The day started relatively early -- and we are very thankful we got to the Residenz early, as we spent well over two hours in relative quiet. By the time we left, the halls were full and the noise was deafening! The Residenz was both the seat of government as well as the residence for the Wittelsbach family during their rein as first Duke, then Emporer and finally King of Bavarian region from early 1500s until 1918.
Over those almost 400 years, each ruler had added building and courtyards - which all came tumbling down during Allied Forces bombing in WWII - reducing 28K sq meters to less than 50 sq meters when the bombing was over. Since 1945 until as recently as 2003, reconstruction has replicated the original structures and many of the furnishings and artwork were saved, as they had been moved to a safe location prior to the bombings. They are currently working on the facade -- also true on an amazing number of buildings throughout the city.
The Antiquarium - used for banquets & entertaining - and, of course, to show off their antiques!
The Court Chapel - the rulers sat from this view which was easily accessible from their living quarters. The court members sat below.
The Ancestor's Hall - quite an amazing presentation of the Wittelsbach family and their efforts to demonstrate ties to the Roman ancestory.
The bedroom was quite amazing - especially as its purpose was only for show! The gray tapestry was made of "cheap" silver thread which has oxidized over the years - what a shame they didn't use gold or bronze which would have retained its sheen.
The Residenz Tour provided audio machines, so that we could set our own pace. Our pace increased after the second hour and we departed before noon.
The streets of the city were teeming with people, music, street fairs and bicycles. We decided the ramp up to Oktoberfest must be beginning with a day of simply gorgeous weather!
We hopped the tram and found a delightful outdoor bistro for lunch of grilled veal, pomme fritz and salad - yum!
Getting out of town sounded good to both of us, so we headed to a recommendation made by Barb & Bob Sammis - Kloster Andechs, which is about 45 minutes southwest of the city. Once we rescued the car from the car park and set the GPS, it was a breeze!
Sitting high above the town, the Kloster is both a monastry as well as a brewery & bier garden!
We were fortunate to witness in mass by the monks - the music was exceptional!
And then, we HAD to try the liquid refreshment in the bier garden! We've now sampled four brews for Munich region - HofBrau, Augustiner, Paulanger and Andechs -- and we agreed the Andechs was the finest. Must be the heavenly component!
We returned to the hotel for a bit and then off on the tram again in search for a light dinner, whch we found at another outdoor bistro - the City Lounge! Tomorrow (now today, as I had computer connection issues last night and was unable to post the blog) we're off to Salzburg!
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