DAY 11 / SUNDAY / JUNE 7 THE CROWN JEWELS OF THE WITTELSBACHS OVERNIGHT IN MUNICH Drive nouth to the German town of Garmisch, which celebrated its 1,200th anniversary in 2002 and was the site of the 1936 Winter Olympics.   Garmisch was the home of the noted composer-conductor Richard Strauss.   A tour by bus highlights the main sights of Munich outside of the downtown pedestrian zone.   Visit the Residenz, home of the Wittelsbachs, an imposing complex developed phase by phase through four centuries. The Schatzkammer der Residenz is one of the great European treasuries, a first-rate collection of secular and ecclesiastical objects.   The most famous pieces are the Royal Bavarian Crown and the St. George statuette, a bejeweled masterpiece encrusted with rubies, pearls, diamonds and emeralds. DAY 12 / MONDAY / JUNE 8 MUNICH WALKING TOUR AFTERNOON FREE FOR SHOPPING OR MUSEUMS OVERNIGHT IN MUNICH Munich (German: München) is the capital and principal city of the state of Bavaria and the third-largest city in Germany (after Berlin and Hamburg).   Munich is situated in the valley of the Isar River, a tributary of the Danube, about 48 km (30 mi) north of the foothills of the Alps.   The city has an area of 310 sq km (120 sq mi) and a predominantly Roman Catholic population of 1.2 million (1995 est.).   The city's name is derived from Munichen, which means "home of the monks." Munich was established in 1157 when Henry the Lion, duke of Bavaria, granted trade, coinage, and customs privileges to a market center established by monks near their monastery, probably founded in 750.   Munich is the seat of the Bavarian state government and a major transportation, commercial, and industrial center.   Munich is famous for its beer, but machinery, automobiles, furniture, clothing, optical instruments, and electronic equipment are more significant manufacturers.   Craft industries such as glass staining, wood carving, and silver and bronze founding are well known.   Publishing and filmmaking are important, as are the fashion and high technology industries.   The oldest part of the city, dating from the 12th to 14th centuries, was built in the form of an irregular semicircle around the original settlement on the left bank of the Isar River.   The deluxe Maritim Hotel is perfectly located for you to take full advantage of Munich's Altstadt (Old Town.) The wall surrounding the ancient city was torn down in the late 18th century, but three of the 14th-century gates were left standing: Karlstor, Sendlingertor, and Isartor. Marienplatz & Frauenkirch   Our walking tour of the Altstadt begins at 10 am. You will see (1) Karlsplatz, the hub of the subway lines and an underground shopping complex connected to several major department stores, (2) St. Michael's Church , the largest Renaissance church in northern Europe, where Bavaria's former royal family, the Wittelsbachs, are entombed, including King Ludwig II, (3) the Frauenkirch, whose twin towers are the oldest and best-known landmarks of Munich, built between 1468 and 1488 and restored following damage in World War II.   The center of the Old Town (and Munich) is the Marienplatz (Saint Mary's Square), with the former town hall, a Gothic structure dating from 1470s and the "new" City Hall, completed at the end of the 19th century.   Together with a crowd of other tourists, we watch the figures dance in the Rathaus (City Hall) glockenspiel.   This area is Munich's shopping center, a delightful pedestrian zone where you can wander from store to store.   Not far away on the Isar River is the Deutsches Museum (German Museum), with 18,000 exhibits, the world's largest museum of science and technology.   This technophile's paradise contains the world's first motorcar, locomotives, ships, airplanes, and over one thousand models, experiments and demonstrations you can operate by hand or by pushing a button.   Art lovers might prefer to visit the Neue Pinakothek, which houses one of the most comprehensive collections of 19th century paintings. Do not miss Die Arme Poet (The Poor Poet) and other works by Carl Spitzweg (1808-1885.) This Munich-born German romanticist is famous for his paintings reflecting, with sympathetic humor, aspects of middle-class German life in the 19th-century.   Across the street is the newly-renovated Alte Pinakothek. The major exhibits include Albrecht Dürer's Four Apostles and his self-portrait in a Christ-like pose, plus a vast collection of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens.   It would be difficult to even race through both museums in a single afternoon. Perhaps you might want to consider staying over an extra day or two in Munich. That way, you could also fit in a visit to Lenbachhaus, the former home of the painter Franz von Lenbach, now a museum dedicated to the artists of the Blauen Reiter (Blue Rider) school.   Or go to the BMW Museum, out on the Mittlerer Ring, across from the site of the 1972 Olympics.   Tonight we end our tour with a dinner show at the famed Hofbräuhaus. DAY 13 / TUESDAY / JUNE 9 RETURN TO USA Bags out at 7:45 am and depart at 8:45 am for München Flughafen. Fly Delta nonstop to Atlanta, 10:05 am - 2:35 pm. Connect to the Delta flight to your home city.

---

CREATIVE WORLD TRAVEL

Licensed and bonded, committed to excellence,
Creative World Travel has been serving clients
throughout Central Florida and around
the United States since 1974.

2707 W. Old US Highway 441
Mount Dora, FL 32757
USA
(352) 735-1700
(352) 735-0767 Fax
E-mail: alpsboy@comcast.net

---

Return to Day-by-Day Itinerary - Part 1

Return to Day-by-Day Itinerary - Part 2

Return to Day-by-Day Itinerary - Part 3

Return to Day-by-Day Itinerary - Part 4

Return to Best of the Alps Home Page

Return to Creative World Travel Home Page

Other Creative World Travel Leisurely Escorted Tours:
Holland and Belgium at Tulip Time

---

---