residenz

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as my friend and i were wandering through the city, we decided to check out the residenz, which was the former residence of the bavarian kings.  i cannot believe that it was originally built in the late 1300s.  it was definitely built in pieces though, which was obvious reviewing the layout of the building.  

it took us about 20 minutes to find the entrance to the building leading us through many, many courtyards.  the entrance was very poorly labeled.  and no, this was not a case of us not understanding german!  by the time we found the entrance, it was 505.  we had to spend about 5 minutes trying to convince the guard to let us in.  they supposedly close entrance an hour early, since it closes at 6.  really?  wow.  that is something.  i understand closing admission a half hour early, but an hour early (and of course, they were closed the next day).

the rooms are beautiful.  we were quite happy we begged to let us in.  the antiquarium was breathtaking.  i have never been to versailles, but i am pretty sure this room rivals the room of mirrors.  i am not sure why we had never heard about it before.
the view of the room from the position of the power
one of ~20 alcoves in the picture above
i thought this grotto was beautiful.  it was made of all shells.  unfortunately, it seems quite fragile and was covered in nets.  you could still see the beauty.
 
we did love to see some of the marital beds.  we had a little bit of a giggle at those!  the rooms really seemed beautiful.  they also seemed to reflect different time periods and decorating styles.  i loved seeing the introduction of pseudo "asian styled" porcelain.  everything was so ornate.

very interesting to see how the palace was changed and tweaked over 500 years.  if you cannot get outside of munich to another palace, this is a great option to really see the culture and style of the bavarian kings and queens.
 
time in the palace: 1 hr
times visited: 1
overall: A-
Location: Bavarian State Opera, Max-Joseph-Platz, 80539 Munich, Germany

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