munich

Although the weather was perfect and I had super high hopes for Munich, it was not my favorite of the trip. Don't get me wrong, it is a great place. Maybe I just felt a little claustrophobic after spending two days in the country. Munich was bustling. Regular folks and tourists were everywhere. One of the best things about Munich is that is has the largest urban park in the world. It's their Central Park but larger and has beer gardens in it. We booked an apartment through Airbnb two blocks from this park, The Englischer Garten. The place was also just a short walk to inner city/older town Munich. We kept ourselves busy exploring and enjoying the beer garden culture.

Hofbrauhaus, probably the most popular and recognizable beer garden/ beer hall

yum

light and refreshing german beer

 Of course we had to go to Haufbrauhaus. We actually went twice. No shame here. We enjoyed sitting outside soaking in the sunshine with our beer and food.

because I love him

Frauenkirche

We did our usual exploration tactics. Wandering around streets, got a little lost in a good way, and tried to see different sides of Munich. Of course we had to see their biggest cathedral, it's near the middle of everything anyways. Many of the places we visited were being renovated before the big tourist rush of the summer. The Frauenkirche was no different. It was still huge and beautiful. They even had the catacombs open below.

Marienplatz, the Glockenspiel, and Rathaus

Proof we were there

One of the most popular places in Munich is the Marienplatz. It is the location of the Rathaus and the infamous Glockenspiel that dances and has a jousting match. We walked through the busy and suprisingly small square on the first day. We went back the next day to watch the clock do it's thing. It was funny to see all the people watch this old clock dance around. We spotted a few Rick Steves books in hands of observers. His book popped up all over on this trip. Gave us a few laughs even though we used it too to help plan a few things.

One side of the Residenz

Giant lion at Oedonplatz

another side of the Residenz from Oedonplatz

Davis and I walked all around Munich the first day and spent a few hours eating ice cream and drinking beer in the Englischer Gartens. On day two we checked out the Munich Residenz, palace of Bavarian rulers. Let me tell you, often times I feel like tours are often short, brief, not super informative, and do not show you as much as you hoped to see. The tour available at the Residenz was the opposite of this.

about to enter the Residenz

super old crown- dates 1000 to 1100s

St. George slaying the dragon

 We first toured their treasury. There was room after room of precious metals, jewels, wood, stone, and even ostrich eggs crafted into some of the most beautiful ceremonial, religious, and iconic pieces I have ever seen. There was audio for majority of the pieces and if you listened to everything it would have taken over 4 hours. It was super impressive and very interesting. The items were often given as gifts. Very nice gifts but then again, what do you give basically a king?

After the treasures, we started the actual tour of the Residenz. I think we finally left 3 hours after starting because they had about 90 rooms open with audio for every room. For almost every room they detailed literally everything including pieces of furniture and art. Much of the Residenz had been destroyed in WWII but lovingly put back together. However, a lot of the pieces of furniture and original decor had been lost to bombing. Thankfully, these old Renaissance era frescoes survived.

Davis taking a break in a room full of
Greek and Roman statues

I have no idea what room # this was,
everything was grand and seemingly
endless

fancy chapel-like room.

Davis in the final room, the family tree on the wall
with his buddy audio guide to his ear

starting to feel crazy in the Residenz

This might be my favorite picture because this is the point we realized we may never get out
if we carefully listening to everything and looked at all there was to offer. We were in
information overload and hungry.

This tour was worth way more than the 11 euros we paid for each ticket. They let you see so much, learn infinitely more than you could ever handle. It was too good and we were too hungry to fully appreciate everything we saw.

post- Residenz tired and hungry back at Hofbrauhaus

Like I mentioned earlier, we spent a lot of time in the Englischer Garten. We planned for that when we decided to visit Munich. It seemed majority of Munich had the same idea to be there as well. The park was crowded as if there was a music festival but there wasn't any festival. Munich seemed crazier, younger, and more trendy than Vienna. It also felt more lively and fleeting in the midst of timeless history. I am not sure if that makes sense. I got the impression most of the people, mostly young people, were just living in the moment. While their environment was complex layers of history.

Chinesischer Turm

There is a bustling beer garten at this Chinese inspired tower in the park. People kept coming and coming, such a popular spot it seemed for locals and tourist. They managed to keep squeezing more people in.

water wandering through the park
lots of youths swimming possibly
illegally

our meal at the chinesischer turm

It is easy to see how we let go of our usual primal eating for the trip. We enjoyed gluten and beer galore. It made Davis' allergies mad but we enjoyed every moment of it. I did miss vegetables a little bit though.

typical trip breakfast for us: coffees and breads

People have asked me what was my favorite thing about the trip. I honestly think it was wandering around with Davis, finding little interesting things in these very old cities and places. Both evenings in Munich, we took a sunset walk. We ended up at this statue with some of the local youths (said with love and disdain) to watch the sunset over Munich. Little things like this are the best parts of travel and life. 

Angel of Peace monument