Then, honestly, we did nothing but wallow in bed all day, relaxing and planning another day trip, this time to Salzburg, Austria. The only hiccup in our day was a malfunctioning TV, but most of the channels spoke gobbledy-gook and we didn't come here to watch television anyway, so it was no big deal.
Our first actual outing of the day started around 4:30. Our goal was to get back to Marienplatz by 5pm to see the glockenspiel performance (I mentioned this a couple blogs ago) above Neues Rathaus.
Well, it seems we can't go anywhere without having to sprint a little: we misjudged our travel time to the plaza and the thickness of the crowds that slowed our progress. After sprinting and weaving through stupid tourists for the final few minutes, we made it to Marienplatz just as the 5pm bell was ringing.
The plaza was PACKED with people just standing there looking up at the glockenspiel, so like good lemmings, we joined them in anticipation. When the animation started up, it did not disappoint. There were two levels of movement, with the upper level alternating between dancing figures and heralds, then two knights who competed at a joust. I read somewhere that we'd be able to tell which knight was the Austrian one, and after their second lap it was made clear: the victorious Bavarian knight knocked the Austrian one back from his reins. People cheered.
Above: Defeated knight at right, upper level.
The performance lasted a good five minutes, after which the plaza began clearing out again. When we'd seen our fill, we walked east in search of the world famous Hofbrauhaus.
We found it easily enough, but I was somewhat reticent to enter because I assumed it'd be packed with mostly tourists, and therefore be overcrowded and overpriced. Fortunately, we were ahead of the dinner rush so we found seats and beers easily enough.
Our waitress brought us two half-liter hefeweissen, so we sat back and conducted some solid people watching. The decor was simple but traditional looking, and there were still several locals who could be distinguished by their earthenware maß mugs that came from tiny, private lockers along one wall of the beer hall. I recognized the mug as one that my dad has on a shelf in his study, so I shared a private toast with my father when I realized he had visited here once, decades ago. He would've liked to know that, just as I was happy to share a memory.
After the beer there, we sought out the Weiss Brauhaus, recommended for its good food by our Lonely Planet guide. It was located on another street about two blocks away, and was more of a restaurant than a beer hall. The quieter atmosphere was welcome after the noisy Hofbrauhaus, where a six-person oompah band had struck up just before we'd left.
Trombone not included.
We ordered another wheat beer for Annie, I had a dunkel (dark beer), and we ordered some traditional Bavarian fare: pork knuckle with potato dumpling for me, and roast pork shoulder with dumpling for Annie. Good stuff.
After another beer to wash down the meal, we walked off our heavy intake over the mile and a half jaunt home. We hit the hay with excitement to see a new country tomorrow. Austria, here we come...
Munich July 18 Album:
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| Munich: July 18, 2011 |
Location:Munich, Germany
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