After breakfast (which features the best tasting coffee I've had in all of Central Europe), we stroll to the Marienplatz -- we have some chores to do before we head to the museum! Our first stop (and the only stop, it turns out) is the store called Kaiser. Munich sells flat, painted pewter ornaments at Christmastime in its market, but I believe they could be found year-round. When we inquired at the front desk, we were greeted with blank looks and told to go to the large department store called Kaufhof. On our way there, I have an epiphany from fifteen years ago: suddenly I knew exactly where the store in which we shopped fifteen years ago is located. I am right! It is called Kaiser -- so we go in. We find a gift for our housekeeper who has been watering our plants while we have been gone and also a few gifts for ourselves. I also find an ornament showing a bride and groom, which I buy for my nephew Eric and his fiance Erin. The selection here is incredible. Rob buys an ornament for his Aunt Phyllis that features butterflies. When we depart the store, we arrive at the Marienplatz just in time to watch the clock ring 11am and see the moving figures on the rathaus tower.
We strolled up the main pedestrian walkway and stop in to see the Theatinerkirche, which is covered up in scaffolding, but open to visitors inside. It is a Baroque style, but all white inside, quite lovely.
Across the street is the Feldherrnhalle, a monumental loggia built in the 1800's for Bavarian King, Ludwig I, as a symbol of the honor of the Bavarian Army. It has a certain notoriety as it was the site of the Nazi Party's "Beer Hall Putzch." This occurred in 1923 as the police confronted members of the Nazi Party engaged in an illegal march. Many people were killed, and Adolph Hitler was arrested and jailed. As a result, the Feldherrnhalle became a symbol of the Nazi Party.
We continue on to the museum. The first permanent exhibit we enjoyed was called 19th Century Art, featuring landscapes. I took note of one by Henri-Joseph Harpignies, called "View of Saint-Prive." Upstairs the exhibit continued more with portraits, although there was one landscape by Hans Thoma, called "Der Verlorene Sohn (Der Schweinhirt)," which translates to the prodigal son with a herd of pigs. I like this because I have never seen or even heard of anyone herding pigs! Is that a thing? Don't pigs just hang out in a sty? Unfortunately, I am unable to find any images of these paintings on the internet. The museum also has some super modern installations that I must confess are of no interest to me.
The star of the museum is a permanent exhibit called "The Blue Rider." The Blue Rider group consisted of Russian and German painters in the Munich area who rejected the prominent art authority at the time (1911 to 1914) and established their own exhibitions. Two of the more prominent members were Vasily Kandinsky and Gabriele Munter, who were also a couple for many years. The art in here is unbelievable. For a while they lived in a town called Murnau, and if you google images for Kandinsky and Murnau, you will see incredible works of art. Here is one:
This is a large exhibit and also has a lot of paintings by other artists such as the fabulous Paul Klee. This is really a treat!
Lunch is in the museum restaurant, called Ella -- very nice. Rob has a petite tuna salad sandwich with a green salad and sweet potato fries. I have a large green salad with radishes and pomegranite seeds (granatappel in German).
After our museum visit, we return to the town center for some additional shoe shopping (unsuccessful yet again) and a visit to one of Munich's most famous landmarks, the Frauenkirche. The exterior here is also largely under scaffolding, but the interior is just fine! Here is my photo:
Now, we returned to the hotel to work on our suitcases and relax. Dinner tonight is at our hotel's restaurant, which, as it turns out, is the number one recommendation by Yelp. It is kind of a fancy restaurant called Pfistermuhle, which I have no idea what that means. I start with an appetizer of white spargle (asparagus) and Rob has a plate of very thinly sliced smoked salmon. For mains, I have Bavarian ox, which I'm assured is really beef, served with potato croquettes and broccoli. Rob has a boneless veal chop with potatoes and stuffed zuchini. Both were very tasty. The restaurant itself is a bit unusual in that there isn't a main dinning room Instead there are small, intimate rooms each with perhaps three or four tables. We were seated in a room with three tables.
Following dinner, we retire to our room and settle in for a good, long night sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day of travel including a nine hour time zone change.
No comments:
Post a Comment