BW Museum + Toy Store

On July 23 Brian and I decided to visit the Baden-Württemberg Museum. BW is a state within Germany, and Stuttgart is its capital. I wasn't sure exactly what we would see, but it turned out really interesting. Except for the maps they gave us, because we couldn't find a darn thing.

This is Princess Olga. Apparently, this was a very coveted painting. I understand why - check out those Princess Leia buns!


This is a painting of a family tree for the rulers of BW. There were quite a few of these hanging about. I think it's a very neat way to keep track of who's who in the family.


One of the first things we saw was the glass collection in the basement. It was interesting to see how glass making had improved over the years. Here are some of our favorites. Remember, all of this is handmade.







Then we checked out the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, etc. We liked the weapons best, because we're medieval like that.





The next section we stumbled into must have been the religious section. We kept stumbling into the middle of exhibits by going through the wrong doors. Apparently, Germans have an innate sense of their territory and don't need signs to get around. I cannot say the same of Brian and I. Here are some beautiful religious artifacts:

One of the oldest statues of Jesus. Yes, I took it with flash. I'm such a rebel.


My favorite statue of Mary and Jesus.


This little box and cross is called a relic. Apparently, somebody's dead parts are buried inside. Creepy, yet cool.


This is called a triptych. There three paneled pieces of art usually displayed on an altar. The panels can also be closed. I had never seen one before, so was very interested.


The armory was next. Yay for weapons of small destruction. Seriously though, these swords were huge. They were taller than me. Brian says they are claymores and and meant to be used two-handed.


The crypt! This was the part I had been waiting for, since I have a small obsession with dead things. A pair of Kings and Queens are buried here. I wanted to take a flash picture so bad, but the Germans were watching me.


Finally, it was the clock exhibit, also in the dungeons for some reason. Here was our favorite. Yes, that is a bear beating a drum and leading an ostrich. Awesome.




So after a few hours of museum stumbling, we headed down King Street once more, this time in search of a very famous toy store. I forgot what it was called...it basically translated to toys for little people. The toy store has been there for more than 200 years! And...it's five stories tall! Every floor was different. They had a whole floor dedicated to trains, and one to cars. The fifth floor was for birthday parties. Anyway, what Brian dismissed as an outdoor bar turned out to be a giant train station when I inspected. Brian almost died.







It was a little boy's dream come true - or a big boy named Brian too.