Munich. . .

We spent part of Wednesday evening, the 30th, walking around Munich, but it was chilly and we were a little disappointed about our meal flop. We woke up early the next morning and began walking around the town. It was eerie at first. The streets were almost empty. Very few people were out and every business was closed. Then we remembered it was a holiday - Corpus Christi. After over an hour of walking, people started appearing. It seemed everyone was headed toward the Marienplatz, which is the city square and also the meeting place for our walking tour.

We stayed right outside the Sendlinger Tor, which is what remains of the old wall that once separated Munich from the suburbs. It was barely damaged during WWII and refurbished in the 1980s. I loved the ivy growing up the old brick.

Below is Marienplatz (Mary's Square). . .

Most of the buildings in Munich were bombed during WWII, yes, because it was a city, but it was also the birthplace of the Nazi Party in 1920. Many of the buildings were rebuilt using the original design. Although we missed the Glockenspiel, which is a 12-15 minute long show on the tower, we were entertained slightly by the choirs celebrating the holiday. The New Town Hall, which looks like a huge church, is a main attraction in Munich.

This is the inside of the Asam Church. It was built in 1740 by two brothers who wanted to show off their creativity. Now it's a public place of worship. Not much about it made me feel like worshipping.

This, least of all, made me think heavenly thoughts. 

It's a gold-covered skeleton (the Grim Reaper), cutting the thread of life. Interesting piece of work. I'm sure there's a deeper story there.

I liked visiting this building, although we didn't get to go inside because it was closed for the holiday. It's the lower level of the Jewish Museum. Along the windows are quotes in German and English regarding Judaism and the Holocaust. Some quotes are appalling, some are poignant reminders of the persecution suffered by the Jews. Some show the ignorance of people. I read every one of them in English.

The one below is shared by a student, saying her teacher wanted them to share something about Nuremberg that was famous. The student shared, "The Nuremberg Trials" and the "Nuremberg Marches". Then the teacher asked her to share something nice about Nuremberg. Since the student couldn't think of anything, the teacher responded, "Lebkucken!" which is a traditional German biscuit/bread. (Ironically, my parents met in Nuremberg, Germany in the early 1950s. We weren't able to visit the city, but it's a city that holds a lot of history, both for the world and for me personally. 

The maypole is a tradition in Germany. Apparently, residents of other towns would attempt to steal the maypole from neighboring (or distant) cities. Once, the maypole was stolen from Munich and ended up in Hamburg, which is a very long way from Munich! Imagine stealing that thing and then lugging it even a mile, let alone hundreds! The maypole is the ancient version of the visitor's information center, informing people of which merchants were doing business in the market.

Along this street were several butchers and bakers. These businessmen had to go through rigorous training and testing to be allowed to sell their goods legally. It's a highly respected position and you can't mess up or you're in big trouble!! Behind the stores is the back of St. Peter's Church.

Around 10am, thousands of people converged on Marienplatz to celebrate Corpus Christi. There were a lot of nuns and a lot of people parading around. We opted to go on the walking tour and skip out on the festivities. The nuns were sweet though.

St. Peter's Church, with eight clock faces gracing its tower.

Munich's Golden Path. The following two pictures show the path along which anti-Nazi Germans walked so as to avoid having to salute a Nazi memorial. These brave people would walk down this side street near the center of the city, risking their lives, because eventually, the Nazis caught on to this. Those who refused to salute would suffer a beating or even be sent to Dachau. Now, their chosen path of resistance has been plated in gold.

Viscardigasse. You can see the golden path next to the biker.

This is a tiny section of the Theatinerkirche, the Theatine Church of St. Cajetan, also known as Munich's Yellow Building. It's a Catholic church built in the 1600s. Very beautiful, although we didn't go inside. It holds about half of the Wittelsbach royal family tombs.

We did go inside this restaurant, which was inside a section of the Residenz (the winter palace of the Wittelsbach royal family) and close the end of our tour. It seemed to be mostly locals and it was a jolly atmosphere. The food was perfect for me and it was just nice to sit and observe. It didn't take me long to fall in love with Germany.

Part of an old keg, in the wall. . .

Our final stop on the tour was the Odeonsplatz. Traditionally, it was the sight of many parades and celebrations, dating back to the 1700s. In 1923, when the Nazi party was in its early years, they were marching here when a gunfight broke out. 4 police officers and 16 Nazis were killed. When Hitler came into power the following decade, he created a memorial in honor of the Nazis who were killed. All passersby were required to salute the memorial, which spurred many to take a detour town Vicardigasse street. 

This remains a sight for parades and public events.

Although I didn't take any pictures, we also walked down Maximillian Street. It's the most wealthy street in all of Munich. Wealthy foreigners, who have entirely too much money to spend, walk up and down the street, dropping their bills on things such as a E$4,000 pen. Four-thousand euros for a pen??? That equals about $5200. Must be some darn good ink! Because of the holiday, the stores were closed, so we didn't see many other prices except for the ones in the windows. Pretty sure we wouldn't have had the cash for even a crumb in one of those stores! Honestly, it was fun, though. Our tour guide not only looked like Julie Andrews, she had the perfect accent and her laugh was contagious. I wanted her to sing for us, but apparently she's not gifted in that department! Overall, we just had a great tour. It's always fun to learn about a city from someone who's passionate and knowledgeable. I recommend it for anywhere you go!