München, DE

Our several days in Munich mainly consisted of wandering the streets, window shopping, stepping into a few bookstores and eating!  We also had the privilege of listening to some really talented street musicians. Some of which included a full roster:  flute, violin, bass, cello, grand piano – and we still have no idea how they get the piano there in the first place.

We were extremely grateful to have found an apartment that was mere steps off the main pedestrian drag and five minutes from the busy Marienplatz, in which the Rathaus stood with its incredible Glockenspiel (clock tower).

On the 5th floor in a builiding across the Glockenspiel was ‘Café Glockenspiel‘ – an incredible find for two reasons: 1) They served the best breakfast we’ve had since Scotland and 2) They had the best view of the clock when it turned 12 noon – you can get a pretty good view of the characters dancing underneath the clock. There’s even a point where two knights on horses ‘charge’ at each other with their lances.

One evening, we decided to have a night out and first stepped into Munich’s (and I think the world’s) most famous beerhouse, the Hofbräuhaus,  for a quick bite and some beer. We were lamenting the fact such a place in Calgary that just doesn’t exist; where young and old, locals and tourists, would gather together and enjoy themselves.

After our dinner, we went to the opera, for which we had purchased cheap standing ‘seats’ for 20€. We watched Puccini’s Tosca, a show we both enjoyed and I think Dan had said that this was so far is favorite plot of the three we’ve seen, although our favorite theatre is still Vienna.

On another day, we decided to take the tram out to the Schloss Nymphenburg. The palace grounds were nice, but in comparison to Vienna’s palace, it lacked the cool hill and a focal point like the Glorietta.

It did still have some really pretty park to walk through and we wandered the remnants of what I’m sure would be absolutely gorgeous in the summer time. We couldn’t help but take more shots of the Fall scenery.

Our last evening in Munich, we decided to return to the Hofbräuhaus and found ourselves seated at a table with a German lady, Andrea, who was hosting about 25 or so Indians who were visiting for some management training.

Needless to say, this was the highlight of our trip to Munich, drinking our 1 Litre mugs of beer, buying pretzels from the young lady walking up and down the aisles, singing along to the band and clinking our glasses with strangers as if we were lifelong friends. Apparently, there’s also a certain way that one is supposed to clink their glasses.

Every now and then, the band plays the beer house’s “song”, in which everyone must clink the bottoms of their glasses while looking into the other person’s eyes.  If you don’t look into their eyes, then it is said that you will have 7 years of bad sex.  So, Dan and I made sure we looked into each other’s eyes each time!  It was really nice to mingle and have some fun with locals and visitors alike.  A great way to end our stay in Munich.

We are now off for a brief stint to the town of Füssen to check out Germany’s most famous castle, Schloss Neuschwanstein, which looks alot like a fairytale castle. In fact, it’s said that Walt Disney had used this castle as a model. We must be crazy, going further into the mountains, where I’m sure it’s colder – but we’re hoping that this castle will be worth seeing. I am definitely looking forward to the warmer temperatures in South America that we’ll soon be seeing in a week.