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Austria, Wattens, Innsbruck: NYC Sparkles at Swarovski Crystal Worlds
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NYC and The Empire State building will always be number one.
Austria, Wattens, Innsbruck: Crystal Frame Swarovski Crystal Worlds
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Family portraits sparkle when you are surrounded by crystals at Swarovski Crystal Worlds.
Austria, Wattens: On Stage in the Crystal Dome Swarovski Crystal Worlds
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“You are the world” – the Crystal World that is, when you stand in the center of the Crystal Dome.
Austria, Wattens: Swarovski Crystal Worlds
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Look up as you enter the Blue Hall at Swarovski Crystal World, as you never know what might be glittering above you.
Austria, Wattens: The Giant at Swarovski Crystal Worlds
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The Giant welcomes you to Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens Austria, a free 20-min bus ride from Innsbruck. In 1895 Daniel Swarovski started the company and now it honors his imagination with this gorgeous attraction which is part museum, part theme park and part art installation.
Germany: Munich Residenz
The Wittelsbach dynasty ruled the German territories of Bavaria from 1180 to 1918 – that’s 738 years, pretty impressive. Munich Residenz, their former royal palace, is located right in the center of Munich and very much open to the public. After 4 centuries of building it, the giant palace is made up of many styles: late Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neo-Classicism.
Though spartan on the outside, it is very opulent inside. You can tour it for its architecture, over-the-top room decor (130 rooms), and displays from the former royal collections. After WWII, the Cuvilliés Theatre was built into the Festsaalbau wing. You can also catch the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Hercules Hall. In his time, Mozart performed in this palace.
The Treasury houses the jewels of the Wittelsbach dynasty and spans 1,000 years, from the early Middle Ages to Neo-classicism, and includes: crowns, swords, golden objects, rock crystal, ivory, goblets, icons, tableware and toiletries.
The palace suffered huge damages during WWII, but the curators managed to store furnishings, art and details of its architecture in mines. When you are wandering around the 10 
courtyards, see if you can find this fountain with statues of fire, water, earth and air on its corners.
The Wittelsbach family’s head, since 1996, is Franz, Duke of Bavaria, and he still hangs out in Munich. During WWII, the Wittelsbachs were anti-Nazi and were arrested when Franz was 11. He spent time in several Nazi concentration camps. After the war, he studied at the University of Munich and became a collector of modern art. Some of his collection is on loan to the Pinakothek der Moderne Museum (see other post).