During our European adventure, we made a quick stop in Munich. Visiting Germany, or Andrew's "homeland" as he more often refers to it, has been a dream of his for some time now. We think that we have concluded he is just as much French as he is German, but with a name like Sprecher, he clings strong to the German in him.
Our time in Germany was short, but we were sure to make the most of it. We arrived late one night, had a full day of site-seeing, and left early the following morning.
Upon arriving in Munich, it was very late and we were starving, resulting in us ordering room service. SHAMEFUL, I know, but room service just so happens to be one of my favorite things. Nothing like being served dinner on a tray in bed!
The following day, we woke up early to head to Dachau Concentration Camp. Dachau was the first of the Nazi concentration camps opened in Germany. Though a very heavy experience, it was one of my favorite stops in Munich. I was brought to tears thinking of what happened on the very ground I was standing on.
The door to the entrance of the camp reads “Arbeit macht frei," which means "work will set you free." The original door was actually stolen a couple of years ago. Police received an anonymous tip and were able to recover the door, which is now in the museum and is pictured below.
Photographed below is an area referred to as "The Bunker," which was used to incarcerate high-level "enemies of the state."
The "Grave of the Thousands Unknown." In the twelve years of its existence, over 200.000 people from all over Europe were imprisoned in Dacha and 41.500 were murdered. On April 29 1945, American troops liberated the survivors.
After touring Dachau, we headed back to the city center for, you guessed it, beer! After walking 20,000+ steps a day in London and Paris, we enjoyed a much slower day in Munich. We went to lunch at Der Pschorr, which Andrew deemed the home of the "best beer of his life." Beer is not my thing, but I did try the radler, which is beer and lemonade mixed. Sounds delicious, right? Still not for me!
After eating, we walked around the city, hitting the highlights such as the Viktualienmarkt and the Hofbrauhaus, of course!
While touristy, the Hofbrahaus is a must, filled with lively tourists, staff, and even a Bavarian band!
Roaming the Christmas shops was my favorite afternoon activity. I walked away with too many new ornaments, but I know I will cherish them for years to come. The countdown to Christmas has officially begun!
We had dinner at Wirtshaus Ayingers. While Bavarian food is not my favorite, it was still pretty good!
While Andrew ended the night with one last Hofbrauhaus visit, I went for ice cream!
After that, it was goodnight to Germany as we packed our bags and prepared to head to Austria!
