Country Confessions: Alte Pinakothek and Munich

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The Art Museum

Since the forecast was rainy for the morning, we decided to go to the Alte Pinakothek, one of the world’s most important art museums. According to the pamphlet I picked up, the museum was commissioned by King Ludwig I and built by his architect Leo von Klenze from 1826-1836. Over 700 paintings are on display there, and Vanita and I looked at every one of them, including works by Monet, Manet, Rembrandt, Goya, and Van Gogh. Alte Pinakothek refers to the time when the paintings were created, from the 14^th to the 18^th Century. However, the Neue Pinakothek was being remodeled, so we were able to see some work from the 19^th century also, a display of about 90 paintings and sculptures entitled “From Goya to Manet”.

Van Gogh's Sunflowers. When I was a teenager,
I had a copy of this in my bedroom.

I enjoyed having artist and art teacher Vanita by my side to point out various painting techniques and artists. The art that had the hugest effect on me was the work of Rubens. I actually gasped when I walked through the door of the Rubens Room. I stood there with eyes wide and mouth open. The paintings were enormous. My research states Rubens created over 1,400 pieces. Most were commissioned history paintings, depicting mythological or religious scenes, as well as hunting scenes.

However, we obviously did not know the proper protocol for behavior at a famous art museum. A guard told us we were standing too close to the paintings. Stan soon discovered it is unacceptable to lean against the wall, even if it is the end of a wall with no paintings on it, thanks again to the aforementioned guard. Naomi was told she would have to check her purse (for a small fee, of course), because it was too large. Overall, though, the museum and the works there were just amazing, and we understood their diligence in protecting it all.

The restaurant was on the ground floor of this building.

When we left there, we were hungry, so we drove around looking for a promising restaurant. An Italian restaurant caught our eye, and Stan managed to find a parking spot, which is no easy feat in Munich. The food was delicious. We ordered lasagna, tortellini, gnocchi, rigatoni, and fish. We sampled from each other’s plates to experience it all. The waiter spoke German and Italian, so he was relieved Naomi spoke German to help us order.

We walked around the neighborhood for a while and looked at a farmer’s market, local shops and a fountain. My favorite shops were the bakeries with a wide variety of breads and pastries. Hans went into a shop to pick out loaves of rye and mixed grain breads. The baker put it in a machine that sliced it right in front of us. Hans said this bakery used to supply the king with bread.

Bikes everywhere!

In Munich they have bike paths everywhere, and I kept walking in them, because they were right by the sidewalk. I learned to get out of the way quickly. The bikes are abundant, and they go fast! Parents rode bicycles with a single bike seat or pulled little trailers with multiple kids in them. I also saw some with a box in front for the children to sit in.

We returned to Hans and Linda’s house. Vanita, Linda and I took Landon for a walk in his stroller around the neighborhood. We saw sheep, chickens, ducks, pigs, dogs and cats. Beautiful flower gardens are in every yard, sometimes mixed with zucchini or cucumber plants. Bright yellow sunflowers bloomed at the edge of the fields.