My Oh My, Munich!
Apr 19th, 2011, 11:45 AM
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My Oh My, Munich!
Hello! Reporting from sunny, warm, and delightful Munich where the trees are in bloom and the sun is shining -- what a delightful change from the gloom back home!
On Saturday we were lucky to fly out of JFK before that nasty front moved in to the northeast and caused a lot of trouble. We flew Lufthansa through United (Star Alliance) using American Express rewards that we booked approximately 6 months in advance. Our flight was smooth although the one major drawback on the Airbus in that the center of the plane (over the wing) is warm compared to the rest of the plane. That might have been the cause of some difficulty for one passenger...the pilot needed to call out for a doctor as the woman was as limp as wilted lettuce and had to be carried to business class. Fortunately she returned sometime later and appeared okay. Our flight did land about an hour early and that might have been the reason why.
Once we landed, we took the Lufthansa shuttle which dropped us off a couple of blocks from our hotel. We booked and printed online tickets at a reduced price of $17E round trip per person (otherwise at the airport it is $20E). Easy Peasy.
We're staying at the Marriott Munich -- a category 5 business hotel which is located only a couple of blocks for the subway (Nordfriedhof). We got a great rate of $109E (AAA) which includes full breakfast for two. In addition to that, DH is a Plat member so daily/nightly drinks and snacks are a perk. The hotel has recently been renovated and is quite nice and would happily return again if the opportunity presented itself.
On Saturday we were lucky to fly out of JFK before that nasty front moved in to the northeast and caused a lot of trouble. We flew Lufthansa through United (Star Alliance) using American Express rewards that we booked approximately 6 months in advance. Our flight was smooth although the one major drawback on the Airbus in that the center of the plane (over the wing) is warm compared to the rest of the plane. That might have been the cause of some difficulty for one passenger...the pilot needed to call out for a doctor as the woman was as limp as wilted lettuce and had to be carried to business class. Fortunately she returned sometime later and appeared okay. Our flight did land about an hour early and that might have been the reason why.
Once we landed, we took the Lufthansa shuttle which dropped us off a couple of blocks from our hotel. We booked and printed online tickets at a reduced price of $17E round trip per person (otherwise at the airport it is $20E). Easy Peasy.
We're staying at the Marriott Munich -- a category 5 business hotel which is located only a couple of blocks for the subway (Nordfriedhof). We got a great rate of $109E (AAA) which includes full breakfast for two. In addition to that, DH is a Plat member so daily/nightly drinks and snacks are a perk. The hotel has recently been renovated and is quite nice and would happily return again if the opportunity presented itself.
Apr 19th, 2011, 12:02 PM
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After checking in, we enjoyed the lovely Sunday breakfast at the hotel. I renewed my long lost love affair with schenken and cheese on crunchy little rolls. 
I had two of them, lol. After that we gave in to a little nap -- it wasn't intentional...DH was sending some emails and somehow I just fell over and dozed off. But the nap did us good as we went on a marathon 6 mile walk to the Englischer Garten. Did I mention it was a glorious day weather-wise? Just gorgious. The park was packed! Families, couples, young, old, babies, dogs...lots of dogs, many unleashed and romping in the Isar River. We enjoyed watching the dogs, especially when they were chasing the ducks (the ducks didn't enjoy it as much, though).
We made our way to the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Pagoda) to enjoy a beer. Today was the one year anniversary of my husband's father's passing. We said a toast in his memory and that was a special moment for us. We loved this beer garden, especially the brass band playing from the pagoda. There's something about the music that brings me back to my childhood...I remember as a child, listening to my Tante as she would play her accordian -- I would dance around in my pajamas and laugh and sing. But you can hear all sorts of music in the garden...there were a couple of what we called Bronx parties going on too -- lots of diverse music with very talented people all coming together and moving to the beat! Very enjoyable.
I had two of them, lol. After that we gave in to a little nap -- it wasn't intentional...DH was sending some emails and somehow I just fell over and dozed off. But the nap did us good as we went on a marathon 6 mile walk to the Englischer Garten. Did I mention it was a glorious day weather-wise? Just gorgious. The park was packed! Families, couples, young, old, babies, dogs...lots of dogs, many unleashed and romping in the Isar River. We enjoyed watching the dogs, especially when they were chasing the ducks (the ducks didn't enjoy it as much, though). We made our way to the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Pagoda) to enjoy a beer. Today was the one year anniversary of my husband's father's passing. We said a toast in his memory and that was a special moment for us. We loved this beer garden, especially the brass band playing from the pagoda. There's something about the music that brings me back to my childhood...I remember as a child, listening to my Tante as she would play her accordian -- I would dance around in my pajamas and laugh and sing.
But you can hear all sorts of music in the garden...there were a couple of what we called Bronx parties going on too -- lots of diverse music with very talented people all coming together and moving to the beat! Very enjoyable.
Apr 19th, 2011, 12:11 PM
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{The phone rang, so I posted quickly}
So that was Sunday. Just a note...if you need something from the store, you won't get it on Sunday. The only place open is the gas station. Just so you know.
Observations from Day 1:
*No leash laws
*Only cross in designated crosswalks
*Designated crosswalks are not at every corner
*Don't walk in the bike lane
*Pedestrians are like Frogger - it can all go badly very quickly.
So that was Sunday. Just a note...if you need something from the store, you won't get it on Sunday. The only place open is the gas station. Just so you know.
Observations from Day 1:
*No leash laws
*Only cross in designated crosswalks
*Designated crosswalks are not at every corner
*Don't walk in the bike lane
*Pedestrians are like Frogger - it can all go badly very quickly.
Apr 19th, 2011, 12:38 PM
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On Monday we got a bit of a late start (jetlag is not our friend). After a quick breakfast, we headed on the subway to Marienplatz, the centre of Munich. We purchased a Partner Day Ticket for 9.80 which allowed the both of us unlimited rides on the U and S lines -- a great bargain. The subway system is clean and very easy to manage. Just a little tip...some escalators are two-way escalators (depending on who passes through the electronic sensor first). Others are only either up or down. At one point we were trying to figure out how to EXIT the station and kept walking back and forth searching when a kind woman told us that we needed to pass through a stopped train to get to the other side! Ours is not to question why...ours it just to get to the other side! And so we did.
Anyway, if you love to people watch, shop, window shop, eat, or really love to shop until you drop, Marienplatz is the place for you! Not only will you find beautifully decorated desserts in store windows but also candy, Easter chocolates...marzipan, decorated chocolate bunnies, cracked chocolate eggs filled with goodies, fondant fried eggs, oh my! My Tante and Uncle would spoil us as kids with many of those treats -- again, such wonderful memories.
My husband, who loves to shop more than I do, discovered Dallmayr - oh my! Being in that place is like dying and going to German heaven, lol! We did a fair amount of damage in that place -- buying treats for our family and for ourselves. Here the food cases remind me of Harrods (and yes, it's just as crowded but my husband does like to shop, so I keep up, lol) - I picked up a couple of different fleish salads to take out, which we ate at the little green across the street. After hitting a couple of chocolate shops for some more Easter chocolate damage, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Munchner Philharmoniker later in the evening.
Anyway, if you love to people watch, shop, window shop, eat, or really love to shop until you drop, Marienplatz is the place for you! Not only will you find beautifully decorated desserts in store windows but also candy, Easter chocolates...marzipan, decorated chocolate bunnies, cracked chocolate eggs filled with goodies, fondant fried eggs, oh my! My Tante and Uncle would spoil us as kids with many of those treats -- again, such wonderful memories.
My husband, who loves to shop more than I do, discovered Dallmayr - oh my! Being in that place is like dying and going to German heaven, lol! We did a fair amount of damage in that place -- buying treats for our family and for ourselves. Here the food cases remind me of Harrods (and yes, it's just as crowded but my husband does like to shop, so I keep up, lol) - I picked up a couple of different fleish salads to take out, which we ate at the little green across the street. After hitting a couple of chocolate shops for some more Easter chocolate damage, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Munchner Philharmoniker later in the evening.
Apr 19th, 2011, 12:42 PM
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My, oh my, a trip report on the go! Love it!
(Did you ever figure out what kind of chocolates to bring to the reunion?)
Just had a thought...in the Marienplatz, almost directly across from the big clock, there's a large department store. Go downstairs to the chocolate section. You'll be blown away by the quantity and variety! I especially loved the "fill your bag" section of individually-wrapped, bite-sized, mouth-watering delicacies!! It's time to stock your purse!
Have a wonderful trip, stw.
(Did you ever figure out what kind of chocolates to bring to the reunion?)
Just had a thought...in the Marienplatz, almost directly across from the big clock, there's a large department store. Go downstairs to the chocolate section. You'll be blown away by the quantity and variety! I especially loved the "fill your bag" section of individually-wrapped, bite-sized, mouth-watering delicacies!! It's time to stock your purse!
Have a wonderful trip, stw.
Apr 19th, 2011, 12:44 PM
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Oh, I forgot to mention that we also made our way through to the Viktualienmarkt. Here you will find many market stalls which sell fruits, vegetables, and other kitchy items. Currently the big seller is Spagel - white asparagus of all sizes! Just a tip, touching is frowned upon (I didn't touch, but others did and that is a no-no). We saw the most beautifully colored Easter eggs on display -- marbled and very shiny.
Apr 19th, 2011, 12:49 PM
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Hello and thanks for reading !
Yes, everyone in the family is getting boxed Gheradelli chocolates and now lovely bottles of Prosecco from Dallmayr.
We haven't finished with Marienplatz, lol. So we will hunt for more!
{DH is sound asleep and I am still WIDE awake! Tomorrow we are headed to Salzburg and I hope the wake up call will be enough, lol}
Yes, everyone in the family is getting boxed Gheradelli chocolates and now lovely bottles of Prosecco from Dallmayr.
We haven't finished with Marienplatz, lol. So we will hunt for more!
{DH is sound asleep and I am still WIDE awake! Tomorrow we are headed to Salzburg and I hope the wake up call will be enough, lol}
Apr 19th, 2011, 01:12 PM
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To finish up our Monday, we headed to the subway for a night out...For Christmas, our son and daughter-in-law gave us tickets to the Munchner Philharmoniker performance of Strauss. To say this was a treat would be a complete understatement! I am not as familar with Strauss as I am with other classical composers, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It was a packed house for a Monday evening as it was the last performance. DH had a bit of a difficult time staying awake (a comfy chair is never a good thing for him...same thing happens to him at the Planetarium, lol).
The clapping, after each selection, is intense...building after each of the three times the conductor returns to the stage -- I really enjoyed that part! Only the woman next to DH shouted something. I was on watch for the ovation (the clapping was so intense I was at the ready to jump out of my seat). The solist was beautiful...sang like a angel (and lulled DH into a coma). But thankfully, more clapping to snap DH out of his sweet dream, and then everyone just abruptly got up and walked out of the auditorium. DH and I looked at each other and wondered if it was over after 45 minutes, but it was just intermission. We were treated to another hour of engaging music and it was wonderful. If you ever get the opportunity to attend a performance, do it!
Observations from Day 2:
*Women in Munich wear as much black as women in NYC
*Smoking is alive and well in Europe (that is why that auditorium cleared out quicker than you can say "Is it over yet?"
*If you ask for change at the front desk, they will ask you if it is for the cigarette machine.
*You can buy condoms in the men's room
The clapping, after each selection, is intense...building after each of the three times the conductor returns to the stage -- I really enjoyed that part! Only the woman next to DH shouted something. I was on watch for the ovation (the clapping was so intense I was at the ready to jump out of my seat). The solist was beautiful...sang like a angel (and lulled DH into a coma). But thankfully, more clapping to snap DH out of his sweet dream, and then everyone just abruptly got up and walked out of the auditorium. DH and I looked at each other and wondered if it was over after 45 minutes, but it was just intermission. We were treated to another hour of engaging music and it was wonderful. If you ever get the opportunity to attend a performance, do it!
Observations from Day 2:
*Women in Munich wear as much black as women in NYC
*Smoking is alive and well in Europe (that is why that auditorium cleared out quicker than you can say "Is it over yet?"
*If you ask for change at the front desk, they will ask you if it is for the cigarette machine.
*You can buy condoms in the men's room
Apr 19th, 2011, 01:39 PM
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Today, Tuesday, we made our way to Olympiapark. Really the only reason I wanted to go was because I wanted to go to the top of the Olympic Tower and see the Alps. Um, where oh where are the Alps?? They were so far away that you could barely make out an outline -- little bumps, lol. I even put money in that view magnifier...still little bumps. So tomorrow we are going to Salzburg -- I wanna see the Alps! 
Anyway, the park is a nice place to take a stroll for a couple of hours. The BMW museum is also located here for you car lovers. There's also an aquarium that was busy with little visitors today. There's also a lot of construction going on around the complex -- Munich is a candidate city for the 2018 Olympics. Good Luck to Munich!
Afterwards, we headed to the Deutsches Museum (technology and engineering) for a a bit. DH really enjoyed this museum, as did I. Some parts of the museum are currently under construction. We didn't do this museum justice in time spent visiting, but it was a lovely day and it was time to get off our feet for an early dinner.
Before dinner we wanted to grab a beer at the Hofbrauhaus (and listen to some music), but the band was wrapping up and we couldn't get a handle on how service here took place, so we left to go our dinner selection for the evening.
The concierge from the hotel said that there are few places he recommends for German food and gave us the name of a place in his neighborhood -- Wirtshaus Zum Straubinger (Blumenstrasse 5) -- Oh My! If you go here, you will NOT be disappointed! I had a light wheat beer that was so good! DH and I shared a bitter green salad with toasted goat cheese. DH had pork roast with spaeztle and a cold pickled cabbage salad. I had goulash with dumpling and red cabbage. We shared a warm apple streudel. Thankfully we had a long walk to the subway to walk it all off. This place was so good, I am certain we will visit again before we go home.
Observations from Day 3:
*Light wheat beer has 40% less alcohol than regular wheat beer
*Dumplings never last on my plate
Anyway, the park is a nice place to take a stroll for a couple of hours. The BMW museum is also located here for you car lovers. There's also an aquarium that was busy with little visitors today. There's also a lot of construction going on around the complex -- Munich is a candidate city for the 2018 Olympics. Good Luck to Munich!
Afterwards, we headed to the Deutsches Museum (technology and engineering) for a a bit. DH really enjoyed this museum, as did I. Some parts of the museum are currently under construction. We didn't do this museum justice in time spent visiting, but it was a lovely day and it was time to get off our feet for an early dinner.
Before dinner we wanted to grab a beer at the Hofbrauhaus (and listen to some music), but the band was wrapping up and we couldn't get a handle on how service here took place, so we left to go our dinner selection for the evening.
The concierge from the hotel said that there are few places he recommends for German food and gave us the name of a place in his neighborhood -- Wirtshaus Zum Straubinger (Blumenstrasse 5) -- Oh My! If you go here, you will NOT be disappointed! I had a light wheat beer that was so good!
DH and I shared a bitter green salad with toasted goat cheese. DH had pork roast with spaeztle and a cold pickled cabbage salad. I had goulash with dumpling and red cabbage. We shared a warm apple streudel. Thankfully we had a long walk to the subway to walk it all off. This place was so good, I am certain we will visit again before we go home. Observations from Day 3:
*Light wheat beer has 40% less alcohol than regular wheat beer
*Dumplings never last on my plate
Apr 19th, 2011, 01:45 PM
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I don't want to be mean, but did you know Ghiradelli chocolate is an American made chocolate. It started in San Francisco in the 1800's. If you want to bring home German chocolate, this isn't it.
Also Proseco is an Italian wine. It's only produced in Fruili Venezia Giulia or the Veneto.
One year my FIL went to visit the family in Italy. He brought home leather slippers for my niece. When they looked a the label it said. "Made in Brooklyn, NY".
One of the shop owners in the village my family is in comes to the US to shop in the winter and brings things back to Italy to sell them to Americans......
Also Proseco is an Italian wine. It's only produced in Fruili Venezia Giulia or the Veneto.
One year my FIL went to visit the family in Italy. He brought home leather slippers for my niece. When they looked a the label it said. "Made in Brooklyn, NY".
One of the shop owners in the village my family is in comes to the US to shop in the winter and brings things back to Italy to sell them to Americans......
Apr 19th, 2011, 01:53 PM
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If you want something special, here is the most beautiful beer garden in Bavaria. It's about 100 yards from the Menterschwaig tram stop on the #15 or #25 tram lines.
VERY off the tourist path but VERY easy to get to via public transit. Great food, great beer and the best setting anywhere. No English speaking staff when we went, but we managed OK. Highly, HIGHLY recommended.
http://www.menterschwaige.de/
http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/home/index.html
VERY off the tourist path but VERY easy to get to via public transit. Great food, great beer and the best setting anywhere. No English speaking staff when we went, but we managed OK. Highly, HIGHLY recommended.
http://www.menterschwaige.de/
http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/home/index.html
Apr 19th, 2011, 03:33 PM
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Ann - I think the Ghiradelli chocolates are for the family members they are visiting in Germany who specifically asked for American chocolate. Or am I mixing and matching threads?
Great report so far Seetheworld. I am getting primed for our trip in August. If you have time, head out to the Nymphenburg area to the Hirschgarten - terrific beer garden there. Nymphenburg Schloss is definitely worth a visit too. S-bahn to Laim station or tram #16 or 17 to Romanplatz - it is out of the city center, but easy to get to.
Great report so far Seetheworld. I am getting primed for our trip in August. If you have time, head out to the Nymphenburg area to the Hirschgarten - terrific beer garden there. Nymphenburg Schloss is definitely worth a visit too. S-bahn to Laim station or tram #16 or 17 to Romanplatz - it is out of the city center, but easy to get to.
Apr 19th, 2011, 07:57 PM
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Ann, the we carried a duffle of that chocolate over to bring to family we will be reuniting with on Friday! They have their own vineyard, so we wanted to bring them something different to drink. You weren't mean, you just didn't know about my other thread.
Thank you so much for the beer garden recommendations. We haven't tried the tram yet.
I could live at Dallmayers, lol.
Thank you so much for the beer garden recommendations. We haven't tried the tram yet.
I could live at Dallmayers, lol.
