Day 1 in Munich

I've learned how to get around and have my confidence back! The tram stop is right around the corner from the hotel and my open window. I could hear them through the night but couldn't see them. The hotel is only 4 stops from Hbf (train station) -- really quite easy.

Old City Hall building at the Marienplatz

Glockenspiel

I had a city bus tour booked today (one of those hop-on/hop-off with lots of places to join), and the closest place to get on was at the Marienplatz. To get there required a walk through the Viktulienmarkt, which was absolutely fascinating! It was full of green-roofed stands and, like Paris, they sell flowers everywhere, along with fresh produce. There were also stands selling spices, cheese, wine, crafts -- just a multitude of things.  The beer garden area was already full of people at 10 a.m. with huge mugs of beer.

Beer garden in the Viktulienmarkt

I found the bus stop and ended up sitting next to a lovely Australian woman that I spent the next day with, although we didn't know that at the time! The bus tour had a guide instead of headphones; the guide would do it first in German, then in English (or vice versa). It was a nice tour but didn't help me get the feel for the city. Because Munich is an old city that originally had walls, the historic section is laid out more like a circle.

String quartet outside church

Note: I've never seen so much construction going on in any other city.  There are barricades & bleachers going up for the upcoming Oktoberfest celebration but, even beyond that there is scaffolding and road work and cranes everywhere!

Really stunning display of doves in the church

I jumped off the bus at the train station to do a bit of exploring. It's not all that large, really, and I found the track from which I'll be leaving for Amsterdam, where the storage lockers are, and the office of Radius Tours. The two walking tours that I want to take tomorrow are through Radius (as recommended by Rick Steves).

My outstanding dinner

So, I got the two tickets and got back on another bus that dropped me at Marienplatz where I wandered around a bit. I caught the end of the Glockenspiel playing at the City Hall, a string quartet playing in front of a church, and ordered food at the beer garden (lovely pork sandwich, giant pretzel, and Radler which is like shandy. What a great day!