When I woke at 7:53, it was still cloudy. This is not a look I am used to in my favorite city. We were not in a hurry, so we took our time stretching, checking email, etc. We finally went to breakfast at 8:50. The lobby was busy, as it was every time we went through. It often seemed to be mostly Muslim women and their children. Someone suggested, that they came with their husbands who went to meetings and the women and kids just hung out here. The women were often looking at their phone screens. We also saw flight crews checking in and checking out. It was Delta and one other airline and they had their own hotel check-in/out desk. We're not that close to the airport for this, but I suppose the airline got a good deal.
Before we had left home, I'd found the church for today. They had a 10:30 Mass and were supposedly a 15-minute walk away. I'd printed the Google map and confirmed it on line this morning before we left at 10. It was now partly sunny, but still cool. We headed south along a park that was down the hill from us. To our left were mostly apartment buildings. It was a pleasant walk and we saw runners and bikers. I thought this apartment really was into flags and garden figures. The bird was on top of the railing on a bridge we crossed.
We just could not find the turn labeled on the map. We finally decided to to down the hill through the park. At the bottom, we crossed a bridge over a canal.
We followed a road to a main road and crossed. I tried to find a street sign to help, when I heard church bells. They were north of our position, so we crossed back over the street and headed north. I soon saw street names that matched those on the map. We were south of the church. We began to hurry, because it was getting late. Soon, we saw the parish of Mariahilfe church ahead.
As I hurried up the steps at 10:28, a man held the door for me and told me to slow down. We took seats in pew 25 on the left and soon Mass started. Unfortunately, we did arrived after the hymn number was announced. No board in this church. Even though the tune was familiar, I just could not come up with its English name.
The church was big, bigger than parish churches at home. There was no stained glass, but we found what the stained glass used to look like in pictures near each one. Behind the altar was a giant piece of tapestry, perhaps, with Mary and the rosary. Appropriate, since the church name means "Mary's help". It was really a lovely church.
The prayers this week were in German and we managed to find most of them in the book. I was surprised to see that they use the same missal as they did in Erfurt. That does not always happen at home. The first reading was from 1 Kings. It took me a few moments to realize that it was the story of Elijah in the cave, which I then whispered to my husband. The responsorial psalm was lost on me with those acoustics. The second reading was from Romans. The Gospel was Matthew, the story of Christ walking on water, which I let my husband know. Toward the end of Mass, a woman came up to speak about the priest, as it was his last weekend before being transferred. Father then said something and promised to visit.
When Mass was over, we took some time to walk around. The parishioners paid us no mind. They were a mixture of ages and there were some infirm among them, which is not something I've seen a lot of in Europe. I liked where they put the Book of the Gospels after the Gospel was read. I also liked the chapel to Mary on the right side of the church. Interestingly, it had a sculpture of the Holy Spirit as a dove on the ceiling.
" In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word...And the Word is made flesh."
We'd entered through the southwestern door and at 11:32, we exited through the northeastern one. We were now able to follow the map to get back to the hotel. It was sunny and nice now. I was impressed with how homey it looked, even with apartment buildings.
I was interested to see, that when they decided to rename this path from what it was on our map, they actually added an explanation of who the guy was!
Soon, we crossed back over the canal to the park at the point that looked like it would work best. We found a macadam path that led up the hill and followed it. There was no street sign here.
When we got to the top, we found ourselves by some construction that was just down the street from our hotel. And the path had no street sign. So, the issue this morning was not totally our fault.
When we reached the hotel at 11:50, children were playing on the computers, even though a sign with an age limit was there. I left my husband to get us a computer and I went to get our flight info. When I got back, he'd shooed the children off one of them, but we found the sign that said the internet was out was correct. We left the computer and the children swarmed back. I could not imagine what they would do with it.
We went back to the room and pulled out my iPad. I was able to check us in and get better seats on the overseas flight. I chose seats B and C, hoping no one would choose A. I noticed that my TSA Pre-check showed up on my boarding pass, but didn't notice it on my husband's. I couldn't print them anyway.
My husband researched how to get to where we wanted to go today, but found there was no train station or subway near the Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek and Pinakothek der Moderne. I'd never been to an art museum in Munich and these were on every driving tour. Other than the BMW Museum and the Residenz, I've seen the big things in town. My husband decided that we'd have to take a taxi.
At 12:52, we were seated in a taxi out front. However, we were blocked by cars. It seemed like forever, but it was really only 3 minutes. The guy waited at least to start the meter. At 1:04, he stopped by the Alte Pinakothek. The meter read 11,90, so we paid 11.
When we got out, we walked to the center of the building to get to the front door. The building was not an exciting one from the outside and a good portion of it was covered over by construction material.
The inside, however, was bright and modern. While the art was stored away safely, the building suffered damage in the war. At the counter, we paid only 2 Euro because it was Sunday and because so much was inaccessible due to the renovation. I was told to put my purse in a locker and my husband had to do the same with the backpack. At least it was free.
Since we hadn't had lunch and we are fans of museum food, we went to the Café Klenze, which was just off the lobby. We joined a fairly long line, but it gave us time to decide. We got a Schinken und Käse (ham and cheese) Sandwich to split for 4,90. He ordered a coffee for 2,80, while my Coca Cola Light was 2,90. We chose a Mango Käse Torte for 4,30 and a Schokoladenmousse Torte (Chocolate Mousse Torte), which was also 4,30. We found a seat in what was pretty much a tea room and had a very tasty lunch.
We then headed upstairs, which was the only place that was open. It turned out that only half of that floor was open, too. We tried to make sure that we saw the major pieces, which Rick Steves kindly put in the guidebook we had. We chose not to pay the really high price for the audio tour.
One of the first pieces I found had a subject that I am always looking for in the art museums that feature the oldest paintings- St. Catherine of Alexandria, my patron saint. This one was not a portrait of her, but rather
The Entombment of St. Catherine of Alexandria on Mount Sinai by Francisco de Zurbarán y Salazar. It was lovely and, as always with pictures of her, it had her spiked wheel. The neck scar from the beheading was unusual, though.
One could study the competing visions of Raphael and Leonardo de Vinci when it came to the Madonna and Child. I think, I like Raphael's better. It seems less formal and more loving.
I like Canaletto's
Piazetta und Riva Degli Schiavoni in Venedig. Maybe, it's because I've been there a couple of times.
Some of the pieces were absolutely huge. Each piece in this set of 4 by Melchior d'Hondecoeter is incredible in size, if not in topic. How big were the rooms that people hung these things in?
It took a bit of searching to find the masterpiece self-portrait by Nürnberg's own Albrecht Dürer. It was very difficult to photograph because of the glass over it. Haven't they heard that glass is bad for paintings? This thing is seriously Christ-like.
This painting is one of the many Rubens in the museum and is called
Lion Hunt. I chose to photograph it, not because I like it, but because I've done it as a jigsaw puzzle on my iPad!
My husband found an elevator to take us back downstairs to go to the shop. I cannot tell you how aggravated I was that among the postcards there was none of the Dürer. Oh, I found it on a card with several of his self-portraits, but none of this painting alone.
At 3:00, after getting the purse and backpack, we headed across the lawn and the street to the Neue Pinakothek, which is in a more modern building as befits the fact that it has more modern art.
We were inside in just 5 minutes. I paid the 2 Euros for our two tickets, while my husband took the backpack downstairs to lockers. When we went into the the gallery to the right of the entrance, I gave the guard our tickets, which he dealt with and before we got far, I realized that I hadn't picked up a map. I left the gallery, walked across the lobby, grabbed a map and came back, showing my ticket to the guard again. He then told me I had to put the bag in a locker. I told him, that he hadn't said a word when he scanned my ticket when I came in a moment ago. He claimed he hadn't seen me. This infuriated me, as he had looked right at me and I told him he had. Again, he said he hadn't seen me. Mind you, all of this was done in German, and after initially reminding myself to use "Sie", the formal "you", I hadn't done any careful thinking of what I was saying. I was too angry. My husband was watching this from across the gallery and later told me he could see how angry I was and was impressed at my ability to express it in German.
I had to walk down those awful steps to deal with my purse and then climb back up. I avoided that guard, but he came up to me and tried to say there were so many people... But I just said again that he'd looked right at me and had said nothing and I walked away.
Then, it was time for pretty art, like Monet's
Seerosen (
Water Lilies) and Van Gogh's
Sonnenblumen (
Sunflowers).
I was very taken with this picture. Pointillism is always cool, but these dots of paint were amazing.
This is Paul Signac's
S. Maria della Salute.
A major German painter is Caspar David Friedrich. I have a stamp with one of his very large paintings on it. There were none of those here, but I liked this smaller, rather atmospheric one called
Riesengebirgslandschaft mit aufsteigendem Nebel (
Riesengebirge Landscape with Rising Fog).
When we got to the shop, we found that it was much bigger than the one at the Alte. I was shocked to find the Dürer self-portrait postcard here. That made no sense, when the painting was across the street.
We left at 4:44 and found that our next destination was on a diagonal from where we were. As we walked along the front of the Neue, we admired the fountains.
When we reached the end of the building, we crossed the street in front of us and turned right. Soon, we could see our next museum, Pinakothek der Moderne, with Das Futuro-Haus (The Future-House) by Matti Suuronen. Such an odd thing in front of a museum of modern art, seemed totally appropriate.
Once again, it cost only 2 Euros total for the entrance fee, which we paid at 4:55. Once again, the lockers were downstairs. My husband took the backpack and my purse. I waited quite a while in the atrium, then I found one of those folding chairs that I'd use in Veste Coburg. It was right at the top of the stairs he went down, so I sat. The minutes ticked by and still he did not appear. I walked around to the other steps that led up from down there to just below the staircase to the next floor. Still nothing. I was beginning to panic. What if something had happened to him? Should I go downstairs, as painful as that was, to look for him? What if as I went down one staircase, he came up the other. Eventually, I got mad that he hadn't appeared, especially since the place closed at 6. I decided to go up the staircase to see some art. I was quickly scanning the paintings in the first room, when he appeared. He'd thought, we'd agreed to meet up there. Argh!
Anyway, I am a big fan of modern art and there was a lot to see and little time. I flew through the galleries, snapping pictures of things that appealed to me. This is Edward Munch's Woman in the Red Dress and Franz Marc's Rinder I.
Next up are Max Beckmann's expressionist Tanz in Baden-Baden and Lyonel Feininger's cubist Market Church in Halle.
As a general sort of thing, I like Paul Klee's work. This one is Pastor Kohl and it is okay. It doesn't rock my world. The other is Jasper Johns' Arrive/Depart. I feel like I've usually seen more figural stuff from him.
Maybe it's because I am a former Geometry teacher, but I love Josef Albers' squares. Clean, neat, perfect, with great color. Here are White and Gray with Two Yellows and Two Greens and Homage to the Square: Ritardando. The latter is on a slant to get rid of glare again.
What's a modern art museum without some art installations? I found this one particularly cool. It is Daniel Knorr's La Femme de ma vie ne m'aime pas encore.
We walked down the two long staircases to go to the lowest floor to see the design pieces. We were running short on time. I really liked the wall with the various pieces. The cars were just super cool. It is amazing to think this Marcel Breuer chair, which most would agree is seriously modern, actually dates to 1925/26!
Time was quickly running out. It was about 5:50, when my husband went to get the bags and I went to the smallish-shop. They had the entrance blocked! The museum doesn't close until 6. I went around to the other side, where a girl was begging to get in. Since the woman relented and let her in, she had to let me in. I quickly picked out cards as a man repeatedly told people to get done. I looked over the side and saw my husband coming up the steps. I urged him to quickly give me my purse, so that I could pay. Unfortunately, to use the restroom, I then had to go downstairs. When I was washing up, a guard came in to tell everyone to get out, the museum was closing. Obviously, Germans take closing time seriously. We were out at 5:59. One minute to spare! Plus, 3 art museums in less than 5 hours.
There were no taxis around and we did need dinner. So, we consulted the map and found the nearest U-bahn (subway) station, which was at Königsplatz. We thought, we'd find some place to eat along the way. As we headed down Barerstraße, my knees made it clear that they were unhappy about how much time I'd spent on my feet so far. The evening was pleasant and we saw some things of interest.
What a pretty police car! Soon we reached Karolinenplatz with its obelisk in the middle of what is now a traffic circle and streetcar lines.
Here we turned right and proceeded west on Briennerstraße. We passed the museum where you can study documentation on the Nazis. I was very surprised at the name of the next street, considering we were in the heart of Catholic Germany:
Ecumenism, I suppose.
As German city streets are wont, our street changed its name to Königsplatz. To our right was the Glyptothek with its collection of Greek and Roman sculptures. To the left was the Staatliche Antikensammlung, the state antiquities collection. Ahead was the Propyläen, the regal arch. I haven't been in either of the buildings, but every tour slowly goes through here as the tour guide talks about them.
On the southwest corner of the arch, near the U-bahn stairs, I found this handy pole. Such a great font of information. However, you have to be moving at a pretty good clip to reach the Pinakothek der Moderne in just 12 minutes. It had taken us closer to 20.
We had yet to find a restaurant. I sent my husband around the trees at the station stairs to see, if he could find anything. I knew from the Rick Steves book that Lenbachhaus, a museum of 19th and 20th century art had a restaurant and I thought it was nearby. Hurrah, it was! It was diagonal from our current location and we could see the café. When we got there at 6:25, my husband went inside to see if they were still serving. They were not. A waitress told him of a restaurant she liked on Augustinerstraße, so, off we went.
Augustiner was 2 blocks away and we turned right onto the street and went over to the west side of it. The further we walked, the more pain I was in. We came to a pizza restaurant, but we didn't really want our last dinner in Germany to be pizza. When we crossed another street, I asked my husband to go ahead and see if the restaurant was near. Otherwise, we could go back half a block to the pizza place. He soon hurried back and said he'd found it and it had dumplings.
When we got there, it was actually a Chinese place called Gyoza Bar. "Dumplings" was just one of the words on their window, in addition to pierogis and such, to try to tell passersby, what they had. However, I could go no further and I'd always heard one should eat in a Chinese place in Germany to see how it differs from ours. There was an empty table at the front of the small outdoor seating area and we took it. I ordered a Spezi for 2, 60 and my husband's Augustiner Hell was 3 Euros and came in a bottle, his first bottle beer of the trip.
The prices were amazingly low. We decided to split a Gyoza Try-All, 8 pieces for 6,50 and Wantan 8 Stück in Suppe (8 pieces in soup), also for 6,50. We were so hungry, that we failed to take pictures. However, I did take pictures of the menu, so that will have to show what turned out to be a terrific meal.
I was ready to call the guy for the bill, when he suddenly appeared with mango pudding. We didn't even get charged for this tasty dessert.
Before we left, we consulted a map in the Rick Steves book to find out whether there was a closer U-bahn station. It turned out that there was one a block and a half away at Theresienstraße. So, after paying 19 Euros for our bill that totaled 18,60, we headed north at 7:15. My knees were happy that they'd had a break.
We looked in shop windows and actually came upon the real restaurant the waitress had recommended. My husband had known the other wasn't it, but knew I couldn't go much further. Kind man. One shop had bathroom accessories. They were nice, but 54,90 Euros for a toilet brush in a marble holder (center of photo) is absolutely insane.
We passed a McDonald's and a natural foods market and were down the station stairs and in the station at 7:21. We studied the map and realized that we'd have to travel via subway to the main train station, where we'd change to the S-bahn and have to change again to get back to the hotel. The tickets were only 2,80 each. We were on the U-2 at 7:29 to the Hauptbahnhof. We reached the crowded station at 7:32.
Before going to the train platform, I noticed a bakery, where my husband could get the bread he wanted to take home to make the trip last longer, and a shop, where I could get my daughter's Fanta. They were near each other, so we split up. While I was in line to get the Fanta, an alarm went off at 7:42. I thought it had to do with the group of soccer fans going past. But, it went off again, and this time, in German and English, it told everyone to evacuate the station. I finished my transaction and my husband finished his and when we met, I told him we had to get out. (He does not always pay attention to announcements. Absent-minded professor.) I saw folks headed up a nearby stairway and we went that way.
We hung around at the top of the stairs with the alarm and announcements continuing. A man who was also hanging around would stop people who tried to go down the stairs. We consulted a map, but could not find the exact street we were on. I could see the train station building about a block away to the west. (The underground portion of stations can be absolutely huge in Germany.) I kind of knew where we were and realized that Karlsplatz (Stachus) had to be to the east down Prielmayerstraße, which we were on. We were going to have to change trains there any way, so why not walk there? Whatever was going on didn't seem to be ending soon.
So, at 7:55, we gave up and headed east. It was a pleasant enough walk. We soon came upon a building with interesting, rather Dutch/Belgian architecture. It turned out to be the courthouse.
It wasn't long before Karlsplatz, the end of the pedestrian zone that stretches to Marienplatz came into view.
We could have gone down into the station there, but I felt that the train we needed would have to go through the main train station, whose excitement we'd just left. Who knew if or when that would come? So, even though I'd been punishing my knees, I suggested that we continue on to Marienplatz to use that station. We crossed the street and appreciated the view of the fountain and all the folks just enjoying a pleasant evening.
While my husband ducked into the McDonald's to use the restroom at 8:05, I turned my attention to the "gate" that was meant to remind one of the city gate that used to be there. Up in the corner was the little monk, from which Munich got its name, München.
As we walked along Neuhauserstraße, which is the western end of the pedestrian zone, we noticed that a Disney store is coming soon. In some ways, it is surprising that they hadn't had one before now.
There were so many people out enjoying a stroll! I was also surprised to see that the St. Michaelkirche was still open after 8 pm. Lots of people were going in as I stopped to photograph the exterior. That's the twin domes of the Frauenkirche in the background. St. Peter's is further on past the Marienplatz. You know you're in a Catholic town, when the churches are that close to each other.
Netting over St. Michael-can't have the birds sitting on him, or worse.
I realized that my husband had never been in this church, where Ludwig II is buried, and offered him the opportunity. He agreed and at 8:14,we went through the door with 20*C*M*B*17 written in chalk back on Three Kings Day. (Caspar *Melchior*Balthazar). The church is so white and so lovely inside! We roamed around, just as the other visitors, including Muslim women, were doing, everyone taking photos.
In front of the apse, there was a very large crucifix, with a stricken Mary kneeling at the base. It was quite moving.
My husband didn't want to go down to the crypt to Ludwig's grave and I couldn't. So, after I bought a postcard from the rack at the back of the church, we walked out at 8:25 to find the sky now cloudy.
Soon, Neuhauser became Kaufingerstraße. We saw multiple musical groups- a female string quartet, a guitarist and electronic keyboard player, a lone guitarist, and an accordion player. People were strolling and any seats were full. It reminded me that the people of Munich consider the Marienplatz their "Gute Stube", a place to meet and visit friends. It seemed to be what folks were doing this Sunday night.
Peterskirche was now in view as we entered the Marienplatz. As I looked at the Rathaus for the last time on this trip, I told my husband, that I had the feeling I'd never see it again. I've never had that feeling before, even when I didn't know when my next trip to Germany was. It was not a pleasant feeling. This city is where I always feel at home, when I'm in Germany. The blood of that great-grandfather who was an altar boy here just comes to the fore when I'm here. I just love this place. It is the third largest city in the country, but it always feel like a town to me.
At 8:35, we headed down to the S-bahn station.
8:40 and we're on the S1 toward Ostbahnhof. Five minutes later, we were out at the Rosenheimer Platz station. It was relatively deserted and, even though I feel very safe in Munich, I stayed aware of my surroundings, as we passed through the empty passageway and past the closed stores.
When we reached the lobby of the Holiday Inn before 9, it was crowded, as usual. My husband stopped to check on the check-out procedures at the desk and I was going to go upstairs. However, I saw the Wyoming organist, his mother, aunt and other ladies of his group playing cards. I stopped to chat and ask about their day. I knew they'd planned to ride the streetcar and they enjoyed it. I told them about the train station evacuation and one said that she'd heard the emergency vehicles heading that way.
I wished them a good rest of the trip and headed upstairs to do the worst part of the trip-packing. It involves emptying both suitcases completely and starting from scratch. I wanted most of the souvenirs in my carry-on and the things for the tax rebate just refused to go anywhere easily. They had to be in their own bag that I could easily carry. I'd been collecting shampoo, toiletries, and soap during the whole trip to be donated to a women's emergency shelter. The soaps got distribute on the bottom of the suitcases. The liquids had each of their lids tightened before being spit into two different gallon Ziploc bags, each to be put in one of the checked bags. The Fanta went in a wine bubble wrap that I'd brought. It took a while, but eventually both suitcases, my carry on and his backpack were ready.
16, 168 steps today and my knees totally hate me! But, what a great last day in this country and city I love!
