Germany Adventure - Trip to Munich

    
     On this day Vanita, Stan, Logan, Naomi, Landon, Josie and I went to explore downtown Munich, the third largest city in Germany. Munich has a mixture of old and new buildings, because some of the old buildings were destroyed during the war. After driving to the station, we bought a family day pass that would allow us to hop on and off wherever we wanted. We rode the tram into the city, which was quite fun. 

I was just clowning around. I enjoyed the ride very much.

Riding around town

     
     We met Naomi’s friend Gina, an architect, and who was very helpful in providing information about the buildings. We saw the Old and New Town Hall in the city center. The buildings were guarded by gargoyles and dragons.  We went to the Marienplatz. Vehicles are not allowed there, so we strolled down the cobblestone streets. 

     We interacted with some interesting people in the streets. Stan got a hug from a bride-to-be. Gina said the bridesmaids had probably dared her to do so. Two young men who were walking behind us said something about Americans. I turned to look at him and he said, “I love America! My uncle, he worked in America.” His friend just stood and smiled at us. The young man gestured to his friend and explained, “My friend is drunk.” He paused a moment, then grinned wryly and admitted, “I am drunk, too, but he is more drunk!” We all laughed as they went on their merry way on down the street.

Sisters and cousins share their food at the Italian restaurant.

     We ate lunch at an Italian restaurant, where Naomi’s brother Gabe, sister Lidia and her two children joined us. While we were there an Indian procession passed by. Gabe has traveled to India and explained that the man sweeping the street in front of the float with gods in it was clearing the path, so the gods could pass. We later saw them in the city center, where they put on a performance and handed out brochures and fruit. A street actor who looked like a bronze statue of a miner also performed nearby.

After exiting one church, I held the door open for some people,
 and it almost became a full-time job. Finally, a kind stranger took my place.

We went into two beautiful old churches, Frauenkirche and St. Peter's Church.

     We stopped for an ice cream treat, a yummy concoction of fudge and vanilla ice cream with a crunchy cookie in it. Although it rained intermittently during the day, we enjoyed the sights. We rode the subway back to our station. Another amazing day exploring Munich, Germany!

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.

Landon enjoyed walking with Grammy.

Shepherd's Wagon

The neighbors invited us in to watch them feed the sheep.   

           In the background of the fields wind turbines slowly rotated in the breeze.