A fine city — An Elegant Sufficiency

Munich is a fine city to explore. For centuries it was the capital - of a dukedom, an electorate and finally a kingdom for just over a hundred years and the grandeur of the architecture here is evidence of all of that.

We decided to get our bearings today; to wander the streets and ease ourselves into city life. We turned right out of the hotel and walked along Maximilianstr., past the Opera and the National Theatre to Max Josef Platz.

From there it was a short step into the main marketplace, the Marienplatz. On this overcast Friday morning it was surprisingly quiet.

Though there were a few more people around as we neared our first stop, there was no doubt that January is a great time to explore such places. That’s the Old Town Hall there. by the way.

We turned right though, right into the Marienplatz, to stand in front of the Rathaus Tower at 11am, because that’s when the glockenspiel clock plays.

By now, we had quite a bit of company.

It’s quite a landmark and everyone waits impatiently for the hour to chime. On a cold morning like this, the hour can’t come soon enough.

Not my video but the ooohs and the aaahs are common to all performances!

Actually, rather than watch the glockenspiel clock, I think I’d have preferred to stand and listen to these rather superior street musicians, complete with grand piano. Whilst we were there, they were playing the Waltz Nr. 2 from Shostakovich’ Jazz Suite which, if you don’t already know it, is well worth a listen. Perhaps you can imagine how the crowd were tapping their feet and gently swaying to the music to keep warm. I was expecting (hoping?) for someone to begin the dancing, but the Lego shop was just too much of a temptation!

Our next stop was in the cathedral, or Frauenkirche, where the cenotaph for Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor, is a weighty presence in the corner of this surprisingly plain church. Whilst we were there, the sound of organ music filled the building and it was great to take the weight off my feet to sit and listen a while.

“She shall have music, wherever she goes” this morning!

So far, I’d resisted the temptation to seek out my favourite stores. Whenever I’m in Germany I have a shopping list for things I simply can’t get at home or which are easier to come across here. But we minimised on luggage this time and fearful of not being able to squeeze another thing into our (shared) suitcase, I decided to make this a non-shopping trip.

But who can pass by a WMF without popping in? And having done so, there’s always the inevitable “must have” right there. On this occasion, it was a spare “favourite” vegetable peeler for me and salt and pepper mills for Edward and Amy!

We thought we’d take a route back through the Viktualienmarkt. Our memories are very much of a colourful, bustling marketplace but on this occasion, we were immediately reminded that it’s January and well past midday, both factors resulting in a somewhat different atmosphere than we hoped to find. Perhaps we could find a glühwein or something to warm us? Sadly, even that wasn’t to be found. Instead, the stand offering “hot Kombucha” didn’t have the same appeal!

It wasn’t all closed, though. The stand selling garlands of garlic and chillies was doing a brisk trade, perhaps for all of those pots of gulasch that were planned for a chilly weekend?

The youngsters decided that the hotel spa was most inviting at this point and we agreed to meet later, my Hero and I choosing to pop inside the Bratwursthertzl for a little sustenance before joining them. We joined a couple in a corner of this busy place who were just leaving and chatted with them for a while before two jolly local ladies and their dog took their place at the table. The English “pub” is the stuff of legend but these days in so many ways, the German “wirtshaus” is more in keeping with that spirit. People join shared tables, there’s usually a great mix of age and gender and the service is swift and friendly. It seldom matters if one is there to eat a whole meal, a snack or just enjoy a drink - whatever time of the day it happens to be. Step inside, hang your coat up and take your seat at a table.

Our aching feet recovered and feeling a little warmer, we decided that a couple of hours with a book back at the hotel felt like a good idea. We’d planned to meet Amy and Edward for dinner later, the principal question being “Where shall we eat?”

Well, our friend Bernd had said that Schneider Weisse was the best beer in the city. Their wirtshaus was just around the corner from the Hofbrauhaus and we all agreed, that was the place to try this evening. Less touristy than HB, too.

Now, we don’t usually need Google Translate when we have a German menu to hand, but here there were some rather different offerings on the list. We had read about Schneider Weisse in a guidebook back home, noting that the kitchen was particularly excellent in their “creative use of innards”.

Hmm. That doesn’t appeal to me but the more robust members of the family were intrigued by this! So, Amy and I ordered pork medallions in a creamy mushroom sauce, with Spätzle, my Hero and his boy looked a little closer. Eventually, Edward decided that any opportunity to order his favourite Schweinshaxen (pork knuckle with crackling, the Bavarian speciality) could not be missed, but his father took the more adventurous route and ordered the Münchner Voressen.

And what might that be?

Well, perhaps not quite for the faint of heart, for sure, but if one wants to try something different, then where better?

But he was a little disappointed, sadly. What arrived was a bowl of minced offal in a sauce with a strong vinegar-mustard flavour. The individual ingredients were indistinguishable sadly (or maybe not?!) and having eaten three quarters my offer to hand over my plate was readily accepted. Thankfully Bavarian portions are hearty and well beyond my limits!

Never mind - nothing ventured, nothing gained!