Europe, Castle of the Nymph

I have had a good sleep, and now I am ready to get familiarize with Munich closer. Yesterday I visited the Lidl shop near my house and bought some food for the breakfasts. So, after having a morning meal I went for walking to the city centre.

First of all, I visit Marienplatz. It is another great feeling to find yourself at this magnificent place without crowds of tourists. It is chilly in the morning, but I am absolutely happy.

My next point of destination is the Neue Pinakothek. It is an art museum, which is focusing on the European Art of the 18th and 19th century. Actually, it was the first public museum in Europe dedicated exclusively to contemporary art.

I reached this place by the underground (line U2, the stop Theresienstrasse), and after exiting the metro I had to walk about 15 minutes past Technical University to get to the museum. On Sundays the entrance fee is only 1 euro, but cloakroom will cost you another 70 cents.

The Neue Pinakothek was founded by the former King Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1853. The museum was destroyed during the Second World War, and the redesigned building opened its doors in 1981. The new postmodern building of the museum is the example of contemporary art itself. It has such features as arched windows, keystones, bay windows and stairways.

It is funny that I was able to refresh my German vocabulary by reading English and German names to the paintings. Moreover, this is another way, how you may create strong association between a picture and a word. In other words, this is a new method of memorizing the foreign words :) Please, use my approach freely.

Here you can find important examples of Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Art Deco and Impressionism. However, to my mind, the main masterpiece in the museum's collection is Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh. In this painting the flowers express the sun, which Van Gogh understood as a symbol of life, so he represented it in his numerous works.

One of the favourite Munich's attractions is the Nymphenburg Palace. It is located in the west part of Munich, and you can get there by tram 17 from the Hauptbahnhof. Actually, it was the summer residence of the Bavarian monarchs, bot these days it is open to public to offer its original baroque decoration.

The Nymphenburg Palace is a complex of several buildings, pavilions and museums. However, I was more interested in the spacious and picturesque park around the castle. The 299-hectare-large landscape garden offers architectural gems, hidden sculptures and a distinctive system of streams, lakes and canals. No wonder, that many inhabitants from Munich visit this place to sit down on the grass and enjoy the nature. 

At the entrance I was met by the white swans in the pond, which were so friendly and did not hesitate getting close to visitors.

In short, the Nymphenburg in Munich looks like the Petershof in Saint Petersburg, but unfortunately I could not locate any cascade fountains here.

And some good words I would like to tell about public transport in Munich. The public transport is extremely convenient. Everywhere you can find the schedule and the signs. Additionally, at bus and tram stops you can see the online information about upcoming transport. And finally, the transport is very punctual. The only thing you should be aware of is that the ticket machines on the bus or tram accept only coins. However, at stops there are more intellectual machines, which accept banknotes and even credit cards.

So, after a nice walking in the Nymphenburg park I returned to the Munich's centre to continue my exploration.

It is Sunday. It means that you unlikely can do shopping, because all the shops are closed. Even The Viktualienmarkt looks deserted.

I am on the Marienplatz and it is 17 o'clock. The Clocks start their show. Usually the tourists are not aware of this hour, and people come here at noon. Actually, the performance includes the dances, twirls and the joust of motorized figurines around the inside of the tower.

In fact, the figures start acting at 17:03 and stop at 17:08. The movement of the figures begins on the upper balcony of the clocks, and later we see the puppets on the lower balcony.

Pork dish and Frantziskaner at Bavarese restaurant were the perfect ending of such a busy day. All in all, there are 20 kilometers I have made on foot today. I think, next days I will cover even farther distances.