Passau to Munich, and home

It's time to leave the Amadeaus Brilliant. Sorting color-coded luggage into two buses.

The All Classical contingent and Matthew pose by the ship.

Tyson Verse photo

Local guides joined our buses in Munich for a brief tour of the city.

We drove past the site of the 1972 Olympic Games.

 

We stopped at Nymphenburg Palace to walk on the grounds for a bit, and to check out the gift shop.

The palace grounds, on the opposite side of a pond that's part of a canal.

 

Gilded lanterns on the staircases.

Some lovely things for sale in the gift shop.

Exiting the gift shop; more gold on the façade of the building.

 

Dormers in the roof of a palace outbuilding. Not the shape we would see in the United States; ours generally have peaked roofs with gable ends.

We drove along the canal as we left. The emperor had intended it to extend through the city like the canals in Amsterdam, but money for construction ran out. The canal is too short to be a transportation link; it's just decorative.

The original Löwenbräu beer hall. It's interesting to see the wording on the sign. The first two lines say "Big New Year's Eve Gala" in German. The third line incorporates English: "mit Showacts & Liveband". They've made German words by running English words together. Rather like the French with "le weekend".

 

Cartier again, at the corner of Falckenbergstraße and Maximilianstraße. The high-rent district.

The gothic façade of the city hall, in Marienplatz.

Animated clockwork figures, and flower boxes.

 

A gilded statue of Mary and the baby Jesus.  Marienplatz means Mary's Square or Our Lady's Square.

Old Town Square in Prague had an Astronomical Clock. This one in Munich seems to be an Astrological Clock.

City Hall would be Rathaus in German, so this is its cellar — a restaurant or beer hall.

Bavarian evolution.

A large part of our group stopped for a brew and something to eat at the famous Hofbräuhaus.

This picture is interesting just for the date near the bottom: Anno 1589. Serving beer continuously for 425 years.

Directly across from the Hofbräuhaus was the Hard Rock Cafe, and next that was the Ayinger Inn. It was much quieter and less crowded than the HB, so some of us gave it a try.

 

It was delightful, with good beer and good food.

Walking back to the bus, another sign that's entirely in English.

This graffiti's in German, though: "Thus spoke Sheba: Be THANKFUL".

Not many of us look good in Lederhosen. Tyson manages to pull it off. ;-)

Up VERY early the next morning to catch the bus to the airport and the long flight home. It's been a memorable trip.

And that's the end of this travel blog. I hope to see you on a future All Classical / Earthbound Expeditions trip.

Melk Abbey

Upriver to Melk

The lock we're in is a large one, big enough for two ships side by side and two or three lined up behind one another. We're next to a bulk carrier.

Behind the bulk carrier is another tourist ship.

The bulk carrier, Boreas, has all the comforts of home, including a car perched on the roof of the cabin.

The skiff's name translates as "Little Boreas".

By breakfast time, we're traveling a very foggy and gloomy Danube.

Close to Melk, we passed this imposing structure perched on a cliff above the river.

As we neared our dock at Melk, we got a look at Melk Abbey (Stift Melk in German).

Melk Abbey

The view from the enormous Benedictine abbey, overlooking Melk itself.

Descending from where our bus dropped us to the level of the Abbey.

We passed through a series of enormous courtyards, eventually entering the building next to the church.

Statuary in the first courtyard.

 

The view into the next courtyard, and the next beyond that.

When you point a wide-angle lens up above the horizontal, it results in distortion — converging verticals — so try for something dramatic-looking. Actually, this building is rather dramatic-looking on its own.

The final courtyard; beyond this is the church.

Our guide said that these panels once had 18th century frescoes, but exposure to the elements had deteriorated them so badly that they could not be restored. Instead, modern works were commissioned to replace them.

Inside now, in a hallway lined with formal portraits.

Our guide, Hubert, explaining the paintings.

 

We passed through a series of display rooms with very dramatic lighting. This one was all blue; the next green.

"Hear"

Everything is very symbolic.

A beautiful cross in the green room.

 

A golden chalice.

A "relic monstrance": a container for a relic of a saint. The term "monstrance" was used for this in medieval times. The term is still in use, but no longer for display of relics.

A gold-plated copper incense boat from 1550.

A gilded statue in the corner of a room with mirrored walls.

Ancient sheet music.

A reusable coffin (reproduction). At the end of the graveside service, the handle opened the bottom and the deceased dropped into the grave. These were apparently used during the time of the plague, when burials were very frequent.

Our very informative guide.

This viewport through the Abbey's very thick wall is directed at a farm the Abbey owns just outside Melk.

Panels from an altar screen: applying the crown of thorns to Jesus' head, and Jesus' betrayal. The screen had many more such panels.

 

A chest with a very elaborate locking mechanism.

A scale model of the Abbey.

Looking out over the town of Melk.

The outside of the Abbey Church; we're about to go inside.

The baroque interior of the Abbey Church is stunning.

 

The very elaborate ceiling.

Looking up into the dome.

A special "box" for royalty, perhaps? Or an elaborate private chapel?

Part of the organ.

As we left, back to the mundane world: men repairing the roof.

From the Abbey, we went on a wine-tasting expedition.