Marvellous Munich… We were so plesantly surprised once we arrived into this charming city.
Having already travelled through several European cities, we can honestly say that everything we had thought and were told about Munich, and Germany in general, was actually quite wrong.
From the moment we arrived, smoothly and on time into Munich Hbf central train station, we could see from the order and flow of pedestrian traffic, that Munich was a very much organised city. The vibrant food shops were full of people ordering their food, and we observed courtesy & co-ordination at all times.
We easily got directions from a total stranger as to the whereabouts of the tourist information office just around the corner. The lady there, Antoinette, was very helpful & even assisted us in booking a munich hotel, Hotel Monaco, just 600m from the office. We walked there, and were warmly greeted on the 5th floor reception area by the lovely Rita. She could not do enough for us, with suggestions of what to see, do and visit in Munich.
A visit to Dachau was moving. We will never forget it. The weather was cool, as is normal in mid March. We caught taxi’s, busses & trains to get around.
All forms of transport were very reliable, safe and pleasant. We also enjoyed walking to Marienplatz, where the impressive St Peters church and shopping precinct are located. The beer garden and markets were close by, and we enjoyed fresh produce, some fish and chips and some German beer whilst there…fantastic.
A visit to Munich is not complete without a visit to their famous Bavarian Augustine Beer Hall. Enjoy traditional German sausage, cabbage, mashed potato & pork with pretzels and beer..hearty & sumptuous. A Bavarian band plays music in the background, and we found ourselves clapping to the beat, as people around us sang along to this joyous culinary occasion.
A daytime double decker city bus tour completed our 3 day stay in Munich. We were surprised and saddened to learn on this tour, that about 80% of Munich was destroyed from WW2 air raids & warefare. Therefore, much of Munich has been rebuilt by the people over the proceeding years. Nevertheless, one can enjoy many famous buildings, art museums, statues to venerated past leaders and beautiful parks and waterways. We felt safe at all times. Germans, and the various other nationalities of people we met in our travels, were always veryl friendly and helpful.
We will cherish our memories of this fine citiy & it’s warm engaging people. It truly is, a marvellous place!
George, Maria, Olivia & Belinda Cosentino.
Perth, West Australia.
16 March, 2009.
