After checking into our hotel on Wednesday evening, we then headed toward the city center, Marienplatz, which has actually been the city center since near 1100 AD! Pretty incredible to think that civilization has been operating in this portion of the city for almost 1000 years. Marienplatz is a bustling, crowded city plaza, with numerous shops, restaurants, cafes, and beer halls lining the streets, with this portion of Marienplatz looking quite modern. The very center of the plaza retains a more traditional Bavarian feel, with the architecture and color schemes typical with that of southern Germany. A fancy clock overlooks the city center, and at the top of each hour, figurine soldiers from Bavaria exit the clock, battle an enemy, with Bavaria always winning. We decided on our first night to try an authentic Bavarian restaurant/beer hall, and settled upon Weisses Brauhaus. The beer hall was quite packed when we entered, with much of the clientele's gaze fixed upon the large big screen TV on the front wall where the Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid match was being shown. After a slight bit of uncertainty as to whether we would be seated, or just find our own spot, we decided to just grab a table, and this was the right decision. Most of the waitresses were adorn in traditional Bavarian garb, and hurriedly delivered tall mugs of beer and Bavarian specialties throughout the restaurant. The food was decent, but nothing too spectacular, but the beer was quintessentially Bavarian, a crisp pale Helles lager, which was quite refreshing after a long day of travel. As the evening wore in, the tension increased in the beer hall as the Bayern vs. Real match went into extra time (the match was still tied, and since this was an elimination style match, someone had to win), and eventually penalty kicks. In what has to be the worst penalty shootout I've ever seen, Bayern made 3 penalties to Real Madrid's 2, and advanced to the Champion's League. The entire restaurant burst out into loud ovation as Bayern were declared the winners. After observing some interesting interaction between 2 French tourists and 1 American tourist (the American tourist seemed to be discussing the "Hooters" restaurant chain with the French tourists), we requested our bill, chatted briefly with our waitress (a pleasant Bulgarian girl who had come to Munich 8 years prior), and were on our way. Walking back to the hotel, the atmosphere through Marienplatz became more frenzied, with groups of Bayern Munich fans waving flags, signing loudly, and in general reveling in their team's success. It was certainly quite a sight, especially for a soccer fan like myself.
Yesterday was a bit of a frustrating day, as we didn't budget our time very well, and ended up missing a tour of the Dachau concentration camp we were supposed to go on. We then tried to travel ourselves to the camp, and underestimated (well, me, not Renee) the distance to walk from the Dacau train station to the concentration camp memorial site. In summary, we ended up walking through the streets of Dacau much of the day, and by the time we finally reached the memorial site, it was about to close. A bit disappointing really, but perhaps this may have happened for a reason; as we arrived at the train station, it was very hard not to imagine yourself as one of the concentration camp prisoners, arriving at this very train station 70 years ago, and then being marched through town, with a bleak at best future ahead of you. The scene throughout the town was somewhat surreal, with a Burger King now sitting only 1/2 mile away from the entrance to the concentration camp, and children playing soccer just across from the campsite in new apartment complexes. Contrasting indeed. We returned to Munich in the evening, and being rather worn out from traveling and so much walking, we had a laid back dinner at the pizzeria adjacent to our hotel. The pizza was quite enjoyable, and Renee tried the "Radler", 1/2 beer, 1/2 lemonade, for the first time. This drink was initially developed for cyclists to drink, due its refreshing qualities (though I can't imagine it provides much hydration). A wide range of music, ranging from jazz to ambient jazz, to classical played inside in the pizzeria, and created a pleasing atmosphere for which to enjoy our food. We then headed back to our hotel, and called it a night.
In a few hours we'll be embarking on a "Development of Nazism in Munich" walking tour, which hopefully we won't miss. Tonight will likely feature trips to several beer gardens, perhaps even the famous 8000 seater Hirschgarten.
Good day!
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