Live: Munich - Land of the Beers & Old

New Town Hall

The last time I blogged, I was heading up to Switzerland to conquer the Alps. I managed to head up to the top of Europe and hiked mountains around the Bernese Alps. After that were hikes after hikes in the Scottish Highlands and I was unable to find the time and energy (my friends can attest to how lousy of a hiker I am) to blog down my thoughts for the mountains. So I'll just start of with the first city after the nature-wandering leg of my journeys - Munich.

Munich Town Plan

The capital of the Bavarian states in Germany, Munich has lots to offer in terms of its history and culture. When she was leveled in WWII, she had a choice of starting from scratch (this was the choice of Frankfurt) or to preserve its historical roots and rebuild the city like before. Evidently, they choose the latter. Walking through the city wit the New Europe Free Walking Tour, it felt like a journey back in time. We started from the Neues Rathaus, a mega gothic structure where it was the center of life in the old town. Like the Rathaus elsewhere, it had a Glockenspiel that puts up a         performance twice to thrice a day. My advice, if its your first time, try it with really low expectations. If you've seen it elsewhere, just skip it.

The walk took us through the pride and joy of the Munchners - the Frauenkirche, Alte Rathaus, St Peter's and many other. Each of this place have a story to tell and when I pieced everything together, I understood the choice made by the people of Munich to restore their buildings. There are some things that money can't buy and no economy can show. Their love for their Bavarian roots and the pride they had in their past glory reflects in the sights of the Old Town. Join the tour to hear about interesting stories about the churches. I loved the one about the Devil and the St Peter's Church.

Dawn awaiting for her food in the Hofbrauhaus

One thing the Munchners love as much (or even more) than their proud history is beer. Beer is not just a drink in Munich, it is a lifestyle. The fact that water cost so much more than beer speaks volume of the beer-drinking culture. When in Munich, a must-do is to grab a beer, sit in a beer hall and just hang out. Its an experience that is only fitting for a Munich atmosphere. The famous Hofbrauhaus is overtly touristy but the atmosphere is good. There is a good mix of locals and tourist and the staff are well-equipped to handle non-German speaking tourists. If the weather was better, I definitely would have head up to the outdoor beer garden. Even in the beer halls, there are still some history involved. The Munich Hall Putsch was the started right here in Munich and started nearly a decade of destruction and terror.

Overall, Munich is worth at least a week's stay. Walking around the different sights can take a day or two. No major museums in this city but there are one or two that's worth a try. Most importantly, spend your time gulping down beer in various beer halls and beer gardens (start with the touristy one to get a feel before moving on to the ones that cater for the locals). There are four major beer companies in Munich so there won't be short of any choices. Day trips to Dachau (concentration camps), Neuschwanstein (Disneyland castles), Fussen, Salzburg and many other towns can fill up your other days. I highly recommend Dachau and Neuschwanstein. The former one of the first few concentration camps and a stronghold of the Nazi's cleansing program - I promise you a visit that you'll never forget in this place of terror.

Now on to my next destination - Berlin!

For more information, here is my complete guide to Munich:
http://myguidetoeurope.blogspot.com/2011/07/munich-germany.html