Guten Abend. We landed at 10 am and were at the hotel by noon. Quick nap and we were wandering the streets by 2 pm. Munich is very charming. We are across the street from a huge open-air market —Viktualinmarkt—that probably does a great Christmas market in November. There are Bier Gartens and wurst markets everywhere, garden shops, and do dads for sale. It’s only day 1, and I might have to mail some things home! They’re all handmade and so cute! (Surprises coming) The best part was that I got to use my well-rehearsed German. Hooray! My sentence worked, and I understood the answer! Whoo hoo!
Across the street from our lovely hotel was the Vitualenmarkt—an all-day, place to gather, eat, and buy cute stuff. As you can see, lederhosen and dirndls are popular here—especially at this outdoor restaurant!
In the Marienplatz, we took pictures of the Glockenspiel off hour and wandered among the cobblestones to the Hopfrauhaus, a total tourist trap, we heard. Maybe so, but it’s our kind of trap— live music! And our waiter, Andres, was extremely helpful. I chatted a bit with the musicians, some in rough German, but it’s so noisy there that my quiet attempts weren’t as clear as loud English!
How about this for an entry into Deutschland! The Glockenspiel with the little figures moving around up top as the chimes rang 5 pm.
After another short nap, we were out again, determined to catch the Glockenspiel in action, and by golly, we did. Great surprise at the end. We wandered a bit more and ended up right back at Hopfrauhaus— it was that good. It was just 7, the time when Andres told us to come back. We thought it might be quiet then—but, oh no, a rousing riot, more like. Singing the lyrics as the band played, whole tables clapping, and clanking glass beer mugs in time. What fun. We had a simple dinner but came away with new friends. The leader of the band might send me some of his charts. Oktoberfest coming.
This is inside the Hopbrauhaus before it got busy. I’m standing almost on stage with the band.
And with that, the day was done—one fine first day! Come along —there will be more tomorrow!
Kartoffel salat mit frankfurter!
Outdoor garden shops are on every corner!
