Northbound

Heading north from Marienplatz:

the National Theatre

next to it

Munich Residence

further along (still the Munich Residence)

the first doorway in the previous photo

the second doorway

through it: a Christmas market inside the Munich Residence

an interesting dustbin (I seem to be always taking photos of dustbins :P )

chocolate fruits again...this time I bought one

the dark-choc coated mandarin orange (yum :D )

Back out on Odeonsplatz:

Theatinerkirche (another church)

the Field Marshal's hall

the entrance towards the Munich Residence's garden (though there was no greenery; everything was under the snow) You can see the signboard saying Hofgartenstrasse.

along the side of that doorway

on the right, upon going through that doorway (on the left is the garden)

between that previous photo and the garden

garden

snow

towards that "thing" in the garden

inside that "thing"

that long corridor between the garden and the Theatinerkirche is where the drawings were

After that I went to have lunch, since it was about noon I was starting to get rather hungry :P (you see? I saw all the sights of Munich in a morning!) After lunch I headed towards Isartor to check out a museum listed in the city guide I got from my hostel.

the Isartor gate/doorway (Isartor is one of the metro stations, also a square, I believe)

local curiosity museum dedicated to two (local?) comedians

I went in because it was recommended as an "interesting" visit by the Wombat's guide, and it only cost 1.99€ for students (2.99€ otherwise, unless if you're 99 years old and you come with your parents, in which case it's free (this info is also courtesy of Wombat's)) but unfortunately everything was in German so I couldn't understand much of it.

Check out the opening hours...and I think Wombat's wasn't lying 'cos I see a 99 on the door...

I think I won't put any more photos of the museum here...I'll reserve that for another post (if I finally decide to write it)

Then there's the hunting museum, also recommended by Wombat's as a less-serious visit. I didn't go into this one...mainly because it was late, but the entrance fee was also higher (about 5€, 4++ I think)

outside the museum

Oh, and by the way, I didn't spend the whole afternoon in the first museum...I went back after that and took a rest at the hostel...then I felt bored and decided to come out walking again, which was when I went looking for the hunting museum. I had already walked past it before noticing it, since it was on the way to Marienplatz.

Instant chicken curry

I went to Carrefour earlier today, and look what I found:


Chicken curry in a box! (Okay, the colour is very very light...but that's French curry for you!)

But...a second look and you see "A tartiner" on the box. That means "to spread". As in...on bread. Eeeww...... I definitely don't dare to try that.

What's more, it was in the cold section...where the stuff are used directly without heating. I cannot imagine cold, bland curry on a piece of bread. No way...

But it was the last box on the shelf. Hmm...people actually like this stuff?

Drinking the night away

Okay, not exactly. But I went on this beer and food tour in Munich. You might already know that I like trying out local dishes when I go visiting a new place, and this tour included a platter of traditional Bavarian food. As for the beer...it was more of an information tour on the history of beer-brewing, with an opportunity to taste different beers. And since I would never try any beer otherwise (I don't buy beer to try it because I'm afraid of ending up throwing the whole can/bottle away), I thought "why not?"

And it wasn't as if I was going to walk around Munich a second time at night... (the tour was at 6pm)

We met (again, since it was with Radius Tours as well) at the train station, and this time I met two Malaysians and a Chinese (from China, I mean) who were joining the tour as well. They were students from Melbourne doing their final year project in Munich for a few months. They had to go to work the next day, so I'm not sure why they chose that night to come for the tour...but I guess it's lucky for me ^_^ So I kinda stuck with them throughout the tour, and they helped me take several pics of me with beer :P

Our guide started the tour by bringing a tray full of glasses of beer out of the Radius Tours office. We each took a glass, and while we drank he told us about the beer we were drinking. It was Augustiner beer, and I don't think it's that famous, because he started off by showing us the bottle and telling us that we had probably never heard of it before :P (I, of course, had never heard of it before...but that goes for many other beers, I think)

And that was probably the first time I actually liked the taste of beer...it just wasn't as bitter as other beers I've tasted. And it wasn't just me, either...the Chinese guy was going on and on about how good that beer was (and later on I learned that he was the most "alcoholic" (the other guys used that word!) of the three. lol)

Oh yeah, and the guide also told us that beer used to be given to the poor (with bread) because it was their form of nutrition, and that Augustiner's last "owner" (it was a family brewery) was a wealthy spinster who died heirless, so she set up a trust for the beer, with 50% of the profits to go to charity. All this to say that "beer is nutritious, and if you drink Augustiner beer you will be contributing to charity, so let's drink!" lol

(By the way, our guide on this tour was Roland, the second guide who was on the Neuschwanstein tour. They did say that they did several different tours...I guess that keeps them from getting bored :P )

Now, enough talk. First stop: a beer and Oktoberfest museum

Museums Stuberl

a "refrigerator", according to our guide, to cool beer. Unfortunately he didn't go into the details of how exactly it was used.

beer containers (with lids to keep out wasps, or to avoid any presents from birds or trees while drinking in the shade of a horse-chestnut tree ;P )

The guide said that horse-chestnut trees were planted over beer cellars to keep them cool in the summer. Which was where the tradition came of sitting and drinking under a horse-chestnut tree (since in summer you look for shade), making those trees a must in an authentic beer garden.

I took several other photos of the different display cases, but I'm not going to put them all...I think these are enough!

a box with 4 or 5 locks (I can't remember) to keep the secrets of beer-brewing

I don't know what this is; maybe some beer-savvy person can tell me?

the Oktoberfest display, with our guide next to it (he was moving about, which is why his face is blurred)

He proceeded to show us how to hold a beer keg "properly", since he said "You don't want to stand there with your beer, looking exactly like a tourist!"

me with one litre of fake beer (the mousse looks especially fake, doesn't it? It wasn't even sponge...it was hard)

There were a few cute cartoon drawings on the wall, amongst which, this one :D

At the end of the museum tour, we watched a DVD video abour beer-brewing and then headed to the tavern for some beer-tasting.

our first glass of beer

the coaster

the back of the coaster, with the six primary breweries of Munich (they call it the "big six"; those 3 guys I met were already talking about it back when we were having the Augustiner beer)
(Oh yeah, and bräu is pronounced as "broi", as in "broil")

They brought us pretzels to eat with the beer.

And that's the second glass we got to try...I couldn't really taste much difference from the first, probably because I first finished the first before starting the second (so I couldn't taste both at the same time). Oh and by the way, those were 0.1-litre glasses.


Halfway through my second glass, they brought us a third glass. (of course, some people had already finished their two glasses...but not most, fortunately! So I didn't feel too slow :P ) This one was wheat beer, and I'm glad I decided to take a sip of it once it arrived, because it tasted awful. I had to wash away the taste with the other glass, and later I even gave it a second try (maybe it was just the first sip?) but I still didn't like it, so later I passed it to a guy who had finished all his three glasses. (some hadn't) And I wasn't the only one who didn't like it; one of the other Malaysians didn't like it either!

leaving the beer museum, we passed by the Isartor gate (I don't know why they had that symbol there...)

Second stop: Hofbräukeller, a beer garden where we were to have dinner. Beer wasn't included this time, but we could order it separately. I sat at a table with the 3 other Asian guys (there were 3 tables for us, 2 long ones and one round one, and we were on the round one), and we were the only table without beer (cheapskate Asians... :P )

the Hofbräu coaster

the other side (there were several different sceneries)

our reservation
(See the two overturned glasses? They were to put the platter on)

weisswurst (veal sausage)

It isn't a soup, it's just served in water. The guide told us that it was supposed to be eaten with sweet mustard, but I didn't like the taste of that mustard...even the normal mustard (which I don't like very much) was better. But I didn't especially like this sausage...it was a bit like the boudins we find in France, but I prefer boudins.

the platter (for all of us)

sausages with sauerkraut (pickled cabbage; we can find it in France as well, but I found this better because it was less sour), with pork meatloaf at the back (I liked the meatloaf ^_^ )

pepperoni sausage (I didn't like this one, it tasted a bit raw)
I didn't like the raw ham much, either.

cheese with paprika (some mixture...I can't really remember what was in it, but it tastes really good!)

The round slices are leberwurst (liver sausage); it's like pâté. The two Malaysian guys didn't like it; I found it okay, but can't eat too much of it... On either side are just normal ham and cheese...

posing with the platter

basket of pretzels (I only thought of taking the photo at the end) They also brought a basket of brown bread.

at the end of the meal (the only two things I took but didn't finish)

and the platter at the end...surprise, surprise, those guys aren't that big eaters after all...but I think it was because they took quite a lot of bread. I only took a slice of bread and a pretzel.
(The poor guy didn't expect to be in the photo...and I forbid you to make fun of him; he was the one who took the photo of me with the platter. And the table at the back is with our tour as well)

some decoration on the wall

some guys on the tour
One of them asked me "Don't you want a picture of us?" as I took the previous pic. So I obliged.

something at the entrance (I don't know what it is...again, maybe some beer-expert can help me there?)

leaving Hofbräukeller

and heading to Hofbräuhaus

This is where the tour ends, probably because most people would want to spend the night here. From what I've read about Munich, this is the most famous beer hall there, but there is nothing authentic about it. I would have gone to take a look even if I weren't joining the tour...

entrance

inside (on the right is the souvenir shop)

the menu (they have it in English)

me with one litre of beer (real, this time :P )

The two Malaysian guys ordered it to share...I didn't order anything because the smallest amount was one litre, except for the wheat beer, which was in a 0.5l glass. The Chinese ordered that.

And we asked a waitress to take photos for us.

from left: Lee, Tony and Justin
(oh yeah, and they ordered some pancakes with applesauce, which was pretty good...but I was so full I just tried a little)

If you are ever going to Munich and are interested in going to these places, here they are on a map (click to enlarge):

first stop - purple marker
second stop - yellow marker
third stop - red rectangle

We took 3 trams to the 3 different destinations, first the 17, then the 18 and the 19. How coincidental ;P By the way, I didn't go to the east side of the river by myself at all...the furthest east I went was Isartor.

(I haven't yet finished writing about my day walking around Munich, but I thought it would be appropriate to start the year with a "drinking" post ;P )

The journey

It is midnight, and I can hear fireworks.

It has been a year of ups and downs.
Of change and discovery.
Of separation.
Of new experiences, of splitting ways.
Of eye-opening, of realisation.

And the journey isn't over yet.

Sometimes I wish it had all been an illusion.
To be back at the beginning of last year.
To have more time.
Not to change anything (for can it be changed anyway?), but to be less naive.

Oh well, what's past is past.

Happy new year.



(this post is delayed)