A 1½ hour bus ride to Munich went past beautiful rolling hills and hundreds of fields of hops, each growing on meticulously constructed structures for the hop vines to grow on. Our first stop was a brief visit to the BMW facility which included it new car show room and a car museum. Adjacent to BMW was Olympia Park, the site of the 1972 Olympics. Our drive continued into the City Center for a walk among ancient buildings mixed in with the modern. We arrived at the famous Glockenspiel just in time to view the noon show. Lunch in the Ratskeller was swinesauer, bratwurst, German potato salad and of course, bier, mine a dark lager. The food was good but the service was distinctly Munich, i.e., not too warm or friendly. After lunch some free time as we visited Viktualienmarkt among other places including a synagogue. The synagogue was unfortunately closed but it was a very unique structure which appeared to be an above ground bomb shelter. Given its appearance, I surmise some attitudes toward Jews remain negative. Made a pit stop at Hofbrau Haus where we discovered that the locals keep their personal beer steins in stein lockers. After a stop at Schuhbeck, a specialty grocer, where I purchased a jar of bratwurst mustard, our bus met our ship in Regensburg. During dinner on the ship, I opened the Schlenkerla Rauchbier I had picked up in Bamberg. Schlenkerla was the other main brewer of rauchbier. Unlike the Spezial, the Schlenkerla was definitely “liquid bacon”. Although drinkable (maybe barely), I don’t think I will order this bier again. Walking time 2:57, 13,220 steps.
No comments:
Post a Comment