Europe Travel Blog: 19 December (Munich)
- John-Peter Ford
- Dec 25, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 5, 2020
19 December 2019
Today had a late start, but it started none the less. The first object on today’s agenda was to tour Nymphenburg Palace. Getting there should have been easy, but after 2 or 3 mishaps, we eventually made it. Our first option was to take the tram. Upon getting on the tram, I discovered we had gotten on tram 19 instead of 16. After I discovered this, we got off the tram and were going to wait on a return tram and get back on track, but then we decided to uber. I had typed in our uber where I thought Nymphenburg Palace was located but realized I had put the wrong location in the phone! After arriving at the wrong location, I reentered the correct location and away we were to Nymphenburg Palace.
Upon arrival at Nymphenburg Palace it gives off a grand, royal appearance. For 200 years, this was the Summer Palace of the Wittelsbachs. Now surrounded by houses and businesses, it’s hard to imagine this was Munich’s countryside at one time. Now, you can tour the Bavarian royal family’s quarters, visit the Royal Stables Museum, and browse through the grounds.
The palace came to fruition when Ferdinand Maria and his wife finally had a son. In gratitude for the son Ferdinand gave this land to his wife. Henriette Adelaide of Savoy then began to build an Italian-style Baroque palace as their summer residence. Their son, Max Emmanuel, would expand the palace to its current size.
The self-guided tour of Nymphenburg starts in the Great Hall, the central room of the palace. The doors leading to the balcony on the front and back were designed as half glass to create the illusion of the gardens being a part of this room. The open aspect of this room made it a great dining hall for many Wittelsbach functions. It is one of the grandest and most preserved rooms in the Rococo style in Bavaria. Hallmarks of the room include the stucco and ceiling fresco- which includes a painting of the nymph Flora lounging with flowers in her hair. (The inspiration for Nymphenburg.)
From the great hall, two wings stretch to the left and right. Both of these wings are exact images of each other containing an antechamber, audience chamber, bedchamber, and private living quarter.
At the time of my visit the South Wing was undergoing renovations but was still available for viewing. Contained within the South Wing are the Queen’s bedchamber and Ludwig I’s hall of beauties.
After touring through the house, take time to go through the Royal Stables Museum. Housed in the old royal stables is the collection of sleighs and carriages used by the Wittelsbach family. Going through the main exhibits you can clearly tell how carriage build advance over a couple hundred years.
Along with the carriages and sleighs, on the second floor of the stables is part of the Wittelsbach collection of porcelain and various bridles and riding equipment.
After taking time to go through the Royal Stable Museum, I walked some of the gardens in the back. Although it was winter, the gardens were still green. The water fountains had been turned off for the winter season. The gardens vast canals and motes were used during parties for guests to ride gondolas on.
Many people compare the Residence and Nymphenburg and enjoy the Residence better. I enjoyed Nymphenburg much more than the Residence. When touring the Nymphenburg complex, I highly suggest the self-guided audio tour.
After going through the Nymphenburg complex we ordered an uber back to the Marienplatz. After arriving back at Marienplatz, I struck off to find a café where I could have a cup of coffee and enjoy reading some of one of my books. Traveling is not just about seeing sights. Traveling is about taking time to absorb in the culture. When I travel and visit places, I always like to immerse myself in the culture and experience a new way of life. In Paris you visit the cafés. In Munich you visit the beer halls/ beer gardens/ and cafés. Chengdu you visit the tea houses. Each culture has its own version of the gathering place where locals are locals. Find that place and immerse yourself in what it has to offer.
After a relaxing afternoon of absorbing local culture, our dinner destination was the Schneider Bräuhaus. This time I was able to try Tap 8, which is a wheat beer with a higher alcohol content. This one, while having the overtones of spices, had a caramel flavor. I believe this is due to it being a darker and heavier beer. While I did not like this one more than Tap 7 (The Original), it was still delicious. For dinner I decided on the Bavarian peasant’s feast. This meal included sausages, brine ham, smoked ham, and kraut. The sauerkraut available in Germany is nowhere compared to the sauerkraut we enjoy in the United States. Germany's kraut has a much milder flavor, in fact it is almost hard to tell right off if it is sauerkraut.
After dinner we had one more Christmas Market to attend. Munich is filled with Christmas markets, but with limited time you must choose. Our final Christmas market was Märchenbazar, Medieval Market. Out of the Munich markets I visited, this was the best. Constricted to one small square about two blocks from the Residence, this market is really one to remember. A throwback to the middle ages is what this market intends to convey and convey it did. There were knights in armor, musicians, blacksmiths, flaming drinks, drinks and food by old medieval recipes, and even the goods being sold had a middle ages vibe.
After a bit shopping and have having a flaming drink, it was time to call it a night and head back to the hotel to pack and get ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow would include an early morning and a train to Prague.
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