More Bier Anyone? Beer gardens, pig knuckles, rowdy beer halls, loud oompah music, and barmaids whipping out condiments out of her cleavage. Ok, maybe not the latter but almost everything else before that is a-plenty here in Munich. Tidbit: It's law here that any establishment that serves beer must make their restrooms available to the public. Fairly compact and walkable city is also affordable to live. The government keeps rents low in Munich's famous Viktualienmarkt, to allow mom-and-pop family businesses to survive. That's good news for travelers as well. Much of Munich and other German cities were destroyed by Allied bombs in WWII. When the war ended, the city had to decide whether to rebuild modern or rebuild traditional. While Frankfurt went modern, thankfully Munich opted to replicate the town the way it had been for centuries. Therefore while many of the buildings look old, they're actually new but you can see scant remains of the old foundation in some buildings.
The Maypole stands at the entrance to Munich's Viktualienmarkt (farmer's market). The beer garden is the centerpiece surrounded by food stalls, produce stands, and craft booths.
Some produce stands specializes in exotic fruits like mangosteen, soursop, and prickly pear.
This is the NEW TOWN Hall, where the city government presides. The architecture looks very old and gothic. On the flipside, the OLD TOWN Hall at the other end of the square looks new with a flat, 2 dimensional and very spartan façade.
The famous Glockenspiel (clock tower) puts on a show three times a day. The top level re-enacts a royal (and very strategic) wedding, a joust between Bavaria and Austria. The bottom level, the Coopers do their dance, and finally the Rooster crows.
Munich's famous and lively Hofbrauhaus. Seemingly chaos, just find a spot to sit and you will be served. The food is really good and reasonably priced. Yes, it's touristy but locals come here as well. You will find sections with the sign "Stammich" which means reserved for their local patrons and regular groups.
Oompah Band
The Hofbrauhaus is the only beer hall in Munich that has live Oompah music. While touristy, many locals come here as well.
Oompah Band
Tribute to Music
Elaborate décor like this is displayed throughout the restaurant.
Represent!
As a traveler, you do your best to respectfully blend in and experience the culture of the country you're visiting. But you must also be true to yourself and represent something of yourself wherever you go. :)
Stein Lockers
These are steins of the Hofbrauhaus' famous (or infamous) and regular special customers.
The English Garden is Munich's green place - a 3 mile long manicured park popular for strolling, bike riding, sunbathing, swimming, and surfing (yes! - see next photo).
Surfing in landlocked Munich
A river cuts through the English Garden providing a sanctuary for swimmers and frolickers on a hot summer day. But this section of the river has a current that makes it conducive to surfing.
I kept seeing signs that sells schmuck. I finally found out schmuck means jewelry in German.