I need to buy a dozen of these t-shirts

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Geo: 48.1391, 11.5802

Trying to catch the 8:18 train, I didn't think I'd have time for breakfast since it was supposed to be served at 8. Luckily, it was available a little bit early, so I had time to guzzle some juice and cram down a sandwich (only one type of meat and cheese available today). I also grabbed a banana and a chocolate chip cupcake for the road, and in keeping with this morning's theme, I crammed down the cupcake on my way to the station.

Off to Munich! I can't wait, as my first ever German experience was there, and I loved it, though it was way too short (see blog entry entitled "I may steal breakfast foods, but I am not a thief!" http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pwong/europe_2006/1155313680/tpod.html?tweb_UID=pwong ). Once again, I'm not staying for long, but at least I've got an evening and the better part of a day. My train to Salzburg was 10 minutes late, but my connection from there to Munich was also 10 minutes, so everything was OK! Funny - a seat reservation was required for the first train, but it was almost empty. None was required for the second train, but it was completely full - go figure!

I'm staying at the Wombats hostel - I chose this place because they've also got a location in Vienna, and I regretted not staying there two years ago (see blog entry entitled "A perfect day being a Wiener" http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pwong/europe_2006/1156691160/tpod.html?tweb_UID=pwong ), so I'm trying to make up for it in Munich, this time. I dropped off my bag at Wombats and immediately headed to the Viktualiemarkt.

I had also visited this market two years ago and seeing the incredible selection of food, regretted that I had eaten a sausage at the train station beforehand. This time I was on a mission: to assemble a kick-ass picnic! For the price I paid for the picnic, I could have had a nice sit-down meal in a restaurant, but there was no way I could have had a meal with such variety.

A group of backpacker girls sat next to me - two Italians, one from near Rimini, one from Turin, and one from Spain (Valladolid). I had trouble understanding the Spanish girl's accent, but I still tried. Unfortunately, the spidey sense of one of the Italian girls kicked in, and she dragged her Spanish friend off before I could talk to her for too long 😞

Despite the heat, the pedestrian zones were packed today - I walked all over town, as there was no plan to do anything else today, since I had covered most of the main sights the first time. I did a bit of shopping, and noticed one of the sales girls talking with a customer in Spanish.

She studied for three years in Madrid, and despite retaining a German accent, speaks it very well. We both agreed that the heat wave here was pretty bad, but definitely not as horrid as Spain's summer heat. I wandered down Maximilianstrasse, Munich's high-end shopping district, then over to the English Garden, to catch the river surfers that I had missed last time.

Interesting piece of history that I learned today - King Ludwig I apparently fell hard for an Irish dancer named Lola Montez, of Spanish descent. She totally had him wrapped around her little finger, and supposedly she inspired the phrase "Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets." Their relationship scandalized Munich. Hmmm ... good thing I'm not a king, because I'd surely suffer the same fate as Ludwig I!

Back to the hostel - actually met a fellow Calgarian in the room, Alicia, though she now lives in Edmonton. It's a big room with nice, solid wooden bunk beds. The hostel common areas have A/C but unfortunately, the rooms do not. Hot! I took a brief siesta before going off for food.

After, I went back to the room briefly and chatted with three new French roomies (from Paris, and the South of France), but soon decided to go for a walk to escape the heat. The area south of Marienplatz was hopping tonight - I found a gelato shop there and grabbed a huge scoop of mocha for only 1 Euro. The gelato girl commented that my shirt was cute; it was one that I got at MEC, and it had caricatures of rocks that looked like they had faces. I told her to check out the MEC website.

I remember Solange also commenting about the same shirt that night we met up in Oslo. Hmmm ... women seem to like this shirt. I think I need to buy a dozen of these shirts, and wear them every day the next time I am in Spain. Maybe the senoritas will notice ...

I wandered over to the other side of the Viktualienmarket, where I found a neat row of cafes and bars. In sharp contrast to the well-off and stylish locals chatting, drinking, and eating at some of the upscale spots, I ate my gelato while sitting like a hobo on some steps. A well-off hobo I guess, since I could afford to have a gelato!

Back to the hostel, where the room was still like an oven. I grabbed my free welcome beer and went to the chill room to read some more of Shogun. It's a pretty comfortable spot to relax, with sofas, bean bags, hammocks, and most importantly - A/C!

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Photos

a
Now you know how to spell McDonald's in Russian!

a1
Munich's Rathaus (City Hall). Isn't funny that a building filled with politicians is called the Rat House?

a2
In the Viktualienmarkt, they have a neat biergarten that has a small section of tables reserved for picnickers - you can bring your own food as long as you buy some beer.
I tried the some local beer - quite light, and nice because this is one of the only biergartens in town that sells 0.5 l steins, and not the full litre ones.

a3
Cafe Nymphenburg - I seem to remember taking the same picture two years ago, and making some crack about nymphos ...

a4
The maypole shows the six beers produced in Munich.

a5
My picnic: I picked up some basil cream cheese that was quite tasty with a salty pretzel, and of those nut-covered buns I first tried a few days ago in Baden Baden. And like the last time here, I picked up some caprese salad - despite lacking balsamic vinegar, it was still good because of the beautifully vibrant cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese (salted, for once!) As a classic caprese salad, it wasn't that great - but the individual ingredients were so good that it didn't matter. My only real complaint is that they put too much liquid into the container, to inflate the price. Evil Caprese Salad Man, you must be the brother of the Evil Fishmonger!
Stuffed calamari - not really sure what was stuffed inside, but it was spicy and pretty good, despite being a tad sour. The slice of roasted pork was juicy and tender, and the crackling was crispy and bursting with flavour. It was only a tiny sliver, but SO satisfying ... the crackling practically melted in my mouth. So fatty, so much cholesterol, so good ...

k
I briefly escaped the heat at a fountain just outside of the Frauenkirche - nice to chill for a bit in the shade.

l
Behind the Rathaus - cool little plaza to enjoy some food and drink.

m
I continued to wander and needed something cool - some gelato was needed! Given the huge lineup inside of Schubeck's, I expected much better quality. Schubeck's appears to be a bit of a food empire - side-by-side are an eis cafe, chocolate shop, coffee shop, and a spice shop.

n
I tried the panna cotta (no flavour) and guava (good, but too bad it was sorbet and not ice cream).

o
Over to the nearby Hofbrauhaus, the most famous of Munich beer halls, for a few pictures. They actually have vomitoriums in the bathrooms for people to do their thing when they've drank too much beer.

p
The Hofbrauhaus patio.

p1
I think this was the Hofgarten.

p2
I think this was inside of the Funf Hofe, a contemporary shopping arcade.

p3
In the same shopping arcade.

q5
Dinner: I was tempted by a kebab, decided against it, but still settled for some middle-eastern food. Funny - a few Chinese tourists came in and actually ordered some Chinese food. That must only be available on special request.
I had stewed chicken, with some mushy fries in the mix, all served with some mushy rice. A little bit oily, but it tasted pretty good, and it was only 5 Euros. There are some surprisingly cheap places to eat in Germany, and you can actually eat in a sit-down restaurant for 7-12 Euros.

r
Animals in Love - must be a German fetish film.

s
Mocha gelato.

t
This one band attracted a huge crowd, but I didn't see what all the fuss was about.

u
Walking back to the hostel - I really had to pee, and then I REALLY REALLY had to pee after seeing this fountain spraying everywhere.

Comments

[b boy]

i liked the picture i found for a dinning experience in germany, i should imagine that food like that at the cost would be ideal for tea. I would know how much seven to twelve euros is but would guess it would be about four to eight pound i
n english money. Another german favorite food of mine is bratwrust, and i enjoy this all the time!