Page 6 - GC-Sept-Oct-Guide-2025

Guten Tag, Munich!

from page 4 and take photos of gilded clocks
nounce the finale. It’s all rather deeply set into the immaculately
charming and whimsical and it cer- white walls of old towers, mermaids
tainly captured the attention and and mermen engraved into the sides
delight of those standing in the hot of buildings, cherubs and devils and
summer day around me, enjoying fountains everywhere.
their fresh pretzels, refreshing bev- A meander through
erages and other treats. the market
Visiting the cathedral Following the Glockenspiel,
Prior to the 5 p.m. display, I there was time to explore the nearby
spent time taking in what would be Viktualienmarkt, a massive open-air
the first of many gorgeous Europe- market akin to a farmers market but
an churches, the Cathedral Church spotted with restaurants, fountains,
of Our Lady, also known as the vendors of nearly every imaginable
Frauenkirche, built between 1468 1622, features a series of important food and flower. The beautiful may-
people from Bavaria.
and 1488. With unbelievably high, pole at the center has welcomed
vaulted ceilings, metal gates to pro- It’s also worth noting that, if visitors for hundreds of years; a
going to a country where you don’t
tect priceless pieces of art and a small-scale replica can be spotted on
speak or read the language, down-
crucifix suspended above the heads top of the Haufbrauhaus in down-
loading a translation app is a wise
of the faithful in the middle of the town Buffalo.
choice and should be done before
massive sanctuary, it was a tremen- Speaking of, the Haufbrauhaus
arriving. I walked around this gor-
dous first stop. Immediately upon in Munich dates back to the 16th
geous cathedral without knowing
walking in, the first display is the century and it was a great place to
anything that was described before
cenotaph for Emperor Ludwig of pop inside for a quick bit of relief
me, still enchanted by everything.
Bavaria, who died in 1347 and from the heat. It’s a larger-than-life
After lighting a candle in honor
whose monument, completed in building, with the same long wood-
of my grandma, it was a short walk en tables we’ve come to know in
to the Glockenspiel, then a stop for
Buffalo, but older than the United
lunch at one of the many biergartens States and filled to the rafters with
for a delicious currywurst with
tourists and those looking to ap-
spiced fries and a beverage. pease their need for accordions and
In what friends have described
concertinas. I opted for a pass
as “that would only happen to you,” through on my way to the Irish pub
the table in front of me was filled
across the street for a cider before
with a small group of tourists. When heading back toward the shuttle bus.
one of the men in the group started
Another surprising feature of
to take photos of his companions, I Munich: A number of beautiful
offered to help – come to find out,
fountains that were not only lovely
the group was traveling from St. to see but functional. At least two
Catharines, Ontario.
fountains in the market were intend-
There was still about an hour to ed for people to use for drinking
go before needing to return to the
water, both of which had figures of
square – plenty of time to wander women in aprons on top beckoning
for people to get some refreshment
on a hot day.
During my wanderings, I also
came across the statue of Julia
Capulet, a gift from Munich’s sister-
city of Verona in the 1970s inspired
by the Shakespearean drama.
Five hours was nowhere near
enough time to spend in Munich,
taking in all the gorgeous architec-
ture, the street musicians, the people
watching and barely enough time to
try any of the culinary treats. With
two pretzels secured for later enjoy-
ment, it was already time to walk
back to the shuttle stop and make
my way toward the airport on the
way to Poland.

Tours available by
appointment

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New York 14207

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6 • THE GERMAN CITIZEN • September - October 2025 716.481.2350