Monday, June 24: Day 63 – Munich

Fifty percent of Munich was bombed by the Allies in World War II due to its proximity to a diesel plant. I ponder that thought. If half of my city was destroyed and it was time to rebuild, what changes or improvements would I make?

The streets were wide and was mostly pedestrian promenades. Buildings were new. Rob and I wonder how these curved walls on both sides are constructed.

However, the famous Glockenspiel looked as though it had been around for centuries. The noontime show seemed like a precursor to “It’s a Small World.”

We went to the Munich Residence which is now a museum containing the treasury of German royalty most notably Bavaria. The compound originally was built as a royal residence. The building was large and rambling. There would be many places to hide if an enemy were to come inside. At least, WE were lost most of the time…but beauty was all around so it was only mildly frustrating.

This jeweled relic holder with St. George slaying the dragon is the must see show piece of the Treasury. The intricate design of gold and jewels was mezmerizing.

A room called the Antiquarim was built to house the king’s collection of antique Roman statues. It was massive and the wall and ceiling decorations were stunning.

The Ancestral Portrait Gallery was a Who’s Who of German Royalty. I mused at this painting of Otto I. I have a grandnephew named Otto. Do you see any family resemblance?? (There was a II, III, IV as well.)

We walked through the adjoining Hofgarten. Rob is always happy to pose for a picture but is skeptical when I ask him to move to the left or right. I think that this helmet suits him.

We took the high speed train to Berlin. It was travelling at over 300 km/hour which is almost 190mph but it didn’t seem like it.

We checked into our hotel. I often read the welcome packet which states check out time, smoking policy and other miscellaneous items. However, this time there were 10 jokes in English. (There were also jokes in German but they got 24. I can only assume that the other 14 got “lost in translation”.)

Anyway, I leave you with my favorite:

A young executive was leaving the office at 6pm when he found the CEO standing in front of the shredder with a piece of paper in his hand. “Listen,”said the CEO,”this is important and my secretary has left. Can you make this thing work?” “Certainly,” said the young executive. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button. “Excellent, excellent!” said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the shredder. “I just need one copy.”