The local Munich guide had to answer the question, what and how to share with the tour group and keep it to about three hours for those of us with limited attention spans...The givens were to share a community with a complex history, elite level of art and music, historical old town center, and enjoyable recreational activities with the beer halls and a world famous historic Octoberfest...
Our local Munich guide had her answers and met us early to get a jump start on several areas that later would became more crowded...We followed and cut through the stands of veggies, flowers and sausage offerings being set up for the local Viktualienmarkt a farmers market...Marienplatz walking area and center of Old Town...A brief history of the major architecture...At the square center Virgin Mary statue, a thanksgiving and multiple historic movements rallying spot...Saint Peter's, the oldest Munich Church, and adjoining Old Town Hall destroyed in WWII by bombings intended to completely smash all of the historical Nazi center...The New Town Hall overshadows Marienplatz, where there are tributes to the Olympic Games assassinations and earlier Nazi movement beginnings. It is decorated with statues of the former nobility, which survived the WWII bombings...Onward four blocks to a historic recreation center, the 5000 seat Hofbräuhaus...Outside is hanging a logo, a Crown for the beer of the Royal Court, and a member of the seven beers of Munich...What great ' timing, it's the U-Bahn ride to Odeonsplatz for our visit to Octoberfest 2014...This started in 1810 as a king's marriage reception, now it is a fairground with eight large beer halls each seating several thousand, many coming from across the world...We arrived with the growing crowds at mid morning so our guide could get us seated together in one of the famous beer halls to celebrate the Octoberfest experience...Very cool, with booming oompah music, pretzels, pigs feet and large wurst meals delivered to the beer drinker packed benches at varnished BBQ like tables.
Our local Munich guide had her answers and met us early to get a jump start on several areas that later would became more crowded...We followed and cut through the stands of veggies, flowers and sausage offerings being set up for the local Viktualienmarkt a farmers market...Marienplatz walking area and center of Old Town...A brief history of the major architecture...At the square center Virgin Mary statue, a thanksgiving and multiple historic movements rallying spot...Saint Peter's, the oldest Munich Church, and adjoining Old Town Hall destroyed in WWII by bombings intended to completely smash all of the historical Nazi center...The New Town Hall overshadows Marienplatz, where there are tributes to the Olympic Games assassinations and earlier Nazi movement beginnings. It is decorated with statues of the former nobility, which survived the WWII bombings...Onward four blocks to a historic recreation center, the 5000 seat Hofbräuhaus...Outside is hanging a logo, a Crown for the beer of the Royal Court, and a member of the seven beers of Munich...What great ' timing, it's the U-Bahn ride to Odeonsplatz for our visit to Octoberfest 2014...This started in 1810 as a king's marriage reception, now it is a fairground with eight large beer halls each seating several thousand, many coming from across the world...We arrived with the growing crowds at mid morning so our guide could get us seated together in one of the famous beer halls to celebrate the Octoberfest experience...Very cool, with booming oompah music, pretzels, pigs feet and large wurst meals delivered to the beer drinker packed benches at varnished BBQ like tables.
Our last tour afternoon was "our choice'...Often we will follow a Rick's Guide Book walking tour, or find a spot to people watch... Our choice was to join Rick's recomended Radius afternoon walking tour...Our guide was aBrit who often led tours which began at the railroad station...München Dom, Fruenkirche from the 1400's...a photo display of the destruction by WWII bombs...A plaque honoring a former archbishop who would become Pope Ratzinger...Marienhof park a great grass area filled with sun worshippng people and lots of bikes...Max-Joesph-Platz, winter palace of the royal family with the National Theater...A Hofbräuhaus walk thru visit...Concluded in Odeonsplaz for a detailed historical on the Nazi movement and its consequences...