Today's grand plans were to go to the Residenz Museum at Residenz Platz and then to Nymphenburg Palace. This morning the weather did not cooperate and it was raining. In fact it rained all day. The only time I wasn't rained on was when I went running at 6:30 in the morning. (By the way Munich is really busy at 6:30 am-- much busier than Dallas.) We took the U-Bahn once again to Odeonsplatz Station where Robyn did what else, took pictures. There are up to three different tours that can be taken at the museum-- the Residenz, the Treasury, and the Theater. We had been to the theater the night before so we just did the Treasury and the Residenz. The Treasury contains the jewels of the Wittelsbach dynasty which was the last family to rule as monarchs over Bavaria. There were some very cool and beautiful items. Robyn wants me to get one for her, so I figure I can get half a million for a kidney. I am attaching several of the 13,000 pictures that Robyn took in the Treasury.















We then went to the Residenz Musem which is up to 130 rooms of the Residenz Palace for the Wittelsbach monarchy when they ruled Bavaria. In 1385, the first buildings were erected on the site, however construction on the Palace as it is seen today was started in the early part of the 16th century and continued during various reigns of electorates or monarchs over the next 300 years. A great majority of the Palace was destroyed during WW II because the Residenz is in the center of Munich. Reconstruction occurred after the war and was completed during the 1980's; some rooms were not rebuilt to their original look. The Bavarian Monarchy ended in 1918 with the German Revolution as WW I was nearing a close. The reconstruction work that has been done is very impressive and there were many works of art that survived the war that are placed in their original room. I have attached several pictures that Robyn took inside the palace.













After we left the Residenz Museum it of course was still raining, but we found a nice bier garten nearby and had lunch. This one was visited mostly by locals so I knew it would be good. We sat with a couple of retired German men who were having their weekly lunch. We conversed in German and English and it was interesting. After lunch we found a department store near Marien Platz called C&A. It was like a Dillards and after a long and tortuous search I found a belt. Best of all it only cost 12 Euros, cheaper than the belt I got at Kohl's! So everyone can rest--Europe is safe from the potential of my pants falling down.

In the late afternoon we headed to Nymphenburg Palace which was the summer home of the Bavarian monarchs. It is approximately 10 miles from the Residenz which would have put it in the country at the time it was built. The palace was commissioned in 1664 by prince-elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife Henrietta Adelaide to celebrate the birth of the their son Maximillian II. The central pavilion was completed in 1674 and beginning in 1701 expansions were made for the next 125 years. The palace and grounds are beautiful and the palace looks larger then Versailles. However, the tour consists of only about a dozen rooms on the second floor of the original central building. What we saw was impressive but there is not much to see. As far as I know there was no damage done to the palace during WW II since it was not in the center of Munich. I have attached some photo's that Robyn took at the palace.









We have now stayed twice at the Eden Wolf Hotel. We really like its location across from the Hauptbanhof and it is accessible to the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and tram system. We also like the restaurant. The food has been very good both times, and we ate dinner there each evening. We got to know the waitress who was very friendly and helpful, I have attached a picture that Robyn took of her.





Tomorrow we head for Paris on Air France. Hope the flight is on time and we have no problems. At least we won't be stopped by dead bodies on the track.