The last stop on our central European road trip was Munich, Germany. With an abundance of history and a very lively nightlife, it was a great place to end that part of our trip. There is so much to do and see in the city. We only had 2 days to see as much as possible. The first morning we joined a free tour that started in Marienplatz at 10:40am. Many cities have free walking tours that can be
booked at www.freetour.com. Marienplatz is home to the Glockenspiel, an enormous clock with 30 life-sized figures that display a wedding scene set to music and bells at 11:00am and 12:00pm everyday. It was built in the early 20th century. While it’s purpose it to amuse people, it was voted to second most overrated tourist attraction in Europe.
Our free tour guide was wonderful, offering us tons of information about the city and the historical events that took place there. We walked throughout the downtown area to see the Viktualienmarket – an open-air market, Hofbrauhaus – a famous beer hall, the high shopping street of Maximillianstrasse, the opera house and the Old Royal Palace. The walking tour lasted four hours but the time flew by as we were captivated by history that surrounded us.
In the Viktualienmarket there are very expensive
fresh fruit and veggie stalls. Skip those and head for the beer garden in the middle. The beer stand rotates beer from different national breweries each month (or until they run out). A large mug of brew can be enjoyed while listening to live music and enjoying the atmosphere with other people both locals and tourists.
The Maypole stands just next to the beer garden celebrating parts of the Bavarian culture. At the bottom a message proudly displays a law that was passed in 1516 which states there can only be three ingredients in beer; water, barley and hops. Yeast was later added to the list once it was discovered by scientists hundreds of years later.
As most the city was destroyed during World War II, what we see today is replicas of the historical buildings that stood in downtown. The people of Munich have taken the rebuild very seriously and spent as much time and money as needed to complete it just as it was. That is why there is still rebuilding going on today.
In the evenings we jumped at the chance to check out the famous beer halls. The first night we went to the Hofbrauhaus, likely the most famous of them all. For tourists it is a famous beer hall with live music and a beer garden. However, it played a huge part in the history of World War II. It was in the upstairs room where Hitler gave his first speeches to the organization now know as the Third Reich. We visited on our walking tour which offered us an insight into the events that took place there, as well as in the evening for some live music and huge beers.
The locals told us that Hofbrauhaus is where the tourists go but Augustiner is the beer that locals drink. Across the street from Hofbrauhaus is the Augustiner restaurant. They have great food and yummy beer. We went to the restaurant for lunch and the Augustiner-Keller beer hall in the evening. It is a bit out of the central down town but worth the cab ride to get there.
Outside there is a huge beer garden with lots of seating. The service is better at Augustiner and the menu is slightly cheaper than Hofbrauhaus. Augustiner-Brau is Munich’s oldest independent brewery, first mentioned in 1328. They believe in only serving the freshest beer, so they do not add any preservatives to it and therefore do not ship it out of the country.
Our time was almost at an end but before we drove back to Frankfurt to fly back to the States, we stopped outside the city of Munich to visit Nymphenburg Palace. The incredibly huge palace once served as the summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria. Building of the palace started in 1664 and has been expanded many times of the years.
Many of the rooms can be visited along with the expansive gardens. As well as all the buildings within the gardens and the stables where the royal carriages are on display. There is so much to see, you could spend a huge day exploring.
After making the 4 hour drive back to Frankfurt, we took a flight back the USA to see family. Then it is off to the wonderful country of Australia. We will catch up with you from the land down under…