We did a tour of the Dachau Memorial on Memorial Day in the U.S. Quite appropriate. Needless to say it was very moving to stand in the area where over 32,000 people died because of disease, were shot to death or were exterminated in the most inhumane way. It was originally used for political dissidents but after the war broke out the Nazi's found other purposes for Dachau. It was only one of hundreds of such labor camps in Germany. The photos are at the date of the camp. The motto was "Work will free you". The second photo represents the color of insignias that a prisoner worn on their clothes to identify them as political prisoner, Jew, theif, sexual offender, religious objector, etc.
We settled into our little hotel in Munchen, the Ibis and bed #9. The under ground system here is easy to use so we headed into town for dinner at the Hofbrauhaus, the most famous beer garden in Munchen. It is loud, rowdy, filled with tourist and has a great oompah music! You grab a seat wherever you can. We sat with a family of 8 from Chicago who were on holiday together.
On Wednesday we toured downtown Munchen, again in pouring rain. Are we hardy or what!?!?
First stop was the BMW Welt. We went primarily to see the building, a cloud-shaped, glass and steel architectural masterpiece. It is Munchens BMW showroom and it was packed with curiosity seekers. We did see people test driving and also picking up their pre-ordered cars.
Next stop was Dallmayr Delicatesen! This is where the Bavarian King called for "take out". It is famous for its food items, fine wines, chocolates, meats, cheeses. We stopped to have a glass of champagne and a plate of smoked salmon. Just what I needed after drinking only beer and eating pork and sausage. They have a motto on the wall, "Save water, drink champagne".
We toured the The Residenz, a gilded royal Bavarian palace for Maximilian I. It's outside is modeled after the Medici's Pitti Palace in Florence. It has a mere 90 rooms and the are decorated in Rocco and very ornate. No tour of Germany is complete without a visit to one of their churches so we stopped into St. Michael's which was originally built in the late 1500's as home to the Bavarian Jesuits. Most of Munchen was destroyed during the WWII and they have done an amazing job of recreating the old city. Our last stop was at the Viktualienmarkt. The government keeps a close eye on what is sold here in order to keep it classy and authentic outdoor market.
Did I mention that we had rain all day, sometimes very heavy with high winds!
sun is on its way so keep up the great touring and comments. love marie and jim
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