This morning we took the tram to Nymphenburg Palace on the outskirts of Munich. This was the summer home of the Wittelsbach ruling family of Bavaria. We are here at opening to avoid the huge tour groups that mob the major sites at prime time. We start off with the palace interior. In the first few rooms I can already tell I like this place better than the Residenz yesterday. Since this palace was in a rural area during WWII, it suffered little damage. It had no strategic war value. Nymphenburg looks, smells, and sounds authentic. The floors creak, there is a slight moldy smell, and old paint is peeling. There are no blank spots where restoration hasn’t caught up yet. Like all palaces it has some special rooms, which are usually the ballrooms and dining rooms. Nymphenburg is no exception. One of my favorite rooms is small. The hall of beauties. King Ludwig I was a man of my own heart. He liked pretty women. This room is filled with portraits of beautiful girls from all walks of life.
After touring the main palace, we walked the grounds. While modeled on Versailles, they are fairly plain. The one thing in common is the enormity. What I like are two of the pavilions on the grounds. One has an early swimming pool, and the other, Amalienburg, a hunting lodge, has a cool hall of mirrors.
The last thing we toured was the Royal Stables museum. It has dozens of carriages of all sizes and types. One was gaudily gilded for a one-time coronation ceremony. Another was a hearse for a queen mother. There were also dozens of snow sleighs. In the back was all the horse tackle needed to pull the coaches. A second building held still more carriages and tackle. The upper floor was filled with porcelain and silver tableware. It went on room after room. All this made me realize the huge amount of stuff that a king needed to buy to be a royal. It must have been a full time job ordering and acquiring and maintaining it all. And then travelling. When one wanted to visit another place or move to summer gigs, it all had to be packed up and shipped to the next destination. A life full of baggage has new meaning!
After spending the entire morning at Nymphenburg, we take the tram back downtown and then the subway out to Olympic Center. We are headed to BMW World, but first we look around for a picnic spot. The neighboring Olympic Park has a nice park area. After eating lunch, we can’t help but migrate further into the Olympic Park, I recognize the unusual architecture of the Olympic stadium. It looks like a circus tent. On closer inspection it is a web of steel cables with panes of glass attached to them. We peak inside the swimming pool hall. The pool is enormous with lap lanes on one end and diving boards on the other end.
Back at BMW World we walk around the exhibits. Mostly it is a display of cars, some BMWs, some Mini-Coopers, two Rolls-Royces and a bunch of motorcycles. It is not that exciting. On the mezzanine we overlook the ramp where buyers can pick up cars ordered directly from the factory. That is something we are going to investigate for next summer. We decide we are not up for the BMW Museum and head back to central Munich.
Downtown is car-free and made for strolling. Aimee shops and I take a few pictures. I am shocked at the number of women in full black burqas. Apparently after France passed the “no head scarf” rule, Munich is now the new hotspot for travelling Saudis and Dubaians.
We accidentally walk into the courtyard of the Rathaus. I have found several spots I missed over my first visit years ago. I think I was more focused on the biergartens then and not the sites. We have dinner in the courtyard restaurant. It has great ambience and delicious food.
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