Munich in May

In mid-May, we had the pleasure of joining our friends, Gina and Ringo, for a weekend in Munich. We really loved Munich because of all the different things to see and the generally festive atmosphere of the city. However, things did get a little too festive when Munich won the German national football cup (that's soccer, not American football). Fans were everywhere and unknowingly, we found ourselves in the middle of a celebratory parade. It would have been more fun if the fans had decided not to start shaking the subway cars on the way to the parade.

Anyway, we still had a great time. One of our first stops was Nymphenburg Palace. It was a gorgeous gilded palace with beautiful gardens featuring marble statues of greek gods, a long reflecting pond, and a huge waterfall at the end with more statues.

Inside the palace there was a portrait room with a famed collection of women's portraits from around the country. Apparently, King Ludwig, who built the palace, commissioned these portraits whenever he saw a beautiful woman. There are the typical pictures of aristocratic women, but interestingly, there are also maids and farmer's wives and they are the most realistic portraits I have ever seen. I could have sworn they were photographs, and of course we weren't allowed to take pictures of them.

Munich also has a large park area, kind of like New York's Central Park, but not in the middle of the city. Its slightly to the north of the city and its called the English Garden. It has paths and bridges, but it also has art displays and little outdoor beirgarten areas. There is one area in particular that has an outdoor restaurant and a chinese tower and is always hopping. We didn't have our camera with us during our walk through the park, but it was really nice.

We met up with Gina and Ringo in downtown Munich which is full of beautiful medival buildings and an extravagent town square with a glockenspiel. We have a video of the glockenspiel if you want to check it out. We basically just walked around the town taking pictures of the beautiful buildings and sights. Enjoy!