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Munich
Christmas 2003, Munich ©
R. Craig Collins, 2005/6
Thursday, December 25, 2003
We started with blueberry muffins at home, and drove to DFW. The shuttle parking lots were full, so we parked at South Express, near the entrance and exit about 11:00. We rode the shuttle to Terminal E, and after checking in and clearing security, had some pizza for lunch near our gate and boarded the 13:10 flight.
The plane was a 767, and did not have the separate video screens. The girls watched Pirates of the Caribbean on the monitor, then watched DVD out takes on our personal DVD player, until the batteries died. The call system was not working properly, and constantly rang until they just shut down the system, including lights and radio. For dinner we had chicken, rice and fruit, and for breakfast we had bagel, cereal bars, and fruit.
Friday, December 26, 2003
After arriving at München around 8:00, we got our luggage and made our way to the service center to buy the welcome card for €38, which included train fare to downtown, museum discounts, and free travel on the municipal transit system in town. We also finally located a free WC, then took the S8 into town.
München/Munich
Upon arriving at the Hauptbahnhof (Hbh, the main train station), and nice man gave us directions to our hotel, and we took the short walk to the Hotel Germania. We were able to check in right away, though not all the beds were available yet. (They were delivered that afternoon. We had 421, at the head of the stairs, Mother and the girls had 324, closer to the elevators).
Room 421
Room 421
Room 324
Room 324
We went back to the Hbh, found the service center, and purchase the train and bus ticket to get us to Dachau. We rode the S2 train to Dachau city center, then the 724 bus to the camp. Snow everywhere.
Dachau Entry
Dachau Guardhouse
Dachau Museum
Dachau Sculpture
Dachau Barrack
Bus Stop near Dachau
After wandering the site, then watching the film, we walked to a bus stop and waited. We finally figured out that bus 726 wasn’t running, as the 26th is a holiday. This was the only problem we had with transit the entire time, but made the short walk to the 724, and went back to München. We rode out to Marienplatz, and looked at the city square, and the window decorations at the Galeria.
Galeria Window
Galeria Window
We ate a Bavarian Sandwich at the Hbf food court, had some short bread at the hotel, and crashed at 18:00.
Saturday, December 27
We went to breakfast in the hotel about 7:00, and had eggs, cheese, ham, bread, pastrami, cake, and juice. We walked to the Neptune fountain, across from the court house, and boarded the bus (http://www.etix.com/travel/servlet/onlineSale?action=viewTours&franchise_id=44) for the Castles tour about 8:00. Dieter was the driver, and Charles was our tour guide. First, we passed Kloster Ettal
(Ettal Abbey, http://www.kloster-ettal.de/index-uk.html) where the monks still make holy water, wine, and beer. Then we went to Linderhof, (http://www.germanworld.com/lind.htm) which while under renovation outside, was still fabulous inside. Almost solid gold!
Linderhof Lodge
Linderhof Venus Garden
Behind Linderhof
Near Linderhof
Linderhof Bedroom (Spliced)
Then we went to Oberammergau (http://www.oberammergau.de/) and did some shopping. The alpine view everywhere as great. We had lunch at Millers Café just below Hohenschwangau castle, sharing white sausage, soup, cheese and bread. We looked up at Hohenschwangua (http://www.germanworld.com/hohen.htm), then walked up to Neuschwanstein (http://www.germanworld.com/neu.htm ).
Hohenschwangau from the restaurant
Hohenschwangau from Neuschwanstein
Neuschwanstein from the restaurant
Neuschwanstein from below on the way up
Neuschwanstein from below (spliced)
Neuschwanstein Gate House
Neuschwanstein from the Gate House
Neuschwanstein from the Gate House
Neuschwanstein Gate House
St. Mary's Bridge behind Neuschwanstein
Neuschwanstein from below on the way down
The walk was steep, 20 minutes straight up, so mother stayed down in town. The castle here was very open compared to Linderhof, but fantastic in its own way. It seems we climbed thousands of stairs there, then had to make the climb back down, passing the overworked horses pulling the carts. After the ride back to München, we went to the Hbh and bought Bayern Tickets for our Salzburg trip, then ate pretzels and pommes frits in the food court. We went to Easy Internet to make the reservation for the Salzburg tour, now that we knew when we would be in town. Finished off the day with short bread, and crashed about 23:00.
Sunday, December 28
We had our usual breakfast about 8:30, and boarded the Munich City tour (#6) bus at Herties about 10:00. We drove around the Residenz, museums, the University, the Maximilianeum (Parliament), BMW factory, and the Olympic Park.
View of Frauenkirche
One of Ludwig I's Statue Museums
View of the BMW Museum from the Olympiad Tower
We rode the elevator to the top of the Telephone tower, and got a great (and rare) view of the Alps, the city, and the park. We then went to the Nymphenburg palace, saw the swans, and got a short tour of the original summer palace building, finishing the tour by Löwenbräu Keller (http://www.beerdrinkersguide.com/BDGWebsite/Gardens/Lowenbraukeller.htm).
Nymphenburg (spliced)
The original building at Nymphenburg
Nymphenburg ceiling
After the tour, we took the tram to the Residenze at 14:00. It took 2 hours to cover the 130 rooms of the old palace… some were magnificent, some just there.
The exterior of the Residenz
Residenz entrance
Residenz Portrait Hall
We walked by the mustard Theatinerkirche (http://www.theatinerkirche.de/) and the Feldherrenhall, then walked to the Hofbräuhaus (http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/ ).
Theatinerkirche (Spliced)
Feldherrenhall
Residenz Garden
We had spatzel, soup, chicken, potato salad, and sausage. We walked through the schwemme (beer hall) past the old mint, then over to Marienplatz, and then rode to the Hbh. Bought lubkuchen and snacks, and located the train track (outside the huge HbH covered track area) for the next day.
Monday, December 29
Started with breakfast as usual about 8:00, and boarded the train to Salzburg
about 9:20. Beautiful vies of snow and mountains; arrived Salzburg about 11:46,
and walked Rainerstraße to Mirabel and ate at Mundhamers (Goulash, soups, and
consommés with pancakes, then ice cream and pancakes for dessert.) The tour (http://shop.panoramatours.biz/en/product/7)
was by VW minibus, and our guide was again named Barbara, this time a young red
head, instead of the more mature blond in München. Drove by the churches, the
Gates, the Horse Pond (Neptune Plaza, carved into the mountain), Festival House,
and the out to a stop at Leopold’s palace, then a stop in Hellbron. We saw the
Pleasure Palace, the one Month Castle, and drove the ‘alley’ back past the abbeys,
the fortress, to Mozart’s Wuhl Haus. The multimedia tour had great music, period
books, letters, scores, and musical instruments.
Salzburg Fortress
Salzburg Gate
Salzburg Architecture
Salzburg, Neptune Fountain
Salzburg, Neptune Fountain
Salzburg, the old Church
Salzburg, Fortress
Salzburg, Leopold's Palace
Salzburg, Leopold's Palace
Salzburg Fortress
Salzburg, Hellbrunn
Salzburg, Month Palace from Hellbrunn
Salzburg, Hellbrunn
Salzburg, Hellbrunn
Salzburg, Near Mozart's Home
Salzburg, near the river, at night
Bought a Salzburg book, and walked to the Café Bazar for toretes and kaffe. Took the bus back to Salzburg Hbh, and boarded the 18:14 train. Arrived at 20:20, had cappamocca and pommes frits, then headed back to the hotel. Had cookies with mother, and turned in.
Tuesday, December 30
Got up late, and had breakfast @ 8:30. Though originally we had planned to go
to the Duetsches Museum, we decided instead to visit the old churches and art
museums. We rode the S Bahn to Marienplatz, and visited the Onion Domed Frauenkirche
(http://www.aviewoncities.com/munich/frauenkirche.htm)
and its huge ceiling and many side alters.
Frauenkirche (Spliced)
Frauenkirche at night
Rathausfassade and Frauenkirche
Frauenkirche's base
Then we went to St. Peters, but it was closed, so we walked to the Old town Hall and visited the Spielzeug (toy museum) in the old tower. They were celebrating the 100 years of stuffed teddy bears. We caught the 11:00 show of the Glockenspiel in the Rathausfassade (New town hall) on Marienplatz.
(http://www.muenchen-stadtteile.de/Highlights/Glockenspiel/glockenspiel.html). After watching the parade, the joust, and the coopers dance, we ate in the Ratskeller.
(http://www.ratskeller.com/) Lots of jaegersnitzel, turkey, goulash, and pretzels to go around.
Rathausfassade
Rathausfassade and the Christmas Fair
Rathausfassade's Glockenspiel
Marienplatz (Spliced)
Old Town Hall and Spielzeug
Old Town Hall and Spielzeug
Old Town Hall from below
Karl's Gate
We then took the S Bahn to Karlsplatz, and walked through the old gate, passed the ice rink, to catch the 27 tram to the museum district. The Old art museum, the Alte Pinakothek (http://www.artechock.de/arte-art/programm/m/alpina.htm) had a Leonardo, some Van Dykes, some Rembrandt’s, some Titian’s, and a lot of Ruben’s.
Alte Pinakothek
Ice Skating at Karlspaltz
The new art museum was closed, so we headed back to Karlsplatz and watched the ice skaters, and then walked to Marienplatz, and viewed St. Michael’s and St. Peter’s. We found a little café tucked behind the shopping area, and had hot chocolate, shakes, and strudel.
We then rode the S Bahn to the Hbh, and bought lots of souvenirs and snacks. We
dropped the stuff at the hotel, and went to the Italian Ristorante on the corner
by the Hbf, and had pizza for dinner. They had a neat waterfall window, fish in
tanks, and okay pizza.
Susann and I then went to the Hofbräuhaus, watched the ompah band, and since it
was crowded and had no open seats, we then went to the Cafe Glockenspiel for a
Radler beer and a Bailey’s Kaffe.
Craig and Susann in Marienplatz
Frauenkirche from the Hotel
We headed back to the hotel, and noticed it was finally snowing.
Wednesday, December 31
We woke to snow. We had the usual breakfast at 7:00, and checked out about 7:30. We caught the S8 to the airport about 7:50, and arrived about 8:40. We had all our bags searched, checked in, and bought souvenirs with our last Euros before boarding. We were assigned different seats, as the equipment was configured differently, winding up across row 27. We had fish for lunch, sandwiches for snacks, and arrived in Atlanta about 16:00… just a little late due to the delay caused by deicing the plane.
We quickly moved through immigration, customs, luggage, and security (great layout, compared to O’Hare in Chicago) and boarded the flight just at loading time (after the train and electric cart ride).
Got into DFW, collected our luggage, and grabbed a waiting bus which delivered us straight to our car. We stopped at the Joe’s Crab Shack in Grapevine for coconut shrimp dinner, and watched Gracie be embarrassed by a birthday celebration for her, and arrived home about 22:30.