Munchen - May 2009

How much can one pack into three days?! Poor Dale - no rest for the wicked! Even I was wondering if I was crazy by the end of the first day. We thought we would do a walking tour of the city, and managed to fit in two plus whatever else caught our eye. So much to see, so little time.



We started off at Marienplatz 'the square which marks the true heart of Munich', where one also finds the Neues Rathaus mit (with) Glockenspiel (more about that later). There we also found a sightseeing bus that took us to many sights which we felt we wouldn't get to see by just walking. It was well worth the trip as it had an English audiophone. Though afterwards, I think we did manage to walk to most of them as well. Here is a list for which we have photos - I wonder if I should make a game and see if you can match the names with the pictures.




St. Peter's Church - where we climbed the tower for a lovely view of the city. Heilggeistkirche - Church of the Holy Spirit. Asamkirche. Sendinger Tor - one of three remaining gates from the old city wall. Karlsplatz (Stachus as it is known to local citizens) - second gate. Isartor - third gate. Justizpalast - Palace of Justice. Damenstiftskirche - Collegiate Church of St. Anne. Burgersaal. Michaelskirche - St. Micheal's Church largest Jesuit Church in Renaissance style north of the Alps. Frauenkirche - Church of our Lady (a masterpiece of German Gothic art). Theatinerkirche - Theatine Church. Residenz - Royal Residence. National Theatre. Alter Hof - first ducal residence. Try this website for more photos and explanations.


http://www.muenchen.de/Rathaus/tourist_office/sehenswuerdigkeiten/129345/Uebersichtsseite_sights.html



With of course a stop inbetween for some local brew at the Hofbrauhaus - the most famous gasthaus (pub and restaurant) in Munich. A much needed respite.





And back to the Marienplatz. Being May Day (Labour Day there), the square was full of people waving placards and a stage for speeches. The air was charged with fervour, so in spite of the many police on duty we decided not to hang about for too long. However, later in the afternoon things had changed and there were several bands taking their turns on the stage, filling the square with music. All went quiet at 5pm though, when they started up the Glockenspiel. The bells pealed followed by the dancers, jousters and courtesans of old, up in the tower of the Rathaus. It was charming.





















































to be continued . . .