Five days in Munich (Munchen)

Neuschwanstein castle tour (see journal), visiting Marienplatz, a large square where the Glockenspiel performs its ritual every day at 5:00 PM. Nearby is Hofbrauhaus, the famous beer hall along with several restaurants in the area.

Quick Tips:

We loved the Moven - Pick restaurants (more than one in Munich) for the variety and ease in getting your meal (see journal attached).

Best Way To Get Around:

Walk where feasible, but the bus and transit systems are excellent and reasonably priced. If you are staying for more than a couple of days, learn the system first thing. Any good guide book will have it laid out for you.

A Moven Pick is actually about 12 small restaurants in one. There was one booth where you could get a steak cooked to your specifications; another booth was roasting chicken, and yet another was preparing some type of stew. Others would have vegetables, potatoes, dumplings, desserts, and, of course, there is the stand selling a variety of German beers. When you enter the Moven Pick you are given a blank card. You get a tray and survey the food options, then go and get what you wish. At each stand that you pick an item, your card is stamped for that item. When you have finished your meal, you present your card to the cashier and pay your bill. This is good quality food, not like a cafeteria where everything is precooked. We got our two meals for 27 deutchmarks, which, at that time, would have been about $18 US. If you are concerned about communicating in a German restaurant (which you shouldn't be anyway) you can be well fed here simply by pointing to what you want.

Neue Pinakothek is a large museum featuring mainly impressionist artists. Prominent artists displayed there include Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Reynolds, Lawrence, Turner, Gainsborough, Cezanne, Gaugin, Rodin. Alte Pinakothek (Renaissance artists) was closed for renovations. The Staatsgalerie is the Modern art museum. Apparently Hitler had banned the works of Klee, Kandinsky, Chagall, Picasso and others during his rule. German galleries are very rich in quality art. If you are interested in the subject matter, the quality is high.

You can get to Dachau by train from Munich, about a 1/2 hour. Dachau was the first of the German camps. Still preserved are one of the barracks and the crematorium. The foundation for the other barracks are still there. It produces a pretty eerie feeling if you try to put yourself in the position of an inmate there. There is also a large building which has been made into a museum with graphic pictures and descriptions of activities. There is also a short film. The place has the effect of dampening your spirits for a little while after you leave. On our train was a classroom of children going to see the camps; they were highspirited and getting into a lot of mischief on the way there, but they were very quiet on the return trip. Worth a half a day of your time.

Our tour included a 1/2 hour stop at the Bavarian city of Oberammergau, the home of the famous Passion Play which is usually sold out years in advance. It is a beautiful little Bavarian style town with gorgeous hanging plants etc. Our first castle was Linderhof, a castle built and completed for King Ludwig. Ludwig apparently had mental problems and it was suggested he lived here whether he wanted to or not. The castle is incredibly lavish and worth the trip by itself. At this sight in the mountainside Ludwig had created the 'Blue Grotto, an underground cave with a small lake. Also well worth visiting. We then proceeded to Neuschwanstein Castle, the model on which Disneyland was based. The castle is built out in the country and stands by itself in the wilderness. We had lunch at a tourist stop near the castle, excellent food, and toured a few shops at this site. We walked up to the castle from there, a twenty minute uphill walk. There is a bus if you wish to take it. Their is a very impressive throne room, chandeleirs weighing about 2 tons in the shape of a crown. The whole throne room looked like a church, all marble stairs leading to the throne. The bedroom took 4 years for the carver to complete. The kitchen had a rotisserie designed by Da Vinci. Through windows you could see a waterfall and a lake. Great scenery, a great day.

Marienplatz is a large square which is home to the Glockenspiel. At 5:00 PM each day the life-sized people of the clock move around in a circular motion-- knights jostle, dancers twirl. Definitely worth a look. Surrounding the square are many restaurants, shops etc. And about a block away is the famous Hofbrauhaus, the huge German beer hall of Octoberfest fame. We were in Munich until the night before Octoberfest officially began. However, it appeared to be starting early, as the lineup to get into Hofbrauhaus was longer than we cared to wait for. A suggested good way to spend an evening would be to arrive at Marienplatz just before 5:00 PM, watch the Glockenspiel, choose a restaurant from the many near the square (see separate journal entry on Moven Pick), wander the area while window shopping and listen to street performers, and then wander down to Hofbrauhaus to join in the festivities and have a beer or two.