A work trip to Munich in chilly February of 2017 was a great excuse for tagging on a couple of days to explore the city.
On the first night we headed to the Munich institution that is the Hofbräuhaus, perhaps Germany's most famous beer hall, with a history of having been the venue for some political events over the course of the 20th century that changed the course of Germany and Europe.
Overwhelmed first by the sight of the massive vaulted, painted ceiling (jokingly described as the Sistine chapel of beer drinking) -
- it's the traditions of costume, tankards, memoriabilia and rituals that you soon became riveted by. Not only are the waitresses dirndl-ed, but at least some of the clientele were looking terribly serious in full traditional outfits, even though it was nowhere near Oktoberfest time ...
Next morning we started off in the city centre with a wander around the Viktualienmarkt in St Michaelshof, the spot for Bavarian speciality food, beer and souvenirs, all cobble-stoned with fountains and statues of Munich historic personalities
Liesl Karlstadt, actress and cabaret performer
Ida Schumacher, actress and comedienne
Then some window shopping in the ritzy Lodenfrey store
where the lederhosen are only the finest and come with a fancy price tag
After an education in Bavarian traditional fashion, it felt only right to proceed to Dallmayr's, a Munich icon, to take kaffee und kuchen in style ...
and to admire the well-dressed citizens of Munich in Dallmayr's grand, antlered food hall ...
From there to the fabulous Manufactum store, purveyors of traditionally made household goods ...
where this pair of magnificent Münchner gents were enjoying their kaffee in Brot & Butter ...
On our last day we walked around the Marienplatz, the heart of Munich, in late afternoon sunset ...
where a genteel demonstration for nuclear disarmament was being staged in front of the Neues Rathaus ...
There was time for a last Bavarian beer before saying aufwiedersehen to München.
Munich, February 2017
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