Marienplatz & Munich Strolling

Jenn:

We woke up this morning to some cooler weather after a CRAZY thunderstorm last night. What started like a mid-west summer storm moving over the plains turned into full-blown thunder and lightening overhead complete with hail! We had all the lights out in the house and the candles from dinner were still glowing as the weather took control for a few hours. The nice thing was that the morning stroll was almost cool, if you can believe that. We took the Sbahn to the Marienplatz just in time to hear the bells chiming as we took the escalator up. We started running so that mom could hear and see the Glochenspiel in action. The market square was filled with hundreds of people watching this fun tradition. I wandered around and took some pictures as mom sat in wonder. She loved it!

On a side note, we took mom to the ATM for the first time during her European adventure. She turned around confused at one point and said it wouldn’t give her money. Upon further review, it seems that the amount she was asking for exceeded the limit allowed in a single transaction. Back to the currency conversion example from a few weeks back, she was asking for 500 euros. Sarah and I looked at her a bit floored and asked if she knew how much money that was. Now, what she thought she was going to do with that much cash in three days is beyond me! Once she adjusted the number to a smaller amount, we were good to go.

We continued walking around to the outdoor farmer’s market complete with a beer garden. Mom had a great time visiting the little shops looking for her final souvenir…pilsner glasses. Sarah was great about gauging whether or not the prices were good and once she saw how delighted mom was with all of the shops, she even offered to ship a box home for mom on Monday. You would have thought she offered her a million bucks! This freed mom up to enjoy herself and pick up little goodies she wouldn’t have otherwise purchased.

At lunchtime, we came upon the famous Hofbrauhaus and decided to take a little individual tour before heading to the outdoor beer garden to eat. Sarah explained all of the little details and showed us where the locals had their beer steins locked up for when they arrived. She also showed us the tables that were always reserved for said locals so that a beer was always available, even in the midst of a tourist explosion! She pointed us upstairs and we explored an area where Hitler actually spoke to a group of people before/during a rally and it was pretty weird to stand in a place where such an infamous historical figure had been. We enjoyed traditional Bavarian food and beer while listening to the band. The shade of the trees, cooler temperature, and light breeze made it a perfect afternoon.

Mom and I chilled for a couple of hours at home and then met up with Jeff and Sarah for a delicious Italian dinner in a “shieky shieky” neighborhood in Munich. The company was perfect, the wine was abundant, and the food was yummy!

The glockenspiel show where the bells chime and the characters inside dance in circles.

Old and new...definitely in Germany!

The two of us in the Marienplatz

Local garb- that's dedication based on the sheer temperature outside!

Wool and 90+ degrees do not match.

Mom shopping and sampling sausage in the marketplace.

One of many beer gardens...

The locals at their "standing table" called a stammtisch.

Dinner out with Jeff and Sarah...what a treat!

Local Munich landmark...during our search for gelato.

Mom:

Had a nice breakfast and headed for the Marienplatz, Munich’s main square at the heart of a lively pedestrian zone. The Glockenspiel jousts daily and it was so festive to see after hearing about it for years. We wandered around the open markets, tasting samples and just enjoying the beer gardens. We had lunch at the renowned Hofbrauhaus, famous for the Oktoberfest halls. We walked upstairs and saw where Hitler actually held a rally, overlooking the streets. Sarah’s baby Will had to get home and we were tired and hot so we went home, rested and went out to dinner with Sarah and Jeff while her parents were kind enough to stay with Will.