Munich, Germany

Even though we spent a couple of days in the Munich area, I feel like there are so many things left unseen.  We spent most of one day at the Concentration Camp at Dachau, which used up a lot of our time here, but what we did see and do in Munich was great!

We spent a lot of time walking around the Marienplatz where the Glockenspiel is.  The New City Hall building is a pretty spectacular building, and the Glockenspiel is pretty incredible, even though we managed to always miss part of it.

We also spent a lot of time in the Viktualienmarkt, a huge market a few blocks from the Glockenspiel.  We picked up little trinkets for loved ones, decorations for our homes and ate.  I snacked… a lot.  (More on that in my upcoming food envy post.)

Everywhere we went in Bavaria we saw Maypoles, painted the Bavarian colors of blue and white.  This is a Germanic tradition that is centuries old, and this beautiful pole was my favorite of the Maypoles I saw.

The market was a place for tourists and locals alike.  One night while grabbing an evening snack, there was a soccer game about to start and the rivals were singing songs, smack talking each other, but ultimately enjoying beers together!

We took a brief driving tour of the city and saw some pretty spectacular buildings, learned a bit about Nazi history in Munich, and more.

During the Middle Ages the city of Munich was surrounded by walls.  As the city grew, the walls were torn down and now all that remain are four gates.  The one pictured above is called Karlstor, and has been standing for 700-800 years!

This building is a church that I had seen the towers of from a distance, and I was so excited to see it!  I love this vivid mustard yellow.  The square in front of it, Odeonsplatz, was the site of a political march in 1923 that ended in 20 people dead, and Adolf Hitler was imprisoned for high treason.  Our guide told us that Hitler had contemplated suicide the night before he was arrested, but was talked out of it.  Instead he spent a little over a year in prison, where he wrote, well dictated, Mein Kampf… And the rest is history…

In Munich, on the lower half of the brick walls of this building are these massive holes… These are from actual gunfire from WW2.  It’s so hard for me to imagine living in such an oppressive society.  Warfare is so different and I’m so glad to have never experienced anything like this.  I hope these holes are always there to serve as a reminder.

We also made our way out to the Olympic Stadium from the 1972 Summer Games.  Although the games are usually forgotten because of the massacre of Israelis that took place here, it’s still a very beautiful stadium.

Our last stop in Munich was Nymphenburg Palace.  This beauty took about 11 years to construct. We were limited on time because we were headed to Dachau, but from what we got to see of this palace and the gardens around it, we thought it was pretty gorgeous!

Munich was a beautiful city, and if/when I make it back here I would love to take more time to explore the museums and go through churches to appreciate even more the beauty and history of this Bavarian city.

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