Hello Everyone, and Happy Sunday!
I apologize for the delay in posts… just got a little behind.
Anyway, here we go:
When we last left off, I was in Munich, Germany for Schmuck – Jewellery Week. Wearing the wrong shoes for walking but hanging out with some amazingly awesome friends from the states and seeing some inspiring jewelry work. The trip so far has been pretty intense, one thing after another, after another, etc. My last 2 days however, are a little more relaxed and full of exploration mixed with a little surprise. Let’s find out what happens shall we:
Day 4: March 15th, 2015 – CASTLE TOUR!!!
That’s right ladies and gentlemen, venturing out of the city center to see Neuschwanstein Castle. Perched atop the hillside above the village of Hohenschwangau, just outside Füssen, Neuschwanstein Castle was the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Slightly ironic, but Sleeping Beauty was one of my favorite Disney movies as a kid… – let’s do a side by side comparison)
Yeah, I think Neuschwanstein might have had something to do with the castle… Anyway, this nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace was never finished. Commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria to be used as his private hideaway, however building stopped abruptly after his sudden death in 1886 (found dead in a nearby lake with his doctor – if I’m not mistaken). A lover or art, architecture and music, Ludwig II was a colossal fan and patron of the composer Robert Wagner – the interior architecture of Neuschwanstein depicts scenes from many of Wagner’s operas. I go on about Ludwig II (“the Swan King”), but how about we see some pictures from the castle:
After the castle tour, Jim, Yoko and I made our way back to Munich (via train). Taking a leisurely stole through the park, we landed at Park Cafe for dinner… and left with a hefty mug (shh). After dinner, Yoko and Jim walked me to my new hotel around the corner from theirs. They were heading home in the morning, and I get to explore a bit of Munich tomorrow on my own!
Day 5: Monday March 16th, 2015 – Another Ludwig II creation (well, adaptation)! – with a surprise on the side…
Munich Residenz Palace – the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs. And this place is huge, a complex of buildings containing ten courtyards and displays 130 rooms, it’s the largest city palace in Germany according to Wikipedia. The palace even has a theater (Cuvilliés Theatre), and a concert hall. A large portion of the Munich Residenz was built by Ludwig I, including his state apartments, and extend the palace. The winter gardens designed and constructed on the rood of one of the palace buildings, was commissioned by his son, Ludwig II (same guy from Neuschwanstein Castle). It sadly was dismantled due to a leaky lake… on the roof… but supposedly included “a grotto, a Moorish kiosk, an Indian royal tent, an artificially illuminated rainbow and intermittent moonlight.” What a wonder it would have been to see that.
The palace complex itself was pretty impressive though. A weird mix of styles, and kind of bare in “stuff” however that is most likely due to the heavy bombing it faced during World War II when it was almost completely destroyed. Here are some of my photos from Munich Residenz Palace, enjoy:
I wandered about within the Munich Residenz for hours… it was lovely, and for most of the time, I wandered alone through the giant halls and rooms. Before my stop at the Cuvilliés Theatre, I left the Residenz for lunch, stopping nearby in the is odd little chic/eclectic cafe – beautifully decorated with miss matched kind of bohemian meets Moulin Rouge-ish feel furniture and decor. However, the most odd thing was I think it was an Italian cafe? and the waitress spoke this miss matched Italian/German… and I semi understood some of the Italian… but was just thoroughly confused and hungry. In the end, I just had 2 large coffee’s and some kind of a panini sandwich – mediocre. Anyway, then made my way back to the Theatre before heading on back to my hotel.
For dinner on my last night in Munich, I had a special treat. Do you remember the sweet little older Welsh woman I shared the plane trip here with in my last post?? Well, they (her daughter and her) invited me over to the daughter’s house for dinner! Soo nice. Nicola, the daughter, lives in Munich with her family, and met me at my hotel so we could venture together to her house. There we ate, and chatted up the evening, before they dropped me off at the train station and I made my way back to my hotel for the night.
All together I had a wonderful time in Munich. I learned some new things, was inspired by some great art, met new friends while reconnecting with some old ones and just had fun. It would have been nice to stay a few more days in Germany, travel about a bit, but that will be an adventure for another day and time. Back to the U.K. for a few days, and then off again; this time going north in England to Sheffield to visit Grace Horne in the knife maker hub of the UK. Too excited.
So that’s all for this post… stay tuned for Sheffield!
Also make sure to check out my fundraiser here – to support my learning adventure in the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK (and other learning trips around Europe). Each donation comes with a hand made reward from yours truly. Keep an eye out for some amazing new rewards coming soon at www.gofundme.com/MeredithTibjash!
And if you haven’t already, check out the daily photos on my Instagram page: @mstibj
Until next time, take care – and see you soon
-Meredith S. Tibjash
