March 30

Up late, and downstairs for a wonderful complimentary breakfast of fruits, yogurt, coffee, juices, assorted breads and some Middle Eastern treats (olives, cheeses, etc.).

Yep, I’m definitely going to like it here.

St. Peter's

We decided to walk off our breakfast by trekking to Marienplatz sans subway—this time, with Lonely Planet in hand – and found out that it’s actually closer than the subway station we walked to/from. The day was overcast and threatening, but the most we got was some misting kind of like Seattle (brother Jon, that’s an east coast definition of “misting,” meaning “not rain”). We arrived at the Neues Rathaus just in time for the Glockenspiel, which runs only 3 times/day (11:00, 12:00 and 5:00). Judy got it all on video. Then started to scope out the neighborhood.

Frauenkirsche

We managed to find the Hofbräuhaus literally just around the corner from where we’d had dinner the night before. Got a couple of drinks (Bock beer for me, wine for Judy), then visited several churches: St. Peter’s, the Frauen kirche, and St. Michaels. All are Catholic, all different orders, and very different styles. St. Peter’s is incredibly elaborate. Frauen kirche is remarkably spare, but with soaring arches and really spectacular. St. Michael’s is getting a face lift and I guess is somewhere in between the other two.

There's a lot to Marienplatz. To the west (where we came in) is Karlsplatz, with a medieval-looking (but I'm pretty sure pretty recent) gate. Heading east, you follow Neuhauser Strasse, which turns into Kauflingerstrasse, which turns into Talstrasse, ending at Isatorplatz (Tor is gate). Just to the south of Marienplatz is Vikualienmarkt, where you can buy fruits, vegetables, fresh meats, and get a quick snack (or beer). Just to the north, the Munich Residenz, the largest residential palace in Germany but hardly the most beautiful, at least from the outside (we haven't taken the tour).

St. Michaels

We killed some more time wandering around before going back to the Hofbräuhaus again, this time to try some food.

Lonely Planet describes the Hofbräuhaus as “the ultimate cliché in Munich beer halls… this could be Disneyland (although the theme park wasn’t once home to Hitler’s early speeches, like this place was”).

That’s just plain mean. Yeah, it is cliché. It’s certainly not Disneyland, including when it comes to service. But – and trust me, I know – it’s better than Das Festhaus at Busch Gardens. The oompah band isn’t as polished and there are no buxom dancers, but the beer isn’t Budweiser and the customers are much more diverse and interesting. I’m not sure the food is that much better than Busch, though. I got the wurst sampler. Don’t. Judy had sauerbraten. Do.