Leukemia Fighter! (CML); I Am Dancing and Traveling My Way Through: Last Day in Munich; Munich Residence, Churches, and Indian Food!

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Last Day in Munich; Munich Residence, Churches, and Indian Food!

Today is our last day in Munich and it is "supposed" to rain, meaning we needed to plan an indoor activity. But first, Joe walked across the street and picked up breakfast, which we were able to sit outside, on the terrace, and enjoy.

We decided to head to the Munich Residence, and seat of government of the Bavarian dukes, electors, and kings, but along the way, we stopped at the Theatine Church. It was a unique church, and I have not seen one quite like it thus far.

It is a Catholic church built from 1663 to 1690 and was founded by Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, as a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long-awaited heir to the Bavarian crown, Prince Max Emanuel, in 1612.

The church was built in the Italian high-Baroque style, with many sculptures, with little color. I found it fascinating, gaudy, and simplistic at the same time. The pulpit was very dark wood, which stood out from all of the white. Interestingly enough, the outside of the church is yellow.

Eventually, we found the Munich Residence which is the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria. It is the largest city palace in Germany. The palace was severely damaged by bombing during World War II, but most of the rooms have been reconstructed by 1980.

The Hall of Antiquities is the largest Renaissance hall north of the Alps and has so much going on, that you don't even know where to look. Gold, glitz, glam, and paintings. It took us several hours to walk through the Residence and the thing that I found most beautiful were several tapestries, of quality that I have never seen.

The gold filaments used throughout, along with a technique that caused the tapestry to appear 3D was exceptional.
Don't laugh, but another pretty cool thing was the Toiletten! They had neon bars inside, and outside the toilet stalls; red for in use, green for vacant! Just too cool!

Ok, onward we found more paintings, ceilings gilded to the hilt, and beautiful inlaid wooden floors of many different designs.

Once we were through with the residence, we went to the Treasury. I loved the crown and mini jeweled sculptures. So much to see, it made my head spin.

The highlight of the day was being able to sign the official "Book of Condolence" for Queen Elizabeth II. I would never have imagined that I would have had such an opportunity and honor.

One last church, the Frauenkirche, is a Gothic church with a rich collection of 14th to 18th-century artwork. It was "plain" in comparison to other churches in Munich, and we did not spend much time in this church. So many churches in Munich!

We finished our day back at the Indian restaurant and had another great meal; not as good as last night, but still delicious! We had to eat inside, as it was a little chilly, but the interior made it very enjoyable!