Munching in München

July 12th, 2015

Arriving in Munich, after Salzburg and Berchtesgaden, the cities could not be more different. Munich feels a bit more “cold” and because the majority of the buildings were rebuilt after the war, it doesn’t have the same charm as some of the other locations we have been. We started the morning with a walk from our hotel to the English Gardens. On the way we found that almost any area where water flows can be turned into a beach of sorts. It seems everyone was out enjoying the beautiful weather we were having. We continued on our walk until we reached the park and saw a crowd by the first bridge. We realized that we were at the bridge where people use the stream to surf! It was fun to see a variety of age attempt to surf and the crowd hoping each one succeeds.

We continued to wander through the park and it seemed that everyone in the city had come out to swim in the streams (which make a natural lazy river/ rapids at some points) and sunbathe, or just wander through the park like we were doing. When we came across our first beer garden, of course we had to stop to enjoy the setting. We were able to watch some traditional German dancing and music; plus the Hofbrauhaus horses, they were huge! We continued to walk, coming across baby swans, goats grazing, and even a couple nude sunbathers. After that sight, we made sure to stop at the next beer garden we saw!

Chuck was reminded of his dad telling us how the last time they came to Germany (Chuck was probably 5), families would have their kids go under the picnic table to use the bathroom. We didn’t see any of that, although it wouldn’t have been surprising. After walking half of the massive park, we called it a day.

We found our way to the Marienplatz, which was having a Gay Price party, and found a spot to people watch and take in the city a bit more. While marveling at the City Hall building, we realized it was 5pm and the famous Glockenspiel Clock Tower was beginning. It lasted for at least 10 minutes and we were glad we caught sight of it since it only happens a few times each day. We found a nice local restaurant and enjoyed a German dinner of pork in gravy and some more delicious beer.