After our trip to Neuschwanstein, we returned back to Munich to have dinner at one of the most famous beer halls in the world – Hofbräuhaus München. The beer hall that stands today is over a century old and its history as the royal brewery stems dates back to the 16th century when the Duke of Bavaria first started brewing brown ale. Whether you are a fan or Weißbier or Dunkelbier, you must visit the Hofbräuhaus in Munich to taste some of the best beers in the world. I honestly do not like beer, but I am a BIG fan of the Dunkelbier served here.
Other than the beer, the Hofbräuhaus is a great place to try traditional Bavarian fare such as Weißwurst and Laugenbretzel. I tend to avoid processed meats like sausages but these were amazing sausages! The pretzel was also really good – hard on the outside, soft on the inside (just like me) and also nice and chewy. The mustard is a good accompaniment to both the sausages as well as the pretzel.
Good luck trying to find a seat here as it is ALWAYS packed. Be prepared to share a table and to speak much louder than usual as it is a crowded and noisy place, but it all adds to the amazing atmosphere at the Hofbräuhaus!
The next day, we headed out for the free walking tour which is once again run by Sandemans. As usual, a very insightful tour. The three hours are jam-packed with visits to the most famous, and not so famous, tourist attractions around Munich.
Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady)
Rathaus-Glockenspiel at Marienplatz
Like many big European cities, Munich also has a famous clock tower. However, this one puts on a little show for the hundreds of spectators below. The story of the royal wedding, a joust between a Bavarian and Habsburger and a popular folk dance are performed by the little figures. The whole event, which takes place at 11am daily at Marienplatz – the heart of Munich, lasts about 10 minutes. It is highly overrated and a long time to keep your head up (or your cameras pointed skywards).
Alte Rathaus (Old Town Hall)
One of our stops was at Viktualienmarkt (“Viktualien” means food in Latin). This farmers market hosts over a hundred stalls selling a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, cheese, meats, baked goods, flowers and more.
Our guide recommended a stall for us to have a little snack – a Bratwurst im Semmel.
Bratwurst and beer. How very cliché.
Lebkuchenherzen
Our tour brought us back to the Hofbräuhaus. While we simply enjoyed our German fare the last time, our guide provided us with the very interesting history of this brewery.
Hitler used to hold some of his most memorable rallies and speeches at the Hofbräuhaus.
Lunch time at the Hofbräuhaus
Look closely and you can make out the elaborately disguised swastikas on the ceiling of the Hofbräuhaus.
Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich State Opera)
Our guide
The Golden Line along “Dodger’s Alley”
This line of gold painted cobblestone was one of the most memorable places we visited. During the failed coup (a.k.a. the Bierhalle Putsch or Beer Hall Putsch) to seize Munich in 1923, 16 Nazis were killed. Hitler put up a plaque honouring the death of his comrades and ordered everyone who passed by this very spot to do the infamous Nazi salute as a sign of respect to the fallen Nazis. However, people who were against them started taking a route down another alley so that they did not need to salute. The Nazi soldiers started to notice this pattern and on the assumption that they were non-supporters, would shoot those who walked down this alley. The golden line was laid in honour of the “dodgers” who died.
Our last stop was at the Feldherrnhalle.
Feldherrnhalle at Odeonsplatz
The Feldherrnhalle was where the Bavarian police and Hitler’s followers opened fire during the Beer Hall Putsch. It was here that after rising to power in 1933, Hitler turned the Feldherrnhalle into a memorial for the fallen Nazis. Odeonsplatz was often used for Nazi rallies and parades.
Present day Munich still hints of its Nazi history which is embedded in little details such as the ceilings in the Hofbräuhaus. However, Munich, as well as many other European countries occupied by the Nazis, have gone a long way to destroy the remnants of the terrible past and to commemorate those who gave their lives in their fight against the Nazi regime.
After the tour, we searched for baumkuchen.
Conditorei Kreutzkamm is a café founded in 1825 in Dresden. They are famous for their baumkuchen and also, the world famous Christstollen from Dresden.
Baumkuchen can come in two forms. The more famous version is that which resembles a log. When sliced, the characteristic rings look like tree rings – hence the name baumkuchen, or tree cake.
Christstollen
However, the log-like baumkuchen was atrociously expensive, and we had to settle with the baumkuchen torte, which is baked in a normal cake pan as opposed to on a spit. It is also known as a Schichttorte, sometimes glazed with chocolate. The baumkuchen torte resembles our Nyonya kuih lapis and tastes similar as well. It is painstakingly made layer by layer. I’m not sure when I will ever have the patience to do that, but this cake is definitely on my baking bucket list.
We also ordered the Käsekuchen, which is a German-style cheesecake traditionally made with quark instead of cream cheese (New York-style) or ricotta (Italian-style). This results, in my opinion, in a lighter, not-too-sweet, healthier cheesecake. Quark was something I discovered back in Graz as many of the pastries there used quark instead of cream cheese. I fell in love with it instantly.
Baumkuchen torte and Käsekuchen
Our final dinner in Munich was with Ron once again. This time we went to Augustiner Biergarten, another famous beer hall in Munich.
I had the pork sausages with rotkraut instead of the usual sauerkraut. SO DELICIOUS. This meal was on-par with the meal we had at Hofbräuhaus. It seems like we ended our little Bavarian adventure with a very typical Bavarian meal that night.
Sadly, this also marked the end of our entire European tour. I am glad we ended it in one of my favourite cities in Europe – Munich. We flew back to Singapore and the very next day, we had to go to school. There was not much studying involved over the last few months in Austria (as compared to Singapore), but we all did well with the little work we put in. We always pulled our weight when it came to group work and we excelled in presentations and in exams.
Although Graz was not my first choice as I initially chose to attend a school in France instead, I never looked back from the moment I arrived in Graz. I am thankful for the opportunity that SMU affords it students to immerse themselves overseas and to experience different cultures and landscapes. I am also grateful for the scholarship I got that made this whole journey less of a financial burden for me since I funded it all with my own savings. I must say that I do not regret a single cent I spent (except maybe on some terrible food) because as cliché as it may be, the journey was priceless.
25 cities later, I finally conclude this travelogue of my epic exchange. Cheers to all whom I share many wonderful memories with.
Auf wiedersehen.
marymaddierose 