Munich
Mid-August 2018
“Bavaria is the Texas of Germany” – our tour guide aptly said.
I’ve been to Munich/München several times and I can’t say it ever gets old – although I imagine it might if you can’t buy in to the Bavarian shtick. The city copes effortlessly with the hordes of tourists that descend on it, and proceeds to diligently dish out all the staples you might expect; beer, meat, music, and kitsch. The place abounds with Bavarian tropes such as Dirndl, Lederhosen, Tyrolean hats, and Bayern Munich shirts. There is a pervasive and fierce parochial pride here.
We made a point to really dig in to Bavarian beer culture this trip, being the first time we’d actually been here during summer. There are six main breweries in Munich, Hofbräu, Augustiner, Paulaner, Hacker Pschorr, Löwenbräu, and Spaten (A bit of trivia -these breweries are the only ones invited to supply beer to Oktoberfest) – the most famous to outsiders likely being Hofbräu. Nonetheless, my favourite brewery of the six is Augustiner – they are part-owned by a charity, so you can haughtily pat yourself on the back for giving something back. Augustiner brew an excellent wheat beer and have some wonderful grounds in the centre of town – if you are here in summer, make a point to have dinner there – trust me. The Hofbräu Haus is goofy and fun, but this is where you want to be. If you happen to come in the winter, go to their cellar instead – trust me on that too.
On the advice of a local taxi driver, we also checked out the Hirschgarten, further out of town, and were pleasantly surprised. Filled with locals, far cheaper, and quietly hidden away in a large, deer-filled park well outside of the city centre, it was a terrific summer evening.
Regarding food, Bavarian culture doubles down on German staples to an endearing and stereotypical degree – again, think of Texas. This is the kind of place that will promptly serve you roast pork, sauerkraut, a pretzel as big as your head, and a litre of beer – whilst wearing top to bottom lederhosen, without an ounce of dishonesty or pretence. Good times are taken seriously here. Schweinshaxe, Knödell, Rotkol, Sauerkraut, Bretzlen, Sauerbraten, Spätzle, Fleishteller, Wurst, Senf, Schnitzel, Kartoffelsalat – all the classics are here and I shamelessly devoured them all with delight. Munich is not a vegan friendly town - you’re also out of luck if you just plain don’t like pork.
Between meals, we reacquainted ourselves with the city – we toured the long, grand streets past the Frauenkirche, Peterskirche & Hofbräu Haus; wandered through the bustling Marienplatz, Odeonsplatz and Neues Rathaus; detoured to visit the beautiful Hofgarten and Englisher gardens; had a slow provincial breakfast at the Viktualienmarkt; and spent an afternoon exploring the splendid Residenz.
Having not managed to find time previously, we also devoted a day to the remarkable Museum Quarter, visiting the Alte Pinakothek and the State Museum of Egyptian Art. Being Sunday, it cost a princely 1 euro each for admission. Of the two, I enjoyed the Egyptian museum the most – it is artfully presented and contains halls of millennia old artefacts, from people and civilizations long gone. Housed in a modern, Deustche-chique building, it is a stark demonstration of the impermanence of all things.
Given Munich’s central role in the rise of Nazism, it can be deeply troubling to walk around such a gorgeous, well-kept city that is so steeped in tragic history. However, I feel Munich does an excellent job at acknowledging its past whilst revelling in the present. There is a great deal to learn here if that interests you, like it does me. With that in mind, I strongly suggest that you make a day trip out to Dachau – which we did previously. It is a haunting and deeply disturbing experience, but the story of the holocaust can’t really be told unless you go to a concentration camp. I urge you to do so if you have any interest in the modern world.
Having completely overindulged on beer, food, and history, we dutifully organised a cycle tour of the surrounding countryside. Gorgeous weather, green fields, and still forests made this a highlight, which was only exceeded by the final stop of our tour – Neuschwannstein Castle. It’s actually hard to describe how truly stunning the area is, so I’ll just post a picture here and leave it at that.
All things considered, we had a wonderful time in Munich – we always do. As self-declared Germanophiles, the only regret we had was that we couldn’t stay longer. If you are ever in this part of the world, make a point to stop by to enjoy it – everything’s bigger in Bavaria. Prost.
JC
"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced."
Søren Kierkegaard
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