Off we go to hop on one of the frequent trams that stop right outside our hotel (perfect placement!).  Tickets are all online through an app, although no one ever bothers to check, still we are official as we hop aboard and ride the 7 or so stops to the Schloss Nymphenburg, built as the home for Elector Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria and his wife Henriette Adelaide after the birth of their son, Max Emanuael, heir to the throne, in 1664. (Elector, btw, is the title given to the Princes who have voting rights to elect the next King.)  As years went by, the palace was expanded, first by Elector Max Emanuel, then his successors eventually becoming the massive winged monolith we see today, and a favorite summer residence for the Bavarian rulers.

So far, the weather looks threatening, but no rain as of yet. Since we are too early for our 11am Palace entry, we take our chances and wander through the gardens, which are huge.  The gardens are just like a miniature Reggia di Caserta! The same long shot down the canal, similar cascading waterfall at the end of the long lawn and sprawling gardens alongside where we wander.  There are different cottages and buildings here and there – unfortunately now closed for the season – but still interesting to spy through the trees. And the colors!  Magnificent!  The fall colors we missed at home are here on full display, making for a beautiful hourlong walk.

Our entry time finally arrives, and we begin our tour of the Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassic palace.  Starting in the grand hall, with its 2-story tall soaring ceilings painted with a huge fresco of Greek Gods surrounded by gold leaf stucco and magnificent chandeliers. Guests would arrive here to be bedazzled, then guided to one of the 2 wings that stretch off to each side of the grand hall.

The two wings are identical in structure: antechamber, audience chamber, bed chamber then living quarters. Wandering through them both, we marvel at the decorations, the artwork and the furniture; including the bizarre mean looking swan holding up the valance in the green King’s bedroom.  There is also a whole room full of portraits called King Ludwig I’s Gallery of Beauties.  Apparently this King was quite the womanizer and enjoyed picking out the prettiest women from the town for a portrait sitting.  Creepy to say the least.

Finished with the palace, we head over to the old stables that have now been converted into a museum with 300 years’ worth of old carriages that were used by royalty, as well as their porcelain collection. It’s pretty fascinating to see the evolution of all these vehicles – from the Sedan Chair (carried on valets shoulders) to the more efficient horse drawn wheeled coaches as well as the coach and horse costumes used for the Coronation procession.  All that gold and detail!

The most fun part was the display of sleighs – including the Carousel sleigh with Hercules and Hydra (the 7-headed sea serpent).  My personal favorite though was the deer sleigh – how fun would it have been as a kid to be riding that sleight through the snowy woods! Another creepy thing here is the real stuffed horse, Cosa-Rara.  Preserved and on display because he was a favorite mount of King Ludwig II.  Eek.

The ceramics rooms were what you would expect from a royal collection – items purchased or gifted.   The most interesting thing in that section of the museum was actually a dining room where the walls were covered in painted wallpaper to look like tapestry AND the floor was painted to look wooden as well. 

Tour complete, we hop back on the tram to the hotel, checking into our cute little home away from home complete with mini-kitchen facilities.  Perfect if we decide to eat in – which we will more than likely do tonight and/or tomorrow.   After getting settled, we decided we need to do something/go somewhere so we can stay awake and not succumb to jet lag.  Perusing our options, we decide upon the German Transport Museum.  What the heck?  It will keep us occupied and awake for a bit.

The skies are starting to spit a bit, so with an abundance of caution, we grab an Uber for the 7-minute ride over to the museum.  The Uber driver can’t find the entrance – because it is REALLY hard to find and Google Maps is not helpful – letting us off on the side of the building. We can see it, see the displays, we just need to figure out how to get in there.  It is confusing – and hard – but we finally circumnavigate the whole huge building to find the entrance door next to a playground (with the cute snail statue).

Here we spend the next hour or so meandering through 3 halls filled with all sorts of displays – from an original mail coach to futuristic prototypes to race cars and old tricycles (one from 1880 designed to look like a horse, to mimic an animal that was used for riding), even a whole section on the history of roller skating.  Did you know that the roller skate was invented here in 1760 and that the first roller rink was opened in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1807?  Neither did we.  There is also a really cool bust of Einstein made out of bicycle tires.

Great way to stretch out our afternoon time here in Munich.  Finished with the museum, we decide to walk back to the hotel, stopping on the way at Aldi for supplies and our dinner.  Once back at the hotel, we spend the rest of the evening snacking on a light dinner and watching TV until we finally allow ourselves to hit the hay at 9pm, feeling very proud of ourselves staying up so long and hopefully banishing jet lag once and for all.