Munich

April 4, 2013 (Continued)

I’d been invited to Munich by our church friends Matt and Lizzy who have lived in Germany for the past three years. When the church put out a prayer notice for my trip, Matt had contacted my parents about getting in touch while I was here. He and Lizzy graciously offered to have me stay with them for a few days to see Bavaria.

I met Lizzy outside of the Starbucks in the Munich Hauptbahnhof station. We hugged and she told me that she had a ticket for us to ride the metro all day. She suggested we go store my bag in her car and then go into town for lunch. Catching the subway, we rode it back to the parking lot she was at, and then rode it again into town. All of the stations had very heavy German names (whose spelling did not match how I expected them to be pronounced) but Lizzy had a map that we used to navigate.

Once in Munich, we arrived at Marionplatz (Marion Plaza.) Lizzy showed me a monument that had been important to Hitler as well as the garden outside of the Munich Palace. I’d told Lizzy that visiting churches was my favorite part of sightseeing, so we ducked in one called “Trinity of the Cross.” It was a towering yellow building right in the center of the city.

Inside, the sanctuary was beautiful. In addition to detailed stained glass windows and an absolutely amazing crucifix, the stucco work was incredible. Every square inch of wall was covered with 3D carvings and decorations.

Walking around the town, we passed two lion statues that we were supposed to be good luck. We rubbed both of them, like all good tourists do. Further down the street was the opera house. The front entrance had large pillars like a good Roman building, but there was an eye catching mural at the top of the roof that made the entry look different from other “historic” buildings I’d seen.

So much of the city was under construction.  We laughed at the differences between American construction zones and German construction zones.

“In America,” Lizzy said, nearly falling in a hole, “they keep pedestrians far away from holes and cover them when the workers are away. In Germany, they don’t do that. If you fall in the hole, you can’t sue anyone because it’s your fault you fell in the hole.”

We went to see the Glockenspiel. It is a very impressive building. Like the Sangrada Familia in Barcelona, the entire side of the Glockenspiel is ornately carved and decorated. The façade is very white, with a green window high up. At certain hours of the day, there are figurines in the window that dance along with the chiming clock. We didn’t see the clock chime, but the figurines were still visible. In front of the tower was a beautiful fountain with the clearest water I’ve ever seen.

In general, the city looked very much like Prague. The buildings were old and beautiful. Many of the roads in the heart of the city were cobblestone. It felt far more foreign than Berlin had.

Our next stop was the Munich Dom. Dom is the German word for Cathedral. It was again a beautiful church. Part of it was under construction, but the notable features on the outside were the red roof and tall tower with a green onion shaped dome on top. Inside, the main item that caught our attention was a large wooden tomb inside the sanctuary. It was massive—more than a story tall—and perhaps the most artful dedication to a priest ever seen. There were statues of soldiers guarding it, and bars shielded a direct view of whoever was inside. Neither of us read German so we couldn’t tell whose resting place it was, but we joked that we both want the same quality burial when we die.

Outside, we went to a restaurant for lunch. Our waitress was shocked when I ordered orange soda. She said they didn’t have it, but she had orange juice. I said that was fine, but she rolled her eyes. I’m guessing not too many Americans skip the beer in Munich.

Lizzy asked for English menus and made a few suggestions of German dishes. One was obatzda which was a cheese spread. Another was kasspatzen, which was like mac and cheese. The final, which I ordered, was Nuremburg sausage. Like mini bratwursts, they tasted fantastic! Lizzy got the obatzda which came with some homemade soft pretzels. She let me have one with some cheese and it was the best pretzel I’ve ever eaten. The cheese was amazing too.

As we ate, we talked about church. Lizzy, who is catholic, explained that Bavaria is the catholic part of Germany. Everyone is very religious and catholic symbols can be seen all over the city. She has always studied with and been mentored by some big names in the Catholic Church including Fr. Richard Rohr and Fr. Thomas Keating. I shared with her that I’d been thinking about seminary and we talked a lot about some of the opportunities in the field.

She also shared with me that she had some Italian friends coming to visit. They were the family of an Italian priest she had worked with back in the states. She’d met his family before, but they do not speak English so her priest friend had always translated. Now, they were coming to Munich but the priest was not joining them. She told me she was on a mission to find an Italian tour guide for them.

After Lunch, we went to walk around the Viktualienmarkt. This outdoor market dates back to 1807. People from all over Munich come to buy meats, fruits, and vegetables here. They all bring their baskets and fill them with food. I feel awful saying it, but it was very “European” and so different form how American’s shop. One of the coolest things in the market were the wreaths and door decorations made out of jasmine and lavender. They were shaped like hearts, squirrels, bunnies, and more and smelled amazing.

In the market is a large may pole. Erected every five years, it is white and blue striped (the colors of Bavaria) and has placards on each side showing the culture of the city.

There is an inside portion of the Vikualienmarkt. It has more stands and shops with meats and vegetables. Lizzy however took me to the lower level underground which is Milka World. This is one of (if not) the largest Milka store in Europe. Selling everything from purple lederhosen to purple ski gear, they carry every Milka chocolate bar. We even found one called “Zack Bar” which had toffee and caramel in it. I bought a Zack bar along with an Oreo bar, a nougat bar, and an original Milka bar.

Walking back through town, Lizzy used her map to navigate us to the world famous Hoftbrauhaus. This brewery has been open since 1589 and features some great examples of German culture. The local guests all come wearing lederhosen. There is an oompa band that plays continuously. And, they serve beer.

Because the sun was out, we decided to sit out on the patio. Lizzy had a cappuccino and I ordered and orange soda. After we finished our drinks, we toured the massive building, seeing room after room of expansive beer halls. We tried to get into the museum—Lizzy shares my philosophy of “I don’t know if I can go in here, but I’m going to try”—but it was closed.

Catching the subway back to the parking lot, we went back to the car and drove to their house. About 30 minutes away, we went on the Autobahn again—this time in a BMW—and Lizzy told me stories of times they’ve been passed while going 120 mph.

In some way, this was how I’d expected Germany to feel. Berlin had been so westernized; Munich had a brand new flavor to it. It was different from Prague, and different from back home. I was excited to have found a new adventure.