Bavaria: Day 2 Munich Environs

 Day 2: Munich Environs and Tegernsee

The bread and rolls in Germany are fantastic!  Especially at breakfast.  The bike trip better start soon, or we won't be able to fit into our spandex.

Hymie met us this morning with a very comfortable Mercedes minivan for a drive outside the city.  On our way out , we passed Hitler's Munich office (now a music academy),

his mistress, Eva Braun's house, 

and his personal residence.

Again, all very creepy.

We were passing the English Garden and stopped to do a bit of surfing (Dave, we should have not given up so quickly).  It is very strange seeing people walking around a land-locked city with surf boards and wetsuits, but people line up for a minute of hanging 10 on the Eis Bach ("Ice Brook", aptly named for its 50 degree water coming off the Alps).  

We then drove on backroads through the beautiful Bavarian countryside dotted with small villages with houses lined with windoboxes.  We stopped at one of the larger towns, Tölz Bad, known for its healing spas and now a tourist destination.  All its buildings are decorated with colorful murals, Lüftmalerei, or frescoes, of traditional Bavarian themes, fairy tales, religious scenes.  Lüftlmalerei is common in Bavaria and its name may be derived from an Oberammergau house called Zum Lüftl, which was the home of facade painter Franz Seraph Zwinck (1748–1792).  Some of the buildings here date back to the 1400's.

Couldn't pass up some almond horns, though everything looked delicious.

We stopped for a late lunch at a beautiful Bier Garten overlooking the Tergensee See.  

You could tell the view would have been outstanding had it not been raining and foggy.

The drive back to Munich was quick, via the Autobahn, but rainy.  Jeri and I both fell asleep in the car.

After a brief rest back at he hotel, It was time again to eat.  We decided to walk to the restaurant which was located behind the Munich Opera House, but had a bit of difficulty finding our way (only about 10 minutes late for the reservation).  On our walk we passed through Marienplatz again.

Dinner was wonderful, though we were all a bit nervous about eating indoors.  Jeri is even beginning to develop a taste for hellebier.

The stroll back was much more direct and Marienplatz was beautiful all lit up.

Tomorrow is our last day in Munich with Iwona and Lothar.

Bavaria-Day 1: Munich

 Day 1:  Arrival in Munich

We are finally back to traveling after about an 18 month hiatus.  Check in at Logan was pretty easy.  The only additional steps  to our passport check were the CDC vaccination card and the Digitale Einreiseanmeldung (digital form for the German govt. about vaccination status). The airport and flight were not well attended, making us a lot more comfortable  flying.  

Arrival was on time, and the train to the main Munich station was German punctual.  

Our biggest problem was finding our way out of the train station and to the hotel (which was directly across the street, if you exited on the correct end of the station).  

Iwona and Lothar were waiting for us outside the hotel.  It was great to see them again after almost 2 years.

After a quick shower and lunch at the hotel, we met our guide for the next 3 days, Hymie.  Hymie is the son of 2 Holocaust survivors (Italian father and German Mother) that met in Bergen-Belsen.  He is a retired comparative religion professor who now guides visitors all over southern Germany. 

Today we took a walking tour of the Altstadt (old city).  Much of our tour centered around the role that Munich played in the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party in the 1930's.  One of our first stops was at the Kuntsler Haus, an art studio that Hitler frequented.  It was pretty creepy thinking about him there with his cronies, Himmler, Göebbels, and Goring. 

 It was from this window, his favorite seat, that he gave the order to destroy the main synagogue in Munich which was offending his sensibilities.  

All that is left is a small stone memorial remembering the Holocaust on this site.

We continued to meander around the old town.

Stute of Moses parting the Red Sea

Either Jeri and Iwona grew, or this is the tiniest car in the world.

Memorial to Michael Jackson who spent much time in the Baterischer Hof Hotel across the street.  His business manager lived nearby and he met with him often.

We stopped at a small cafe for a beer and hot chocolate (for Jeri).

Next stop was another very disturbing site.  This is Odeonplatz, the site of many huge Nazi rallies, one of which triggered the beginning of "Cristalnacht", when Jewish businesses and synagogues throughout Germany were destroyed in one night , and thousands of Jews were rounded up in what would soon become the Holocaust. 

Our last stop was Marienplatz. This is the central market square of Munich with the Old and New City Hall (Rathaus) and  tower with its famous glockenspiel.  

The figures in the tower move as the glockenspiel plays several times each day.

Just around the corner from Marienplatz is the Munich Dom, an iconic landmark of the city.

After leaving Hymie, we cabbed to the English Garden to sit outside at a Beer Garden to enjoy what may be the last of the sunshine here.  We sat by the lake in the garden and drank hellesbier and ate a light dinner.  

We also had to have the world's largest pretzel (Reisenbrezel)

Finally, back to the hotel to crash after a long travel day.

I am having significant technical problems uploading photos.  I'm not sure why, but the program is not allowing me to upload in a normal fashion.  I'll keep at it, though, but be patient.

( I finally figured out the problem.  I had to update my operating system last night, so I believe we are now good-  just have to catch up!)

Bavaria

Hallo alle zusammen (Hello everyone)!

Heading out in 4 days to Munich, Germany.  Testing the COVID waters.  I will try to give you updates regarding travel during COVID (test requirements, delays, etc.) in addition to a travelogue of our experiences in southern Germany from Munich to Salzburg, Austria.