Palace Smalace?

So today I got to visit the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, the summer residence of the kings in the 1800's. It really has nothing to do with nymphs. It doesn't look all that spectacular from the outside, though it is rather large. But it has the usual Baroque ornate appearance on the inside. Complete with paintings and ceiling frescos of naked baby angels. Lots of portraits of the kings and their queens. One wing of the palace was the king's, while the opposite wing was the queen's. One of the rooms of the palace was particularly interesting. It contained about 50 or so portraits of women, women the king at the time thought were the most beautiful women he had ever seen. The same painter was commissioned to paint each of these women's portraits. The women were from all walks of life, ranging from a lowly shoemaker's daughter (I thought she seemed one of the most beautiful.) to the most aristocratic. I was able to hear some of the stories about a few in particular. Very interesting. One of the kings that lived in the palace during this time period was King Ludwig II. He was a very strange man. One of the largest and most elaborate castles in all of Germany, Neushweinstein, was built for him. This is the castle that was the model for the Disney World Magic Kingdom castle. Bob visited it many years before while on a business trip. Back in 1998, on my first trip to Europe, Bob and I were able to visit another of Ludwig's castles, Lindehof. Lots of gold and glitz everywhere. But this guy had a very disturbing life. Could that be why he never smiled in his portraits?

Just some other thoughts on Germany:
- the Germanic language is hard to understand when the language you've learned in school is a Romance language
- credit cards are NOT always accepted, so you'd better have euros handy
- the tram system (train) is great and seems so much more convenient for all ages. I saw lots of middle school/high school age kids use it and thought how smart that they don't have to have a car and pay car insurance! Wish we had this system in the US.
- EVERYONE rides bikes here. All ages. I saw women wearing long skirts riding bikes. And men and women in their 70's and up. And the bikes are not necessarily new or in great shape. People don't even lock them up. Wish we had this mindset in the US.
- Not every place is handicapped friendly. I had to climb alot of stairs with my brace. We were on the 4th floor (top) of our hotel in Munich. The elevator (lift) only went to the 3rd floor. We had to lug up the suitcases using the stairs to get to our room.
- A/C is non-existent, as is ice, period. Drinks come lukewarm. I am sooooo craving a Chik-fil-A sweet tea right now. I never drink Cokes at home, but I've had a few here because they've been somewhat cold in the glass bottle.
- the sun is up and bright at 5:00 in the morning. What's up with that?
- Lots of churches here, but pretty empty. Antje told me that the Catholic church automatically deducts 10% of your income is you are a member. Hmmm.
- The countryside is very green and lots of things grow here. Seems every town of decent size has their own brewery...or more. Hops grow on the hillsides as well as grapevines. Bob and I were told that the Germans don't consider beer as alcohol. They think of it as "liquid bread." Yeah, okay. Whatever.

I love traveling. I love seeing other parts of the world and learning about other cultures. I appreciate the similarities and the differences. But I love coming home. I love living in the U.S. and wish more people would appreciate the freedom and conveniences that we have in our country. I feel very blessed. I don't need a palace. I've got a home.