Munich

Home of sausages, pretzels, and of course beer! In the following post I will share with you how my friends and I spent 4 days/3 nights in Bavaria. I hope you enjoy it!

We arrived in Munich late Thursday evening with just enough time to get the lay of the land and find some dinner. After exploring the Hofstatt shopping district we grabbed a bite to eat around our hostel. Heads up if you're planning to travel to Munich anytime soon, the metro system is the worst transportation system I experienced while abroad.

Friday we went on a 3 hour walking tour of the city that was amazing. Our guide was probably one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. Originally from England, our tour guide visited Munich in the 1990s and decided to stay. We walked all across the city visiting Marienplatz, Altes Rathaus, Viktualienmarkt, the famous Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, and the Munich Residenz. After our tour we went to the famous Hofbräuhaus for a beer. The Hofbräuhaus used to be the king's beer house before it became a public beer house. At Hofbräuhaus we made the mistake of ordering a large beer thinking it would be equivalent to an American large beer. We were so wrong. The large beer was the size of 2.5 pints of beer. The jug was bigger than my head! We got pretzels while we sipped our beer and chatted. For dinner we went to the Schneider Bräuhaus München beer house where we became friends with the table next to us and indulged in a delicious dinner.

Saturday we took a Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace Day Tour from Munich.Our first stop was at the Linderhof Palace (King Ludwig II’s summer villa) followed by a stop in a small town called Oberammergau. Oberammergau is known for its woodwork and passion plays. The locals participate in cross-country skiing to get from their homes to the local shops. Another fun fact about this town is that most buildings have art depicting classic children's stories such as Goldilocks, Hansel and Gretel and Pinocchio. Our final and main excursion on this day was to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle! This castle has been on my bucket list for so long! Built by King Ludwig II in the 19th century it was the inspiration behind the Disney Pixar's Sleeping Beauty castle. There was so much deep history behind this castle and the mad King Ludwig II who built it. After our tour was over and we got on the bus to head back to Munich we were surprised by our tour guide with a beer for the ride home!

On Sunday we packed up and before leaving we visited the Jewish Memorial Museum. The museum was fantastic and unique from any Jewish memorial I have ever visited. I am glad I got to visit the Jewish Memorial Museum before leaving Germany!

Fun facts: #1 For a beer to be recognized in Munich, Germany, the makers have to abide by a law created in 1516 that states the only ingredients used for brewing are barley, hops, and water. Additionally, the water has to come from tanks that are directly under each and every brewery in the town and the beer has to be brewed within the Munich city lines to be recognized as a Munich beer.

#2: King Ludwig II was greatly inspired by the French King Louis XIV. Every major and minor detail about his palaces and castles were inspired by or direct copies of Louis XIV palaces. He was a loner by choice. He commissioned a table to be made in his summer villa that could be mechanically lowered into the kitchen so his servants could load up his dinner table with food before lifting it back up into his private dining room. Finally, as of modern day his cause of death is still unknown. One day he went on a walk with his doctor around the lake (picture 2) and a few hours later he and his doctor were found dead in the water.