A great day for a walking tour

10 hours of sleep after a full day of traveling and adjusting to a 6-hour time difference was exactly what we needed to recharge our energy levels. After a quick breakfast in the hotel, we set out to explore Munich. First stop:  the Neues Rathaus, an imposing Gothic structure built between 1867 and 1909 to house the city government, topped with the much-loved 260’ tower that contains a carillion. We caught the 11am show when the 43 bells chime for almost 15 minutes, while 32 life-size statues rotate to the music. First, the top half of the carillion rotates in a circle, telling the story of the marriage of a local duke, complete with a joust. The crowd roared in approval when the Bavarian knight won the joust, tipping the Lothringen knight off his horse.



Next, the figures on the bottom half of the carillion perform the coopers’ dance, based on a story from the 14^th century. In order to entertain and boost the spirits of people ravaged by the Plague, the coopers danced through the streets. The story and dance today symbolize perseverance and loyalty through difficult times. At the very end of the show, a small golden bird at the top of the carillion chirps three times, and the crowds dispersed.

Lured by even more church bells chiming, we walked around the various cobblestone-lined plazas to St. Peter's Church, the oldest parish church in Munich. It was dedicated in 1368, built on the site of an 8th century church. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to climb the 360 stairs to the 14^th story of the church tower, said to provide the best view of Munich. Munich prohibits construction higher than 358’ in the old part of the city, which means that the church towers and steeples reach higher into the skyline than any other structures.

View of the Frauenkirche from St. Peter's tower

While I climbed the tower, Mike figured out how to get to the Frauenkirche, a gothic church dating from the 15^th century that is a Munich landmark. Even with the cost savings by building out of brick instead of stone, money ran out and the domes at the top of the two towers weren’t finished until 1525. Putting Byzantine-style round domes on top of a Gothic cathedral doesn’t make much sense, but it worked financially and today it’s a symbol of Munich.

King Ludwig I's crypt inside the Frauenkirche

View of the Neues Rathaus from St. Peter's tower

Looking toward the new city center

We wandered down a side street, and ended up on the huge, open plaza in front of the Residenz, the home and  seat of government by Bavarian dukes and kings for 500 years. Begun in 1385, wings were added through the 1880's as various rulers wanted to put their own stamp on the complex. We didn’t go inside, but walked through several courtyards and admired the architecture.

Just past the Residenz we walked through several smaller plazas lined with imposing buildings, including statues and fountains memorializing several dukes and kings. Mike couldn’t resist stopping by  a Mercedes showroom to see the 2010 F1 race car.

We peeked briefly inside the Theatinerkirche, built in the late 1600's, because Sunday morning services were being conducted. The outside is unassuming, but the inside is filled with stucco decorations in the Italian high-Baroque style, covering every surface of the walls.

Mike loved the Siegestor, or "Victor Gate" with 3 huge arches large enough to drive through, built in 1852 in the style of the Arch d’Triumph in Paris to glorify the Bavarian army. In fact, a large statue of a Bavarian king, driving a chariot with four lions. Normally chariots are powered by horses, but since the lion is the symbol of Bavaria, it makes sense to see chariots with lions in this part of Germany.  The inscription along the top reads:  Dem Sieg geweiht, vom Krieg zerstört, zum Frieden mahnend, which translates to:  "Dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, reminding of peace" and today instead of glorifying war, commemorates peace.

Our eventual goal was the Englischergarten, a 1000 acre park created in 1787 in the center of the city that reminded us of Central Park in NYC because of the winding paths for bicycles, folks on rollerblades, walkers, and horses. We followed the sound of a Bavarian oom-pah band to the Chinese Tower, home of a large outdoor beer garden packed with people enjoying the warm late summer day. 

We enjoyed lunch outdoors in a sea of picnic tables. Mike opted for Weisswurst, but I was sausaged-out and chose a salad and cheese plate with crusty bread.

Then it was time for more walking:  through the park to the Isar river which winds through Munich. We followed a shaded walking and bike path along the river, emerging street-side at the Luitpold bridge.  Throngs of locals were out with kids and dogs, sunbathing on the rocky banks of the river, and even wading across the more shallow parts of the river to claim a spot on the rocks in the middle of the river itself.

By this time, it was mid-afternoon and time for a nap, so we headed back to the hotel. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering around Munich without a definite plan or destination, admiring the architecture, turning down interesting-looking side streets, and window-shopping. This was our last full day before meeting up with the motorcycle group tomorrow afternoon, and we’re ready to get on the bike!

Beer and Wurst!

Our hotel is right on the edge of the Altstadt, or old city of Munich which means narrow, winding cobblestone streets, historical buildings, and Gasthäuser - restaurants that offer beer and Wurst (sausage) every couple of blocks.  We had lunch at Zum Dürnbräu, a small place tucked into a tiny side street.  Established in 1482, it’s one of the oldest Gasthäuser in Munich. I celebrated our return to Germany with Käsespätzle (noodles with melted Emmental cheese and crispy onions), while Mike enjoyed Schnitzel.

We wandered around the streets of the Altstadt in the afternoon, and met Eric and Catherine for dinner at the Weisses Brauhaus where we enjoyed Wiener Schnitzel and  Reibedaitschl (traditional potato pancakes) served by a waitress in a dirndl, the traditional Bavarian dress, at large wooden communal tables.

After dinner, we walked around the Altstadt, enjoying the throngs of people out for the evening, and finally stopping in the Ratskeller in the basement of the Neues Rathaus, for a glass of wine to end the evening.

At this point, we’d been awake for over 24 hours and were feeling the 6-hour time difference. Beds topped with feather comforters were very welcome!

Willkommen in Deutschland!

Mike channeled his Irish heritage on the Aer Lingus flight. It was fun to hear the Irish accents of the crew, and they spoke Gaelic for some of their greetings and security instructions. The flight was packed, but it was only 5.5 hours. We left Logan at 6:40pm and arrived in Dublin at 5:20am Irish time (5 hours time difference).

It’s not surprising that it was raining in Dublin, but the sun peeked out long enough for a large rainbow to form over the runway. Airport security involved a long line, but the Irish security were friendly and efficient. We had a lot of fun reading the signs in both Gaelic and English. One of our favorites:  Ní cheadaítear grianghrafadóireacht which means "no photography allowed". Of course I wanted to take a picture, but settled for one of the plane instead: 

We then walked through what seemed to be a big shopping mall to get to our connecting flight to Munich. At times we felt like we were back in Disney World, where to exit every attraction you’re forced to walk through shopping area.

We flew out of the Munich airport several times when we lived in Germany, and were always impressed with the amount of security from armed police, often with dogs in tow. Today security was minimal:  a friendly policewoman checked our passports, we picked up our luggage, and that was it!

It’s raining and cool in Munich, but that didn’t stop us from taking the 35-minute S-Bahn train from the airport to within 2 blocks of our hotel.

Imagine our surprise when we got off the S-bahn and met a couple carrying the same helmet bags as us! Eric and Catherine are from Ottowa, and this is their first motorcycle tour as well.

We’re staying for 3 nights at the Hotel Concorde, a small family-run hotel on a winding and narrow side street, close to the Isartor, one of the remnants of the original city walls built between 1285 and 1347. The room is just as we remember hotel rooms in Germany:  small yet very clean with friendly and helpful staff.

It’s time to unpack our bags and explore!