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Hello Everyone!
I arrived in Munich at 7:30 this morning off the overnight train from Amsterdam. Before I decided to come to Munich I didn't know anything about it other than it hosts Oktoberfest every year. (actually held in September.) Munich is actually the home of a rich history and culture, not the least of which is its involvement in the rise of the Third Reich. No surprise since it is right in the middle of Europe. The first thing I did once I checked into my hostel and got rid of my heavy bags, was to go on a free walking tour of the city center. This tour was very informative for someone who decided to come here mostly due to finding a cheap hostel and it has pretty castles nearby.
For those of you who are ignorant of European geography (like me) here is what I learned about Munich today:
Munich is the capital of Bavaria which is a German state, but not too long ago by European standards (a couple hundred years) Bavaria was its own independent country ruled by a monarchy. Bavaria is relatively prosperous place: home of Mercedes-Benz. Not to mention the killing they rake in
Maypole
Apparently if someone steals your maypole you have to throw a party for them to get it back. (This seems odd to me.) from all the international tourists during Oktoberfest. (One glass of beer costs 10 Euros). One year while trying to rebuild the city after WWII, half of the proceeds of Oktoberfest were donated to rebuild an entire 11th century church.
Although Munich has been around for a thousand years or so its history is completely engulfed by its WWII heritage. The city was bombed to the ground, but unlike Rotterdam the citizens decided to restore all the original churches and buildings to their original historic glory. This of course requires a lot of money. (Thanks Oktoberfest.)
Most of the history that I learned on my walking tour was news to me. For example, in Munich on November 1923 Hitler tried to seize power and overturn the German government by holding several officials hostage and demanding their cooperation. His plan failed and he was imprisoned for 9 months.
Looking back on my public education the only things I remember about WWII history are that Hitler tried to take over Europe and exterminate an entire race of people. Then the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and America joined the war and saved the world. While that is a slight oversimplification,apparently there are some major
details missing in my education which I am only learning now. This trip has really exposed my ignorance on so many levels. But I am trying to rectify that problem and learn as much as I can about history, art, even some science. (I draw the line with math.)
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jennys mom
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wow...lots to see
wow, there's lots to see over there. what kind of 'toys' did hitler play with, besides guns and clubs.? How can there be enuf toys for a museum... i'm glad they rebuilt the original historical city. it's beautiful. Why are the leaning houses called leaning houses? they don't appear to be leaning...