Munich
Marienplatz with New Town Hall and the Glockenspiel.
We drove through some spectacular scenery between Switzerland and Munich, listening to Iris and Joost share information about the area. It made the time go so quickly. It seemed like a very short time before Joost dropped us off a block or so from the hotel.
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We had a wonderful group dinner on that first night. Iris led us slowly past the Viktualienmarkt and on to the restaurant. She was a master of ensuring that we would never get lost trying to find our way back to the hotel on our own in each town. Not only did she give each of us a marked up map, but she made sure that we all stopped after every couple of blocks and turned around to see the route we had just taken, noting shops, restaurants, etc. To the best of my knowledge, no one ever got lost, at least not trying to get back to the hotel!
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By the time we had arrived in Munich, Dennis was feeling somewhat better and my foot was feeling much improved. Dennis still didn't feel he could participate in a walking tour, however, without really holding up the group. He was still experiencing shortness of breath which required a slow pace with frequent rest stops. We decided to try out a new strategy to see if we could experience the town and still meet our mobility needs. I would go along on the walking tours, and then meet up with Dennis. We could then stroll around to those areas we thought would be of the most interest to Dennis, at our own pace, not impacting anyone else.
Our group dinner.
The next morning, I set off on the group walking tour. I would be meeting up with Dennis in Marienplatz, in time for the noon Glockenspiel show.
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Our strategy worked! Our group tour included many of the sites we had on our list. When the tour was almost over, my tour "buddy" and his wife walked me back to the Glockenspiel, since they wanted to see the show as well and map-reading has never been my strong suit. There was Dennis and we had about 5 minutes to spare! The four of us watched the Glockenspiel show (another of our top must-do picks), then Dennis and I had lunch and proceeded to stroll our way around town. We made our way through much of the "Munich City Walk" described in the guide book while I tried to remember all the information that our local guide had told us so that I could share it with Dennis. We visited the Frauenkirche, St. Peter's Church, the Asam Church, the Viktualienmarkt, the Hofbrauhaus, the new Town Hall, strolled by the Jewish Synagogue and much more. We were REALLY appreciating our centrally located hotel which made it all possible. When we were eating dinner, we realized that we were tired but had seen everything we wanted to. We probably could have pushed ourselves and seen more, but we were very pleased with our relaxing day and we had taken the time to "smell the roses" and linger at a cafe or two, people-watch and get a real feel for the city.
The Glockenspiel in mid-show. Jousting horses, barrel makers, royal wedding participants, etc. Quite a sight!
The ceiling of the Hofbrauhaus with its cleverly disguised swastikas.
The Asam Church - this has to be the definition of unbelievably ornate Baroque!
The modern Jewish Synagogue, built after World War II - very appropriate in this city where the Nazi movement was born.
The Viktualienmarkt with its maypole. What a fun place to wander in, and only a block or two from our hotel! Lots of all kinds of food and crafts, as well as a beer garden.
The next morning, we were back on the bus and on our way to Austria, with a stop at Neuschwanstein Castle. On the advice of Iris, we had decided to not attempt the castle tour - way too many steps. We contented ourselves with wandering around Hohenschwangau village at the base of the castle hill. We had a welcome cup of coffee and peeked into various small souvenir shops, then took a seat in the sun at the end of the Alpsee lake. It was a glorious day and we felt so very fortunate to be able to spend time in such a gorgeous area. We lounged in the sun, watched all the tourists and took shorter walks. When our group returned, we knew we had made the right choice - they talked about climbing hundreds of steps - neither of us would have been able to handle that!
What the group toured - Neuschwanstein Castle.
What we did - how can anyone feel anything but blessed when we were surrounded by such beauty?
Back on the bus and we were on our way to Austria!