The old town of Munich looked very interesting as we walked back last night so we decided to just take our time and explore the area today. The main square was closed off to pedestrians only and there were many of them for sure. It made for a very lively plaza, full of people, shops, streetside performers, and even fruit stands. The buildings weren't as old as Prague's or Berlin's, but in the backdrop of the main walk were old cathedrals and churches which definitely adds interests. We chose not to join any tours here because of our limited time. Our hotel was very close to the main square and after our 2 days here I feel like I know the area, but because we didn't get the history and the tours like we did in Berlin and Prague, I felt like I didn't know the city at all. I know the map and I know what the buildings look like, but there lacks the depth that comes with knowing the history of a place.
Janey liked Munich best of all three cities. She states its because of the combination of old and new in the same place. I suspect, it might be because of the shops. Her first impression of Munich (developed through walking in the "darker" areas of the main train station) quickly changed when she walked the plaza and saw the many shops and name brands here. Note to other women reading this, there's a street called Maximillianstrause that many of the high end name brands all within a couple of blocks. There was also no coincidence that many of the cars parked on the same street were exotics. So as Janey was happily shopping away, I was happily photographing the building cars. You'll see in my photograph below that she did some "heavy damage" in this shopping stroll.
In the afternoon, we decided to check out the new BMW Welt (translated to BMW World) since we are in their hometown. A tip for car fans: did you know that BMW stands for Bavarian Motorwerks? Yup, Munich is the capital of Bavaria, one of Germany's 16 states. BMW Welt was very easy to get to, right by their Olympia Park. It's a huge cluster of buildings including BMW main office, their museum, their main plant, and their new car pickup center. Our timing was off because we apparently have to pre-book for the plant tour and their museum is closed on Mondays. Nevertheless, we explored BMW Welt (their new car pickup center) and that was amazing in itself. It was much more than just a showroom. They had some of BMW's history on display along with interactive displays for people to learn about their individual technologies and features available on their cars. There was a motorcycle section and a large gift shop. But for me, the most impressive was the building. It was a beautiful example of modern German architecture; a great counter balance to all the classic buildings we've seen so far.
Day Eight - Munich/Stuttgart:
Being a Porsche fan and fellow Porsche owner, I had to make a roadtrip to Stuttgart, where it all started. I was excited to pick up our rental car (fingers crossed and hoping that it was a foreign brand) and couldn't wait to experience driving in Europe. The experience was amazing, full of wonderful and strange feelings I haven't felt. My first instance of this was when I was coming up to two Polizei (German for Police) cars and I instinctually slowed down and pulled in behind them. Behind me comes a BMW 1 series which zooms by me and the cops. I had a sudden OMG feeling, but then remembered that we were on the Autobahn and understood why the cops didn't go after him. It's a great system where people can go as fast as they want as long as it's not reckless. It works because these people know how to drive. They understand what it means to "Stay right, unless passing", something that Canadians (Especially BC drivers) need to learn from. I managed to get myself an Opel and was gunning it as hard as I can and still got the spooks when I looked in my rear view and saw cars coming up my tail fast! I was doing about 180 km/h so they must have been well beyond 200! I had a strange feeling quickly got out of the way to the right lane. Ah, the beauty of the Autobahn!
We finally got ourselves to the new Porsche Museum and I was excited like a schoolboy on a fieldtrip to the zoo. The whole district is Porsche headquarters, very much like what Munich Olympic Park was to BMW. The Porsche Museum is a beautiful modern structure that looks like it floats above the round-about driveway. The interior is kept all white so the "art" inside is highlighted. The whole museum is designed in a ramp layout which allows for a chronological display of all of Porsche's cars beginning from the year 1900 to current day. I was having a blast photographing everything I saw. There were so many beautiful angles to the car and the space. It's nothing short of eye candy for designers and car enthusiasts. Double impact if you're both!
After they mopped up my trial of drool from the museum floor, we headed back towards Munich. We had plans to check out other places along the way, but my drooling costed us valuable time. But let me tell you, it was worth it.
Since it was our last night last night here, we decided to check out another highly rated restaurant, Augustine's Beerhaus. It's a local brewery that is also a restaurant. It had a great atmosphere, with bench seats like a highschool cafeteria. All the young people from the Hostel across the street probably helped with that. We decided to go upstairs to their rooftop patio and take in the twilight. It was a large but cozy patio in between 2 brick buildings; really gives you that medieval feeling. Being the last day here, Janey was determined to try German's famous Pork knuckles. I opted for the roasted chicken with a 1/2 litre of their famous Augustine Lager. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was amazing. Definitely a must try for those of you thinking of visiting.
We drove back to the hotel just after sunset and reflected on what a great city it was. My only regret is that we didn't have more time to explore the history of it and their famous castle in the mountains an hour south of Munich.
Overall, the trip was amazing. The people in Germany were super-friendly and helpful. In Prague, we experienced a mixture; the people on the streets were generally friendly, but the public servants were unfriendly and cold. One common theme for all 3 cities though is how much they love their beer and how cheap it was (Heck, it's cheaper than water). Case in point, we saw this one mountain biker on the subway and he had some serious gear with saddle bags and all. But the one thing that stood out for me was that he had a pouch in front of his handlebar where he used to store his beer. Of course!
With so much to see and do that I've forgotten what the first parts were like now. Thank god for blogs and photos.
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