in New York City. At least thats the impression I got. It's a place for shoppers who have money. The beginning of where I started was actually set up as a Christmas Market. There was even a Santa with sleigh and reindeer set up on a zipline. After walking up the avenue a third of the way and seeing nothing in the form of an internet cafe, I turn down a side street and ask people in a restaurant. They tell me that there is nothing like that near hear...grrr. This was my first experience with trusting foreigner's English when I shouldn't but that is a discussion to be saved for another post.

Since finding internet was not going to happen and I was starving I consented to buying a real dinner at QuickBurger as the bread and cheese I had was not sustaining me well. The chicken and fries I got with a soda were absolutely delcious. So satisfying for someone who hadn't had a real meal in 3 days. I make it to the Arc de Triomphe as the sun is almost completely set but there is still enough daylight to provide a beautiful background for my pictures. The Arc is in the middle of an EXTREMELY busy rotary and I was confused as how to cross as there were no crosswalks or lights or anything. I glance over to the Arc nad see a stairwell go into the ground and I then discover a similar one on my side of the road. An underground tunnel...very smart.


Finally under the arch I spend a bit of time observing all the detailed carvings in the two smaller side arches as well as the main one. It's all the same, plain flower pattern over and over but I find it very pretty.

I enter the arch and begin the ascent to the top. It was up a, you guessed it, narrow spiral stairwell that made me very dizzy and by this point my legs were REALLY tired so I just wanted it to end.

It does and I enter a museum kind of place with models and a gift shop and see that there is still another stairwell to ascend, though this one isn't spiral! The view from the top is wonderful. There are 12 different avenues that end at Charles de Gaulle-Etoile (the rotary around the Arc) and so just looking down each avenue individually gives me a different view of the city than the Eiffel Tower or the Notre Dame did.

One aspect of the Arc's view I was looking forward to was the ability to see straight down the Champs Elysees to the Place de la Concorde and the Obelisk and then all the way down to the Arc du Carousel next to the Lourve. However the eyesore of a Ferris wheel was lit up and blocking the whole second half of the view. Grrrr. I was not that happy. I spent quite awhile staring out into the Paris night since this was my only evening city view and I wanted to enjoy it. But after awhile I knew I had to go if I wanted to see as much as the Lourve as I could in the next 4 hours.