More Munich

June 27, afternoon/evening: After returning from Dachau, we still had time to explore Munich, so we decided that we should visit the Residenz Museum, the largest inner-city palace in Germany, built (mostly) by King Ludwig I. It's quite the place. On our way there, we passed this huge fountain (above) in Maximiliansplatz.

The National Theatre, in Max-Joseph-Platz, was all dressed up for Pride Month:

Entering the Residenz Museum, we found that signs directed us to the path we must take through the palace, beginning at the Grotto, which had a somewhat nightmarish quality:

I think a lot of shellfish died for this cause...

Moving on, we entered the Antiquarian Hall, full of ancient statuary, which had been used as a ballroom and for state dinners where the regular people could watch Duke Wilhelm V and Maximilian I dine on a small raised gallery (where we're standing in this pic).

I'm guessing that this hall may now see a lot of wedding parties if the museum rents to outside users...

While I liked this Mercury (Mars?), I really loved the owl accompanying the next statue:

So many rooms to see ... and doors ... floors ... ceilings ... all beautiful ...

An early upright piano

Magnificent trompe l'oeil ceiling

We exhausted ourselves, and our time there, leaving as they swept us out of the palace, closing and locking doors behind us...

Outside, we encountered the statue of ... Maximilian I? ... who looked quite grand from a distance:

But up close, it was clear the pigeons found him to be a perfect perch.

On our way to see what else we could see, we came across another good luck landmark (remember Sir David Hume's big toe in Edinburgh? The bull's balls in Milan?). This one was a bit more salacious, but you have to take your good luck wherever you find it ... so we did.

Then, to absolve ourselves of such sins, we visited the Church of the Holy Spirit (Heilig Geist):

Looking for something simpler to end our day, we headed to the Viktualienmarkt and the beer garden there. As we were eating, a local couple sat down with us and Cindy managed to carry on a lengthy conversation with them in her somewhat rusty German. Well done!

Heading back to the hotel, we passed by this cool fountain honoring White Ferdl, a Bavarian actor:

And the Maypole:

Memorial commemorating the main synagogue, built in 1883-87 and destroyed in 1938:

And always, everywhere, we were watched over by statues high above us.

And thus ended our days in Munich. We were off to Salzburg the next day, and an entirely different experience.