Munchen is the German name for Munich. It is the capital city of the Bunderstand of Bavaria. The population is almost 1,300,000. There are more Catholics who live here than in any other place in Germany. The Izar River flows through the center of the city.
The Franz Josef Strassen Airport is about a half an hour drive from the city center.
What I Saw
We drove into the city. The houses that we saw looked like they came out of a pastel painting or a candy-cane lane. Most of them were white with pastel-colored shutters, doors, and flower boxes.
I went to see the Jewish congregation building and was told where go to see the synagogue (on Reichenbachstrasse) and where the Jewish cemetery once was.
The best way to start seeing the city is by taking a tour. Ours began at the Olympic Stadium (Summer Olympics of 1972). I shuttered when I remembered that most of the Israeli team was killed here by the Black September terrorists. I can still hear the voice of my friend (Ernie Afiganis) who worked for CBC-TV and who had an apartment across from the Israeli's and was broadcasting the events.
We went to the Frauenkirche and took an elevator to the top. You get a partial view of the city.
The Peterskirche is oldest church in Munich. It was built in the 13th century. To get to the top, you have to walk up quite a few steps. On a clear day you can see the German Alps.
Around the corner at Marienplatz, you can find the Altes Rathaus and Neues Rathaus (old and new town halls). The first now houses a small but cute toy museum with a focus on teddy bears. A rickety lift takes you between the four floors housing the exhibits, and the elevated ground floor has a ticket office/small shop. The Neues Rathaus is the reason crowds gather daily at 11am and 5pm. They?re there to watch the Glockenspiel (clock) with the dancing figures.
As you walk between the City Halls, you will see the former home of Bavarian kings. It now has museums, gardens, and the first houses built here. There is a teddy bear museum here.
We ended the tour at the Karlsplatz. This is a pedestrian area, where no cars are allowed. After a few minutes, you?ll come to the Bürgersaal. You can?t really tell by looking at it, but its home to a church with some gorgeous 19th-century frescos.
A bit further on down a side street, you can find one of the most well-known landmarks in the city, the Frauenkirche, which is a beautiful cathedral. Munich has a lot large onion-domed churches.
The Viktualienmarkt is a large open-air market selling food, flowers, and handicrafts.
The English Garden (which has a nudist area) is over 1,000m long, and it is lovely to walk through it, even the in winter. There was a beer garden with a Chinese tower that served delicious Pilsner beer.
The Ludwig-Maximilian University is the largest university in Germany. It is very interesting to drive through.
On the Koingsplatz you'll find the art museum (I liked the Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek, the Pinakothek der Moderne, and the Deutsches Museum science museums) and an open-air theater.
At night the best places to have fun are Kunst Park Ost, any beer garden (there are hundreds of them), or the NachtGalerie.
There are a few shops that are open 24 hours every day, but most stores are closed on Sundays.
The cafés are all open on Sunday. We had a great time tasting German beer at the Uhu, Theresienstr at 138 Schwabing.
I had met some hotel owners when I owned a travel agency. We made appointments to see all three of them one morning.
We started after breakfast and met each of them in the lobby of their hotel (Regent, Holiday Inn, and the Meininger). We had coffee, small pastries, and schnapps with them. I never drink before dinner, and I was quite drunk when we left the last hotel.
Thinking about the pastries, I must remember to tell you that if you are in Munich, you must visit a pastry shop - at least once a day!
I like to eat local food, so we ate at Alter Simpl, Weintrodler, and Sclosscage Palmehaus. Bavarian food includes Weisswurst (a white veal sausage), Schweinebraten mit Knudel (roast pork with dumpling), Rippchen (large spare ribs), and Hendl (chicken). The side dishes are often fried or boiled potatoes (Kartoffeln) or sauerkraut (sour cabbage). I also like to eat their hot salted pretzels. For dessert my husband likes Apfel Strudel (apple strudel), and I like Dampfnudlen (a dumpling sprinkled with poppy seeds or cinnamon that has a vanilla sauce over it) or a dark, dark chocolate bund cake. Of course you can't eat this way for each meal, because you'll gain tons of weight.
Many of the cafés are small, and we would just walk along a street and read the menus. If there was a table for two, we'd go in.
Fasching is the celebration of the Karneval in Germany. Even the Roman Catholics, who make up 34% of the population, are joined by other religions to have fun during the Karneval. It combines a number of old fertility rites and customs like the driving out of winter, and its existence and origins are well-documented in early mythology and primitive drawings. In the center of primitive religious rites and rituals stand the mask, dance, and the procession. The human desire to disguise, to assume a different role, is as old as humankind itself. Fertility rites, often connected with orgiastic feasts, took place in many early cultures.
Since the 13th century, it began earlier and earlier before Ash Wednesday. The wild celebrations of the change of the seasons at the winter solstice were eventually relegated by the church to the time between January 6 and Ash Wednesday. This has become known as the carnival season. In Munich, the merrymaking of the fools was progressively transferred from the streets into the ballrooms. Fasching, with its dance parties, court balls, and artists' meetings, became a fashion during the 19th century. It begins in January, and they celebrate for six weeks. Traditions vary, but two things are always present: noise and masks. Unmarried young men put on Fastnacht plays, and there are a lot of parties and a parade.
The center of the Fasching celebration is in Viktualienmarkt (downtown). I have no idea how they dance wildly on the cobblestone streets. The disco I liked best was in the university area. I forget the name, but it had a fish aquarium on all four walls. I can't tell you the number of times men tried to pick me up! Mature ladies know a lot about having...fun. Grin
My Conclusion
I enjoyed my time in Munich and was happy to be there during the celebration.
I hope you ate pancakes last night, because in N'Orean's and Canada, it's Fat Tuesday, and that's how we celebrate.
I hope I spelled the German words correctly.
Thank you for reading my review.
©LL2005

- Thank You! We appreciate your effort.