Smaug's German Treasure Trove

We woke up in Munich, and after a quick breakfast, we headed for the Residenzmuseum, home of the Wittelsbach rulers. We wandered throughout the intricately decorated palace rooms, marveling at the lavishly adorned walls and furnishings. I saw some familiar names from AP Euro, including Count Palatine of the Rhine. Among the amazing rooms were the Grotto Court (made primarily of painted shells arranged to make huge figures), the Ornate Chapel (an almost indescribable overload of golden decoration on a blue background), and the Room of Mirrors (an almost funhouse like room covered floor-to-ceiling in gilded mirrors).

After this maze-like treasure trove, we went over to the actual Treasury, which was filled with beautiful pieces or work. Crowns, necklaces, swords, dishes, and various other heavily jeweled items lined the walls, each with a unique history. After finishing the exhibit, we left in a daze and began to stumble to the Vikualienmarkt (farmers market).

On the way we stopped to see the Glockenspiel play. Once it had finished chiming, we strolled through the market, and eventually got some soft pretzels. After this, we went to the English Garden.

Here we passed a large part of the population of Munich picnicking, swimming, or otherwise lounging with families and pets. We ended up in Munich’s oldest beer garden, where we stopped for refreshments and witnessed a bike gang wedding reception.

We spent the rest of the evening going from church to church. We started at Theatinerkirke, which was externally shrouded in scaffolding but intricately decorated on the inside. Next was St. Peterskirke, with a painted ceiling and amazing pulpit. After this, an intense hail storm forced us to retreat under the awning of a clothing store for about 15 minutes. Our next stop was Heiliggeistkirke, which we couldn’t explore because of an organ concert, which we stayed to catch. The last three churches we had hoped to see were unfortunately closed for services, so we went back to the hotel to get an early night.