A Taste of München

October 14th, 2016

München is the German way of saying Munich. This Capitol city of the state of Bavaria is also its largest. Known for its annual Oktoberfest celebrations and its beer halls, Munich seems to always attract a crowd. Since it was on our way to Salzburg, Munich made a good stopping point for our road trip over Labor Day weekend.

Mein Mann rented a German car to save the wear and tear on our aging Honda. Driving on the Autobahn was a whole new experience for him! Though there is often an impression that you can drive at any speed on the Autobahn there are many areas that still post speed limits above the roads. In the picture below, the limit was 100km…about 62 mph. On this particular stretch, we enjoyed some open roads. However, just on the other side of the barrier, the traffic was bumper to bumper. After getting caught in our fair share of stau’s (traffic jams) and construction zones for hours, we were more than ready to pile out of the car!

Our hotel was near the train station and within reasonable walking distance to the Altstadt (Old Town). On the walls in the entry way, there were pictures of various Bavarian kings, including King Ludwig whose castle we visited over Memorial weekend. E was excited to sit on a throne (just an old chair!) amongst pictures of royalty!

Though we only spent one night in Munich, we still took advantage of the nice weather to head out on foot. We got directions to a wonderful pedestrian walking area where we enjoyed fountains, popping in to a church to light candles, beautiful architecture, lovely flower boxes on windows and getting a feel for the international culture we were in the midst of.

Here’s is a short video I took as we walked…

We got the boys a couple of brezeln (giant pretzels) as we walked through the central Marienplatz square to help starve off their hourly hunger attacks. The Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus (town hall) has a popular glockenspiel show that chimes and reenacts stories from the 16th century. Unfortunately, we missed the show but the building was still impressive!

Thanks to the navigational skills of Mein Mann (and his trusty iPhone), we found the famed Hofbräuhaus where we stopped for dinner. This three-floor, beer hall was founded in 1589 and has pictures on its walls showing its history over the centuries. Many tables were reserved for men and women who were sitting in traditional lederhosen and tasteful dirndls (women’s dresses). The place is quite the tourist attraction and felt a bit over the top with its large crowds and loud music. Thankfully, we found a table off to the side so our little travelers could rest their legs and refuel on meat and apfelschorle (sparkling apple cider). Of course, Daddy got the house beer!

After dinner, we started weaving our way back through the downtown streets, passing musicians on the way.

The boys caught sight of this sweet ride (next picture below) and begged us to take it back to the hotel. We quietly agreed on a price that we would be willing to pay. The cyclist’s price matched our figure exactly so we piled on. On the ride home, we chatted with the man who powered this rikscha with his strong, thin legs. He was Hispanic, had lived in Munich for a year and was extending his language skills to include German. We were impressed!

Once we arrived back at the hotel, our driver put both boys on the bike for pictures. For these two boys that literally put miles on their shoes whenever we travel, this was a real treat! They LOVED the ride!