Wednesday 29 November 2006

We take the 8.30am train from Rotterdam to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, where arive at 9.15. We have already checked in for our Lufthansa flight via the Internet, but at Lufthansa you are not allowed to print your own boarding pass. That should be done at a machine at the airport itself. Communicating with that thing is not as easy as it should be (especially when you travel with more than one person on the same booking) and we almost leave with just one boarding pass and a printed itinerary. We discover our mistake just in time and a counter clerk is able to put things right. We fly with a small aircraft  (an AVRO) to Munich in about 5 quarters of an hour. There we take the  S-bahn (regional railway) in to the city. 45 minutes later we get off the train at the Isartor stop from where we walk to the (gay) hotel Deutsche Eiche. Our Komfort Doppelzimmer (comfort double) is ready and we make ourselves comfortable. We have lunch in the hotel's restaurant before go into town. We are about a 100 yards from the Viktualienmarkt (daily food market) and the Marienplatz square, where the Neue Rathaus (town hall) can be found.

At the Marienplatz square we start our walk. The Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market) is due to start in two days and preparations are well under way. The most striking building on Marienplatz is the Neues Rathaus (1867-1908) or town hall. For its construction a number of old country houses had to be torn down. The architect Von Hauberrisser took a close look at Brussels' gothic town hall for inspiration. This one, however, is more richly decorated, but for that reason less balanced than its Belgian example. We climb the town hall tower (by elevator) and enjoy the view. It is rather overcast  and we are not able to see the Alps from here today, but we get a good view of the city. It cold and humid and up there it is quite windy too. We go down again to take a closer look at the Peter church opposite, unsurprisingly dedicated to St Peter.  The church was, as so many other buildings in the city, heavily damaged during the Second World War, and reconstructed after the war. The church has a beautiful gold plated altar. We continue over the Marienplatz and go past the Alte Rathaus (old town hall), that serves as the Toy Museum these days.The building was not completely restored. Only its tower and council hall were built up again. Behind the building is the Heiliggeistkirche (holy spirit church). The church has a rather austere interior. We then move on through the  Viktualienmarkt. This daily fresh food market is heavily visited by consumers and chefs alike. You find everything here: fish, meat, venison, vegetables, delicacies and this time of year also Christmas decorations.  We walk on via Rosental and Oberanger in the direction of Sendlingerstrasse, where the Asamkirche can be found. Officially it is called the Nepomuk church, but it is better known by the name of its creators the Asam brothers. They designed lots of churches during the 18th century in both Munich and Bavaria. All of them richly decorated in rococo style. They play a game with convex and concave lines. This church was financed by the brothers themselves and built on their own plot. This as a thanks for being saved from a drowning accident on the Danube. The church facade is part of the street front together with residential buildings next to it. Inside we are startled by the gold plated decorations, paintings, frescoes and statues.  

After this religious bombardment we go for coffee in the Starbuck's opposite. At night we eat at Morizz close to our hotel. This is a trendy bar-restaurant with a mix of Thai and German cuisne. Later that night we sample the local gay scene. It is remarkably busy for a Wednesday night. 

Weather: overcast 8°C

Thursday 30 November 2006

After breakfast we walk towards Marienplatz again. We drink coffee with cake in a Konditorei (German tea room). After that we go and buy a  Munich Welcome card at the Tourist Information inside the town hall. It entitles us to 3 days of unlimited travel (central part) and discounts for a number of attractions. We start today's walk and make for the Alter Hof (Old Courtyard). This square once played an important role in Bavarian court life, but was heavily damaged during the war. It has been rebuilt, but it makes a unfinished impression. A few blocks away is the famous Hofbräuhaus, the most known of the Munich beer cellars. This early in the day it looks deserted. We will be back!!! We head for the Maximilianstraße op, the swishest shopping street in the city. All the famous fashion and jewelry brands have their own stores. The streets starts at the National Theatre and continues to the Maximilaneum, where the Bavarian parliament  (Landtag) gathers. It was built as a palace for Maximilian II between 1857 and 74. On this street we also see the Münchner Kammerspiele or Schauspielhaus, a well known theatre in Art Nouveau style. Unfortunately it is closed to visitors. We continue down the street towards the Max-Josephplatz where the Residenz is located. This is the most important palace in the city of the royal family Wittelsbach. It was the royal residence from 1508 until 1918 when Bavaria became a republic. We get a Euro discount with our Welcome card. The complex consists of distinct parts: the Königsbau (King's quarters), the Alte Residenz (Old Residence) and the Festsaalbau (Party Quarters). There are 130 rooms of which 70 are open to the public at any one time and to be visited vai a signposted route. Equipped with a Audiotour device we wander through the immense spaces. We come through beautiful rooms, anterooms, ball rooms, bed rooms.. you name it. No cost was spared to build these quarters, made to impress. We do not notice that the signposted route changes around midday to make the other 70 rooms available to visitors. This makes the route seem endless and it forces us to see some of them twice. We are almost exhausted when we reach teh exit. We leave the Treasury for a later date. 

We head for some lunch at Zum Franziskaner. It is a traditional diner where we share a big table with several others. People from all walks of life keep coming and going. We have a  Kasseler Riprl vom Rost mit Kartoffelsalat (Grilled pork chop with patatoe salad. Accompanied with a basket of Brezn (salted pretzels), which we – as it turns out – have to pay for per piece consumed. Most of the guest wash down their meal with pints (or more) of beer.

Filled and contented as we are, we continue our walk and arrive at the Theatiner church and the Feldhernhalle on Odeonsplatz. De 17th century church with its yellow facade and its dome makes an Italian impression. That is where its Italian architect Barelli comes from. Inside the rococo church is entirely white stucco and relatively austere. Statues and stucco are typically 18th century and rich in detail. The Feldhernhalle is a logia from 1842 after a Florentine example with statues representing Bavarian generals. It was commisioned by  king Ludwig I. It served as a backdrop for gatherings and parades during the Nazi period.

We continue along the Ludwigstrasse and see the Siegestor (triumphal arc) from 1850 in the distance. It was inspired by Constantine's Arc in Rome. We turn right into the Von der Tann straße and walk towards theEnglischer Garten. This 19th century park covers a large area  (350 ha) where all of Munich comes to rest and play during summer. It is cold now, but there are still quite a number of strollers and runners. At the edge of the park we see the austere classical Haus der Kunst (House of Art), where Hitler had "good national" art exhibited. Later it functioned as a museum for modern art, but that role has been filled now by the Pinakothek der Moderne.

We take the underground to the new football temple of Munich. For the 2006 World Cup Munich built a new stadium: the FIFA WM stadion, which continued since as the Allianz Arena and serves as a home base for FC Bayern München and TSV 1860 München, the two professional football teams of the city. The stadium is located at the edge of town and has a very special design. It consists of three rings and the outside is covered with synthetic air cushions, which can be illuminated in Red (Bayern), Blue (1860) or White (neutral). It can hold 66.000 spectators. We get a tour (one Euro discount with Welcome Card) and get a look back stage, including the dressing rooms, where can admire  the lockers of our 'own' Dutch lads Roy Makaay and Mark van Bommel.

Weather: foggy . 7°C.