Munich - Here Comes the Rain

Unfortunately our string of sunny weather came to an end in Munich. Right as September rolled in, the searing heat we felt in the first half of our trip melted away, but rain accompanied the cooler weather. Without clear skies, the camera didn't make it out of the bag often so I'm sorry for the paucity of photos.

We did however make it to a few sites indoors that kept us occupied. As Munich was home to the Wittlebachs, rulers of Bavarian Germany for seven hundred years, there was another palace to tour. While the treasury wasn't quite up to the Hapsburgs, the living quarters were more impressive. How would I look in one of those crowns? Pretty good right? Afterwards I sighed relief as I wouldn't be touring any more palaces until....London in two weeks. That's enough recovery time.

Munich is also famous for their beer halls. You might be contractually obligated to visit a beer hall as a tourist in Munich, so we followed along (this is the home of Oktoberfest after all). The beer halls were packed with people. You could spot the serious locals by their old school feathered green caps, lederhosen, and leather shoes. They serve beer in 1 liter mugs- Yes, a full liter! There is also a band playing classic Bavarian tunes. It's basically one big party. You search to find an empty seat at one of the large picnic style tables. We ended up sitting with a Brazilian couple and a Japanese couple (like I said, you're practically obligated to go as a tourist) and "enjoyed" a classic meal of bratwurst and sauerkraut.

At this point in the trip, we had hit a wall with the meat and potato-heavy menus (see Bratislava post about where this really started). Austrians and Germans love their sausages, schnitzel, and any other heavy foods. Craving salad, we found a quick service Italian chain called Vapiano's. If you are living around DC, they have a few there. Great food that's made right in front of you and fairly quickly. We went three times in three days in Munich to get away from all the meat and potatoes!