Made it to Munich

Over Easter we got two weeks off of classes. Naturally, I took the time to travel. My first stop on a tour through Germany and the Czech Republic was in Munich.

I got to Munich late in the evening, so I started early the next day with a free walking tour of the city. The tour was hosted by Sandeman's New Europe tours, who plan tours in lots of European cities. The basic walking tour is free, but the guides work for tips, so I budgeted a few euros for them. My guide, Mark, was very knowledgeable and fun. Our tour started in Marienplatz with a history of the square and a viewing of the famous glockenspiel. I didn't realize that the show lasts a whole ten minutes! There's a wedding feast complete with a joust and the dance of the barrel makers. Supposedly, after the plague, all of the barrel makers got dressed up in their finest red jackets and hosted a party to show everyone it was safe to leave their homes again. It is a famous legend in Munich, and every seven years there is a live dance. Although the costumes on the glockenspiel are from the 17^th century, which makes the accuracy of the legend questionable. 

 

The Neues Rathaus with the Glockenspiel

We learned about the history of Munich, how it started as a toll bridge and a monastery, and grew and grew into the capital of Bavaria, and now the third largest city in Germany. We saw the Neues Rathaus (which looks really old) and the Alter Hof (which is all new) and the Frauenkirche. I was surprised that the Frauenkirche was made of brick, but the architect wanted it to be the fastest built Gothic cathedral. He succeeded and the massive church was completed in just 20 years. Some say he must have enlisted the help of the devil.

Alter Hof

They say this is the devil's footprint

Fraukirche

The tour took us past most of the famous spots in the city center, including the Hofbräuhaus, the Residence, and Odeonsplatz. Odeonsplatz is where Hitler led the infamous Beer Hall Putsch in 1923.

Part of the Residence

Odeonsplatz

When I’m sitting in a classroom I tend to dislike history, but it really comes alive for me when I am traveling. I love learning all about what happened in the places I am visiting. Taking this tour was a great way to learn more about Munich.

After the tour was over, I decided to check out the nearby Englischer Garten. To me, the weather was nice. It wasn't too cold and the sun was out. There were also 25-50mph winds, but I'm from Texas, that's no big deal. The gardens were really beautiful, so I'm glad I braved the tornado.

The cool Monopteros

Tree branches falling in the wind

Rain was approaching quickly, however, so it was time to find shelter. The friendly hostel receptionist had recommended the Deutsches Museum, a science and technology museum, so I went there. It was huge! And full of children! The exhibits were on everything from printing, and musical instruments, to aerospace travel. You name it, they had it. Some of it was interactive, which was cool. I was a little too tired from all of my walking to really appreciate everything it had to offer, and I definitely didn't have enough time. Some highlights for me were the printing section and the robotics exhibit.

Deutsche Museum

You can't go to Munich and not visit a beer hall. But every single person I met said not to go to the Hofbräuhaus, as it was now a kitschy tourist trap. Still debating, I went to the Augustiner Bräustuben (brewery) for dinner instead. My family's rule is to always order off of the German menu, so I have no idea what I ate. Some kind of pork with jelly. It was really quite good. The potatoes and beer were also nice. Augustiner beer was every local’s favorite. But the real stand out was the company. In German beer halls, when you're eating alone they just stick you on the end of someone else's table. There's no requirement to be friendly, but most people are. The couple I sat with were very nice. We chatted about life in Munich, and the man was from Switzerland, so we talked about that too. It really made the experience for me to have such pleasant company during dinner.

Dinner

The brewery

I spent a cold morning at Schloss Nymphenburg the next day. This summer residence of the Wittelsbach ruling family was built in 1675. It was quite beautiful outside, complete with a pond full of swans. Inside was even more breathtaking. And you could actually take pictures! The best room was definitely the Great Hall. It was designed to be full of natural light and covered in fantastic paintings of nature spirits. That's how Nymphenburg got its name, from the nymphs in the paintings in not just that room, but all of the rooms.

More nymphs

Some other highlights were seeing the room where Mad King Ludwig II was born and the Hall of Beauties. King Ludwig I commissioned paintings of all of the most beautiful women from every social class to hang in the hall. This was apparently a purely aesthetic exercise, but I have my doubts. His famous mistress, a dancer named Lola, is featured in the hall. She was so well known during his reign that he ended up having her exiled. When rumors started that she had returned to Bavaria, the king was so overwhelmed with the public backlash that he essentially retired from public life. Lola went on to star in a Broadway musical about her life called Lola in Bavaria.

The room where Ludwig II was born

Hall of Beauties

Lola

In addition to the palace, there was the Marstallmuseum, with royal carriages and sleighs. They were so cool! The sleighs, used to transport the royalty over the snowy mountains, were often carved into ornate figures. And King Ludwig II had some fantastic carriages made that looked like they came straight out of fairytale. I’m glad I got a chance to see the museum, and I think I found my new mode of transportation.

This sleigh is carved to look like Hercules

For the afternoon, I went back to the city center. I wanted to see the Viktualienmarkt. Since, you know, I'm an aficionado now. The market did not disappoint. Even though it was snowing on and off, the market was in full swing. Stands sold meat, vegetables, snacks, and flowers from permanent stalls. There was a lot to see and smell, and I even tried some of the food. The Leberkase sandwich was very tasty. It was a lot like bologna. (But I was too hungry to photograph it).

Since I was in Munich I was obliged to at least go to the Hofbräuhaus. The inside was pretty cool, even if it was filled with tourists. I opted not to eat there, but I did use their well-kept restrooms, which are free.

Wandering through the Alter Hof, I found a little museum our guide had told us about on the tour. In the basement of the tourist information center there is a small museum dedicated to the history of Munich. Consisting mostly of two short, but very nice audiovisual presentations, it was pretty informative. The guy upstairs forgot to turn the second one to English, but I think I figured it out. The focus of the museum was the importance of trade in Munich. From the beginning, Munich was a crossroads on the salt route from Salzburg. It was interesting to see how the city developed without focusing on the royal family, but instead the town as a whole.

The development of the city coat of arms

Wandering through Munich I crossed paths with historical places, beautiful nature, fascinating technology, and friendly people. In two days I didn’t see nearly the whole city, but I got a nice taste of what this Bavarian capital has to offer.