Residence Museum - The Treasury

Public holidays in Bavaria are very quiet days. Only some restaurants and museums are open. All other stores close for the day. You become very good at advanced meal planning because there is nowhere to purchase that missing ingredient on a holiday (or a Sunday for that matter).

So on a recent holiday we decided to take a walk. We chose a street that is not on our usual route through town and discovered a building with lots of courtyards and beautiful architecture. It seems that we found the Residence Museum. 

The Munich Residence served as the seat of government and the residence of the Bavarian Dukes, Electors and Kings from 1508 to 1918. Although there are many other castles throughout Bavaria, the Residence is where the rulers kept their art collections and treasures.

The museum is viewed in three sections - The Residence Museum, The Treasury and the Cuvillies Theatre. We bought tickets to see all three and started with the Treasury.

The Treasury houses goldsmiths' work spanning several centuries from the Middle Ages to the neoclassical era. It also houses treasures made from ivory, rock, crystal and precious stones. There are also selections of tableware, insignia, weapons and religious art.

First on view were some of the royal crowns.

And that was just the beginning. There was a continuous array of incredible items. One necklace in particular had an interesting story. It is set with very large rubies and emeralds. During hard times, the emeralds were removed and replaced with glass substitutes. They did not mention anything about the rubies so I am assuming they are still the originals.

Here are some of the more photographable items.

Ladies, if you ever wanted a dressing table case, I have found one for you.

And for the gentlemen, a chess set.

Cultural Training

One of the services Steelcase provides expats is a two day cultural training class. We had ours in April and learned quite a few things which should help us to feel more comfortable in our new surroundings. Much of the course was related to business issues and that will be very helpful to Ken. However, our friend Georg felt that there were some key elements of cultural training that were not included in the initial classes. So being a good friend, he took it upon himself to continue our cultural training. And on a warm Sunday afternoon we had our best lesson to date.

We planned a bbq on our terrace and invited Georg as our guest. He arrived with crate in hand and a new lesson to be learned.

Part one - the lederhosen. The best ones are made from deer suede as are the shoes. Part two - the weiss bier. The blue crate was filled with 16 bottles of weiss bier (four varieties) and four glasses made specifically for the proper pour. Next followed a lesson where homework can really be fun!

We were moderately successful on our first pours, but as they say, practice makes perfect. And the bier was a perfect accompaniment to our Brazilian pork chops.

Opera Dinner

The group who planned our first social dinner and the Glockenbach Tour had a special treat for the month of May. It was another social dinner but this time it featured our friend Elizabeth as the entertainment. 

Our dinner was in the office/home of a local interior architect. We had a lively group of attendees of all ages and interests with opera being the central commonality.

Elizabeth is in Munich for three months auditioning for opera companies throughout Europe. She and her accompanist Rume prepared a 20 minute program featuring music from Tosca and other Italian operas. The arias were beautiful and the encore of Somewhere Over the Rainbow was the perfect ending.

The table was beautifully set and since the kitchen was at the end of the table we could watch our dinner as it was being freshly prepared.

Our host and his daughter provided us all with a great night of conversation and the opportunity to make new friends.

And our sweet ending included dessert.

A Walk in the Garden

We finally had a warm, sunny afternoon following three weeks of cool rainy weather. My friend Elizabeth was free and we decided to take another walk through English Garden and have a bite to eat. 

This time we were heading to a different Biergarten for a change of pace. The walk was so lovely.

The Biergarten sits on the edge of a lake where you can use paddle boats & canoes. Tables are lined all along the waterfront. And at this place they have barbecued duck legs - yummy!

After our dinner we casually strolled through some new areas as we made our way back home.

One of the wonderful things about these walks is the variety of activities to be found. Where else can you play soccer accompanied by harp music?

Glockenbach Walking Tour

On a cool but sunny Saturday morning we joined a group of expats for a walking tour of the Glockenbach. This is one of the very early neighborhoods which began outside of the city walls in about 1476. It was the location of a Gliesshaus where bells were made. Over the years the area became home to many artisans and day laborers. In the early 1900's the area was known for prostitution. Since the 1950's it has developed as the center of the gay movement. Today it is the most densely populated residential area of Munich. The area is filled with pubs, restaurants and night clubs. It is also home to many art galleries and craft shops.

Our tour began in the oldest cemetery inside the city of Munich. It is as much a park as a cemetery and residents stroll through it constantly. The graves are very old, although many of the oldest ones are no longer there after the cemetery was restructured many years ago. What does exist provides an interesting look at old prominent families. The gravestones are fascinating.

During the tour we learned a lot about the history of the neighborhood and how it has evolved. As part of our tour we visited four local businesses and were presented with some wonderful treats.

Our first stop was Gotterspeise, a Chocolaterie & Cafe. What a brilliant idea for a first stop. We were served several types of house made chocolates and a beverage. Ken & I had the Italian Hot Chocolate. Imagine dark chocolate pudding thinned with cream and heated to perfection. It was heavenly! 

The shops in the area are charming.

And the residential buildings are stately.

Our next stop was a goldsmiths studio tucked into a garden and filled with light. Stefanie showed us some of her working techniques and also treated us to some small appetizers and cocktails.

Our remaining two stops (and tastings) were at a cheese shop and a bakery called Josef. The owner of Josef is a charming man who owns two other small businesses called Jesus and Mary. Gotta love a man with a sense of humor.

Our tummies were full and our feet were tired and we loved it. Each small neighborhood in Munich has its own history and flavor. It makes exploring very interesting.