"Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer." --Arnold Schwarzenegger
Traveling to MunichWe were very sad to see our time in Switzerland go--but that was before we knew how much fun we would be having in Munich! Our first stop in Germany was at Lake Constance, in a little town called Lindau where we stopped for lunch and exploration. Our first taste of Germany was everything we expected--we saw maypoles, massive beers, and enjoyed some bratwurst! We spent some time meandering around the harbor, which was guarded by statues of a lion and lighthouse--and we bought a painting from a local artist that depicted the scene to have as a memory forever.
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The best way to see Munich? By Bike!
While in France, John & I struck up a conversation with other travelers who had just come from Munich. They raved to us about the fun they had on Lenny's Bike Tour, so we decided it was something we wanted to try too. We shared our plans with our fellow tour members, and before we knew it 26 out of the 28 people wanted to do it as well. Cristina allowed us to use her international cell phone to call the company to arrange for our large group, and literally, right as we stepped off the bus in front of our perfectly located accommodations, Hotel Blauer Bock, Lenny himself and Tom, our guide, greeted us--they arranged a private tour just for our group after their usual business hours! They helped us unload our luggage and waited while we got settled, then led us to their headquarters where we were fitted with bikes before we set off on what was the most fun five hours of our entire trip. Lenny and Tom packed so much humor, history, and hilariousness into the evening, and because we were all together, it was a bonding experience for our entire travel group! At our final dinner on the last night of our trip when each person shared their favorite memory from throughout the two weeks, the bike tour was one of the most popular activities mentioned!
Munich Musings...One of the things I never realized that I would get out of this trip was so much knowledge! On our bike tour we learned insane amounts about the history of Munich--both as related to its beer and culture, and its history as a base for Hitler and WWII. John is a World History teacher and was more than impressed with the knowledge and stories our guides were able to share with us. We learned about the 30 year war of Bavaria v. Sweden--when beer was used as a bargaining tool. We also learned all about Hitler and the World Wars. They pointed out which buildings were damaged at what times, showed us where Hitler made his speeches, and the site of the Beer Hall Putsch. They also took us through Dodger's Alley, where people would walk to avoid having to do the Nazi salute. The history of it all was fascinating.
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We had so much fun with Lenny & Tom that they joined us after the bike tour was over for more drinks
and stories at the Schnieder-Weisse Beer Hall, just a few blocks from our hotel! |
The best stop? The Biergarten!No tour of Munich would be complete without experiencing a biergarten. We rode our bikes through the Englischer Garten--the largest city park in the world--and made a stop at the Chinese Tower Beer Garden, the second largest outdoor beer garden in the world. We feasted on brats and pretzels and enjoyed our first taste of Hofbrauhaus biers; I loved the Radler, while John's favorites were the Sommer Bier and the Dunkle.
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Day Two in Munich: Dachau Concentration Camp
While our first evening in Munich was full of history and laughter, day two in Munich was just as educational, but much more somber. Tom, our bike tour guide and new friend, also was a certified tour guide for Dachau. He met us at our hotel in the morning and led the 15 or so of us who wanted to experience the concentration camp on a private tour. Though Dachau was not a death camp, it was sobering to stand upon the grounds and understand the horrors that occurred. We should never forget.
The Hofbrauhaus!
Upon returning to Munich, we reconvened with our friends at the Hofbrauhaus for an evening of fun. We had steins of beer, bratwursts, schnitzel, sauerkraut, and so much fun with our tour buddies. We marveled at the beer maids' abilities to carry several steins at once and ogoled the traditional attire donned by the beer-drinking groups at their reserved tables as we listened to live polka music and wished each other "Prost!" late into the night!
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