München!

Highlights

Schloss Nymphenburg: Remember how I said I wanted to live in a schloss after I saw Schloss Charlottenburg in Berlin? Seeing another schloss increased my desire to have my wish come true. The palace was huge with, of course, a beautiful backyard. Interestingly enough, an artificial ruin Magdalenenklause was built in the backyard. We saw a bit of the inside that looked like the interior of a cave. I guess the interior designer had a unique taste.

Schloss Neuschwanstein: I cannot begin to describe the “interesting” and “memorable” experience we had going to this castle in the mountains. Let’s just say we had a few issues with the German public transportation system and we were thankful that our only casualty was a lost umbrella. The Neuschwanstein is famous for being the inspiration for the Disney castle, and I can only imagine what it looks like under the scaffolding that was present for the current renovation. I’m not yet sure if the castle visit was worth the time and money, but I’ll definitely remember it for a long time. Please ask me to share about it if you would like to hear more.

Residenz Museum: This mansion was a lot bigger than I thought. We did the audio tour and had to start skipping sections towards the end because the museum was closing. I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself because it seemed as if each person had 2 antechambers, a display/ “fake” bedroom, a real bedroom, and a private room. I think 90 of 130 rooms are currently open and that was more than enough for our time there.

Google Munich: We visited my Stanford friend Will at Google where he is completing a summer internship. He showed us around a bit and we were even able to grab some German candies. Yum!

Deutsches Museum: By far, my favorite place in München. This museum has it all: Aeronautics, Optics, Pharmacology, Chemistry, Biotechnology, Mining, Electrical Power, Materials Testing… I could go on and on. I really felt like a kid in a candy shop. (I actually think that saying should be changed to a “kid in an interactive museum”.) Even Sharon found something she liked, so we ended up splitting up so we could both cover more ground and focus on the areas that we liked best. I think teachers would benefit a lot from this museum because they present a lot of information in an engaging way. If only Stanford professors taught Chemistry like at the Deutsches Museum, I can only imagine how lecture attendance would soar.