The opulence enjoyed by kings can be yours
Recently, on a trip to Rhode Island, I toured the mansions, or summer cottages as they were called, of some of America’s first affluent families. Before income tax was introduced in the United States, families like the Vanderbilts had more money than they knew what to do with. They lavishly decorated their summer homes, which contained many of the same type of luxuries King Ludwig was so fond of. As we walked through the opulent “Elms” mansion, a woman in our group joked to her friends, “Wouldn’t you love to be a guest in a place like this.” I leaned over to my husband and whispered, “She could if she went to Europe.”Though you can’t book a room at Neuschwanstein, we in Bavaria are fortunate to live so close to Austria and Italy, where beautiful castles have been turned into hotels. One such establishment is Schloss Matzen, just one hour and fifteen minutes from Munich, close to Innsbruck. This month, innkeeper Margaret Fox has generously offered one night’s lodging at the castle as a prize to be given to one new or renewing subscriber, drawn from forms sent in July and August.
Speaking of winners, our popularity contest results are in and, though the consensus on favorites was not as clear as we had hoped, a few did stand out and we have compiled those results for you on page 33. Congratulations to Tina Nollan, who has won tickets for two to Budapest on Malev airlines, and Susan Kyne, who will enjoy dinner for two at Edison’s and Co. To complement the grand prize tickets to Budapest, Marton Radkai features the Hungarian capital in this month’s travel section.
Summer in Munich offers a varied program of open-air events. Claudia Hellmann reports on the highlights, which include the annual Königsplatz concerts. Also in the Arts, Sheila Scott reviews the Tintoretto exhibition at the Alte Pinakothek. The collection is displayed in a viewer-friendly fashion, allowing an up-close examination of this series of paintings commissioned by Guglielmo Gonzaga in 1574.
With summer vacation rapidly approaching, family outings are high on many people’s agenda. Kathy Saal set out to four of Bavaria’s outdoor museums with the goal of delivering our feature. What she found are some interesting exhibitions illustrating traditional Bavarian lifestyles from a bygone era.
A special feature this month for tourists in Munich is our eight-page Visitor’s Guide insert. Packed with informative tips and the top sights of our city, it is a handy publication for everyone.
The Munich Found staff will be taking its annual summer vacation as well. Our editorial offices will be closed from June 26 to July 30. Administrative offices will be open Monday to Thursday, 10-12. We wish all our readers a wonderful summer! <<<
