Bier in Bavaria

We made it to Munich! Our original plan was to hit up Munich and Oktoberfest next month, but thanks to covid, Oktoberfest was canceled this year, so we changed our travel plans.

We caught an early train down to Bavaria on Friday morning, arriving in Munich just in time to catch a few sun-rays at the Augustiner beer garden. Augustiner is Jeff’s favorite German beer, so it was a “must” on our city tour. The beer garden was exactly what we hoped for! A large garden filled with picnic tables, interspersed with large trees providing shade, servers bouncing around carrying multiple liters of beer, and countless locals out enjoying a Friday afternoon. We spent the next hour (our only hour of sunshine the entire trip) sipping our liter beers and gobbling down a ginormous, and oh so tasty pretzel!

As the clouds rolled in, we grabbed our umbrellas and rain jackets and took off to begin our tour of the city. Along the way, the clouds opened up, the rain came down, and we got drenched. We sought shelter in the Patagonia store, but by that time, everything not covered by our raincoats was soaked through to the skin… we resisted the temptation to buy dry pants (and undies) at the store…

We met William (another GDP with Deloitte) shortly after and set off to the brewhouse across the street. We indulged in some good ol’ German schnitzel and spätzle followed by a stroll around the English Gardens (aka Munich’s Central Park). Along the walk, we stopped by the Chinese Tower beer garden (which was unfortunately closed due to the rain) and the Eisbachwelle to watch the surfers show off their skills before heading back to the hotel and calling it a night.

We woke on Saturday, ready for a rainy day of adventuring. We grabbed our raincoats and umbrellas, and Jeff even slid on his rain pants… We were prepared this time! We started our day with a free walking tour of the city. We met up with our Canadian friends, Meghan and Patrick, at Marienplatz where we began the tour by watching the Glockenspiel at 11:00 sharp. During the performance, the carillon in the tower chimed a tune while colorful figurines told the story of a noble wedding, complete with a jousting scene (of course, the Bavarian knight won), followed by a special dance by the schäffler (aka barrel makers) who were the first to dance in the streets after a deadly plague and who continue to dance to protect the city from future plagues… too bad it didn’t work against covid!

During the tour, we learned about the German monarchy (which was abolished in 1919) as we passed by the Neues Rathaus, Frauenkirche, the Residenz Complex, and the Viktualienmarkt. Luckily, our guide knew where the shelter was, so we didn’t get too wet during the excursion!

Following the tour, we were all ready for a local beer and a break from the rain. We took our guide’s recommendation and made our way to Schneider Bräuhaus, where we enjoyed some more classic German food (a sausage platter, zucchini schnitzel, and schnitzel cordon bleu) with a side of wheat beer. They sure do like their hearty meals over here!

After lunch, we decided to complete our own “church tour.” We stopped at St. Peter’s Church first, followed by an unsuccessful trip to Asamkirche, then a peek inside Frauenkirche, and ended the tour by popping into St. Michael’s Church. Our favorite of the three we saw was St. Peter’s due to the immaculate artwork on the ceilings and pillars and the fact that the organist was practicing while we were inside. #freeorganconcert The outside of Frauenkirche was unique with its two onion domes and tombstones hanging on the outer walls, however, the inside was quite plain, due to the rebuild after WWII.

St. Peter’s Church

Asamkirche

Frauenkirche

St. Michael’s church

With our church tour complete, we were ready for another local favorite and decided to take Meghan and Patrick to the Augustine brewery, we went to the night before. Unfortunately, due to the rain, the outdoor seating was closed, but we did find a table inside!

We ended the evening at a tiny local pub, sampling Spaten beer, another one of the six main breweries in Munich, and treating ourselves to warm Apfelstrudel mit Eis. Yum!

Per the usual, we woke again early on Sunday morning, enjoying a quiet morning walk to the Residenz Complex, where we met up again with Meghan and Patrick. We were the first ones in the palace and had the place to ourselves! The only other people in the rooms were the docents who were making sure we didn’t touch anything. It was the best way to tour this immaculate palace. We had front row views to everything and even got to dance in the ballroom!

So many seashells!

After finishing at the palace, we took another stroll around the city, stopping in Odensplatz and peeking our heads down Viscardigasse. We stopped to admire the gold-painted pavement, honoring the brave dissenters who purposefully avoided Odensplatz by turning down this alley. In Odensplatz, Hitler had erected a memorial honoring the “first martyrs of the Third Reich” who were killed during an unsuccessful coup shortly after WWI. Ten years after the event, he crafted the memorial and required anyone who entered the square to raise their arm and salute. The only way to avoid the square was to turn off at this street.

We continued and made our way to the “World’s Most Famous Beerhall,” aka the Hofbräuhaus. The original brewery was built here in 1583, and countless liters of beer have been enjoyed ever since! We took a mini tour of the beerhall, admiring the uniquely painted ceiling and numerous shelves holding beer mugs, all belonging to the locals. Apparently, the queue to get a place on the shelf is very long, and the spot only opens up once the owner dies. #lifegoals

The vibe in the room was immaculate. We sat sipping our liter beers, munching on our giant pretzel (delivered by the pretzel lady), nibbling on a delicious plate of Kaiserschmarrn, all while listening to the live band playing traditional Volksmusic, which even included one of the few songs we know, “Ein Prosit.” It wasn’t quite the same as Oktoberfest, but it was still a blast and was the perfect way to end our time in Munich!