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!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Schlosserstraße,Munich,Germany

Salzburg

After a later night (for us and the kids, anyway) at the Hobrauhaus last night, the alarm went off way too early. We dragged ourselves out of bed and down to breakfast, which is included with our room.






German breakfasts are definitely different than those in Italy. There were different types of cold meats that we tried, and couldn't identify, along with German pasties and cakes, fruit, cheese, cereal, jams, and pickles. There was a pot of Nescafé coffee on our table, which was nowhere near as good as what we had gotten spoiled with in Italy, but brought back memories of our previous trips to Disney World. Since Disney only serves Nescafé, a reoccurring conversation during our trips there every year involves complaining about craving a "real" cup of coffee.

We went right to the main train station after breakfast and used a ticket machine to purchase a "Bayern Ticket" which allows all for of us to ride all regional trains for a day in Bavaria for 26 Euro. The ticket was good for both the trip to Salzburg and the return.




We boarded the train about 20 minutes before it was scheduled to leave, and already found it crowded. Abby sat with Lori, and Michael sat with me.

We enjoyed the two hour ride past lakes, small Bavarian villages, and pretty countryside. The kids enjoyed sitting on the top of the double-decker train.

About halfway through the trip I went down to use the bathroom on the train. While I was waiting for a German woman to finish, a Japanese woman who apparently didn't speak English or German walked in front of me, not realizing I was in line. As she reached for the door I said quickly "someone's in there" but it was too late (and I don't think she understood me anyway). She pressed the button, and the automatic door started opening. The horrified German woman, still finishing her business, started screaming things that neither me nor the Japanese woman could understand. The Japanese woman frantically and unsuccessfully tried to fight the door to close it. Soon the door was wide open, German swear words were flying, and the Japanese woman was frantically pressing buttons trying to close the door. The young German bike group behind me (and myself) tried hard not to laugh, but we had no success. It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen.





When we got to Salzburg we exited the station and decided to walk to the center of town. After a few minutes we turned and fortuitously found that we had wandered into Mirabell Garden. It was beautiful, and the kids remembered the gardens from The Sound of Music. We walked through towards the Salzach River.











We crossed a bridge and decided to seek out the Saturday market in the Universitaetsplatz for lunch. It was such a good decision.





We started by sharing a roasted vegetable strudel and a few cakes made of potatoes and cheese. They were so delicious.



Next we found a stand that seemed to be mobbed with locals, so we figured that it had to be good. We shared some of the best fried chicken I've ever tasted, and potato salad that was to die for. We were all full, and the total cost of lunch came to less than 12 Euro.



We left the market and found our way to Mozartplatz, where our Rick Steves walking tour began.









Soon we found ourselves at the Cathedral, which was beautiful. It was pretty amazing to think that the organ we were looking at was played by Mozart for two years. In terms of awe-inspiring churches, only St. Peter's in the Vatican has topped the Salzburg Dom on this trip.












Next on the tour was Kapitalplatz, which was filled with live music and nicknack vendors. Abby picked up a charm for her bracelet.






We made our way towards St. Peter's Cemetery, passing a waterwheel on the way.


The Cemetery was tucked in behind the cliff and beautiful with lots of black wrought iron, flowers, and centuries-old churches surrounding it. We walked through, the kids again instantly recognizing it from the Sound of Music.






We were hoping to see the inside of St. Peter's Church, but when we got to the door there was a sign saying that it was closed for touring due to a service. Through the doors we could see a wedding taking place.



We walked back through the market, buying an apple-struedel pretzel to share. We then turned on to the Getreidegasse, Salzburg's main shopping street. It still has black wrought iron signs hanging over each business, just like it did in medieval times.








We finished our tour and then set out to find an internet cafe. We needed to book our tickets for our tour at Neuschwanstein Castle before 5PM in order to not wait in line tomorrow. The place we found was a dingy looking, small shop near the cliffs, but it did the trick. They charged 2 Euro for an hour of access, but I was done in 10 minutes.

After that was taken care of, we found a nice cafe at which we could rest. The kids were getting a bit tired. We ordered them Hot Chocolate, and got Lattes for ourselves. When I asked if mine could be iced, my waitress looked at me like I had two heads. I used my limited German to try and explain I wanted my latte cold. She said she understood, but still had a look of incredulity on her face as she left.

When she came back I got a hot latte with a cup of ice. I guess that's what I get for ordering something so American. Lori and I both got a chuckle.

I had wanted to take the funicular to the top of Moenchsburg, but all of us were feeling tired and done, so we walked along the Salzach for a bit, and the kids played in a park for a bit. Then we found a bus back to the train station.





The kids napped most of the train ride back to Munich. I wrote the first part of this post.












When we arrived back in Munich, we decided to get dinner at the small biergarten in the Viktualienmarkt. Lori and I split ein Mass of Helles, and we all shared schnitzel, wurst, sauerkraut, and potato salad.

We went to bed earlier than the last few nights because tomorrow we've got to catch an early train to make our reservation for a tour of Neuschwanstein Castle. After the tour we're planning on luging through the Alps, and taking a cable car up a mountain. It should be a fun day!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Zweigstraße, Munich, Germany