The CD department on the top floor of Ludwig Beck’s department store is the best place I know of in Germany to buy opera and classical music CDs. This last time I was looking for a particular recording of Arrigo Boito’s opera Mefistofele, a Sony recording from 1988 with Samuel Ramey, Placido Domingo, Eva Marton, and the Hungarian State Orchestra conducted by Giuseppe Patané. Of course I could have ordered it in Frankfurt and had it in a couple days, but I thought since I was going to Munich anyway I would just go up to Beck’s and see if they had it in stock, and sure enough, there it was. Second photo: Ludwig Beck’s department store as seen from the steeple of St. Peter’s church.