Munich, Germany - Part 2
Continuing the trip in Munich...
August 16th. Sightseeing continues. This time around downtown, to check Marienplatz and Odeonsplatz areas. Plus some other places around, including Frauenkirche. There's a law that no building in Munich may be taller than that church's towers. It prevented the construction of lots of skyscrapers, something that also happens in Kyoto, although in this case the towers are 109m high, making it possible to build tall buildings anyway. In fact, the second tallest structure in the city is an O2 Tower close to Olympiapark (mentioned in part 1)... just a little smaller than the towers.
Still, there was the problem of getting there. A simple bus plus train combination would take me there without problems... But I speak almost no German. I got instructions from J that I was to ask for a day ticket when entering the bus. That ticket would also be used for the train. The problem is that I got one bus driver that can't speak or understand any English (according to J, many can, but some can't. The problem is that bus line is not touristic), so I was trying to explain what I wanted. When I finally managed to make him understand something (I'm not even sure if the message went through right), he said something in German that I couldn't understand; and by that time we were at the final stop. In the end he just decided to let me go without paying. I paid eventually at the train station... because I had memorized the word for "day ticket" in German and found it on the vending machine.
After walking downtown, I went with K and S to Palaces Schleißheim, one of the major baroque complexes in Germany. Although the reason we went there was because K heard that the gardens there were more beautiful on that day than Schloss Nymphenburg (a more famous touristic spot). And it was beautiful indeed... There was even a wedding ceremony going on inside the palace when we arrived. Guess there are a lot of beautiful places to marry in Europe...
Next day. Sunday. The plans for that day went through many changes. Since it was a day when J could join the tour, we were planning to go somewhere a little further. The initial plan was Salzburg, in Austria. Two factors made us give up on that. First that I'm not so keen on music; and the main features of the city are that it was Mozart's birthplace and the setting for parts of the film "The Sound of Music" (I like the movie... but wouldn't remember the scenarios in detail to really enjoy the experience)... Second, we had to wake up really early to enjoy the day and had a child to consider.
Then we turned to castles. The most famous in the area is Schloss Neuschwanstein, that served as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's Castle and is the most photographed building in Germany. Still, although smaller, Schloss Linderhof (based on the Palace of Versailles) has other things around to take pictures of and it's the only one that was completed during King Ludwig II's lifetime (out of three he ordered... Meaning it's the only one he actually lived in). So Linderhof was our choice.
One can only enter with a guided tour, but it's offered in many languages (German, English and Japanese are the ones I remember), plus other languages (Chinese, Italian, ...) available on a paper guide. I was wondering how a Japanese tour would look like, but chances were better with English, so I took the English tour. The Hall of Mirrors is splendid! The area around the palace is beautiful as well. Too bad some parts were under reform... AND it started raining after some time. Oh, boy...
On the last day, another technical museum. This time the Siemens Forum. Being a company's museum, it's very focused on the accomplishments of the company. It has some interesting things anyway since Siemens has been involved with interesting projects.
After that, one last walk downtown. But this time through a different path recommended by J, including the Königsplatz, the Justizpalast and one of the old city gates. Lunch at a outdoor restaurant close to the new city hall and packing... This time to Brazil.
At the airport, "bad" news. When I went for the check in, the lady at the counter said there were no seats available in Economy class, so I'd have to fly Business... and it IS confortable!!! Will I ever get used to Economy again? Hah!
Impressions: Munich has a good atmosphere. Although I thought it's a bit small for the third largest city in Germany, it may actually be a good thing. Beautiful scenarios and nice technical museums (was it part of Germany's plan to rise as a technological country?) I just regret not being able to check some classic spots (Neuschwanstein and Dachau Concentration Camp to mention the most important).
One interesting curiosity is that some places have signs in Japanese! The Japanese tour in Linderhof is perhaps the best example. Almost all places related to tourism. Still, the number of Japanese tourists must be large. Well, I noticed some here and there. And according to J, many of them try to do "Europe in 7 days" going from one spot to another in a frenetic pace... not that my tour was so different. Influence of my Japanese descendence?
Thanks to K, J and S for all the help. Sorry for the trouble and hope to see you again!
For those who think the pictures here are not enough, check my Picasa album for more.
August 16th. Sightseeing continues. This time around downtown, to check Marienplatz and Odeonsplatz areas. Plus some other places around, including Frauenkirche. There's a law that no building in Munich may be taller than that church's towers. It prevented the construction of lots of skyscrapers, something that also happens in Kyoto, although in this case the towers are 109m high, making it possible to build tall buildings anyway. In fact, the second tallest structure in the city is an O2 Tower close to Olympiapark (mentioned in part 1)... just a little smaller than the towers.
Still, there was the problem of getting there. A simple bus plus train combination would take me there without problems... But I speak almost no German. I got instructions from J that I was to ask for a day ticket when entering the bus. That ticket would also be used for the train. The problem is that I got one bus driver that can't speak or understand any English (according to J, many can, but some can't. The problem is that bus line is not touristic), so I was trying to explain what I wanted. When I finally managed to make him understand something (I'm not even sure if the message went through right), he said something in German that I couldn't understand; and by that time we were at the final stop. In the end he just decided to let me go without paying. I paid eventually at the train station... because I had memorized the word for "day ticket" in German and found it on the vending machine.
After walking downtown, I went with K and S to Palaces Schleißheim, one of the major baroque complexes in Germany. Although the reason we went there was because K heard that the gardens there were more beautiful on that day than Schloss Nymphenburg (a more famous touristic spot). And it was beautiful indeed... There was even a wedding ceremony going on inside the palace when we arrived. Guess there are a lot of beautiful places to marry in Europe...
Next day. Sunday. The plans for that day went through many changes. Since it was a day when J could join the tour, we were planning to go somewhere a little further. The initial plan was Salzburg, in Austria. Two factors made us give up on that. First that I'm not so keen on music; and the main features of the city are that it was Mozart's birthplace and the setting for parts of the film "The Sound of Music" (I like the movie... but wouldn't remember the scenarios in detail to really enjoy the experience)... Second, we had to wake up really early to enjoy the day and had a child to consider.
Then we turned to castles. The most famous in the area is Schloss Neuschwanstein, that served as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's Castle and is the most photographed building in Germany. Still, although smaller, Schloss Linderhof (based on the Palace of Versailles) has other things around to take pictures of and it's the only one that was completed during King Ludwig II's lifetime (out of three he ordered... Meaning it's the only one he actually lived in). So Linderhof was our choice.
One can only enter with a guided tour, but it's offered in many languages (German, English and Japanese are the ones I remember), plus other languages (Chinese, Italian, ...) available on a paper guide. I was wondering how a Japanese tour would look like, but chances were better with English, so I took the English tour. The Hall of Mirrors is splendid! The area around the palace is beautiful as well. Too bad some parts were under reform... AND it started raining after some time. Oh, boy...
On the last day, another technical museum. This time the Siemens Forum. Being a company's museum, it's very focused on the accomplishments of the company. It has some interesting things anyway since Siemens has been involved with interesting projects.
After that, one last walk downtown. But this time through a different path recommended by J, including the Königsplatz, the Justizpalast and one of the old city gates. Lunch at a outdoor restaurant close to the new city hall and packing... This time to Brazil.
At the airport, "bad" news. When I went for the check in, the lady at the counter said there were no seats available in Economy class, so I'd have to fly Business... and it IS confortable!!! Will I ever get used to Economy again? Hah!
Impressions: Munich has a good atmosphere. Although I thought it's a bit small for the third largest city in Germany, it may actually be a good thing. Beautiful scenarios and nice technical museums (was it part of Germany's plan to rise as a technological country?) I just regret not being able to check some classic spots (Neuschwanstein and Dachau Concentration Camp to mention the most important).
One interesting curiosity is that some places have signs in Japanese! The Japanese tour in Linderhof is perhaps the best example. Almost all places related to tourism. Still, the number of Japanese tourists must be large. Well, I noticed some here and there. And according to J, many of them try to do "Europe in 7 days" going from one spot to another in a frenetic pace... not that my tour was so different. Influence of my Japanese descendence?
Thanks to K, J and S for all the help. Sorry for the trouble and hope to see you again!
For those who think the pictures here are not enough, check my Picasa album for more.
2 comments:
Oh such fun! But i recommend Salzburg to u on ur next adventure. sure the sound of music and mozart take center stage BUT the area is so beautiful!!been there twice now and i will def be back again smtime!
U're not the 1st one 2 tell me that... Well, next time maybe. This time it was a good thing we skipped, tho... more because of the second set of reasons.
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