Nymphenburg Palace in Munich

Back in January Hayley and Camilla and I went by train to see the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich.  We didn't do enough homework though and many of the museums were closed.  Then we walked around and didn't go inside to buy tickets to the part of the palace that was open until 20 minutes before closing.  So we'll be going back soon. 

It was pretty amazing from the outside though.  This was only one of many palaces and castles owned by the ruling family of Bavaria, the Wittelsbachs, and it is immense!  You can see from the pictures that the palace itself keeps on going.  And then the grounds are huge.  Ponds and fountains, statues outside (in the winter covered with wooden protective houses), drives, walks, orange groves, green houses, etc.  There is a carriage museum showing all the carriages the family used including some really fancy ones that crazy King Ludwig used to drive around in at night.  (He's the one that built so many castles in his lifetime, including Neuschwanstein, that he practically bankrupted Bavaria.)

Bavaria (Munich is the capital of the German state of Bavaria) has a strong identity and Bavarians are proud of their heritage.  Oktoberfest originated here and this is where the lederhosen and green felt hat with a feather for men and the dirndl dress for women came from.  These clothes are not typical of Germany as a whole but specifically come from Bavaria. 

People tell me that northern Germans are more formal in their language and that southerners are more like the country cousins.  Bavarians would be proud to be different from other Germans.  Instead of greeting each other with Guten Tag they say Gruss Gott, which means God's greeting (to you).  They are in general very strongly Catholic.  They even have a more laid back dialect.  (I don't know that by personal experience since I'm still trying to learn any kind of German at all.  But that's what people tell me.)

Some interesting notes about Oktoberfest and beer.  During Oktoberfest the breweries sell more beer than during the whole rest of the year.  And they brew a special recipe for Oktoberfest sales that is much higher in alcohol content.  Germany has 1300 breweries and is second only to the US which has 1500.  (Since I've learned the way Germans pronounce things I've discovered that Lowenbrau (we in the US pronounce it Lohwenbrow) is actually pronounced Lervenbroy.)  When Eric has an evening event at work his coworkers are at a loss to know what to do since he doesn't drink.  They have a hard time thinking of anything else they can all do together!

PS. For those who know Lizzie well, here is a picture of her wearing long pants that she chose and put on all by herself.  She's waiting for the bus.