If I had to pick between Munich and Berlin, I don't really know which I'd choose. They are cool in their own ways. Plus since Berlin is in the North and Munich in the South (Bavaria aka our stereotypical German image), they have different vibes. For example, the Berlin food scene is good for its variety of nationalities, whereas in Munich beer halls and traditional German food places abound.
Once again, in Munich we took advantage of a 'free tour' to orient ourselves. At noon, the main clock tower had a cuckoo clock showing. It was nice to watch, but I didn't bother filming it like the vast majority of people in the square. Lunch break was in the market, where we had a wurst and beer for 5 euros. Here they also have a May pole. On one section it has the 7 official beers of Munich, of which Lauren and I sampled a mere five (Next time I'm coming for you, other two!) Apparently, if you steal the may pole you can hold it for ransom. And in this city the obvious choice for ransom is beer.
We spent one of our dreary days indoors at the Residenz Palace, inside the city. Pretty spectacular, and it's been a while since I was in a palace. Being in Europe you sometimes forget the fact that they are all around the continent. My favorite room was probably the hall with busts of Roman figures, some of them recovered from Roman ruins and others sculpted a few centuries ago. The ceiling of the hall was very elaborate as well (see photo). Unfortunately, the facts we learned on the audio tour only floated around in my brain for a few hours. But it was a nice way to spend a few hours that you can't really experience stateside.
People may say Hofbrauhaus is just a tourist trap, but I disagree. Among the foreigners there, during our hours there we talked with real, live Germans! It's set up like a huge beer hall, with high ceilings, and many rows of tables with benches for about 10 people. The idea is to sit with strangers if your group isn't huge. Camaraderie! Love it! After doing a lap around the place, we finally found a sparsely populated table and asked to sit down with a Brazilian solo traveler who turned out to be staying in the same hostel as us. We ordered what we thought would be meatloaf, but was basically just a thick slice of bologna and käse spätzle (like mac n cheese) and a liter of beer each. Because that's basically the only size they work with. Shortly afterwards, 2 people from Hong Kong who I recognized from the tour earlier passed by looking for seats, so we invited them to join us. Then came 3 Germans. I speak about 15 words of German, none of it in full sentences. But I really wanted to try talking to these "natives" so used my basics. The guy got tired of it and said "Just say it in English" haha. I was trying to be polite, because I don't think his friends spoke much English. Before they departed they taught us a Bavarian drinking tradition, where the last person to drink enough so that the mug can balance on the handle without spilling over has to buy the next round. Also, he described our waitress as a typical Bavarian barmaid: short, chubby, cranky, and too busy running around until your wallet catches her eye. Cultural tidbit!
Soon the three Germans were replaced by a German couple who spoke perhaps three words of English, but I was determined to converse with them, using a pocket German phrase book. First I started with the basics, "Where are you from?" But the man replied something about Alzheimer. What? You have Alzheimer? Memory? Sick? Hahah all I could do was gesture wildly about his head and make scared faces. Now I'm pretty sure they were from the region Altenheime. Same thing, right? Then I found out they were a butcher and baker, only because he took out his business card with a turkey on it (Hey! Now we know who to call for Thanksgiving 2015!). So then I tried to ask which was the best wurst. Bratwurst, which is interesting because I guess I assumed it was one of those food that America does that isn't really authentic. Then we each took a turn with the phrase book, and we all looked up "pleasure meeting you" to say goodbye. It's safe to say all parties were entertained by our cultural encounter. So although Hofbrauhaus may be full of tourists, for me it was the most memorable part of Munich. It's a worthy stop. You might even get the chance to talk to Germans. It especially helps that beer is the main menu item. Speaking of that, here's a fun fact: Hofbrauhaus used to be for men only, and since they were drinking so much beer they got lazy and installed drains under the tables so they wouldn't have to get up for the bathroom. Isn't that delightful?!
Now that I'm on a roll, I'm taking this opportunity to talk about THE FOOD. So good! I do enjoy Spanish cuisine, but German food tasted homier too me, I guess. Especially in Munich the food was hearty, to go along with all that beer they drink. The käse spätzle was probably my favorite. The wursts were also good. But the pastries! That is what a glutton's dreams are made of! Every morning I would try something new--and sometimes at snack time too. They do donuts right in Germany (sorry, Spain). So much sugar, so little time!
