“München mag dich” or “Munich loves you” has been the city’s motto since 2006.
This follows on from “London Town” and marks the beginning of an exciting Easter break from 11th to 27th April 2014.
People may remember Munich for Hauptstadt der Bewegung that brought along with it the monstrosities and horror of World War II or the terror of the 1972 Summer Olympics. To most people, the nicest thing they can think of to talk about the city is the annual celebration of Crown Prince Ludwig’s wedding to Princess Therese (more well-known now as Oktoberfest). Unfortunately, alcohol is not my thing, so I would describe Munich to you as a prosperous city that’s at the forefront of modern-day technology but also rich in cultural heritage.
Football fans will see it as the home of the best team in Germany but I was in Munich to jinx them and was successful as they got thrashed by my German team, Dortmund (hence the gloating at Allianz Arena)!
It’s been more than a month but it means I’ve been able to reflect on the whole Easter Break. Since I’ve got a little time on my hands, it’s time to share the stories from Munich.
(Written on 24th May 2014)
The München Maibaum (Munich maypole). The story behind it is that you wouldn't want to allow other villagers to steal it because if they do, you'll have to buy it back. Knowing the German culture, make a clever guess what "currency" you use to buy it back?... Bier, of course!
Munich's opera house, the Nationaltheater. The people of München were not happy with it when it was built. When a fire broke out here, The Hofbräuhaus (which is just a short walk away) offered to use its beer to put it out. The Müncheners all helped by transporting the beer. For some strange reason, the fire raged on. Apparently, the Müncheners felt that they were better off downing the beer than saving the theater!
Hofbräuhaus, the liquid symbol of München. We were told that Mozart was inspired to write Idomeneo after drinking here. A couple of "unsavoury" stories were linked with the royal brewery though, a certain Lenin and the infamous Beer Hall Putsch.
The Neues Rathaus and the Frauenkirche. Managed to catch the Rathaus-Glockenspiel at 11am. Apparently, the bells returned more out of tuned after being sent for tuning... The Frauenkirche in the background has a Devil's Footstep at the entrance. The Legend behind that is a story for another day...
First stop for Day 3: The Home of Bayerische Moteren Werken (Bavarian Motor Works), more commonly known as BMW
Based on the current price of COE in Singapore, I'm quite certain that you can buy 2 of these here in München.
Probably the only time I'll ever get to be in the driver's seat of a BMW
The BMW bikes were state-of-the-art too
Bayerische Motoren Werke Welt (Bavarian Motor Works World): Showcase of the current series of BMW products, including Mini and Rolls Royce. Calling the BMW Welt incredibly huge is in itself an understatement.
Welcome to the Olympiapark on a quiet Sunday morning!
Rolling back the years in the Rock Museum, as the jukebox rocked on with Sir Elton John's Crocodile Rock!
Atop the Olympic Tower that overlooks the Munich Olympic Stadium. The surrounding Olympiapark is probably the only place around the Olympic area which is actively being used. Was certainly great to see the place in "patches of yellow" with fellow Dortmund fans walking around.
By the time Ching got down to take his shot, the wind was so strong he could barely keep his eyes open. It honestly felt like the hole top of the tower was going to be blown away!
Imagine my surprise when I realized the revolving restaurant on The Olympic Tower was serving Singapore food! No deep pockets to afford that luxury though.
We decided to head to the Deutsches Museum next to spend the rest of the afternoon. Didn't know about it until a friend recommended it a couple days before. Was glad we took her advice because this museum was so awesome!
Here's Ching with a Lufthansa plane in the aviation section of the ginormous museum!
The Deutsches Museum is how I'd like to remember München. A paradise for the little kid in me that still loves science. I reckon it's probably one of the largest science and technology museum in the world. Unfortunately, it was too big and there was no time to finish seeing everything before getting chased out...
The Allianz Arena, home of the already crowned German champions, Bayern München. As a neutral, Bayern's football is enthralling. But as a United fan, you just don't care about the team we beat with "And Solskjær has won it!" in 1999.
Gloating at it's very best! After Bayern were destroyed 3-0 by Dortmund the night before, it was the best place to be to rub salt in! Echte Liebe, Dortmund!
Earlier in the week, our beloved United got beaten by the Bavarians. So after celebrating Dortmund's win among Bayern fans and making it out alive, we had to come here to do it all over again.
1999 will forever be etched into the memory as the most crazy Champions League Final for us. Unfortunately, United have lost our way after Sir Alex left and there is much rebuilding to do.
(Update: At least we have a certain former Bayern manager in Van Gaal to work that out)
The sun sets in Munich at the Allianz Arena as it also set for United's 25 consecutive years in Europe. Took the board long enough to realize the mistake of appointing Moyes. Nice guy, but like Roy Hodgson was to Liverpool, wrong man for the job.
The Feldherrnhalle: site of the infamous Beer Hall Putsch. Wilhelm von Rümann's lions also had subtle political statements. Probably sums up how München has kept all unhappy happenings subtle.
The Nationaltheater again. Returned here at sunset just to capture this photo and I wasn't disappointed
Augustiner Bräu, probably the best beer in Germany, so I'm told. Sustained by the Müncheners because it is the only one that has stayed truly local. It's interesting to note that they do not engage in advertising campaigns either. I guess when you have a good product that's unbeatable, what the heck is advertising?
3 days (or effectively 2 days) in München was just about right to understand a little about its cultural heritage, but there's so much more to learn here. Who knows, I might be back? Stuttgart's next!
(Returned here 2 months after, in June, as a stopover before heading to Stuttgart and Burg Hohenzollern)
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