Sharon is a derivative of Sarah, which means princess. I know! Apparently, I’m a princess.
Recently, on a day when I wasn’t lost, I visited the Royal Residence in Munich, Germany. I’m happy to share a sneak peek with you here.
Once upon a time (so droll, isn’t it) Munchen (German spelling of Munich) was the capital of Bavaria. (Now Bavaria is just a province within the country of Germany.)
In fact, this building has been around –in part – since 1385 AD, but it didn’t become the royal palace until the reign of William IV around 1508 AD.
This building has so many wings and courtyards and levels that I could have easily wandered around forever. Fortunately, some sections were closed to the public and there were large arrows that pointed me in the correct direction.
Too much about this place was intriguing. I found the various styles of art in the Munich Residenz fascinating.
One enormous room could have kept me ogling for hours. Apparently, the peasants were invited to stand on the lower level of this room and watch while the royalty ate on the dais. Call me crazy but I don’t fancy being in either of those parties.
You know how we call it a “king-sized bed.” It’s false advertising. The beds were dinky, but the bedrooms were enormous.
Princesses (not to mention kings) don’t dress in the same room where they sleep. There is no sleeping in the room where they read, and only certain rooms are fit for receiving guests (go figure).
There were tons of stairs, which means the princess didn’t have to go outside and get her hair wet to engage in cardiovascular exercise. (Running stairs is so NOT my favorite cardio activity.)
This building, along with the castles I will give you a brief tour of later, defy my sense of logic. Why would anyone need all that space? What purpose does all the adornment serve?
If I were a poor commoner who was starving in the streets, I would certainly charge onto the dais and demand a portion from the royal table. Servants for those kings surely prepared too much food, and you can’t tell me there’s such a thing as “royal leftovers.”I am glad to visit these remnants of the past, but I feel fortunate to live in an age of democracy. As exorbitant as taxes are now, it’s mind-boggling to think what it would cost to support a gigantic palace like this one.