Tuesday, August 14, 2012

A Relaxing Last Day in Munich

We didn't set the alarm last night, and it felt great to wake up naturally this morning. We all woke up around 7, got cleaned up, and went downstairs for breakfast.

After breakfast we walked into the Altstadt to hit some of Munich's sightseeing spots. We kind-of followed a Rick Steves walking tour, but left out a few museums and sites in which we knew the kids wouldn't have interest.

We started at the Frauenkirche with the intent of riding the elevator to the top of one of the towers for a view of the city. The tower was closed for "urgent repairs", however.





Next we went to St. Peter's with the intent of seeing the church and climbing the stairs to the top of the clock tower for views of the city. The church was closed to sightseeing due to a service. We decided to come back later.

We walked across the street to the Viktualienmarkt. It was fun walking around the market, smelling the aromas from each stand, and seeing all of the different things being sold.









After spending time in the market, we walked a few blocks to the Asamkirche. The inside,while small compared to other churches we've been, was one of the most incredible and over-the-top things I've ever seen. Incredible. We sat for a while trying to take it all in.









We walked back to the market and went to a coffee and cappuccino stand that was filled with regulars. We figured we'd finally found the place for good coffee. We ordered 2 cappuccinos and a slice of Apfel-streusel to share. The cake was good. The cappuccino was Nescafé powder with hot water and a splash of milk.



As we left the market we passed a stand selling chocolate covered marzipan, my absolute favorite candy. We picked up a few pieces to share later in the day.

We were hoping that by this time the service at St. Peter's would be over. It wasn't, so we walked behind the Neues Rathaus to Alois Dallmagr, one of the coolest grocery stores I've ever seen.








By then it was almost 11, and we walked around to the Marienplatz to see the Glockenspeil. It's definitely one of the more overrated tourist attractions I've been to, but something you have to see if you are in Munich, I guess.






Next, we walked through Platl, past the Hofbrauhaus and Residenz to the Odeonplatz.


The kids were excited to show Lori the Theaterinkirche that we had seen on our bike tour the first day, so we went in. It's a beautiful church.






From there, we made our way to Hofgarten, the backyard of the Residenz. We ate some of the chocolate covered marzipan we had picked up at the market.












This was the last stop on our walking tour. Since we were close, we decided to walk through the Englishergarten to the Chinese Tower Biergarten (avoiding the nudists) for lunch. The walk was very pretty.











We had a relaxing, quiet lunch in the shade. We shared pork knuckle, bratwurst, and roasted chicken along with fries, a dumpling, and a giant pretzel.









The kids played in the playground with a few German children for about an hour after lunch as Lori and I finished our beverages in the shade. They made a few friends. It was nice for us to just sit and enjoy a nice day.









As we left the Englishergarten, we paused to watch the river surfers for a bit. The kids loved watching and would have stayed there for hours.






We walked back to the Altstadt and went through a few shops on our way back to the hotel. Michael bought a hand carved wooden dog that he named Muenchen, and Abby searched for a bead to add to her bracelet. We also went into a huge toy store where Michael bought a Star Wars figure.


After showers, packing, and a little rest we walked back into town for dinner, stopping at the Neues Rathaus to take the elevator to a viewing platform on the 9th floor above the Glockenspiel. From up there we could see the whole city, and even the Alps in the distance.















We went to dinner at Weisse Brauhaus. I got a salad with pickled salmon and potato pancakes. It was very good - one of my favorite meals in Germany. We shared a cheese plate and potato pancakes with apple sauce. Lori and the kids had schnitzel.








It was a wonderful day, and we are all a bit sad that our time in Germany is over. We all agree that Bavaria is somewhere we would definitely like to return in the future. We walked back to the hotel, stopping for a few minutes to listen to a Jewish trio play in the Marienplatz for a bit.


Tomorrow we've got to get up early to catch our 6:26 train to Paris. In the afternoon, we're planning on visiting the funfair in Jardin de Touleries, which looks like a country fair on steroids.

Auf Wiedersehen, Deutchland!

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2 comments:

  1. wow..you got through one whole day in Paris only using the word expensive once. Impressive. Have fun. Au revoir

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  2. You made me laugh rembering our first day in Germany. We went to the park to go on a zipwire and there was an elderly couple completly nude sunbathing. I could not believe it but the kids took it in stride! Also love Weisse Brauhaus! So happy your kids are loving it as much as you and Lori! My kids were like that too. We took trips once a month when we lived there... another country every month. Can't wait to see what you think of what I know as Euro Disney (I found my shirt to prove it!). Enjoy!

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