A beautiful cobbled street in Munich.
DAY 6 – Munich adventures
Munich is just what I imagined. When I think of Europe, I think of what Munich looks like – there are beautiful old churches and monuments and there is a diverse collection of people crowding the cobble stone streets lined with souvenir and chic shops. But I’m planning on exploring those later. Today we focused on eating some authentic German food!
We started out our day with a very early flight to Munich from Berlin. Despite some strict baggage issues, the flight wasn’t so bad. I ended up sitting next to a young guy from Chicago. He said he is in Munich for two weeks with some friends and they are celebrating his 30th birthday by visiting 16 bars.
Speaking of bars – after listening to the Munich public relations representative talk, I was surprised as to how many tourists, especially journalist, come here just for the beer. There are millions more tourists than locals here, so then it made sense that all the restaurants have English menus and the waiters speak it as well.
She also said that her organization doesn’t work with social media because Munich hasn’t gotten there yet – or something to that effect. This relates to what I wrote about in my research paper; many Germans are still not familiar with all the Internet has to offer. It seems like Germans from Munich are technologically behind those in Berlin. It will be interesting to see if the media organizations are like that in any way.
I wasn’t a fan of what I ordered at the first German restaurant we went to. There is just something about it – must be the extra salt. I feel bad saying this, but I could really go for a nice angus burger with Heinz ketchup. I think I have eaten sausage every day on this trip so far! But I am glad I tried everything!
The tour we had today was wonderful, but I feel like it is just a prequel to the castle we are visiting later along with other parts of Munich. Our new tour guide seems very down to earth and has a “no fluff” attitude. He will tell us how it really is, which means we can get the most out of the experience.
It was interesting to know that the glockenspiel is still standing in Munich after World War II only because soldiers used it as a landmark to bomb other entities in the city. It makes me wonder what the city would be like today if 90 percent of it were still in existence.
I was happy we stopped in front of the glockenspiel for a few minutes to wait for some of the group. There is so much to take in as the building is incredibly intricate and large. I asked Aimee if the monarchs of the past stood up there to look down at their people and if the figures at the top were something symbolic of that. Of course the answer was no, and she said something else interesting – these structures are so elaborate because the monarchs wanted to intimidate people and create a sense of power and also to attract them to the churches and religion. Yes, these structures are incredible, but then again, how many people under horrible conditions were forced to build them stone by stone!
Despite the weather, today was a great introduction to the city of Munich. There is so much to handle at once! Sometimes I wish my eyes could take pictures!
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