Great Train Journey - Munich: Part 1 (9 pics)

The last city I visited on my trip was Munich, and I have to admit that did not explore nearly as much as I could have.  After having spent a week walking at least 8 hours a day (and some days closer to 12), my body was telling me it was time to lay off a bit.  So out of the three days I was there, I probably only explored for about two.  For the rest of the time, I actually did something I rarely do.  I hung out at Starbuck's and other cafe's reading books on my iPad and just relaxing.

One thing that was definitely true about Munich is that it was BUSY and full of people.  I did not take nearly as many pictures in Munich as I did in other cities like Dresden, so the posts on Munich will be short and sweet.  Today, just some introductory pictures around town.

 

This is the gate at Karlsplatz, that leads onto Neuhauser Strasse, the main pedestrian street in the center of old town area.

 

 This picture was taken at Marienplatz, right in the center of the old town, and the main square of the city since 1158.  That building on the left is the "New" Town Hall.

 The New Town Hall (Neue Rathaus) has this massive tower right in the middle, the Glockenspiel.  And if you notice the clock face way up the top, you'll notice it's just after Noon.

That means that the bell has wrung, and the little animatronics have started their show and the telling of the two stories is underway.

This is the Glyptothek on Konigsplatz.  It is a museum commissioned by Bavarian King Ludwig I to house his collection of Greek and Roman sculptures.

 This is a picture of Wittelsbacher Platz, named after the European royal family of the Wittelsbach's.  That white building in the back there used to be a home of Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Wittelsbach, but it's now the head office of Siemens Corporation.

These are the offices of the what in the US we would call a State Assembly (if I understood the sign correctly).  Most of the original building was destroyed during the war, so they rebuilt part of it with that all glass design.

 Another view of the state assembly.

And last, as I indicated in some of the past posts, it seems that whenever I came across a fountain and pool, there was a good chance there would be people playing in it.  This particular statue and fountain are in the Alter Botanischer Garten.