Pampered in Munich

The Bayerisches Nationalmuseum is a fascinating look at Bavarian culture. It is part history museum part decorative arts museum. The two combined into a very interesting way to spend several hours. Another unique and quite interesting museum is the Deutsches Jagd und Fischerei Museum, The German Hunting and Fishing Museum. This is a misnamed museum however; it is much more about natural history than about hunting and fishing. The animals are the main part of the exhibit not the means to capture or kill them.

I do my gift shopping at the Galeria Kaufhof on Neuhauserstrasse. They have an excellent selection of German chocolates. I wanted to buy some inexpensive but tasty treats to bring home and they had a selection that would tempt even a saint. Keep on mind that most German chocolate is laced with alcohol, so if you are buying some for children, read the ingredients. I actually had one of the clerks help me find a few alcohol free varieties. This location is one of a chain that sells everything from housewares and food to fashionable clothing. I would compare it to Macy’s or Lord and Taylor’s. I bought my daughter a beautiful silk and velvet scarf for 39 euros on sale from 89. You have to love the January sales.

After my ATM incident, I really appreciated the pampering I got from Jasmine at Spa Futuresse. This spa is worth a visit even if you don’t stay at the Le Meridien Hotel.

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The Marianplatz is the focal point of the Alte Stadt (Old City). One side is dominated by the Neues Rathaus. It has a very famous carillon that plays twice a day during the summer and once at 11am in the winter. This is to Munich what the changing of the guard is to London. Tourists crowd into the Marienplatz to see the performance. Not my cup of tea, but I appear to be in the minority.

As the capital of Bavaria, Munich makes a great tour base. Trains and organized tours are available to Ludwig's Castles, Obergammerau, skiing trips to Garmish-Partenkirchen and the concentration camp at Dachau. Salzburg is only a three-hour train ride away, as is Innsbruck. Nuremberg is two hours by car, less by train. Most hotels will be able to help with the organized tours.

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added that certain something to our view, though our little metal balcony made an excellent drink cooler in January.

I have to say that the staff and the management try very hard here to make your visit perfect. In a few instances, they fell a little short, for example, my TV Internet didn’t work right and the whole unit had to be replaced. It took the technician at least 30 minutes to make it to my room, 30 minutes of Internet time I was paying for. We had a small problem at check-in because we had a change in rate during our stay. Their particular system sets this up as two reservations with a connection so that you can stay in the same room. Unfortunately, they forgot to make our keys good for the length of our entire stay. These were minor inconveniences in an otherwise fantastic stay.

I adored our room. The style was so innovative, with cheetah carpeting and plasma TV. We had a wonderful upholstered chair and ottoman in the room - did I forget to say, the very large room. We also had a fabulous full-length lit mirror in our entranceway. Great for giving yourself the once-over before you went out. The bed was very comfortable and I love that they change the bedding every day. We had a separate glass shower and a wonderful deep tub. The vanity was marble and the lighting in the bathroom was stellar for doing your makeup in the makeup mirror. The only housekeeping issue we had was that our bathroom had only one drinking glass; this was odd, to say the least, in a double room. I loved the armoire, a light went on inside as soon as you opened the door, they really have thought of everything. There is even a telephone in the bathroom.

What will bring me back to this hotel again, though, is the marvelous Spa Futuress. I had a body scrub (30 euros) with marine salt and aromatic oil and a stress-relieving facial (60 euros). I was so pampered I didn’t ever want to leave. Le Meridien has the largest indoor pool in Munich and it is gorgeous, with dark blue tiles that make the water look incredibly blue. They have a state-of-the-art gym, steam room, sauna and a BIG hot tub. You will need to exercise to avoid gaining weight from the great breakfast buffet, it is the best I’ve ever had. If buffet isn’t your bag, you can have a continental in the bar, but I wanted to have a made-to-order omelet. The buffet was included with our unbelievable 125-euro rate for the first 3 days, and since we had to leave at 5am on the fourth morning, breakfast was a moot point.

three years ago, when we visited, but had no idea it was in front of a museum. That is how you can find the museum; the boar is very distinctive.

I didn’t know what to expect from a hunting and fishing museum, and whatever I had anticipated, I was wrong. This is much more of a natural history museum than a celebration of sport. Especially if you have children, this would be a very interesting museum to visit. It offers a unique opportunity to explain conservation. My grandchildren often visit the zoo and they need to understand that if animals aren’t protected, then perhaps their children or grandchildren will only be able to view some of these animals stuffed.

The museum offers three floors of cases filled with stuffed birds,

animals and fish. The cases of the animals place them in their natural environment. The birds are just sitting on limbs. There are also cases of gear for the appropriate sport. Al was particularly interested in the cases of fishing lures and flies.

We all loved standing beneath the grizzly bear, and we were charmed by a small boy who was tentatively stroking a stuffed wild boar. I found the baby ducks and the fawns disturbing; I wondered how they ended up dead.

On the third floor, the skeleton of a wild Irish stag is the main exhibit.

It is a massive beast, the horns are wider than an adult man’s arm span, a very impressive animal. There is a case of very interesting jewelry that had belonged to the wife of Kaiser Wilhelm. My German is rudimentary, so I was not able to figure out why her jewelry would have been here unless it was what she wore to a hunting party, but that is only a guess.

Take the time, especially when you are on the third floor to appreciate the architecture of this very pretty building. The ceiling and the beautiful arches give testament to it having been built as a church.

Entrance to the museum is 3.5 euros, and it is not one of the museums that is free on Sunday.

Located in the basement, the variety in style, workmanship, and material is amazing. Some were made of paper and over a hundred years old, and the set was complete with the infant Jesus, the shepherds, sheep, wise men, etc. Others were elaborately carved from wood, stone, or ivory. Some were one-piece, and others numbered in the hundreds and literally included the entire village of Bethlehem. The crèches range from several hundred years old to quite recent and are all protected in glass cases. The lighting is dim, and the whole exhibit is beautiful and quite solemn.

They gave us a map when we went into the museum, and it is basically just an overview of the rooms, but one nice thing is that it points out any items they feel might be of particular interest. I used it as a scavenger hunt of sorts, trying to locate the items they highlighted, but at the same time enjoying things I prefer. Among their treasures, as far as I was concerned, was Wolf Dietrich’s armor.

He was the Prince Bishop of Salzburg. Like everything else about him, it was elaborately decoration and a beautiful specimen in black and gold. The rooms here vary quite a bit. Some are set up like most museums with cases and items hanging on the walls, others are set up as a chapel or as a bedroom so that you can appreciate the decorative arts of Bavaria as well.

In one room, they highlighted an alabaster statue of Judith with the head of Holofernes, which was quite beautiful; however, right next to it was a painting by Lucas Cranach of Salomee,

which I found much more intriguing. I also loved two cases they had with clothing that was over 400 years old - there was a beautiful velvet dress that belonged to Dorothea Sabina and it looked like something that Anne Boleyn might have worn, and there was also a mantle worn by Herzog Wilhelm V which was very Henry the 8th-ish. I’ve never seen clothing this old before.

There are also rooms of amazing china, musical instruments, and even a huge table set with the biggest silver set I have ever seen.

This is one of the museums that is free to visit on Sunday. Normal admission is 3.5 euros. To get to the Bavarian National Museum, we took the U-bahn. We took U-4 toward Arabella and got off at Lehel. A one-zone ticket cost two euros.

It all began simply enough. I needed cash, and I saw the bank with an outdoor machine just two or three doors down from our hotel. It seemed like kismet; in reality, it turned into a nightmare with no end. For no apparent reason, the machine captured my card, told me it was keeping it, and then shut down. In case you’re wondering, I had answered every question right, with no hesitation, language--English; pin--####; deposit or withdrawal--withdrawal; amount --250 euros, processing -- then capture and shut down.

It was Saturday night, and we were on our way out to dinner. The earliest I could talk to anyone at the bank would be Monday morning at 8:30am. That was thirty-six hours away. I had a sick feeling in my stomach; luckily, I also had some very good friends who were more than willing to advance me some cash. I am not trying to make it sound as if I was without resources -- I wasn’t. I always have several credit cards with me at any given time in addition to my ATM, but as we all know, there are still some transactions that need to be carried out in cash.

Monday morning at 8:30am I was at the bank, passport in hand. What a waste of time that was. No, they were not going to give me my card back. No, there was nothing I could do. No, my passport didn’t prove that my card wasn’t stolen, and finally, my bank was responsible. They had asked that my card be captured. A fax from my bank might help. That sick feeling returned. With the six-hour time difference, I wasn’t able to confirm this very unlikely assertion, so I tried to enjoy my day at Nymphenberg.

By this time, I was beginning to feel as if I was on a downhill spiral to hell. I realized that I don’t carry a phone card and I would have to call the US from my hotel by direct dialing. I was able to get the number of our bank from their website, and with a heavy heart, I made the call. The only bright light in this whole ordeal was that the call only cost me 4.8 euro.

Our bank relieved my mind about my account –- yes, I had money; no, they hadn’t asked for my card to be captured, and there was no activity at all on my account on Saturday -- no attempt to withdraw cash. The bad news was that they don’t fax to Germany. What do you mean, you don’t fax to Germany? What was I supposed to do? Well, I might want to cancel my ATM card. Well, thanks, that sure was helpful. Luckily, we were in the last two days of our trip, and it really didn’t matter much.

There is a lesson to be learned from my misadventure. I can’t emphasize this enough: never rely on only one source for your cash on a trip -- if you don’t happen to be traveling with generous friends, this can cause a disaster. Another consoling thought was that at least I knew that a machine in a bank captured my card. I would have been much more concerned if, say, the machine had been a stand-alone at the train station or the airport. Also, always carry your ATM card number and the bank telephone number in a separate place in case you need it. I always do this for my credit cards, but I hadn’t done it for the ATM card.

Munich like any large city can be expensive. We spent the last four days of our vacation here and after a Saturday evening meal at the Rathskeller were determined to economize on the rest of our meals. Luckily for us, our hotel provided a substantial breakfast buffet that usually held us until teatime. We stave off late-afternoon hunger with a piece of cake and a hot chocolate.

These can be had at a museum or one-day in the U-bahn station under the Karlsplatz. This can run anywhere from 3.5 to 5 euros, and the price is not necessarily indicative of the quality of the cake. We had one of the best for the cheapest in Nyphenberg right next to the S-bahn stop at a small bakery cafe.

Wienerwald

Bayerstrasse

When you are looking for an inexpensive and passable meal, this Austrian chain has just what you’re looking for. You can choose to have take out or sit down in their restaurant. Chicken is the main fare here and the specialty is seasoned and spit-roasted. You may choose to get in by the half or by the quarter. There are also an almost endless variety of ways that you can have it topped.

Al had a half chicken with cheese and bacon on the top.

It came with no sides so he ordered steamed vegetables, which were carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. I had the chicken breast removed from the bone, which in English means a chicken cutlet with mushroom sauce. I traded my potato dumpling for pan roasted vegetables, which were peppers, zucchini and mushrooms. The food was well cooked and service was okay. They had a fairly large non-smoking section, which endeared them to us immediately.

Bob had the sweet and sour chicken, which was chunks of chicken and vegetables in a sweet sauce over basmati rice. Joe had what looked like the most interesting meal, with Farmer chicken, which was chunks of chicken with potatoes and bacon. If you are looking for a reasonably priced meal in a family style restaurant this will fit the bill nicely. Our total bill for four of us was 43 Euros.

Ca D’oro

Bayerstrasse

We were enticed by the very delicious-looking pizza on display in the window of this restaurant. There is a formal restaurant through some doors in the rear but we just wanted to get a slice and sit down quickly to eat them. The pizza is laid out in rows in a case with a cafeteria walk in front of it. You grab a tray point out the slice you want. It is warmed up, you order a drink and take your very inexpensive feast to one of about five tables to devour. They had some interesting choices. I had a veggie slice with grilled eggplant, onions, peppers, potatoes and zucchini. The potato was a bit of a shock but added an interesting texture. Al had just plain cheese pizza and with a mineral water, we spent under six euros. The slices were huge and one was certainly enough.

Rubenbauer

Haupbahnhauf

Located on the Arnulfstrasse side of the Bahnhof this was a quick and easy choice for our evening meal. It has the look of a fifties dinner with shiny tables and brightly colored English menus. The cooking is done in the center of the room and you can walk over and view some of the choices in a case.

I had a half chicken with potato salad;

I added a house salad. Joe had goulash (which he gave a thumbs up), Bob had a Bavarian specialty of ham and fried eggs (he swore it was spam, not ham). My chicken was dry, really dry. And Al’s pork steak was okay, not great but not bad. Now in all fairness, it was late in the day and my guess is that the chicken had been cooked a lot earlier.

What redeemed this restaurant for us was big glasses of Paulus pils, a very friendly waitress and a fabulous dessert of vanilla ice cream, warm raspberries and whipped cream. It’s amazing how forgiving you feel with that delicious dessert in your stomach. The price tag for four was 54 euros.

Bella Italia

Herzog Wilhelm Strasse

This is a real family style Italian Restaurant with good food and good prices. We tried a real variety of their food from appetizers to desserts and everything was great.

Al and I shared an appetizer of fried calamari served with a lemon slice, tomato and mayonnaise. Very good and a large portion.

I had lasagna and a salad. The lasagna had peas in it which was a bit odd but delicious.

You make your own salad dressing from olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The bowls of pasta were huge and nobody had any complaints. If you want bread, you will have to request it, and it was served without butter. Decor is simple and the location is about 5 blocks from the main train station. One note, they don't accept credit cards.

Pretzels

Everywhere

We fell in love with big, soft warm pretzels. They can be purchased at stands, at bakeries and in the bahnhof. We had one as a snack one evening and we purchased two to take on the plane ride home with us.

It is an east walk from the stop to the Palace. The combination ticket is eight euros and will get you into the Palace, the Amalienberg and the Stable Museum. You have to pay cash; they don’t take credit cards for the entrance or for purchases from the store. For an additional 2.5 euros you can take an audio tour of the Palace. This gives you a lot of history and some interesting anecdotes. The rooms have a plaque telling you which number to push. Allow yourself a whole day for this excursion especially in the good weather when there are additional buildings, which can be visited.

The land on which the palace was built was given to Henrietta Adelaide the wife of Elector Ferdinand Marie as a thank-you gift from her husband on the birth of an heir after 10 years of marriage and several daughters. I really need to talk to Al about what I got for giving him an heir and a spare!

The Festival Hall,

the first room you visit was the scene of Ludwig the second’s baptism. The ceiling is worthy of notice as it is decorated with frescos done by Johann Baptiste Zimmermann. The rooms to the right side of the Hall are the Electors set up in the typical baroque fashion and to the left the Electress. In the hallway on both sides are studies of different of the Wittelsbach castles. In the Electress wing is the famous Gallery of Beauties.

This collection of 36 portraits was the brainchild of Ludwig I who had all the most beautiful women of his time painted and hung in his gallery. These are not all women of the court; one is the daughter of a Greek freedom fighter, one a cobbler’s daughter. Among the court ladies is his daughter-in-law and his mistress, Lola Montez.

The Amilienberg is a little jewel box of a hunting lodge. It was the retreat of the Electress Amalia. She was known to have hunted from the roof and the kennel room

has beautiful tiles and cages for lots of dogs. It is only about six rooms but every one of them is a gem.

The Stable Museum has a collection of carriages and sleighs.

You can see two carriages that belonged to Eugene Beauharnais (Josephine’s son) as well as Ludwig II’s beautiful carriage that turned into a sleigh. Upstairs there is a fine collection of Nymphenburg porcelain.

If you want to purchase some modern Nymphenburg porcelain, there is a store right alongside the front park. You had better have a huge credit line though the prices are quite shocking. I didn’t see any pieces under 100 euros, but I did see a 700-euro teapot.