Willkommen in München (Welcome to Munich!)
We arrived in Munich early in the evening. The weather once again reminded me of Seattle because it was overcast with some rain drops. But it didn't stop us from going out to explore our newest destination. There was so much to see around our hotel. We were right across the street from the Viktualiemarket - an open air market much like our Farmer's Markets, but larger and more extensive. It was closed because it was a holiday, so we walked through it on our way to Marianplatz (Mary's Square) which is the city center of Munich. In the square is the New Town Hall where we had dinner later that evening.
Dinner was at the Ratskeller Restaurant located below the New Town Hall. When you first enter and are descending into the building it doesn't seem like its going to be that large of a place, but once you've reached the ground floor and start making your way to your table you see that this is a very spacious restaurant. We had three tables waiting for us in a room that opened up from an arched ceiling. The walls were adorned with reprints of famous works of art. There was a lot to choose from on the menu including pretzels as appetizers! There was also the traditional beer steins for those interested in having the local brew. We had a wonderful meal together on our first night in Munich and maybe a bit too much fun for the room.
On our first full day in Munich we met up with our local guide. She took us back to Marianplatz Square, to the Old Palace Gates, the Residenz and the Hofbräuhaus. One of the interesting facts she gave us was that many of the buildings we were looking at today were rebuilt to resemble how Munich used to look prior to their destruction during World War II.
After touring Munich on foot and getting a history on its rulers, art and architecture, we boarded a bus to Nymphenburg Palace. On the way, we saw the BMW Museum and 1972 Olympic Games location.
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We walked through many rooms in the palace and discovered more about the royals who resided there. Then we boarded the bus back to town. We had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves. We returned to the outdoor market and found a stand selling hot dogs and potatoes in the beer garden.
After lunch, we ventured beyond the market and up the pedestrian mall. Its similar to the Champs-Élysées in Paris, except you can't drive up the middle of it. That is why its a nice place to visit. You can do some great shopping and not have to worry about cars getting in the way. Instead there is a promenade full of other shoppers, entertainers, musicians, and people selling local produce.
While we were there, I was searching for a Steiff Bear. On our return trip from Nymphenburg Palace we saw the Obletter toy store from the bus. So we walked to the end of the Pedestrian Mall and I found my bear!
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