Days seven and eight, Munich

We arrived in Munich after a peaceful drive to find a city center that was anything but peaceful. In some ways it felt like Times Square…so many people, so many of them on the move. (A note: German pedestrians and bicyclists are generally not willing to yield the right of way. Bikes especially are a hazard here!) Our first stop was in front of the city hall to watch the glockenspiel do its ten minute show, depicting first a wedding complete with a jousting match, then a dance routine.

Second thing was a walking tour of the historic area around the square. We got our first “Mozart was here” of the trip, and saw several places that figured heavily in the Germany of the 1930’s. The tour guide had a higher gear than our group, narrating as she walked; it was difficult to keep up. After the tour we were turned loose to find dinner in a market area, Leila and I had a very nice brat in a crusty bun…it was tasty.

The next morning our group took a tour of Dachau, the infamous reeducation camp just outside Munich. I’m not sure I can properly describe my sorrow to see and hear about innocent men’s suffering and needless deaths. This was a place used for political opponents of the Nazis, and they would not leave this place. Well, they would leave temporarily as slave labor, working 16 hour days on a 200 calorie daily diet.

That afternoon we had free time in the city for lunch, shopping, and sightseeing. Greg wasn’t quite ready for the commotion of a beer hall, so we had a great lunch in a place near Marienplatz, did some shopping, and finished off the afternoon with some gelato.

Our tour next takes us to the Alps and to Innsbruck, plus a side trip to a castle on the way. More next time!

People everywhere!
Mozart slept here
Work makes free. For the prisoners here there was really only one way out.
There were some impressive buildings in Munich
Between barb wire and an electrified fence…
Sunset over Munich

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