München

Munich is the capital city of Bavaria and located on the Isar River just North of the Bavarian Alps. It was our favorite city on the entire trip to visit and our only regret was that we didn't seem to have enough time there, but isn't that always the case? We arrived into the city Thursday late afternoon and got checked into our hotel. That gave us the remainder of the day, all day Friday, and the entire day Saturday as our night train wouldn't be arriving at the station until ten on that day. It sounds like a lot of time, but we were extremely busy and thoroughly exhausted by the time we finished doing "the list." The nice thing about Munich is that it has an excellent transportation system in the form of the U-Bahn and S-Bahn. This underground railway can take you to any part of the city minimizing travel time and maximizing our touristy rendezvous. And it wasn't too expensive either.
Since we were pretty tired we decided the best thing to do after checking in and showering would be to hit up all the beer gartens we wanted to do while we were here. We had dinner at the Löwenbräu which is right across from the Löwenbräu factory. So chances are the beer is good...and it was! Chris and I found our favorite beer, , which was simply amazing.

Oh yes, and the food was good too.
We wound up being seated at a table next to a guy named Andrew who was making his way backpacking through Europe. He had just come from Prague and would eventually wind up in Paris. He was really enjoying Munich, but was very much surprised that you had to pay for the railways as he had been riding on them for free all day. (German transportation is pretty much based on the honors system however there is a hefty fine if you get caught without a ticket.)
We made a second stop at the Hacker-Pschorr Bräuhaus where they were hosting a very elegant corporate party. We had some more beer before heading back to the hotel. And starting a very busy second day.
Friday we ventured out to the Marienplatz and were "lucky" because we got there just in time to see the Rathaus-Glockenspiel go off. During the summer it will go off three times a day where as during the rest of the year it is soley at 11am. We got to see the entire performance which lasts 12-15 minutes. There is actually a state employee paid to push the button and to start it at the correct time.


The top portion of the Glockenspiel shows a wedding scene (the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata). In honor of the couple there is a jousting match between Bavaraia and Lothringen representing the two couple's hometowns.The Bavarian knight wins every time of course. (Octoberfest also originates from the month long celebration they had after their wedding)Then comes the second half, the coopers' dance. When the plague hit in the 18th century everyone went into hiding. The first people to come out were barrel makers who did a dance to show that the plague was over and it was safe to return. The Duke issued a decree that every year (later changed to every seven years) they would re-enact the dance. The next one won't happen until 2012 so mark your calendars.
(side note: The figures are actually life-sized. I wonder what they would like upclose! Kind of creepy I imagine)

We did a quick walking tour of the inner city before our bike tour started (Mike's Bikes of course). We went and saw the National Theatre building, the Frauenkirche, and the Theatinerkirche among others.Our bike tour began at 11:00 so we had to make sure to get back in time to meet up with the group. Overall, the tour was very enjoyable. There was even a couple that wound up having to leave because they didn't know how to ride bikes. Why would you sign up for a bike tour knowing you couldn't ride? I have no idea, but somehow it doesn't surprise me. Riding in Munich was a very different experience from our tour in Amsterdam. Whereas in Amsterdam, bikes ruled, here we had to be extra careful when crossing over streets, and nobody moved for the bell. Our guide was an Aussie and very laidback and fun. The tour even included a one hour stop at the beer garten at the famous Chinesischer Tum (Chinese Pagoda) to eat and have none other then Hofbräu Beer. Not as good as the Löwenbräu, but still pretty damn good.


The tour took us through the Marienplatz, the Englischer Garten, as well as the Hofgarten. A cool thing about the Hofgarten is that located there is the Temple of Diana. What's interesting about this particular spot is that to be able to perform there (you find lots of street entertainers in the city) you have to audition before a panel of five judges. You have to get all five votes, and only then are you allowed to perform in the sacred pavilion. Needless to say, the person that was performing on that day was a very talented and well dressed violinist who played 'Ave Maria' with a background accompaniment à la cd player as we biked the area. C'est magnifique!

We also visited the White Rose Memorial dedicated to the group of young students of the University who were tried and beheaded for handing out revolutionary pamphlets during World War II containing anti-Nazi sentiments. It is a black granite monument where stones are placed on top in keeping with tradition, and as they are more permanent than flowers.
Another cool stop on the tour was when we got to see a group of guys attempting surf the waves in the river. Chris was watching to see how they got on their boards, but he decidedly said that they were cheating since they were using the ground to push off from. It was pretty amazing, and I think Chris is now regretting he didn't bring his board. Although, I can't imagine what the fee for having that checked would be!
The highlight of the tour was at the very end when Chris got recognized as being the "ass man." And no it does not mean anything dirty. On every tour they ask someone to volunteer for this role which requires that you stay last in the line of bikes and keep an eye on everyone. Meaning you make sure people don't do anything stupid, and get them out of trouble if they do. Our guide recognized Chris and made the announcement that he had a special reward for him. In Amsterdam, they gave you beer. Here, they gave you a bright blue frisbee that said "Mike's Bike Tours: ASS MAN." Chris loved it and I was laughing hysterically.
After the bike tour we took a stroll down the road near our hotel which ended at the famous Nymphenburg Palace. (And I use the word "stroll" lightly as it was several miles there and back)The palace was extraordinarily huge, however, large sections of it were closed off to the public. This may have been a good thing for us because are feet and legs were extremely sore at this point. The palace originally served as the summer residence for the rulers of Bavaria. The ceilings were adorned with frescoes and everything per usual was lavishly decorated. The palace houses the birth room of King Ludwig II (the crazy one). The gardens are equally impressive and as always there were swans and ducks cruising around the man-made pond.

Having successfully completed another pack full day, we headed back to the hotel where we had our dinner and partook in the drinking of fine beer and more beer.