Vienna to Munich and Oktoberfest!
Friday we were set to catch the train to Munich, so all packed up after breakfast, we headed off to the train station. The 10.30am departure could probably have been earlier (I was concerned about how tired X would be after the loss of sleep during the long flight but he didn’t really miss much – had around 7 hours in the end, even if it was delayed in onset by the continuously illuminated seatbelt sign and late departure). Unsurprisingly, the platform was full of tourists heading to Oktoberfest in Munich. We fortunately had left ourselves plenty of time to track down some food for consumption en route (although my circuitous route back to the main shopping concourse led me around the outside of the station on this very windy day) so were suitably equipped to manage the lengthy (not really – 4 hours) trip. Found our seats in presciently reserved first class section – around $50 more for the three of us and managed to take up 60% of the allocated luggage storage section mid-carriage! By the time we left, our carriage was full to overflowing and it didn’t let up when the train separated at Salzburg (?).
Somehow we managed to be on the only train in Austria or Germany that day that was more than a minute late! We pulled up at Munich Hauptbahnhof around 15 minutes late. Found our way through the very busy concourse to the underground train ticket machines and 2.80 euros x 2 later, we were on the way to our inner suburban accommodation at Moosach, the Leonardo Hotel. Managed to get our connection right and emerged into dreary daylight about half an hour later. We succeeded in dragging all our bags and X the 400m or so to the hotel without losing anything (including tempers!) and checked in swiftly just before 4pm. Reunited with Mum, X gave her a big hug and we made ourselves at home in the room and caught up about Mum’s Singapore adventures, long overnight flight to Munich and our initial European experiences.
Trip Advisor came into its own again and helped us identify Alter Wirt, a traditional and popular German-style pub across the road from our hotel. Mum’s Wiener Schnitzel outshone all others any of us had had, Linton’s roast pork was similarly impressive and X devoured his pretzel and one of the two weisswurst he was provided, while my goulash was somewhat disappointing. Nonetheless, the beer and Friday night Munich merriment was a nice way to catch-up. The apple strudel and plum strudel dessert selections were a nice way to top things off.
Saturday was forecast to be cloudy but without rain. Unfortunately, based on this expectation, we had booked a Mike’s Bikes tour of Munich. Of course, the tours ran come rain, hail or shine and were non-refundable - and we awoke to a steady, fog-like drizzle! We committed ourselves to try to enjoy the experience despite the inclement weather. We arrived in the centre of town early, in search of coffee and ponchos to protect us from the anticipated rain exposure. We emerged from the underground into Marienplatz, a large square surrounded by historic buildings and clearly the centre of the action in downtown Munich. We found Starbucks (yes, I know, but at least you can be assured of a hot, quite predictable coffee there; our experience in Austria with coffee had been variable). We came across the Viktualenmarkt (produce market) in a square opposite the Starbucks, so ambled around checking out the knick nacks, fruit and veges, cheese and smallgoods, confectionary, etc. that was on display. We walked back to Marienplatz to see a row of people assembling opposite the new (not really new!) town hall, the most imposing building in the area. We joined them, noticing their upward gazes, towards an elaborate clock at the top of the town hall. At 11am, the clock began to chime, triggering a show performed by the carved characters that formed two small carousel-type arrangements just underneath the clock face. The history of Munich was apparently the subject of the goings on and it was fairly remarkable given the workmanship and technology of the time.
The time arrived to meet up for the bike tour. At this stage, the rain was alternating between determined and just annoying, so our (as it turned out, very expensive) rain ponchos came in handy; we paid 5 euros each from an exclusive department store, while Mike’s Bikes had them for 1 euro apiece)! The tour started out a bit wobbly, literally, as Mum was true to her stated expectation that she wouldn’t be able to ride confidently enough. We requested a tandem bike which was eventually rustled up and we were on our way in the drizzle, much to the relief of the others on the tour. We had the usual stops I suppose – the former royal palace (and the mews across the road), a large square with military monuments and the Riccoco-style Michaelskirche (apparently the northernmost one in Europe). Then into the English Gardens which, despite the rain, were impressively large, open and manicured. We repaired to the second largest beer garden in the world (with quite limited covered space, all of which was in heavy demand given the weather) for a very average lunch (but a cold restorative beer) before riding off again, rain-free, to watch a small number of crazy people trying to surf a constant wave created where one of the canals conveying water under the city emerges from its underground tunnel into a more open canal in the Gardens. Quite the spectacle but no boardshorts to be seen; wetsuits all the way.
Feeling a little sorry for ourselves after the riding, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to recuperate in the renowned Hofbrauhaus, which was literally steps from the Mike’s Bikes office. This was, of course, preceded by X mucking around for a while in a little playground that was also conveniently located near the end point of our cycling expedition.
To say the Hofbrauhaus was busy would be an understatement, so we roamed around inside for a while looking for four free seats. Proving fruitless, our decision to look outside worked well and we secured a spot easily. Now, to get the waiter’s (unsure if this is the right term, but you get the idea) attention. Table service in bars, and everywhere else in fact, is great if the place isn’t too packed and the waiting staff aren’t run off their feet for one reason or another. The opening weekend of Oktoberfest in Munich was probably unlikely to produce super swift service, even from the best hospitality staff in the world. So we waited a while for our steins of beer (and Mum even longer for her coffee), during which X settled in for a bit of iPad time. The atmosphere was a little subdued outside and even with the entertainment inadvertently supplied by the inebriated Americans who were there, we departed after our giant glasses were empty.
Dinner was again at the local Alter Wirt, this time with even better service and equally enjoyable food. Back home for an early night (a recurring theme!) and then up on Sunday for our Oktoberfest day. I had discovered there was a very lengthy, traditional parade that occurred on the first Sunday to Oktoberfest, where a range of groups marched down one of the main streets of Munich in traditional garb, interspersed with local music groups and bands. The whole thing kicked off at 10am so we aimed to arrive at a good place along the route around then. As it happened, we exited the underground station and were walking towards our determined viewing spot on Maximillianstrasse when I heard the marching band tunes reverberating off the walls of the old city. We snared ourselves a pretty impressive position (front row) to watch the spectacle. Despite the recurring drizzle, we enjoyed the parade for nearly an hour, before making our way to the Oktoberfest itself. After a short walk from the station, we made it to the Theresienweise showgrounds and entered about midday. It was surprisingly easy to move around, which was a relief, and appeared a bit like the Ekka on steriods. There were a huge array of carnival rides, food stalls, gingerbread heart vendors, wurst purveyors, etc., as well as quite a few beer, wine and other stalls lining the wide walkways (as well as the giant beer tents obviously, although we weren’t able to get a spot inside as the minimum reservation required 10 attendees, and a minimum spend equivalent to two steins and half a chicken each!!!!).
We stopped and sat down at a wine stall, but ordered beers (Paulaner) and coffee for Mum from a really friendly waiter who promptly delivered them and let us enjoy the heated outdoor space to watch the crowd go by. Things seemed very tame but we imagined the difference we might have found had we arrived a few hours later! The simple fact we were able to find seats so easily assured us we had chosen the right time to visit. We moved on after a while and Xavier had two turns on a kids ride before we decided we had seen enough. We split up after this – X and Linton to the Tierpark Hellbrun (Munich zoo) and Mum and I to the BMW Museum and BMW World. We both had a good afternoon and we met up upon our return to the hotel later. X tackled the whole day without a sleep and without any notable meltdowns, so the day was a success by any measure!
Eschewing tradition, we plumped for a different pub-style place for dinner Sunday night – Burgers – which was an equally short walk away from the hotel. We nabbed the last table for four (at around 6.30pm) and feasted on pizza, penne and lasagne, which Xavier shared with us.
Somehow we managed to be on the only train in Austria or Germany that day that was more than a minute late! We pulled up at Munich Hauptbahnhof around 15 minutes late. Found our way through the very busy concourse to the underground train ticket machines and 2.80 euros x 2 later, we were on the way to our inner suburban accommodation at Moosach, the Leonardo Hotel. Managed to get our connection right and emerged into dreary daylight about half an hour later. We succeeded in dragging all our bags and X the 400m or so to the hotel without losing anything (including tempers!) and checked in swiftly just before 4pm. Reunited with Mum, X gave her a big hug and we made ourselves at home in the room and caught up about Mum’s Singapore adventures, long overnight flight to Munich and our initial European experiences.
Trip Advisor came into its own again and helped us identify Alter Wirt, a traditional and popular German-style pub across the road from our hotel. Mum’s Wiener Schnitzel outshone all others any of us had had, Linton’s roast pork was similarly impressive and X devoured his pretzel and one of the two weisswurst he was provided, while my goulash was somewhat disappointing. Nonetheless, the beer and Friday night Munich merriment was a nice way to catch-up. The apple strudel and plum strudel dessert selections were a nice way to top things off.
Saturday was forecast to be cloudy but without rain. Unfortunately, based on this expectation, we had booked a Mike’s Bikes tour of Munich. Of course, the tours ran come rain, hail or shine and were non-refundable - and we awoke to a steady, fog-like drizzle! We committed ourselves to try to enjoy the experience despite the inclement weather. We arrived in the centre of town early, in search of coffee and ponchos to protect us from the anticipated rain exposure. We emerged from the underground into Marienplatz, a large square surrounded by historic buildings and clearly the centre of the action in downtown Munich. We found Starbucks (yes, I know, but at least you can be assured of a hot, quite predictable coffee there; our experience in Austria with coffee had been variable). We came across the Viktualenmarkt (produce market) in a square opposite the Starbucks, so ambled around checking out the knick nacks, fruit and veges, cheese and smallgoods, confectionary, etc. that was on display. We walked back to Marienplatz to see a row of people assembling opposite the new (not really new!) town hall, the most imposing building in the area. We joined them, noticing their upward gazes, towards an elaborate clock at the top of the town hall. At 11am, the clock began to chime, triggering a show performed by the carved characters that formed two small carousel-type arrangements just underneath the clock face. The history of Munich was apparently the subject of the goings on and it was fairly remarkable given the workmanship and technology of the time.
The time arrived to meet up for the bike tour. At this stage, the rain was alternating between determined and just annoying, so our (as it turned out, very expensive) rain ponchos came in handy; we paid 5 euros each from an exclusive department store, while Mike’s Bikes had them for 1 euro apiece)! The tour started out a bit wobbly, literally, as Mum was true to her stated expectation that she wouldn’t be able to ride confidently enough. We requested a tandem bike which was eventually rustled up and we were on our way in the drizzle, much to the relief of the others on the tour. We had the usual stops I suppose – the former royal palace (and the mews across the road), a large square with military monuments and the Riccoco-style Michaelskirche (apparently the northernmost one in Europe). Then into the English Gardens which, despite the rain, were impressively large, open and manicured. We repaired to the second largest beer garden in the world (with quite limited covered space, all of which was in heavy demand given the weather) for a very average lunch (but a cold restorative beer) before riding off again, rain-free, to watch a small number of crazy people trying to surf a constant wave created where one of the canals conveying water under the city emerges from its underground tunnel into a more open canal in the Gardens. Quite the spectacle but no boardshorts to be seen; wetsuits all the way.
Feeling a little sorry for ourselves after the riding, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to recuperate in the renowned Hofbrauhaus, which was literally steps from the Mike’s Bikes office. This was, of course, preceded by X mucking around for a while in a little playground that was also conveniently located near the end point of our cycling expedition.
To say the Hofbrauhaus was busy would be an understatement, so we roamed around inside for a while looking for four free seats. Proving fruitless, our decision to look outside worked well and we secured a spot easily. Now, to get the waiter’s (unsure if this is the right term, but you get the idea) attention. Table service in bars, and everywhere else in fact, is great if the place isn’t too packed and the waiting staff aren’t run off their feet for one reason or another. The opening weekend of Oktoberfest in Munich was probably unlikely to produce super swift service, even from the best hospitality staff in the world. So we waited a while for our steins of beer (and Mum even longer for her coffee), during which X settled in for a bit of iPad time. The atmosphere was a little subdued outside and even with the entertainment inadvertently supplied by the inebriated Americans who were there, we departed after our giant glasses were empty.
Dinner was again at the local Alter Wirt, this time with even better service and equally enjoyable food. Back home for an early night (a recurring theme!) and then up on Sunday for our Oktoberfest day. I had discovered there was a very lengthy, traditional parade that occurred on the first Sunday to Oktoberfest, where a range of groups marched down one of the main streets of Munich in traditional garb, interspersed with local music groups and bands. The whole thing kicked off at 10am so we aimed to arrive at a good place along the route around then. As it happened, we exited the underground station and were walking towards our determined viewing spot on Maximillianstrasse when I heard the marching band tunes reverberating off the walls of the old city. We snared ourselves a pretty impressive position (front row) to watch the spectacle. Despite the recurring drizzle, we enjoyed the parade for nearly an hour, before making our way to the Oktoberfest itself. After a short walk from the station, we made it to the Theresienweise showgrounds and entered about midday. It was surprisingly easy to move around, which was a relief, and appeared a bit like the Ekka on steriods. There were a huge array of carnival rides, food stalls, gingerbread heart vendors, wurst purveyors, etc., as well as quite a few beer, wine and other stalls lining the wide walkways (as well as the giant beer tents obviously, although we weren’t able to get a spot inside as the minimum reservation required 10 attendees, and a minimum spend equivalent to two steins and half a chicken each!!!!).
We stopped and sat down at a wine stall, but ordered beers (Paulaner) and coffee for Mum from a really friendly waiter who promptly delivered them and let us enjoy the heated outdoor space to watch the crowd go by. Things seemed very tame but we imagined the difference we might have found had we arrived a few hours later! The simple fact we were able to find seats so easily assured us we had chosen the right time to visit. We moved on after a while and Xavier had two turns on a kids ride before we decided we had seen enough. We split up after this – X and Linton to the Tierpark Hellbrun (Munich zoo) and Mum and I to the BMW Museum and BMW World. We both had a good afternoon and we met up upon our return to the hotel later. X tackled the whole day without a sleep and without any notable meltdowns, so the day was a success by any measure!
Eschewing tradition, we plumped for a different pub-style place for dinner Sunday night – Burgers – which was an equally short walk away from the hotel. We nabbed the last table for four (at around 6.30pm) and feasted on pizza, penne and lasagne, which Xavier shared with us.
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