Munich

---

T and I left Rothenburg ob der Tauber early in the morning and drove to Munich. In Germany, you drive on the same side of the road as in the United States, and the road signs are pretty intuitive, so we didn't encounter many problems. On the Autobahns the speed limits around the cities were about the same as in the U.S. - between 100 km/h and 120 km/h (65 - 75 mph), but once you get outside the city there would be a speedlimit sign with three diagonal lines through it meaning that this speed limit is ending... there is no speed limit. The fastest I went was about 170 km/h - 105 mph, and the fastest T went was about 190 km/h - 118 mph. And still, cars were flying past us! Germans are very good drivers. They spend about $1,500 and 45 hours of professional instruction to get their driver's license. We spent the whole trip on the roads and only drove past one accident.

We arrived in Munich in mid-morning and, with Clara's help (see first entry), we found hotel Uhland very easily. See the pictures for all of the sights we saw.

Throughout the blog there will be lots of pictures of palaces, castles, mansions, etc. Before it was unified, Germany was made up of small regions each ruled by its own prince. The princes often had a Residenz, or palace, from which they ruled in the main city of their fiefdom, and then they would build various castles (often called "Schloss" something or other) and summer homes throughout their region. And if, when the heir took over, his predecessor's castle or summer home did not suit him, the heir would build his own. That is why Germany is jam-packed with great buildings. It seemed like every exit on the highway had a sign for some castle or other.

---

Photos

Viktualienmarkt Maypole
The Viktualienmarkt is a big fresh-air market that T really wanted to see, but we were there on a Sunday and it was closed. But we did see the Maypole there. On May 1, all of the towns in Bavaria put up Maypoles and have big festivals. They leave them up throughout the month, so we saw Maypoles in a lot of the cities we visited. The pictures along the sides of the pole often represent what the local craft and food specialties are.

Marienplatz
Marienplatz is the main square of Munich.

Marienplatz - Rathaus
This is Munich's Rathaus (City Hall).

Hofbrauhaus
After we were finished looking around Marienplatz, it was about time for lunch, so we headed to the (in)famous Hofbrauhaus.

Hofbrauhaus 3
This is the inside of the Hofbrauhaus. There were long tables and benches and a Bavarian band playing. We didn't eat here; we went outside to the biergarten. The food was delicious and had very good prices, especially for such a popular tourist destination.

Munich Residenz
After lunch, we went to Munich's Residenz.

Peterskirche
This is the ceiling of St. Peter's church in Munich.