Munchen Land

Tucked away among the pines in Bavaria is a magical place called Munich. It could easily be called the beer capital of the world. The beer gardens far outnumber the designer stores and there are no pints in this town. Beer is typically served in a generous 1 liter mug. Drinking here will definitely give you an arm workout (those mugs are heavy on empty!). A must on your “bierhaus” crawl is a stop at the infamous Hofbrahaus. Now, I know there are copies….but the one in Vegas is truly sad compared to the original. First, it’s massive. Second, it’s packed. But its all well worth the effort, just make sure you know your way home. Luckily for Jeff, I did. But getting to know Munich solely through beer, while fun, is a bit like only drinking the foam on top. The best part about Munich, in my opinion, is the rich weisen underneath. Munich is just seeping with history.
This is, after all, the birthplace of the National Socialist (Nazi) movement. It’s also the place where Hitler was almost killed. It was the city where the first Jewish and Polish people were sent to concentration camps. Dachu, the very first concentration camp, lies in the shadow of Munich. I could go on and on. The city is filled with humble reminders of its past. There is no memorial as big as the one in Berlin. Here, they are scattered about and mostly in German. One of my favorites is the Gold Line. Among the bricks in an alley behind Ostenplatz runs a gold line. During the 1930’s the government put a plaque memorial on the main street to honor Nazi’s who died during the pusch. As a law, everyone had to salute the memorial each time they passed it. Those opposed to Nazism simply refused to walk by it. Instead, they used the small alley so they would not have to salute the Nazi party. Eventually the government caught on and monitored who was using the alley and with what frequency. These people were sent to Dachu. Ironically, on the building the plaques were on are two lions (they were there in the 1930’s too). One with its head towards the church mouth closed, the other with its head towards the royal palace mouth open. It was to remind people to never question God, but to always speak up when it comes to their government.
Besides the sad reminders are lots of other amazing things to see in Munich. There was the glockenspiel. A clock almost as overrated as Prague’s astronomical clock. It’s a must see! If I never see another singing ringing animated clock again I will be happy. Then there is Julia (a statue), bring her some flowers and your love life will get better. The Residenz English gardens are beautiful…I wonder what their landscaping bill is. But really people you came here for a beer. Prost!