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Patter Cake, Patter Cake, Puppy Dog!
Jun. 26th, 2014 11:57 pmSo the only day I have to write up now from my trip to Germany is last Friday, which contained a whole miscellany of events so understandably I have deigned to save it until the end. Friday was my first full day in the city, so I opted to explore, using my excellent Top 10 Munich guidebook for its intended purpose. I had initially hoped to get up early but the last three months have been pretty intense and with only myself to please, I opted to give myself a lie-in, surfacing at around noon and stepping outside into what was a rather cold and cloudy day. Consequently, I went back to get my jumper, startled the poor chambermaid who was cleaning my toilet and I slunk back out without saying a word.
My first destination was the Residenz in the heart of the city, just to the north of the centre. This was the former residence of the Bavarian kings of the Wittelsbach dynasty up to 1918, who ruled the region for centuries. Initial construction started in 1385, when the building began as a moated castle, but like with all regal residences, modifications have been made throughout the ages and it now contains seven courtyards and a beautiful garden (the Hofgarten), which I have described previously. The interiors are largely from the seventeenth century and are excellent examples of the Rococo style. The highlight of the building for me is the magnificent Antiquarium, which is the current Residenz's oldest room. Commissioned by 1568 and 1571 by Albrecht V, the sheer scale of this room is overwhelming. At 69m in length and statues down either side, it is a true wonder to behold, particularly from the raised floor upon which you enter the building. Frescos of Bavarian landscape scenes mark the walls and ceiling of this beautiful space and you need to sit down for a good ten minutes just to drink the splendor in. The same was the case with the Reiche Kapelle, although this was far less grandiose. Maximilian I's own private chapel, dating from 1607, had a weighty ebony alter and silver bas-reliefs in the Mannerist style and was another architectural wonder.
I didn't start with the tour of the Residenz, however, I started with a wander around the Schatzkammer, the chamber of treasures accumulated by the Wittelsbachs. There were some beautiful crowns on display - some dating back to the fourteenth century - along with the regal septre of governance, but the highlight for me was a beautiful statue of St George on horseback, with a flowing cloak bedecked with gold and rubies. It was a work of exquisite beauty. There were ten rooms in all in the Schatzkammer, all with their own wonders, although some of the porcelain and silverware got a little tiring after a while.
After wandering around the Residenz, I opted to take the U-bahn to the Olympiapark, built for the 1972 Olympic Games, which were held in the city. Conveniently, the underground stop is right next to the Olympic Park but this is not what greets you when you ascend the steps. Right in front of you as you leave the station you see the huge clover-shaped building that is the BMW headquarters. Set to the side of this are the manufacturing sheds which spread out as far as the eye can see. Towards the right of the clover, in a black futuristic looking building, there was a BMW exhibit, which I decided to take a look in. Unfortunately, the main museum, BMW Welt, shut at 6pm but the latest cars and motorbikes from one of the world's leading automobile manufacturers were all on display here. In all honesty, it was just a glorified showroom with a cafe in it, but it was interesting nonetheless, particularly finding out about BMW's participation in cross-country motorbike rallies.
Outside the building there was a hotdog van run by a Japanese lady, and I said to myself I would go if I saw someone else go. Sadly I didn't and by the time I left the exhibit, she was packing up anyway. So I walked towards the main collection of buildings in which the 1972 Olympics took place - the Olympic Hall, the Skating Rink, the Aquatic Centre and of course the main stadium. The design of these buildings is very distinctive, with a transparent tensile roof forming pyramid shapes over them. Getting up close to them, it was difficult not to marvel at this feat of engineering, which looked like huge spider webs draped over sports facilities. Indeed, sports has been the primary legacy of the park, which is now the biggest sports centre in the whole of Munich, with the Aquatic Centre one of the biggest on the continent. Meanwhile, like the O2 in London, the Main Hall has been converted into a world class music venue while the stadium is still used for events, in this case a 24 hour charity cycling event, which meant I had to dodge bicycles as they whizzed past me. In one of the smaller halls, Gunter von Haygen's had one of his joyous Bodyworld exhibits on, but unfortunately for me this was closed, while there was a SeaLife thing there too. The main stadium, seating 67,000 people, was even home to Bayern Munich until they moved to the Allianz Arena.
It was great walking around the landscaped park, with its artificially constructed hills made from WWII rubble and shimmering lake. The Sun had finally come out, the smell of fresh crepes was all around me and I even managed to watch some of the World Cup on the big screen. It was a fabulous afternoon indeed for a stroll and a fair few people had the same idea as I. Towering over the park is the Olympic Tower, another iconic construction from 1972 (well, it was largely built between 1966 and 1969 but what the hey) and even though it was early evening, they were still offering access to the viewing platform some 170m up. The big burly man who operated the lift didn't really warm to me, but with the lift travelling at a speed of 7m/s, we didn't have to spend too long in each other's company. The view from the viewing platform was magnificent, a beautiful panorama of Munich and the Alps to the south and the verdent fields of Bavaria to the north. On the glass in front of you all of the major sites were marked, and you also gained an appreciation for the sheer scale of the Olympic Park. You could see the Olympic Village, with the area now converted to residences, while you could also spy the place where the terrorist attack happened on 5 September 1972, when Palestinian terrorists infiltrated the Olympic village and shot two members of the Israeli team, as well as taking nine hostage. In the end, 15 people died - the hostages, five Palestinians and a police officer - in what was the darkest day in Olympic history. There is a little memorial commemorating this in the Olympic Park.
The tower itself is 290m in height. There was an outdoor viewing platform further up, so I opted to go outside but I wasn't there long as the wind was quite strong - you could feel it inside let alone outside - and despite the protective fencing, it was quite scary. I attempted to take a selfie, my first ever, but not realising there was a simple function on my phone to do that, I ballsed it up. I was also scared of nearly dropping my phone. So I soon made it back inside and had a quick wander around the Rock and Roll Museum which is inexplicably inside the viewing gallery along with a mediocre cafe which happened to be closed. There are some good treasures in the Museum - signed guitars and letters from the stars - but it was a motley collection of merchandise with little real structure. The space was quite small so there was little that could be said anyway, although the snapshots of different gig tickets throughout the ages, charting their various styles, was interesting enough.
My final stop of the day was the Schwabing and University District, which was on my way back from the Olympiapark to the centre of town. I was to visit this area on the Sunday when I went to the art galleries, but on Friday my main focus was on Leopoldstrasse, one of the main streets bissecting this part of town. There are many bars and restaurants down this street along with some interesting pieces of architecture, including the giant white utilitarian Walking Man statue by Jonathan Borofsky. Built in 1995, this is tucked behind the pavement and in front of a rather plain building and harks back to a time when this area was famous for Jugendstil, the German equivalent of Art Noveau. Many of the main proponents of this movement lived in this area in the final decade of the nineteenth and first decade of the twentieth centuries and although the hipster element has since been lost, the evidence of its previous existence is apparent if you know where to look. Kandinsky, Klee, Kubin and Marc all studied at the Akademie fur Bildenden Kunste just off Leopoldstrasse while further down the road towards the city centre (I got off at Munchner Freiheit and walked south towards the heart of the city), you could see the imposing university which was formed in the fifteenth century when Ludwig I transferred the institution from Ingolstadt to Munich.
The University is situated right next to the Siegestor (Victory Gate), which is based on the Arch of Constantine in Rome. The archway is crowned by the figure of Bavaria herself riding a chariot pulled by four lines. It is quite an incredible spectacle, with the black statue prolific atop the white stone, and the perfect place for victory parades dedicated to the Bavarian army. It was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt in 1958, with an inscription which reads: Dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, an entreaty for peace. Further down the road is another imposing structure, the Bavarian State Library, the second-largest municipal library in Germany with more than six million volumes. It was built in the style of the Italian Renaissance palaces, which indeed a lot of this street is, living up to Munich's reputation as Italy's northernmost city. Futher down the street this is shown once again with the Ludwigskirche, designed in the Italian Romanesque style. It's home to the second largest church fresco in the world but sadly it was closed at such a late hour.
With the Sun starting to set, I thought it what better way to round off my day than a walk in the Englisher Garten to the east of Leopoldstrasse. Most German cities have extensive parkland near the centre and Munich is no different. I was reminded of the park in Stuttgart when wandering around, watching people play football, having a leisurely cycle ride or a BBQ with friends. The crafted waterways and gentle rivers were a pleasure to stroll down while watching the surfers, sexily clad in wetsuits trying to ride the artificially created waves was a huge thrill. I must admit that at one point, with the trees shrouding the setting Sun, I feared being trapped in the dark but upon finding the exquisite wooden Chinese Tower, I managed to navigate my way out of the park and back to the main road, where I ended my day with a splendid steak meal at Mardeo, a chain I had been meaning to try for a while. It was very similar to Cattle Grid back home but the meat was served exceptionally rare with onions on top, so I was happy. Onions could perhaps have been a little crispier, but what are you going to do? While I was eating, I watched more of the World Cup and was delighted to discover our TV was three seconds ahead of the establishment's next door, so they were cheering goals on a time delay, which was quite amusing. After this, feeling naughty, I opted to go across the road for two delicious scoops of ice cream at the Haagen-Dazs parlour before heading back to my hotel.
My first destination was the Residenz in the heart of the city, just to the north of the centre. This was the former residence of the Bavarian kings of the Wittelsbach dynasty up to 1918, who ruled the region for centuries. Initial construction started in 1385, when the building began as a moated castle, but like with all regal residences, modifications have been made throughout the ages and it now contains seven courtyards and a beautiful garden (the Hofgarten), which I have described previously. The interiors are largely from the seventeenth century and are excellent examples of the Rococo style. The highlight of the building for me is the magnificent Antiquarium, which is the current Residenz's oldest room. Commissioned by 1568 and 1571 by Albrecht V, the sheer scale of this room is overwhelming. At 69m in length and statues down either side, it is a true wonder to behold, particularly from the raised floor upon which you enter the building. Frescos of Bavarian landscape scenes mark the walls and ceiling of this beautiful space and you need to sit down for a good ten minutes just to drink the splendor in. The same was the case with the Reiche Kapelle, although this was far less grandiose. Maximilian I's own private chapel, dating from 1607, had a weighty ebony alter and silver bas-reliefs in the Mannerist style and was another architectural wonder.
I didn't start with the tour of the Residenz, however, I started with a wander around the Schatzkammer, the chamber of treasures accumulated by the Wittelsbachs. There were some beautiful crowns on display - some dating back to the fourteenth century - along with the regal septre of governance, but the highlight for me was a beautiful statue of St George on horseback, with a flowing cloak bedecked with gold and rubies. It was a work of exquisite beauty. There were ten rooms in all in the Schatzkammer, all with their own wonders, although some of the porcelain and silverware got a little tiring after a while.
After wandering around the Residenz, I opted to take the U-bahn to the Olympiapark, built for the 1972 Olympic Games, which were held in the city. Conveniently, the underground stop is right next to the Olympic Park but this is not what greets you when you ascend the steps. Right in front of you as you leave the station you see the huge clover-shaped building that is the BMW headquarters. Set to the side of this are the manufacturing sheds which spread out as far as the eye can see. Towards the right of the clover, in a black futuristic looking building, there was a BMW exhibit, which I decided to take a look in. Unfortunately, the main museum, BMW Welt, shut at 6pm but the latest cars and motorbikes from one of the world's leading automobile manufacturers were all on display here. In all honesty, it was just a glorified showroom with a cafe in it, but it was interesting nonetheless, particularly finding out about BMW's participation in cross-country motorbike rallies.
Outside the building there was a hotdog van run by a Japanese lady, and I said to myself I would go if I saw someone else go. Sadly I didn't and by the time I left the exhibit, she was packing up anyway. So I walked towards the main collection of buildings in which the 1972 Olympics took place - the Olympic Hall, the Skating Rink, the Aquatic Centre and of course the main stadium. The design of these buildings is very distinctive, with a transparent tensile roof forming pyramid shapes over them. Getting up close to them, it was difficult not to marvel at this feat of engineering, which looked like huge spider webs draped over sports facilities. Indeed, sports has been the primary legacy of the park, which is now the biggest sports centre in the whole of Munich, with the Aquatic Centre one of the biggest on the continent. Meanwhile, like the O2 in London, the Main Hall has been converted into a world class music venue while the stadium is still used for events, in this case a 24 hour charity cycling event, which meant I had to dodge bicycles as they whizzed past me. In one of the smaller halls, Gunter von Haygen's had one of his joyous Bodyworld exhibits on, but unfortunately for me this was closed, while there was a SeaLife thing there too. The main stadium, seating 67,000 people, was even home to Bayern Munich until they moved to the Allianz Arena.
It was great walking around the landscaped park, with its artificially constructed hills made from WWII rubble and shimmering lake. The Sun had finally come out, the smell of fresh crepes was all around me and I even managed to watch some of the World Cup on the big screen. It was a fabulous afternoon indeed for a stroll and a fair few people had the same idea as I. Towering over the park is the Olympic Tower, another iconic construction from 1972 (well, it was largely built between 1966 and 1969 but what the hey) and even though it was early evening, they were still offering access to the viewing platform some 170m up. The big burly man who operated the lift didn't really warm to me, but with the lift travelling at a speed of 7m/s, we didn't have to spend too long in each other's company. The view from the viewing platform was magnificent, a beautiful panorama of Munich and the Alps to the south and the verdent fields of Bavaria to the north. On the glass in front of you all of the major sites were marked, and you also gained an appreciation for the sheer scale of the Olympic Park. You could see the Olympic Village, with the area now converted to residences, while you could also spy the place where the terrorist attack happened on 5 September 1972, when Palestinian terrorists infiltrated the Olympic village and shot two members of the Israeli team, as well as taking nine hostage. In the end, 15 people died - the hostages, five Palestinians and a police officer - in what was the darkest day in Olympic history. There is a little memorial commemorating this in the Olympic Park.
The tower itself is 290m in height. There was an outdoor viewing platform further up, so I opted to go outside but I wasn't there long as the wind was quite strong - you could feel it inside let alone outside - and despite the protective fencing, it was quite scary. I attempted to take a selfie, my first ever, but not realising there was a simple function on my phone to do that, I ballsed it up. I was also scared of nearly dropping my phone. So I soon made it back inside and had a quick wander around the Rock and Roll Museum which is inexplicably inside the viewing gallery along with a mediocre cafe which happened to be closed. There are some good treasures in the Museum - signed guitars and letters from the stars - but it was a motley collection of merchandise with little real structure. The space was quite small so there was little that could be said anyway, although the snapshots of different gig tickets throughout the ages, charting their various styles, was interesting enough.
My final stop of the day was the Schwabing and University District, which was on my way back from the Olympiapark to the centre of town. I was to visit this area on the Sunday when I went to the art galleries, but on Friday my main focus was on Leopoldstrasse, one of the main streets bissecting this part of town. There are many bars and restaurants down this street along with some interesting pieces of architecture, including the giant white utilitarian Walking Man statue by Jonathan Borofsky. Built in 1995, this is tucked behind the pavement and in front of a rather plain building and harks back to a time when this area was famous for Jugendstil, the German equivalent of Art Noveau. Many of the main proponents of this movement lived in this area in the final decade of the nineteenth and first decade of the twentieth centuries and although the hipster element has since been lost, the evidence of its previous existence is apparent if you know where to look. Kandinsky, Klee, Kubin and Marc all studied at the Akademie fur Bildenden Kunste just off Leopoldstrasse while further down the road towards the city centre (I got off at Munchner Freiheit and walked south towards the heart of the city), you could see the imposing university which was formed in the fifteenth century when Ludwig I transferred the institution from Ingolstadt to Munich.
The University is situated right next to the Siegestor (Victory Gate), which is based on the Arch of Constantine in Rome. The archway is crowned by the figure of Bavaria herself riding a chariot pulled by four lines. It is quite an incredible spectacle, with the black statue prolific atop the white stone, and the perfect place for victory parades dedicated to the Bavarian army. It was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt in 1958, with an inscription which reads: Dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, an entreaty for peace. Further down the road is another imposing structure, the Bavarian State Library, the second-largest municipal library in Germany with more than six million volumes. It was built in the style of the Italian Renaissance palaces, which indeed a lot of this street is, living up to Munich's reputation as Italy's northernmost city. Futher down the street this is shown once again with the Ludwigskirche, designed in the Italian Romanesque style. It's home to the second largest church fresco in the world but sadly it was closed at such a late hour.
With the Sun starting to set, I thought it what better way to round off my day than a walk in the Englisher Garten to the east of Leopoldstrasse. Most German cities have extensive parkland near the centre and Munich is no different. I was reminded of the park in Stuttgart when wandering around, watching people play football, having a leisurely cycle ride or a BBQ with friends. The crafted waterways and gentle rivers were a pleasure to stroll down while watching the surfers, sexily clad in wetsuits trying to ride the artificially created waves was a huge thrill. I must admit that at one point, with the trees shrouding the setting Sun, I feared being trapped in the dark but upon finding the exquisite wooden Chinese Tower, I managed to navigate my way out of the park and back to the main road, where I ended my day with a splendid steak meal at Mardeo, a chain I had been meaning to try for a while. It was very similar to Cattle Grid back home but the meat was served exceptionally rare with onions on top, so I was happy. Onions could perhaps have been a little crispier, but what are you going to do? While I was eating, I watched more of the World Cup and was delighted to discover our TV was three seconds ahead of the establishment's next door, so they were cheering goals on a time delay, which was quite amusing. After this, feeling naughty, I opted to go across the road for two delicious scoops of ice cream at the Haagen-Dazs parlour before heading back to my hotel.
