Munich

We loved Munich or Munchen as the locals call it. In fact we have loved Bavaria. Garmisch at the beginning of our trip was also in Bavaria. Bavarians love Bavaria. They are like the European version of Texas. They see themselves as Bavarians first and Germans  second.... and to be honest I can see why! After our Arctic Circle experience we wondered whether we would enjoy the rest of the trip but Munich stole our hearts...some of us even said this is where we could live. 

It was within the beer halls of Munich that Hitler birthed his "career" , led the Nazi party to power  and Berlin is where he finished it. Munich as a city was decimated in WW2. Up to 90% of Munich was bombed but as you walk around this wonderful city you would never know. Buildings have been rebuilt and restored. The old part of the city with its many platz's ( town squares) look original but they aren't. To save money many of the buildings have the bricks painted on as facades, however they look authentic. We had such a short time in Munich we went on a free walking tour - more correctly you pay what you think it is worth so it's like a tip to the tour guide. This tour led by Curt, a typical American but with a strong knowledge of the area and also Hitlers rise to power and WW2 gave us a good overview of Munich's churches, old and new Town Halls, their palace, local government buildings, monuments to all and sundry and of course the Glockenspiel clock. 

Everyday at 11 a.m. the glockenspiel clock chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16th century. It consists of 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures. The top half of the Glockenspiel tells the story of the marriage of the local Duke Wilhelm V (who also founded the world famous Hofbräuhaus - beer hall ). In  honour of this marriage there is a joust with life-sized knights on horseback representing Bavaria and  Lothringen. The Bavarian knight wins every time of course. This is then followed by the bottom half and second story: Schäfflerstanz (the coopers' dance). According to myth, 1517 was a year of plague in Munich. The coopers ( barrelmakers) are said to have danced through the streets to, "bring fresh vitality to fearful dispositions." The coopers remained loyal to the duke, and their dance has came to symbolize perseverance and loyalty to authority in difficult times. At the very end of the show, a very small golden bird nick named Fritz chirps three times -a pathetic end to the great spectacle.

Like Berlin, this city has lovely parks dotted throughout the city and we stood and watched some wind surfers in extreme wetsuits riding the waves in a river that ran through a park. There was a very small space along the river where they have a man made wave that stays in the same place and people jump in and surf in that spot. When they fall off, they float down stream a small way and get onto the river bank before starting again. It was cold on the bank so the water must have been freezing.

Munich is also a very flat city and the footpaths are divided into 2 sections one side for pedestrians and the other for cyclists. There are hundreds of cyclists with loud bells to warn you to get out of their way. Theoretically the cyclists must travel at the average walking speed, making the average walking speed in Munich about 35 km per hour! We walked all day and finished it off with a great meal of Wiener Schnitzel - the size of Bavaria! Then we did our usual S and U bahn ride finished off with the tram ride to the hotel door. Beware Munich... we will be back.

We left KT in Munich, where she was going to visit Dachau for the day and then head back to Berlin to see some friends before she heads to London and Paris. We hopped on the plane to Tokyo... Nearly home!