Yup, you can surf in land-locked Munich! But more on that later. Bavaria and its main city, Munich, is the Germany of fairytales. It's surrounded by beautiful mountains and quaint villages, there are beer gardens everywhere, ladies clad in durndls sell giant pretzels out of baskets, oompah bands play in plazas and restaurants, and men really do wear lederhosen (it's considered dressing up and many men wear them to church). If you want to see the Germany of story books then definitely pay a visit to Munich.
We arrived in Munich in the late afternoon and checked into our hotel, the Eurostars Grand Central. We highly recommend this hotel for a trip to Munich. Although it is located near an office park just west of central Munich, it is right around the corner from an S-bahn stop (Munich's metro system). This meant we could get from our hotel room to the center of Munich in 10-15 minutes. It also had one of the best free breakfasts we've experienced so far - complete with two violinists as entertainment. The rooms were spacious, wifi was fast and the beds were really comfortable which was a nice change from the lumpy Italian beds. We could park for free on the street next to the hotel, and best of all, it was very reasonably priced for the area.
Beer as Big as Your Head
On our first night in town, we decided we needed to check out the famous Hofbräuhaus, the huge state-owned beer hall that goes back hundreds of years. They say that here, Oktoberfest lasts all year long. The place was absolutely mobbed, hot and loud, but lots of fun! Interestingly, the crowd was a mix of tourists and locals, and many of the locals were clad in their best lederhosen. We ordered a couple of plates - Sauerbraten (basically pot roast) and a bunch of sausages, and washed it all down with the obligatory giant beers.
We arrived in Munich in the late afternoon and checked into our hotel, the Eurostars Grand Central. We highly recommend this hotel for a trip to Munich. Although it is located near an office park just west of central Munich, it is right around the corner from an S-bahn stop (Munich's metro system). This meant we could get from our hotel room to the center of Munich in 10-15 minutes. It also had one of the best free breakfasts we've experienced so far - complete with two violinists as entertainment. The rooms were spacious, wifi was fast and the beds were really comfortable which was a nice change from the lumpy Italian beds. We could park for free on the street next to the hotel, and best of all, it was very reasonably priced for the area.
Beer as Big as Your Head
On our first night in town, we decided we needed to check out the famous Hofbräuhaus, the huge state-owned beer hall that goes back hundreds of years. They say that here, Oktoberfest lasts all year long. The place was absolutely mobbed, hot and loud, but lots of fun! Interestingly, the crowd was a mix of tourists and locals, and many of the locals were clad in their best lederhosen. We ordered a couple of plates - Sauerbraten (basically pot roast) and a bunch of sausages, and washed it all down with the obligatory giant beers.
The famous 1L mug. Bigger than my head. It did eventually get finished!
Half a beer later, apple strudel.
Oompah band at the Hofbräuhaus
Happiness is a Bavarian with a beer and a song!
Typical scene at the HBH. Cozying up in the 90 degree weather!
Inside the HBH
The huge hall on the top floor of the HBH
Just a couple of beer maids
Biking Munich
The next day, we booked a Mike's Bike Tour at 4:30 pm. Since the weatherman was forecasting temperatures in the upper 90's, we chose the later tour to miss the hottest part of the day. We spent the early afternoon checking out some of the sites around the center of Munich, then met up with our tour, which brought us through some historical spots in central Munich and through the Englischer Garten, the city's main park. Here are a few things we saw along the way:
The next day, we booked a Mike's Bike Tour at 4:30 pm. Since the weatherman was forecasting temperatures in the upper 90's, we chose the later tour to miss the hottest part of the day. We spent the early afternoon checking out some of the sites around the center of Munich, then met up with our tour, which brought us through some historical spots in central Munich and through the Englischer Garten, the city's main park. Here are a few things we saw along the way:
The White Church in Odeonsplatz. The interior of the church is completely white.
The Feldherrnhalle in Odeonsplatz. In the background are statues of four famous Bavarians and three lions. In the foreground are seven jackasses imitating them. Chris and I were selected to play the part of Mr. & Mrs. Bavaria. Lucky us.
A close-up of our dopplegangers. Notice the different expressions on the lions' faces. The one of the left stands with his mouth open, looking in the direction of the royal palace. The one on the right is looking in at the church with his mouth closed. Some interpret this to mean that one should always question the government but never one's church.
Lions are everywhere in Munich. From Odeonsplatz you can see this victory arch in the distance. It depicts lady Bavaria on a chariot being pulled by four lions. So badass!
Another lion. They say rubbing the nub of this one's shield brings good luck. In fact, people in Munich rub a lot of statues for good luck.
The Poet's Garden behind the old palace. The park is ringed with marigold beds.
Cooling off in one of the Poet's Garden fountains
The Chinese pagoda in the middle of the Englischer Garten. Around the base is a massive beer garden where we stopped for an early dinner and some suds with our bike tour.
Surfing in the park. There's a spot on the Eisbach river where water shoots out of a tunnel underneath a road and then hits a lip in the canal which creates a stationary surfing wave. Surfers take turns showing off their moves.
Check out one of the surfers in action:
The University of Munich. Half of this building was destroyed by bombs in WWII and subsequently rebuilt. It costs less than 200 Euros per semester to attend this famous university.
After WWII, almost all evidence of the Nazi regime was intentionally destroyed. However, small reminders are still present. For example, look closely at this door and you'll see a subtle swastika pattern. This used to be a Nazi air force building.
The next morning, we set out to see a few of the spots we had missed the day before.
White Rose Society
This was a pretty fascinating story. When the Nazis were in power, there was a secret non-violent society of brave students at the University of Munich. Their mission was to anonymously distribute leaflets that encourage opposition to Hitler and his regime. Some of their leaflets were smuggled into the UK, copied and then dropped all over Germany by Allied planes under the title The Manifesto of the Students of Munich. One day a gardener saw White Rose member, Sophie Scholl, dropping leaflets out a window at the university and reported her to the gestapo. She and five more members (including her brother Hans) were arrested by the gestapo and were subsequently beheaded via guillotine. Today, there is memorial for these brave students and they are considered among Germany's greatest heroes.
White Rose Society
This was a pretty fascinating story. When the Nazis were in power, there was a secret non-violent society of brave students at the University of Munich. Their mission was to anonymously distribute leaflets that encourage opposition to Hitler and his regime. Some of their leaflets were smuggled into the UK, copied and then dropped all over Germany by Allied planes under the title The Manifesto of the Students of Munich. One day a gardener saw White Rose member, Sophie Scholl, dropping leaflets out a window at the university and reported her to the gestapo. She and five more members (including her brother Hans) were arrested by the gestapo and were subsequently beheaded via guillotine. Today, there is memorial for these brave students and they are considered among Germany's greatest heroes.
White Rose Society Memorial. The title means "To Remember To Commemorate".
Similar to the Jewish custom of placing a rock on top of a loved-one's gravestone, people from all over the world place rocks on top of the memorial for those family members lost in the Holocaust. Chris places one here for his grandparents' relatives that stayed behind in Germany and perished too soon.
Marienplatz
Marienplatz is the biggest plaza in central Munich, home to many shops, outdoor markets, and the New Rathaus (City Hall). We had a lot of fun wandering through this bustling area.
Marienplatz is the biggest plaza in central Munich, home to many shops, outdoor markets, and the New Rathaus (City Hall). We had a lot of fun wandering through this bustling area.
The "New Rathaus". Notice the Glockenspiel above Chris' head. It's a mechanical clock that performs a miniature jousting tournament several times a day.
The outdoor markets. Germany has the most organized and beautiful food markets I've seen thus far. Everything is in perfect order and I think they might even shine the produce! You are not allowed to touch anything, and have to point out what you want to the person working the stand.
Spice Market
One more food-related recommendation - while searching for a supermarket to buy water, we stumbled into the Galeria Gourmet in the basement of the Galeria Kaufhof near Marienplatz. This was hands down the nicest supermarket we've ever seen!
Team Tanda Tula Reunited!
During our safari in the South African Timbavati reserve, we became friends with a really nice German couple, Thomas and Sabine.
Team Tanda Tula Reunited!
During our safari in the South African Timbavati reserve, we became friends with a really nice German couple, Thomas and Sabine.
Chris is standing next to Sabine and Thomas is sitting on the Jeep.
They live near Munich, so we all got together one night while we were visiting town. Thomas and Sabine picked us up at our hotel and we drove about 45 minutes to Schliersee, a lake town south of Munich near the Austrian border, where we met up with Sabine's sister Karin and her boyfriend Michael. That evening there was a festival called Seefest, where we enjoyed traditional Bavarian food, music, games and other customs, some of which we might bring back to the States :) We had such a great time catching up with Thomas and Sabine and meeting their family. We can't thank them enough for their hospitality and a really fun night!
The crew: Michael, Chris, Karin, Thomas, Sabine
Approaching Seefest
Traditional Bavarian dance. Back in the old days, young men & women from different villages would meet each other dancing at festivals.
The German game Nagelspielen. Believe it or not, there are several different games you can play with a tree stump, hammer, and nails. We plan to try this one when we get back home!
Sunset over the lake
Stunning!
Fireworks show set to various AC/DC tunes. Awesome!
While our time in Munich was short, it was very memorable. This is definitely a place we plan to visit again one day.
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