Munich - Germany

After a long but enjoyable – (lots of movies to watch if one can’t sleep in planes) -25-hour or so plane travel from Brisbane – mostly in the remarkably quiet and comfortable Airbus A380, I landed in Nice early August 2015.  After a few days to get over the jetlag, my first destination was a quick stopover in Munich, on my way to Sofia; Bulgaria’s capital.  I only spent 6 hours or so there but that gave me enough time to wander about the city centre and indulge in some of the many pleasures that city has on offer.

Munich architecture

The architecture... 

Munich architecture, interesting addition

The bakeries...

Bagels and Sandwiches - Munich



Pastries - Munich

Munich is the capital and largest city of the German state of Bavaria.  It is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg with a population of above 1.5 million people.  The city; a major centre for art, advanced technologies, finance, publishing, culture, innovation, education, business and tourism and it enjoys a very high standard and quality of living.  Munich is also famous for its annual Oktoberfest beer celebrations.

"You do not even go somewhere else.  I tell you there's nothing like Munich.  Everything else is a waste of time in Germany"
 

Ernest Hemingway 



Munich magnificence ...

The year 1158 is the earliest date the city is mentioned in a document.  In 1175, Munich was officially granted city status and received fortification.  In 1255, Munich became the ducal residence of Upper Bavaria.  When Bavaria was reunited in 1506, Munich became its capital.  The bubonic plague broke out in 1634 and 1635.  About one third of the population died during that time.

In 1806, the city became the capital of the newly established Kingdom of Bavaria. Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Life in Munich became very difficult, as the Allied blockade of Germany led to food and fuel shortages.
 

After World War I, Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists rose to prominence.  In November 1923 Hitler and his supporters, who were then concentrated in Munich, launched the so called "Beer Hall Putsch" in an attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic and seize power.  The revolt failed, resulting in Hitler's arrest and the temporary crippling of the Nazi Party, which at that time was virtually unknown.
 

The city once again became a Nazi stronghold when the National Socialists took power in Germany in 1933.  The Party created their first concentration camp at Dachau, 16 kilometres north-west of the city.

The post war period was characterised by American occupation until 1949.  Unlike many other German cities, which were heavily bombed and destroyed during World War II, Munich rebuilt most of its traditional cityscape.  Munich was the site of the 1972 Summer Olympics, during which Israeli athletes were assassinated by Palestinian terrorists during the so called Munich massacre.

A selection of aromatic pipe tobaccos


Jars of aromatic pipe tobacco - Munich

A display of pipes


Pipes - Munich

Travelling with my brother, an expert on pipes and pipe tobaccos – especially aromatic ones, we visited 3 or 4 tobacco shops.

Cigars - Munich

 An extensive variety of cigars...


Cigars - Munich

Cigar presentation - Munich

Being a non-smoker, I had never ventured in such places before.  I couldn’t tell what impressed me most.  Was it the inviting aromas that filled the shops?  Was it the impressive layouts, the impeccable range and quality of the products on display or the level of professional knowledge and service that the Staff provided in each of the places we visited?  I left my brother to his search for the newest or rarest tobaccos and wandered about the shops with my camera.

Once done, we headed for what I considered the serious part of the stopover – LUNCH!!!  We selected the HOFBRAUHAUS; arguably the most famous beer hall worldwide, and conveniently located in the city centre.  The HOFBRAUHAUS also operates the second largest tent at the Oktoberfest, one of Munich's most famous attractions.

Our lunch destination - Munich

Once inside, it felt like I had landed in a different world - a new experience for me again.  The only thing I could relate this noisy and lively place to were some memories from the few movies and documentaries I have watched over the years where the story and events were set in a similar place.

Inside the Beer House - Munich

A wooden carving hanging from the ceiling.

Joie de Vivre - Munich

From the finely decorated ceilings to the noise of the dining crowd to some of the quirky decorations, glass cabinets, the uniformed dining room attendants, the lady selling freshly baked bagels to the traditional Bavarian orchestra; everything was in place and worked perfectly.



Glasses ready for the clients - Munich

 Some traditional Bavarian music...


The Traditional Orchestra - Munich

The lady selling bagels at the restaurant.

The Bagel Lady - Munich

 The staff...


The Staff

We were assigned to a table and began planning the meal I had dreamt about for quite some time.  We started with a large freshly baked bagel and 2 different beers.


Bagel and Beer - Munich

Next came the traditional sauerkraut and assortment of sausages. 

Sauerkraut - Munich

We followed with Schweinsbraten - (pot roasted pork) with a dumpling made from potatoes or white bread and the tastiest gravy to accompany the dish).  It was delicious.

Pork and Dumpling - Munich

There were other culinary specialties on offer there.  I unfortunately couldn’t take any images of these dishes:

Ø  The Weissurste ('white sausage'), a Munich specialty.  These are often served with sweet mustard (another Munich/Bavarian specialty) and freshly baked pretzels.  The skin has to be removed before the meat can be eaten

Ø  Leberkas – A Bavarian baked sausage loaf, often served with potato salad and sometimes topped with a fried egg, is another delicacy of the region

Ø  The most famous soup might be the Leberknödel soup; a bread dumpling seasoned with liver and onions

Ø  Popular desserts include Apple Strudel with vanilla sauce, Dampfnudeln (yeast dumplings served with custard) and Auszogene, a fried pastry shaped like a large doughnut without a hole

We skipped dessert and looked for a place to have a coffee.  Not far from the HOFBRAUHAUS, we found the perfect place and indulged in a small vanilla-flavoured cigar no bigger that a cigarette - (I occasionally break the non-smoker rule) and a piping hot espresso. 


Coffee after lunch - Munich

My visit to Munich was drawing to an end and with the thought of coming back again one day, we headed back to the airport en route for Sofia.