We arrived in Munich in the evening on April 8, a Wednesday. We ate dinner at a classic German beer hall serving Augustiner, the most popular of the 6 Munich beers. Augustiner is not exported, so we wanted to give it a try while in Bavaria.
On our first full day, we explored Marienplatz, the old town square with its Old Town Hall and New Town Hall (older than the Old Town Hall due to reconstruction after WWII). We had a look inside the Frauenkirche, with its two dome-topped towers. This church was not bombed during the war, as it was used as the landmark by which to identify Munich from the air.
After lunch (Signs advertising items like "Burger and Beer -- $$9.90" draw us in like flies...), we visited the Bier and Oktoberfest Museum. Very few of the signs were in English, but we still enjoyed the Oktoberfest memorabilia.
Then we visited the Residenz Museum, home of the Wittelsbach dynasty until 1918. This was a walk through the house (which has been restored since WWII) with an audio guide. Several of the rooms, like the Antiquarium and the Ancestors Gallery, were absolutely stunning halls. Others were living quarters or sitting rooms, equally elegant and lavish.
For dinner, we enjoyed traditional German fare (meat and taters) at a brewpub called Schneider Weisses', then visited the grand-daddy of the beer halls, Hofbrauhaus. This place sees something like 30,000+ people every day. It is enormous. Alan and I shared this enormous beer and matching enormous pretzel, shouting above the din and enjoying the brass band.
The next day, we caught a morning walking tour through the city, starting with an underwhelming display from the glockenspiel on the New Town Hall. A lot of the tour then focused on the development of the Nazi Party and the conditions in Munich in WWII. We also learned other bits of fantastic trivia, like how the Theater fire was extinguished by, yes, beer. It was winter, and no other liquid was available in sufficient, non-iced quantity.
We spent the afternoon in the Englisher Gardens, a city park larger than Central Park in New York. It was pack with people, all enjoyed that spring has sprung. On the edge of the park, a most unusual activity was taking place: surfing. An artifial wave was set up in this spot, and surfer after surfer was taking their turn to practice their moves.
We finally say farewell to Germany, and move next door to Austria.
On our first full day, we explored Marienplatz, the old town square with its Old Town Hall and New Town Hall (older than the Old Town Hall due to reconstruction after WWII). We had a look inside the Frauenkirche, with its two dome-topped towers. This church was not bombed during the war, as it was used as the landmark by which to identify Munich from the air.
After lunch (Signs advertising items like "Burger and Beer -- $$9.90" draw us in like flies...), we visited the Bier and Oktoberfest Museum. Very few of the signs were in English, but we still enjoyed the Oktoberfest memorabilia.
Then we visited the Residenz Museum, home of the Wittelsbach dynasty until 1918. This was a walk through the house (which has been restored since WWII) with an audio guide. Several of the rooms, like the Antiquarium and the Ancestors Gallery, were absolutely stunning halls. Others were living quarters or sitting rooms, equally elegant and lavish.
For dinner, we enjoyed traditional German fare (meat and taters) at a brewpub called Schneider Weisses', then visited the grand-daddy of the beer halls, Hofbrauhaus. This place sees something like 30,000+ people every day. It is enormous. Alan and I shared this enormous beer and matching enormous pretzel, shouting above the din and enjoying the brass band.
The next day, we caught a morning walking tour through the city, starting with an underwhelming display from the glockenspiel on the New Town Hall. A lot of the tour then focused on the development of the Nazi Party and the conditions in Munich in WWII. We also learned other bits of fantastic trivia, like how the Theater fire was extinguished by, yes, beer. It was winter, and no other liquid was available in sufficient, non-iced quantity.
We spent the afternoon in the Englisher Gardens, a city park larger than Central Park in New York. It was pack with people, all enjoyed that spring has sprung. On the edge of the park, a most unusual activity was taking place: surfing. An artifial wave was set up in this spot, and surfer after surfer was taking their turn to practice their moves.
We finally say farewell to Germany, and move next door to Austria.
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