EuroMegavacation Episode 10 - Munich, Germany

Looking up at the tippy top of the New Town Hall (and the beautiful blue sky) from the observation deck level.

Time is a funny thing.  The first dozen+ days of our EuroMegavacation passed by so leisurely.  It felt like we had all the time in the world.  The days went on and on.  It was such a nice, long trip!  Then, all of the sudden, it was almost over.  The final three nights--in München (Munich), Germany--seemed like they came up so fast.  Where did the time go?!?

A swan drifts along on the Kleinhesseloher See in Munich's English Garden.

The train travel was smooth and flawless, made especially blissful because there were no transfers.  Direct from Salzburg to Munich!  Munich was the largest city on our trip. Walking through the central train station (München Hauptbahnhof) a second time really emphasized how big it is!  We had been speedwalking through it the first time in order to catch our train to Austria.  Taking it at a leisurely pace made the distance from one end of the platforms to the other really impressive.  We'd been primarily using single or double-platform, village-sized train stations. 

Matt consults the guidebook on the front steps of the Bavarian State Opera. 

From the central station, we planned to take a subway (U-Bahn) that would drop us quite near our hotel.  We bought our tickets and found the U-bahn platforms with no difficulty.  BUT!  Matt and I had a heck of a time trying to figure out which track we needed.  We were pretty sure we wanted the S-Train, but there was an S-Train going in both directions and none of it seemed to match up with our ticket info.  

There were so many cool front doors in Germany, including this mandala-like set in Munich.

We were deeply uncertain about which track would take us the direction we needed to go.  

Matt and I were examining the info map and signboards in confusion when a lovely, German woman approached and asked if she could help us.  We told her our ultimate destination and the three of us looked over the map together.  She directed us toward the proper track and said the next train would get us there.  We asked if we needed to buy another ticket since we'd missed the timeslot for the one we already bought.  She reassured us that since we had a ticket and were only going a handful of stops anyway, it would all be okay.   We thanked her profusely for her kindness and got on the subway to the Isartor Gate.  

The morning street scene below our hotel.

Three stops later, we made our way back above ground and located our lodging at the Hotel Isartor.  This place was a pretty conventional hotel, but we had a balcony, and it was an incredibly convenient location between the Isar River and the heart of the Munich's Old Town.  The hotel staff were super nice and helpful.  We settled into our room and had a quick lunch on the balcony. The road below us had plenty of automotive traffic, but it was surprisingly quiet three stories up at our room.  The street was lined with rows of connected apartment buildings, often with a shop or restaurant on the first floor.  Fueled up, we headed out into the city.

Lunch on the balcony at our hotel

From the hotel, we walked to the famed Marienplatz (Mary's Square).  This former market square is framed by striking, historic buildings, including both the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) and the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus).  A prominent feature of the square is the Mariensaule, a golden statue of the Virgin Mary on a tall pillar, erected in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation during the 30 Years' War.  The actual golden statue was made in 1590.  It was originally housed inside the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).   As a side note, we were thwarted on visiting the Fraunekirche repeatedly.  I don't think we ever got to walk around and admire its beauty from the interior.  It was a very actively used church.  Services were in session a lot.

The golden statue of Mary is on a pillar at the left, the domed double towers of the Frauenkirche are near the center, the New Town Hall dominates the frame to the right. 

We decided our first order of business should be getting the lay of the land.  There were a couple options on the Marienplatz for a birds' eye view of Munich.  We opted for the 280 foot tall New Town Hall tower over the nearby 299 foot tall tower at St. Peter's Church (Peterskirche).   Our fresh memory of the hot, sweaty, narrow spiral staircase experience in the Cologne Cathedral was a major factor in our decision making.  We could take an elevator all the way up to the viewing deck in the New Town Hall tower.  So, we did that.

Looking down on the Marienplatz from the observation deck of the New Town Hall.

Munich was lovely from such an elevated perspective.  We basically had the tower to ourselves so we slowly walked the circumference of the viewing deck twice, stopping for a lengthy examination of the city from each side of the tower.  We pulled out our guidebook and compared the scene below to the map to orient ourselves.  It was nifty to watch the stream of activity trickling through the Marienplatz, to see the turquoise fountain from directly above, to see the texture of the city spread all around us.  

An overview of Munich from the New Town Hall tower.

Leaving the New Town Hall, we set off to explore using Rick Steve's Munich City Walk as our framework.  But... we were almost immediately derailed when we stumbled into the fabulous beer garden at the Viktualienmarkt (food market).  The rows of wooden tables under the blooming Chestnut trees were absolutely irresistible.  We each got a liter of crisp, tasty, local beer and found an empty table smack dab in the middle of things.  We soaked in that experience in a big way.  The beautiful light filtering through the green tree canopy studded with pink flowers.  The people watching-- groups of locals and tourists alike.  The gigantic, delicious beer.  It was magical.  So much fun.

Matt takes a glug from his first Maßkrug (liter mug of beer).

The Viktualienmarkt is a really cool space and a beautiful nod to Munich’s commitment to small businesses and tradition.  The 100+ market stalls selling honey, flowers, meats, veggies, baked goods and more are essentially subsidized so that small, regional producers and vendors don’t get pushed out by larger, more corporate vendors.  The beer served in the beer garden equitably rotates between all six Munich breweries.    The location of the Viktualienmarkt--in the heart of old Munich--must certainly make that piece of ground highly valuable.  Matt and I were quite impressed that the value of community, greenspace, local commerce, and more were given priority over bottom-line real estate opportunity.  It was an urban oasis.

An Oleander blooms along a cobblestone street.

An elderly couple asked if they could join us, a common practice on the long beer garden/beer hall tables.  They were locals and we made some friendly conversation.  They recommended some local events, inquired about what other parts of Germany we’d visited, and even let me bumble through some conversation about the weather in Deutsch.  The wife spoke English quite well, her husband not so much.  Matt and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing a table with them.  

A "headless" street performer busks with his accordion near the Viktualienmarkt.

I did not enjoy sharing a table with the middle-aged man who sidled over to our table after the other couple left.  That guy wanted to talk abrasive politics which was the last thing I wanted to do while sipping my liter under the Chestnut blossoms.  We tried to redirect the conversation to other topics, but that was a nonstarter.  After some meaningful eye contact, Matt and I silently agreed to finish our big ol' beers more quickly than anticipated and get the heck out of there.  This was the only unpleasant political encounter we had in Europe.  We received a handful of Trump/US politics-related questions here and there, but it was always respectful and based in genuine curiosity.  This guy was just on a rant.  It was totally different.

A fountain, built in the 1840s, near the Ludwig Maximilian University.  It is one of a pair and their design was adapted from the fountains on St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

We eagerly left our table in the Viktualienmarkt and took a meandering route to the Marienplatz for the 5:00pm ringing of the famous glockenspiel– a sort of super elaborate cuckoo clock or music box–on the New Town Hall.  Our two-liter-beer buzz only added to the festive atmosphere on the square.  

Matt licking his lips in the background of this photo really says it all.

The crowd on the Marienplatz had been relatively sparse in the early afternoon (around 1pm) when we went up the New Town Hall tower.  As 5:00pm approached, it had filled up with travelers eager to see this spectacle.  Even still, it was not nearly as crowded as I recall from my visit to Munich in 2002.  The figures on the glockenspiel were larger than I remembered, basically life-sized.  The show also went on for SO much longer than I remembered, too, about ten minutes!  I thought it was over…and then the second part started!  It was fun.  The sky made a perfectly blue backdrop for the white building.  There wasn’t a cloud in sight.  It was great.

A snapshot from New Town Hall's glockenspiel show.  We each watched part of it "up close" through our binoculars.

The glockenspiel tells two stories from Germanic history.  The upper tier of the glockenspiel relates the story of the wedding between Duke Wilhelm V and Renata of Lorraine in the mid 1500s.  There are even figures that joust!  Once that storyline wraps up, the lower tier of the glockenspiel tells the story of the coopers hitting the streets, dancing and rejoicing, after the end of a plague in 1517.  It is a really twirly, jubilant finale to the show that I enjoyed immensely. 

The interior courtyard of the New Town Hall, just off the Marienplatz.  We came here a lot because it had one of the most centrally located and quickly accessible public bathrooms we found.  

After the fun on the Marienplatz wrapped up, Matt and I walked up the street to St. Peter’s Church.  Dating from 1368, St. Peter’s is the oldest church in Munich.  “Old Peter,” is simply spectacular.  The high arched white ceiling was painted with glorious and airy scenes.  It looked like the ceiling was framing the open sky.  The towering altars throughout were so fancy with their gold trim, red marble, and columns.  St. Peter’s was badly damaged by World War II air raids, but was restored with precision in part because the the Nazis had taken so many photographs of it.

St. Peter's Church was totally gorgeous.  I particularly liked the ceiling.

We saw the skeleton of St. Munditia in a glass coffin in one of the chapel alcoves along the length of Old Peter.  This was a little spooky in my book.  I was pretty shocked when I saw her.  Her thin, bony bejeweled feet were my first glimpse of St. Munditia.  Puzzled by this blinged out skeleton (complete with glass eyes), I donated a Euro for a pamphlet about her.  It was written in German, but I thought translating it to learn more would be fun.  And it was.  

This photo is from the booklet that I purchased inside St. Peter's Church.  The bottle in her hands contains dry blood.  I was uncertain about the ethics of photographing her myself.

Munditia was martyred– beheaded, as the story goes– in about 310 CE.  She was interred in the Cyriacus Catacombs in Rome.  Then, in 1675, her body–considered a holy relic– was given as a gift from the pope in Rome to the church of St. Peter.  I thought that was really something.  I mean, human remains being sent off hundreds of years later as a gift to the faithful, adding gravatas and prestige to St. Peter’s Church? I dunno…that seems…interesting.  And weird.  I’m still not sure how to feel about it.  Munditia's skeletal remains are wrapped in a gauzy body stocking to hold all her bones together.  She has been adorned head to toe with a rainbow of gems and jewels.  These weren’t the only holy bones we saw during our visits to European churches, but they were the most striking and noteworthy example for me.  I told A LOT of people about her.

Gold and marble abound on this altar in St. Peter's Church.  It was amazing to me how the layers of decoration flowed together in one amazing creation--from the gilded, painted ceiling past the ornate altars, statuary, and wooden pews, to the tile floor.

Matt and I left St. Peter’s and sat near a fountain to watch some skateboarders while having a snack.  We tried to check out St. Michael’s Church and the Frauenkirche, but both were having religious services that curtailed our sightseeing.  So, then we ventured inside the Asam Chruch (Asamkirche).  Ohhhhhhhhhhh myyyyyyy goooooooodness.  We were in rococo, fabulous church heaven!!! 

Asamkirche is probably the most lavish church I've seen yet.

This was the private chapel of the Asam brothers who also designed churches.  Built in 1740, it was sort of like their showroom as well.  It gave me Vegas vibes in that it was just totally over the top.  It borders on obscenely opulent, too-much-in-the-best-way-possible.  It was gold and marble and crystal and sculpture and plaster and painting galore.  Not a single inch-- floor to ceiling-- went unadorned.  Marble scrolls, gold garlands, and sculpted cupids left and right.  

Cord of Life sculpture in Asamkirche

I particularly liked the gilded Grim Reaper cutting the cord of life near the entrance.  The stark reminders of mortality in these old, European churches and cemeteries was really fascinating to me.  The stark depictions of skeletons and reapers, say.  It is so different.  I am more accustomed to the Victorian legacy of portraying death as a deep and comfortable sleep or a more modern western tendency to simply ignore death/mortality all together.  The Asamkirche is only 30 feet wide, but gall dang was there a lot going on in that narrow space.

The ceiling of the Asamkirche.

All of the sudden Matt and I were super ready for dinner.  Like SUPER ready.  Our salami and cheese snack by the fountain had definitely worn off.  As part of our trip planning, we had made a list of vegan-friendly restaurants in our google maps.  The closest place was a sushi joint called Secret Garden.  Their entire menu was vegan and very inventive.  We ate outside on their little alley patio where we could hear the church bells ringing.  The saucy, tender dumplings and crunch, flavorful tempura roll were delicious.  And fast!  It sure hit the spot.  We were tremendously satisfied.

Dinner at Secret Garden.  Night one.

Once we were fed, Matt and I both hit the metaphorical wall.  Since it was already getting dark anyways, we made our way back to the hotel for the night.  We stopped at the neighborhood gas station for a couple bottles of beer.  We sat on the balcony in our room drinking tasty beer and reveling in the last bits of sunset.  A young boy in the apartment across the street got out a green laser pointer and started messing with the folks walking the sidewalks below.  He’d duck beneath the window sill to hide when people looked up to find the source of the light.  It was such wholesome trickery.  Matt and I called it a relatively early night.

The last bit of sunset pink lights up the sky over Munich, as seen from our hotel balcony.

We woke early the next morning, rested and raring to discover the royal history of Munich. After breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the historic residence (Residenz) of the Wittelsbach family where one could easily spend alllllllllllll day.  

The green gallery room in the Munich residenz.

This sprawling, palatial home in the heart of Munich started as a basic castle in 1385.  From 1550 to 1650 there was an extensive period of construction, expansion, and redesign leading to the building as it is today.  The Wittelsbach family used it as their homebase for about 500 years.  Of course, it was largely destroyed during World War II (and subsequently rebuilt), like so much of Munich.  There are three segments open for touring–the opera theater, the treasury (Schatzkammer), and the residence proper.  We only visited the latter two, starting with the treasury.  

The blue cabinet room is part of a bedroom suite.  I admired both of the inlaid, carved rolltop desks a lot.

Inside the treasury, we saw more gems, gold, crowns, scepters, belts, goblets, jewel boxes, broaches and so on and so forth than I could have possibly imagined in one place.  For real.  Words can’t do it justice.  

A lavish portrait in the treasury of the Virgin Mary with pearls, gold, and precious gems.

I was a "tomboy" growing up, so I've never really been the girl who dreamed of being a princess and all that, but OH!  There was this one crown that left me utterly gobsmacked.  Awestruck!  I stood in front of the display case shifting back and forth from one foot to the other watching the diamonds sparkle in the light.  I would have LOVED to try that thing on.  It was beautiful beyond any crown I could have imagined.  I bet it was heavy.  I have never seen anything so magnificently sparkling in my life. I was, quite literally, dazzled.  It was glorious.  Stunning.  Fabulous to the max.  

We also saw things with our own two eyes that Matt and I only knew from books, like bezoars, say.  There was a treasure box depicting St. George slaying the dragon on it made entirely from gems, ivory, and precious stones.  The dragon scales were emerald and jade.  St. George’s robe was ivory studded with rubies.  We saw a bunch of different portable travel altars.  The tiniest were about the size of a walnut and  carved from wood with scenes like the Last Supper or crucifixion.  They were some of the finest, tiniest wood carving we’d ever seen.  The treasury was an amazing collection.  Understatement of the year.

A portable, travel altar in the treasury.

From the treasury, we moved on to the 90 rooms of the Residenz and spent hours passing from gorgeous room to gorgeous room learning the history and admiring the beauty.  The walls were elaborately painted and gilded and wallpapered.  We saw stunning Belgian tapestries, our first “giraffe piano," and vibrant portraits of countless generations of nobility framed in gold.  We saw the most ornate masonry heaters yet and intricately painted vases and porcelain.  Once again, I didn't realize the German royals "had a thing" for Asian art.

A beautiful masonry heater tucked into the corner of the ante chamber to the conference chamber where the big wigs Wittelsbachs met visitors in the Residenz.

One of the most striking rooms for me–the banquet hall or antiquarium–is also the oldest, dating to 1550.  This long, low, arched hall stretches 220 feet long. It has a raised stage for the royals by the fireplace.  Every inch of the curved walls and ceiling are painted with vines and scenes from legend and history.  We stood near the center and turned in 360 to take it all in.  It was so big and so beautiful.

The antiquarium hall was pretty darn cool.

There was a series of bedrooms with elaborate four poster and/or curtained beds in silk and brocade. The furniture was spectacular.  Table legs ended in lions claws, desks were inlaid with ebony and other prized wood and embellished with gold.  Everything was so gosh darn fancy.  We saw the most impressive representation of the trompe l'oeil where the ceiling was actually flat, but looked domed and full of windows.  Depending on where we stood in the room, it was a very convincing optical illusion!   

This ceiling isn't "real."  The chandelier is there in all three dimensions.  The pillars, archways, busts, and windows are alllllllllllllllllllll an illusion.  I was very impressed.

Both the treasury and the residence had very comprehensive and satisfying interpretive materials.  Matt and I were in heaven.  We love a good interpretive sign and/or tour guide.  This was sort of like having both!  We borrowed a little audio player that had been programed in English (and other languages) from the check-in desk.  The objects (like the jewelry on the shelves in the treasury or the gaming tables in the residence parlor) would have an assigned number.  Matt and I could punch that number into the audio device and get a lengthy history of the object.   Matt knew about this in advance and so we brought earbuds which made it all the more enjoyable and convenient.

The very fancy footboard of a royal bed.

After a few hours, Matt realized we had only seen a fraction of the 90 rooms that are open to the public and needed to pick up the pace a bit…you know, if we wanted to get lunch and visit other places in Munich aside from the residenz.  To put it in perspective, if we spent five minutes in each of the 90 public rooms it would take seven and half hours to see it all!  At one point there was a sign that directed us down one hall for the “long tour” and in a different direction for the “short tour.”  We opted for the short tour…and even still didn’t make it back to the street until almost 2pm.  

The porcelain collection in the Munich Residence was impressive, but the golden riot of cabinets sort of stole the show for me.  

We got a super quick lunch at a donner shop that offered seitan donner kebab.  We took our wraps and fries and sat on the pedestal of a statue, happily munching away.  Having a donner was one of the things on my EuroMegavacation to-do list.  We’d given it a go in Bacharach at a donner shop that had “vegetarian donner” on the menu. That turned out to just be the salad part on a pita….which wasn’t exactly what we were hoping for…but did serve its purpose in filling us up.  Anyhoo, the second time was the charm!  It was delicious and satisfying to try a seitan donner.

Veg donner kebab and fries!

Our map seemed to indicate we were quite close to the historic Hofbräuhaus (founded by Duke Wilhelm V, the guy from the glockenspiel, I might add) so we decided it was time to have a beer.  The Hofbräu was one of the Munich landmarks that I remembered from my trip as an 18 year old.  It was a very different experience this time.  For one thing, Matt and I were able to get a table on the main, ground floor level surrounded by a sea of tourists and locals alike.  In 2002, I had been part of a large tour group and we’d been in the third floor festival hall where they have more space for groups.  The first floor had a decidedly more intimate and old-fashioned feel with lower, arched ceilings and filled with long, wooden tables with benches.  The first floor also permits opportunities to rub elbows with the locals.  We enjoyed the homey vibes a lot.

This part of the residence had not been fully restored after it was damaged during World War II.  I thought the revealed brickwork was tremendously impressive.  Aside from this room, the brick that underpins all the architecture is hidden by plaster and gild and other decorative elements.

Matt and I enjoyed a couple of liters of beer, a pretzel as big as our face, and the oompah music being played by a traditional band on a small stage near the center of the room.  Women in dirndl dresses roam the beer hall selling the giant pretzels from large, flat boxes strapped to their torsos (like baseball peanut vendors).  The Hofbräu features a rotating cast of local bands for their twice-daily music performances.  It is a tremendously fun, lively atmosphere.  We had a truly great time.

That's one happy Amerikaner with his giant beer and giant pretzel.

Leaving the brewery, we opted for a stroll.  We found the home of the Bavarian State Opera (Bayerische Staatsoper) and sat on the wide, columned steps while Matt consulted the guidebook.  We were close by the Odeonplatz and a unique memorial to WWII, so headed that direction.  Drückebergergasse (Shirker's Alley) is a side street that people opposed to the Nazis took to avoid entering the nearby Odeonplatz because during Hitler's tenure everyone was legally required to perform the Hitler salute when they entered the Odeonplatz (because of a Nazi memorial built there). The cobblestones on the side street were worn down in the middle from the extra (protest) foot traffic. In the 1990s this was emphasized with bronze cobblestones.  I thought it was a notable tribute to everyday Germans who protested tyranny in their own ways, big and small.  

Matt walking down Drückebergergasse. 

We entered the striking Theatine Church of St. Cajetan and Adelaide (Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan und Adelheid).  This church, built in the late 1600s, was especially notable for us because of how dazzling white it was inside.  That is not to say it isn't highly decorated--it totally is.  This house of worship is designed in a baroque style, similar to the Salburg Cathedral, with the black antiquing on the white carved stone and stucco.  It was a more subtle interior than some of the lavishly gold and painted churches, but no less beautiful.  It felt pretty classy and elegant.  The exterior of the church was pretty eye-catching, too, since it was yellow and had double towers.

The clean and bright interior of Theatine Church of St. Cajetan and Adelaide

Our meander took us past the Bavarian State Chancellery building to the sprawling Hofgarten (Court Garden).  The flowers and trees were so lovely.  We were drawn to the 12-sided pavilion in the center of the park.  This structure, designed in an Italian style and dedicated to the goddess Diana, was built in about 1615.  It features a lot of sea shells and includes wall-mounted fountains.  We sat awhile under the dome of the the Diana Temple listening to a talented violin player who was busking there. 

Listening to violin music in the fresh air in the Hofgarten.

We tried to visit both the Frauenkirche and St. Michael’s Church, but once again struck out because of ongoing religious services.  This took us within sight of the Viktualienmarkt again.  Unlike the churches, the biergarten was open for visitors.  So we pulled up a bench and enjoyed a tasty beer under those beautiful trees again.  But I just got a “small” half liter this time since we’d already been at the Hofbräu and all.

One "Little" beer (1/2 liter) and one "regular" beer (1 liter) in the Viktualienmarkt biergarten.

We went back to Secret Garden for a second meal.  We had enjoyed it so freaking much and there were so many incredible things on the menu we wanted to try!  We got a table on the patio again, but this time things didn’t go so smoothly.  For one thing, we had a miscommunication with the waiter which resulted in an annoyingly long wait time before we got to order.  I botched the German and think I answered his question backwards.   Aaaaaaaaaand while we were waiting…a pigeon pooped on my head.  Ugh.  It was so gross.  We actually moved to a table inside after that.  But.  All is well that ends well.  The food was absolutely delicious.  It was worth the wait.  It was even worth the avian bombardment.  We tried two different kinds of dumplings–including one that had a tremendous sweet-savor combo with pomegranate seeds and mango sauce–plus skewered tofu yakitori, and a crunchy tempura roll featuring eggplant.  

Dinner at Secret Garden.  Night two.

I absolutely HAD TO go back to the hotel room after dinner…so I could shower…and decontaminate the bird poop from my hair.  I also immediately had to text Marj because one of the things I’d learned about her during our time together was that she basically hates the resident pigeons.  I knew she would sympathize with my disgust.  And she did.   Matt and I picked up a few more beers on our walk back to the hotel.  Matt did some laundry.  We hung out on the patio, watching the street scene.  Our vibes were high.  We had been having such a great trip, from front to back.  On every level it had exceeded our hopes.  The history, the beauty, the people, the food, the architecture, the landscapes.  All of it.  We reminiced about all the amazing new experiences we had shared together.  It was a little crazy to think we only had one more day left.  

Kids play near a fountain on the Karlsplatz during one of our rambles around the city.

BUT.  As a very grand finale, the last day of our Europe MegaVacation was MY BIRTHDAY!!!

The striking yellow Theatine Church of St. Cajetan and Adelaide

I woke up very happy on my birthday.  We had breakfast at the hotel and then immediately set off to begin celebrating!  Gosh, I love my birthday.  Spending my birthday in Munich was a dream come true.  Waking up there was a gift unto itself!  Matt did SO good with the trip planning.  

More than 100 portraits hang in the Hall of Ancestors inside the Munich residence.

My first request was to visit a bookstore (Buchladen) or two.  That was what I desired as my birthday present/souvenir for myself.  German books.  Specifically, German children’s books.  We went to one small, independent bookshop and a fairly large chain store.  Both were off the Marienplatz.

We paused on a bridge over the Eisbach (Ice Brook) to snap a photo on our bikes.

Next, we walked to a grocery store for picnic supplies and then made our way to Mike’s Bike Tours where we rented bicycles for the day.  The guy in the bike shop was super helpful and friendly.  He recommended a couple of routes and gave us the cliffnotes of bike laws and safety in Germany.  He was also funny.  Like, he said the bike basket was about big enough to hold “about ten beers,” which I thought was an amusing unit of measurement.  He then told us to drink and ride “responsible-ish.”  And off we went!

Matt cycles in the shade of the blooming chestnut trees.

We started out with a lap through the Hofgarten.  Our main objective for the day was pedaling around Munich’s English Garden (Englischer Garten).  This is the largest city park in Europe.  It is bigger than NYC’s Central Park.  It was laid out in 1789 and is a popular spot with locals and tourists alike.  

The English Garden was such an urban paradise.

The park immediately offered me an incredible, perfect birthday gift.  

Mandarin Ducks remind me of Wood Ducks.  They also remind me of patchwork.  So many colors and patterns and textures!

Matt and I had barely crossed into the park when we encountered a pair of Mandarin Ducks.  This is a striking bird, to say the least.  These beauties basically don’t live in America.  They certainly don’t live anywhere near Montana.  As it happens though, we had just talked about these spectacular birds with Marjorie’s boyfriend, Phil.  He showed us some photos of a pair that had visited the pond on his property.  I had swooned a little over Phil’s photos, but OH MAN.  Those ducks were just about breathtaking in person.  As usual, photos fail to do justice.  They are so colorful!  And they have these fancy feathers that stick up improbably (they’re called sails, apparently) over their tails.  Ya can’t miss ‘em, the Mandarin Ducks.

A Mandarin Duck paddling around in the sunshine on the Eisbach.

We pedaled on letting our heart be the guide as we traversed through the meadows and trees, over the brooks and around the lakes.  We spotted Mandarin Ducks and Graylag Geese all over the place.  It was a beautiful morning in a beautiful place.  There were so many paths to choose from, both paved and dirt.  We eventually locked up our bikes at the Lake See Haus beer garden.  We got a table right on the lip of the Kleinhesseloher See.  It was early and the beer garden was almost empty.  The lake, on the other hand, was pretty hopping.  Swans, coots, ducks, and geese making Vs behind them on the placid surface of the lake.  There were adorable, fuzzy, little goose babies, too.  The fluffy white clouds drifted through that big, blue sky.  We ate a picnic lunch–more seitan luncheon meats and cheezes on fresh bread.  Talk about an excellent pitstop for our day of cycling!  

I was pretty gosh darn happy with that birthday beer beside the Kleinhesseloher See.

After consulting the map, Matt proposed we leave the park and go get birthday cake!  Of course I was 100% down with this plan.  So, we made our way out of the English Gardens and back onto the streets of Munich.  We popped out of the park near the university and only had to navigate a short distance to ride to Patisserie Sießl.  Here we checked off yet another thing from my to-do list:  Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake)!!  Even better since when enjoyed at a cute little sidewalk cafe table.  

Birthday Kaffee und Kuchen at Patisserie Sießl

This was an all vegan bakery that Matt had scouted out since he wanted to make sure I got cake on my birthday.  Because he knows how much I love my birthday!!  What a swell guy!   Sießl didn’t disappoint either! The raspberry tart was so bright and fresh.  The pistachio cream torte was absolutely decadent.  The cappuccino was creamy and delicious.  Plus cookies and cream ice cream!  It was awesome.  We got a pair of cakes to go–for later.

The birthday girl gazes in anticipation at her birthday cake at Patisserie Sießl.

We popped our cake box in the bike basket and hoped back on for the return trip to the bike shop.  I doubt we could have retraced our wandering route even if we had wanted to and we took an equally swell wandering route back.  We crossed to the other side of the river and ended up in a residental neighborhood.  We crossed back into the English Garden.  We paused to watch a coot sitting on eggs.  She’d built an island of a nest in the shallows and was fine-tuning and adjusting it, making it juuuuuuust right for her precious eggs.  We ended up back in the Hofgarten and made another pitstop under the Temple to Diana pavilion.  This time there was a dreadlocked man playing the drums busking there.  It was so different from the violin the day before.  We enjoyed both musicians/musical styles a great deal.

An unusual stone-and-shell fountain in the Temple to Diana pavilion in the Hofgarten.

We returned the bikes to Mike’s.  The friendly employee asked about our day and how we’d enjoyed ourselves.  I said it was perfect, exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday.  He lit up and said he had a birthday present for me–a sturdy, blue bike bell.  Ding, ding!  

A pair of Graylag Geese showing their only-child ducking the ropes on the Kleinhesseloher See in the English Garden.

When we were back on the sidewalk we realized we were right around the corner from the Hofbräu…so…when in Munich on your birthday, right?!?!   Since it was early evening on a Friday the place was a lot more hoppin’ than during our previous visit.  A local band was pumping out the tunes and the place was a sea of lively activity.  We saw a table with only two people at it and asked if we could slide in.  Our tablemates were a couple from New York.  When they heard it was my birthday they offered a toast with our giant beers.  They were fun beer hall companions.  We talked food, travel, and more.  I taught them the beer stein twirling trick I learned at the Hofbräu in 2002.  Eventually we were joined by a German couple celebrating their engagement with a holiday to Munich.  The New Yorkers told them it was my birthday and we had another toast.   We had another round of stein twirling.  The German guy did it with a completely full liter and didn’t spill a drop.  I was terribly impressed.  It was a session of instant bonding and camaraderie.  New Yorkers, Montanans, and Hamburgers (as in, people from Hamburg) who didn't know each other and yet had a wonderful good time telling stories over the oompah music and having a beer together.  Everyone wanted to talk about Yellowstone National Park!  It was yet another reminder of how lucky Matt and I are to live so close to this internationally famous landscape.

Matt said I looked "manically happy" as I celebrated my birthday in the Hofbräu.  So, then I posed and he snapped this photo to capture the moment for me.

After a couple of celebratory birthday liters, we decided it was time for dinner.  Matt let me pick, since it was my birthday and…surprise, surprise, we went back to the Secret Garden.  We got a table inside.  The table itself was a terrarium.  Under the glass top was a jungle of moss and other green things.  It was so pretty and so cool.  We ordered a couple different rolls, including a mock tuna roll that was freaking incredible.  

When the server brought our food, it came with a small cauldron of dry ice.  He poured a little water into it and–pow!–our sushi board was awash in a fun, swirl of fog.  It was very witchy and wonderful.  A special touch that really enhanced the vibes of the meal.  The cauldron steamed and roiled for quite a while.  I cackled in birthday delight.  We dug Secret Garden so much.  As is likely evident, since we ate there three nights in a row!  We still barely made a dent in their vast and creative menu.  

Dinner at Secret Garden.  Night three.

Matt and I hit the little gas station by the hotel from one last round of local beers, plus some snacks for our day of return travel to the US.  Back at the room, we sat on the balcony and absolutely reveled in the spectacular joy our EuroMegavacation had brought us.  We had such a phenomenal, good time.  It exceeded our expectations.  What a gift!!  Such a blessing!!  It was a bit overwhelming at certain points, but it was an absolutely remarkable, life-changing experience.

A tasty array of beers (and one sparkling wine).

We started the bittersweet process of packing up our luggage.  We enjoyed a final beer and tucked into the box of cakes from SieSSl.  We had a triple fudge brownie type thing and a hazelnut cream roll.  Both were decadent little pieces of heaven.  I got caught up on my journaling.  We soaked up a last dose of fresh air and neighborhood scenery from the balcony. We crawled into bed with mixed emotions.  We were eager to get home and sad to leave in equal measure.  

My second dose of birthday cake!

The next morning we awoke to news that our flights were delayed.  This was a sign of further snafus to come during our return to Montana.  One delay led to another…and another… and long, stupid story a little shorter:  Matt and I both got to spend our first night sleeping in an airport when we were stranded in Charlotte, NC.  Hotel rooms and short term rentals were impossible to find because of a massive professional golf tournament.  

Unexpected new experiences:  Sleeping in the airport.

We woke up in Charlotte to learn that our rescheduled flight had been canceled and we were rebooked for a later one.   Again, to make a long story a little shorter:  26 hours later than initially scheduled, we finally made it home to our sweet Ginger kitty.  She was SO excited to see us.  The flight delays ate up alllllllll of Matt’s planned “recovery time” which was a pretty big bummer.  We got home at close to midnight and he was off to work at 7am the next morning.  What a trooper!!!

Another view of the Antiquarium Hall in the Munich residence.

And that’s that!  Our EuroMegavaction trip report has finally concluded!  It only took me five months to finish.  Hahahaha.  I am glad I persevered.  I am certain this record will be a treasure to me and Matt in the future.  Plus, it was an awful lot of fun to write.  I had a blast getting to re-live it in such detail.  I was so entertained when asking Matt for his highlights and reflections.  Sometimes they were in lockstep with mine and sometimes he noticed or adored very different facets.  It was fascinating.

Matt inside the Ancestral Gallery in the Munich residence.  Scope those schnazzy gold vines that frame the portraits and sprawl onto the ceiling.  I thought that was so cool.

What a magnificent world!  Travel changes a person.  Matt and I are sure grateful to have shared this transformative experience together.