Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 2015
Tour Day 8: Munich
Munich
We started our day in Munich off with a group walking tour of the city before breaking off on our own for the afternoon and evening. We met our knowledgeable guide near the Maypole in Viktualienmarkt. We strolled along the streets of Munich as she pointed out important landmarks, interesting architecture, and places of historical significance. We learned about the history of Munich from when it was ruled by the Wittelsbach family and the Residenz was in use as the royal palace, and the more current history of Munich and its role in World War II.
Much of the old city was destroyed, and unlike some other German cities which rebuilt in a more modern style, Munich decided to build replica buildings where the historic buildings were destroyed. We greatly enjoyed our guided walk. Our local guide offered another walking tour that focused on World War II and Hitler's history in the city, and some of our group signed up for that tour. David and I decided to visit some of the sites on our list instead, so we broke off.
We hurried from where our tour ended in front of the Residenz back to Marienplatz to watch the morning Glockenspiel performance. The clock is in the Rathaus on Marienplatz and goes off at 11 am and 5 pm each day. We had planned to go up to the roof of St. Peters, and when we arrived there was no line at all so we thought we would get tickets and watch the Glockenspiel show from the roof of the church. We didn't have much time, but with no line we thought we would make it. Boy were we wrong! There was no line outside, but about halfway up the stairs we got stuck waiting. Apparently everyone else had the same idea, and we didn't get there early enough. So, lesson learned - don't cut things that close! We listened to the performance from inside the staircase and then after it was over we were able to get to the roof for views of the city before heading out for lunch.
We decided to have lunch at the Hofbrauhaus. We are not really beer drinkers, but when in Munich... So we ordered a Radler, which is a mix of beer and Sprite. It was huge! Together we only finished about half - I'm sure we horrified the Germans around us! I discovered a new love for German potato salad! Overall we enjoyed the happy energy of the Hofbrauhaus and a reprieve from the rain.
Before leaving home, we made a list of places in each city that would be nice to see if we had time. We wrote down details of how to get there and what time they were open. We even plotted them out on a map. In Munich we wanted to see Asam's church, St. Peter's church, Marienplatz and the Residenz. We decided to do a whirlwind walk through each of these sites before dinner.
Asam's church is small, but just over-the-top ornate inside. It is hard to take it all in. After viewing the church, we walked to the Residenz. The cashier thought we were crazy for wanting a ticket to the museum and the Residenz, as it was close to closing time. We assured him that we would walk fast. He took pity on us and gave us the student ticket price since we only had about 90 minutes. We did a power walk through the sites. I'm sure we missed a lot, but we would rather have seen parts than nothing at all! We enjoyed looking at the crown jewels and rooms in the Residenz - they were decorated in such a different style compared to the French palaces we had seen pre-tour, so it was neat to see the comparison.
After the Residenz, we rushed back to Marienplatz to catch the 5 pm Glockenspiel performance. I'm glad we came back! It was neat to see this clock that was more than 100 years old still performing for hundreds each day! We were tired by this point, and it had started to rain harder, so we decided to get some sandwiches and have a picnic in our room for dinner and relax the rest of the night. On our way we had to stop for one of the famous pretzels "as big as your head," and it is true, they are! We were in Munich when their soccer team was playing the last game of the season, so it was fun to watch everyone in their gear in full fan mode! We walked passed bars that had people spilling over into the alleys cheering on their team. We loved the sense of community! We enjoyed our power-touring of Munich followed by a relaxing evening in the hotel.