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Not the complete pretzel, true... as the photo happened only after I had already devoured a sizeable chunk! It was as delicious as it was gigantic, especially after having been dipped in a special, creamy spread for such a purpose. This was part of the experience I had eating with Diana at the classic Bavarian biergarten in the English Garten Park of Munich.
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Munich is a fabulous place, located in the region of Bavaria. According to my good friend here, Diana, I came at the perfect time and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous...not too hot or cold, with an occasional, dramatic thunderstorm in the evening. I have spent my days in various ways:
For one, riding Diana's bike around on wonderful bike paths (while she is at work), passing through fields of various crops and flowers... greeting other cyclists, of whom there are great multitudes! Yes, Germany--or at least, this region-- is cycling heaven, and one sees cyclists of all ages everywhere, on every sort of imaginable bike. (Folding, e-bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes...etc!)
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| On my way into the nearest large suburban town--Friesing-- I rode through these colorful fields... thankfully, I only got drizzled on! |
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| Much of the bike path paralleled this river... it was shady and quite lovely! |
On another day--Sunday--Diana, husband Sep and I went hiking in the lower part of the Bavaria alps... consisting of lovely trails through forests and pasture lands. We had a midday break at a chalet... I ate my lunch; they snacked on delectable sweet treats (as did I!) Then, I had some fun photographing the "wildlife" (ha ha! cows and horses). At the end of the 6 mile hike, we had a lovely fish dinner in a classic Bavarian restaurant with a view of the villages and Lake Tegernsee, a real hot spot for tourists... then experienced the final joy of devouring (me alone, not them...the two of them exercised the utmost restraint!) an extravagantly HUGE ice cream sundae with Bailey's creme liquor!
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| Diana and Sep, high up on the trail! We had a pretty challenging climb to get to the chalet, where we took a nice break before heading back down the other side. |
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| The very quaint chalet where we rested and ate our treats! |
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My friends enjoyed their non-alcoholic beer.... along with bread, cheese spread and some cakes.
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The cows all had bells on, which tinkled sweetly in the alpine air!
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The beautiful and curious horses that came to say "hello" to us!
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| Traversing lovely meadows on this perfect summer day! |
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| Near the parking lot, there was this lovely river, where some tired hikers cooled their feet and had a cold dip! |
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| Diana stands next to the map that shows an amazing and extensive network of intertwining hiking trails! One could spend long, happy days up here exploring and enjoying the beauties of nature. |
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| The reward for our exertions: A stop in a lakeside ice cream shop, which boasted these unbelievably elaborate ice cream concoctions! |
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Yours truly, indulging herself and thoroughly enjoying it!
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| The large and beautiful Lake Tegernsee... a huge draw for tourists from far and wide! |
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| At the Bavarian lakeside restaurant, where I ate my lovely fish dinner. I spotted this wonderful old guy wearing the traditional garb for the region...he was most happy to pose with me for the photo op... and was not shy about asking for a kiss in the bargain! (Not provided, just so you know! He DID make me laugh, to be sure!) |
Then during the week, Diana and I paid a couple visits to a small, local lake (Muehlsee), where we had a glorious time swimming in the tolerably cool water. The lakeside was filled with happy couples and families enjoying the sunshine and water... per Diana, this nice weather only lasts for a few weeks in the summer here, so everyone makes the most of it!
We also spent one full day in Munich, enjoying the various historical sites... as is usual, consisting of beautiful old archtecture and a plethora of churches... the grand finale being a visit to a classic biergarten in the massive English Garden Park (basically, a forest in the middle of the city, larger than NY's Central Park! MOST impressive and beautiful!). There, we enjoyed a typical biergarten meal of sterkerlfish; a giant soft pretzel; a special soft cheese (obazda) to go ON the pretzel; and of course the requisite stein of beer. It was all fantastically delicious... and the atmosphere, perfect: Lots of merry diners under the green foliage, while traditional Bavarian music was played by live musicians in the nearby China Tower.
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Munich's equivalent of the "L'Arc de Triumphe" in Paris... constructed after the end of the second world war, to symbolize picking themselves up--metaphorically speaking--and rebuilding their lives...
This first series of the Munich city center consists of all of the various churches we visited... probably about a dozen! I thought about trying to identify them by name...too huge of a chore! So, I hope it is sufficient to just enjoy the beauty and differences of them all, both inside and out! (You will see the various styles, from Baroque to Gothic to whatever else you would call it... all ornate, with incredible art work everywhere, as always in European churches!) |
Next series of photos: The magnificent Town Hall... ancient, stunningly beautiful!
Next: a varied assortment of other buildings and monuments... as well as photos of a very old and famous restaurant, with very traditional Bavarian fare. (We did not eat there... Diana told me that, unfortunately, most of the dishes consisted of some kind of meat.)
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| The opera house, with weird colored fabric wrapped around its columns. Both Diana and I agreed we did NOT like this look at all!!! |
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| The famous old Bavarian restaurant in the city center. |
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| Its interior was quite marvelous! |
Next, a climb up 300+ steps inside of a very tall tower in order to get the view of the city from on high! Quite a good work out, and well worth it!
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| Diana ascends the very narrow steps on the first part of our climb! I was much slower than she was...it was quite steep! |
Lastly, on this very satisfying day of touring the city, we ended the trip at a traditional biergarten, indulging ourselves on the typical fare: beer, large pretzels, cream cheese spread for the pretzels and steckerlfish (basically, grilled on a stick--we got salmon trout). All totally delicious! It was a LOT of food...so of course there were left-overs!
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| The two men at the table beside us drank the typical mug of beer-- a full liter!!!-- don't know how they do it, but this was prevalent everywhere in the garten! |
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| For our part, we had a modest half-liter each: Diana, a non-alcoholic beer; myself, a dark beer of some sort, which was delicious but pretty intense! The food, as you can see, was ample! A whole fish, giant pretzel, and sizeable mound of the herbed cream cheese for the pretzel! |
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A view of other patrons, enjoying the late afternoon sunshine as they dine and drink under the lovely green canopies of the trees overhead.
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| Behind Diana, you can observe the famed "Chinese Tower", upon which was located the band which played the classical Bavarian tunes for us. Thus...good food, good ambiance, good company....who could ask for more?!?! |
And finally, we visited the famous Nymphfenburg castle, where we admired the lavish interior and wandered through the extensive gardens outside.
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The nobleman for whom the castle was built.
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Chandelier in the gorgeous and opulent main hall.
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| This hall was so immense it was impossible to capture...but this gives you some sense of it! |
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| The ceiling paintings were, of course, stunningly gorgeous. |
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| The queen's bedroom: imagine a bed so high that you need a stepstool to get up onto it! (She must really have loved the color green!) |
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The grounds outside the castle were immense...must have been many acres...now a giant park and filled with people out walking and enjoying the natural setting, including lakes with swans, geese and ducks...
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Beautiful view of the backside of the castle... gorgeous lake and fountain in the foreground.
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The garden was replete with lots of statues and expansive lawns as well.
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This second lake had a beautiful waterfall...
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| A lovely swan swims with her baby... |
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| ....too adorable for words!!! |
But wait! That is not all! Of COURSE there is the food, beyond that mentioned above: there is the local bakery, overflowing with fabulous varieties of hearty and delectible bread; great chocolate (my fave being Rittersport); wonderful cheese; potato salad; hazelnut yogurt...etc. Yes, you get the picture, I am eating my way through this country as with all the others!
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| Breakfast outdoors with Diana and Sep... the traditional assortment of breads with luscious butter, jams, Nutella and soft-boiled eggs! |
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| The day after I arrived--Saturday--we had a bar-b-que in the backyard with Diana's family to celebrate her birthday (a bit belatedly). It was a great spread of delicious food... I had homemade potato salad and a veggie burger! |
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| The wonderful fish dinner I had after our Sunday hike in the alps... |
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My favorite German bread: seeded, hearty, slightly sweet, most healthy and delicious!
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Of course Germany is famous for its excellent beer.. this one being no exception. Per Diana, this is a "small beer"! Of course, it is a "normal" one by American standards!!!
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Two scrumptious birthday desserts: A homemade German cheesecake made by Diana's daughter, Teresia, and a Quark cheese-and-raspberry conconction--not sure the name of it--made by Diana.
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In sum, it has been a quick, wonderful visit to Germany... and it will be bittersweet boarding that train and moving on, once again, this Friday.
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| Sunset on a small lake Diana and I strolled by on one evening walk in her wondeful rural/suburban neighborhood. |
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