Germany 2016, Day 13: Munich, from Marienplatz to Beer Steins
We took a walking tour of Munich from Marienplatz: the Neues Rathaus and Glockenspiel, St. Peter’s, Viktualienmarkt, the Toy Museum, Juliet’s statue, Odeonsplatz, and the opera house. Rubbing Juliet’s breast was supposed to bring good luck in love. At Odeonsplatz, our guide pointed out two lions: one with its mouth open facing the king’s residence, where you could speak freely about the king, and one with its mouth shut facing a church, where blasphemy would not be tolerated.
I was the teacher’s pet and got the first question right—how Germans toast: “Prost!” After that I got called on for everything, with 100% right answers. The hint for the main trade item—“It was called white gold”—gave away salt.
After the tour we visited the toy museum, drank amazing hot chocolate at Chocolaterie Beluga, shopped for beer steins and a scarf for Mom, and took the elevator up the Neues Rathaus for the view. St. Peter’s was wet inside. We found a Shakespeare & Co. bookstore, though it wasn’t an English bookstore; we also visited the church with the devil’s footprint. Drinks at the hotel finished the day. The tour’s fourth question was “What was the semi-religious war that lasted 30 years?” I knew that one too.
From the Notebook
