Munich

Munich was our next travel destination. It is the capital of Bavaria, Germany and located on the River Isar. It is considered the third largest city behind Hamburg and Berlin. We arrived at Muchen International Airport and the easiest way into town is definitely by train. We took the train from the airport to Central Station where we caught a connecting train to Marienplatz to join our walking tour. There was a concert happening in Marienplatz so it was very crowded. Marienplatz offers many examples of the effort that has been taken to reconstruct the city. More than 80% of the inner city of Munich was destroyed during WW2.

The tour covered all the main city sights of Munich and it was a good way for us to see the sights and learn some history as we were heading to Salzburg on an afternoon train later. The tour started from Marienplatz and then headed to the Frauenkirche (the Church of Our Lady) - the twin towers which dominate the Munich skyline, Altes Rathaus and St. Jacobsplatz, with a brief stop at Viktualienmarkt (outdoor markets)

After walking down Munich’s answer to Rodeo Drive , Maximillianstr., we followed the path Adolf Hitler took in 1923 when he tried to shoot his way into power during the Munich Beer Hall Putsch. Some interesting stories of how he came to power were told especially from his beginnings as a messenger boy and the many times he managed to avoid being killed.

We then visited the royal residence, a few town halls, the National Theatre and the world's most famous beer hall - Hofbräuhaus. The beer hall was once a men's only pub where back then all the men went outside to go to the toilet until someone decided it would be a good idea to put urinals underneath the tables. Of course that idea didn't last very long...due to 'splash-back' and smell of course and once women were allowed into the hall, that idea was left behind.

We discovered that the National Theatre was in fact reconstructed after a fire and the tour guide spoke about the origins of Oktoberfest.

Later that afternoon we travelled by DB Bahn up to Salzburg for two nights before coming back to Munich to catch our flight back home.

On our returning from visiting Salzburg over the weekend, we visited the Hofbräuhaus for dinner before heading to the airport. The place was huge and can probably fit about 1,000+ ppl. Just look at the size of the beers that serve! Good place for nice grub and beer and very reasonably priced.