The second stop on our July 2000 trip to Europe was Munich, capital of Bavaria and home of the Oktoberfest. Though Munich is a bustling city, it still retains the feel of a small town with its compact city center. From the field of bicycles outside the university, to the beer halls and traditional dancing in the street, Munich gives off a friendly, charming air with its strange mix of tradition and style.
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Favourite spots: |
Of all the Munich sites, the Hofbräuhaus was probably the most unforgettable. The historic importance of the beer hall was lost on this group of high school students and recent graduates, who had come for one thing – an enormous stein of beer. Or two. Or three. Since I usually appreciate the taste of beer about as much as the taste of windex, I passed on buying, but I did try a sip of a friend’s, and had to admit it was pretty good. We had been shuffled into a booth in the back, and had a relatively quiet corner to ourselves, but we did venture into the main hall for pretzels and postcards. The noise, and the smoke, and the people were overwhelming. I watched some sailors buying drinks for a group of giggling girls, and realized that some things don’t change – my mother had probably witnessed a similar scene thirty years ago when she had spent a summer working in Germany. A stein mysteriously made its way into a classmates bag and out of the hall, and went on it's own European tour.
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What's really great: |
The word ‘romantic’ is not usually used to describe Germany, but Munich surprised me. The second night several of us opted out on karaoke at Planet Hollywood, and went walking instead. We ended up at a little café where we ordered coffee and sat at an outdoor table. After sitting and talking for at least an hour, we got our check. We had been overcharged, but at that moment, the café owner pulled up on his motorcycle. He came over and fixed the matter with a wave of his hand, and ended up chatting with us about the states, as he had lived in Chicago. On the way back to meet up with the rest of the group, we passed a young businessman in a blue suit. In one hand he held his briefcase, in the other, a sunflower. He disappeared down another street, leaving me to imagine where he’d found the flower and whom it was for. I didn’t reach for my camera, as some images are better captured in memory than on film.
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Sights: |
We took two tours of the city – a bus tour, and then a walking tour with our guide. We drove past the BMW headquarters, the Olympiapark where Bayern Munich plays, the Nymphenburg palace, and the Karlstor (a pretty city gate, though it didn’t make for a good picture due to construction and traffic). The highlights of the walking tour were the impressive twin-domed Frauenkirche, the Hofgarten and Residenz, and the busy, quaint, and colorful Marienplatz. As we waited for the Glockenspiel to strike the hour, it began to drizzle, but cleared in time for a beautiful sunset.
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Accommodations: |
We stayed at the Hotel Pollinger, away from the city center. The tramway clattered right by our window, but the breakfast the following morning was nice and served in an adorable little breakfast room with a gabled roof and flowers.
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Other recommendations: |
Dachau seems farther removed from charming Munich than the short bus ride it takes to get there. We weren’t sure what to expect, but the thing that shocked me the most was how quiet it was, even with the summer tourists. The former concentration camp seems like a park today, with the rows of poplars between the barracks, and the chapels and statues and offerings of flowers. Gates with barbed wire lining the premise and a trip into the barracks are small reminders of what Dachau once was. A museum in the former Wirtschaftsgebäude also documents the terror of the Holocaust, but the overwhelming silence is somehow just as powerful.
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Published on Friday January 23th, 2004
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Wed, Aug 18 2004 - 03:38 AM
by ravinderkumarsi
hii polly
i read u r many articles and they are simply great and imformative.
hope to see more from you
ravi |
Sat, Jan 24 2004 - 09:00 AM
by lioness
A really nice description of Munich! |
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