From the horrific to the sublime

26 April 2022.

It was overcast with threat of rain today so we opted to wear raincoats and take the umbrella, both good choices as things turned out.

We made our way to the Sendlinger Tor metro hub where we got our day-long pass allowing us to ride any and all of the transports in the city and immediate periphery for the day. Off we went in search of the S2 train that would take us to the Dachau Memorial site.

train from the Munich central station to Dachau

bus stop at the entrance to the Dachau Memorial

After about a 20-25 minute train ride we got off at Dachau village where we took the no. 726 bus to the memorial; there were plenty of like-minded folk joining us as well as numerous school groups, even though the predicted rain had arrived.

Once inside the camp we walked to the administrative/maintenance building which today serves as the camp museum. 

While I have provided a number of images with captions, to get a much better sense of visiting the memorial you'll want to spend some time at the official virtual tour of the memorial: go here.

the large grounds in front of the administrative building, facing the barracks

inside the old administrative building, now the memorial exhibition site

 

the admin building from the barracks point of view

the prisoner road separating the two lines of barracks (all gone now)

site of the barracks with one of the seven watchtowers in the center distance

looking back up the prisoner road toward the administrative building

another watchtower on the right and more barracks locations

wall surrounding the camp. . . buildings beyond are today a Carmelite convent, built in 1964

looking back up toward the admin building

example of original ditch designed to present escapes

site of the original crematorium

reproduction of the crematorium and punishment barrack X (memorial website photo)

"to honor the dead, to remind the living"

site of the original gallows close to the crematorium and gas chamber

gas chamber designed to resemble showers

room where the bodies were stacked before being removed to the crematorium

two of the four ovens used to burn corpses (reproductions)

The rain continued in a steady downpour as we made our way back to the bus stop. So much suffering had taken place in such a small amount of space for such a long time we simply felt overwhelmed by it all.

From the camp we returned to the village station via the no. 726 bus. After a few minutes' wait we were back on the S2 train heading toward Munich. We left the train at Marienplatz and wended through the back streets of the old town in search of the Dallmayr Deli where we planned to have lunch. 

And so we did. Besides the extensive food section the deli houses a bar and grill on the first floor and the cafe on the second; we opted for the latter. Settling ourselves into a cozy booth we ordered lunch: Susie had quiche Lorraine and I had Vittello Tonnato, washed down with two glasses of Sancerre. Given what our morning was like, enjoying such a delicious lunch somehow seemed wrong and yet it was so necessary (for me at any rate) to remind myself of being alive, of needing to enjoy the life we are given, however long or short it may be,

the first floor food area

In search of further uplift, from Dallmayr we walked the 20 minutes or so in light rain to the Alte Pinakothek, the city's preeminent old world art museum holding numerous Manets, Rembrandts, Tintorettos and so much more.

"The Day's Work Done" 1900 by Max Slevogt

"Judith with the Head of Holofernes" 1820 by Simon Vouet

The galleries were filled with what seemed like an endless number of works of art, mostly of religious themes broken up by the occasional portraiture. We couldn't see everything and eventually we had to go and so we did. Leaving the museum we walked to the nearest tram station and took the no. 28 back to Sendlinger Tor. From there it was a quick 5-minute walk home.

Later that evening we went next door to the vegetarian restaurant, Botanista for a light dinner.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Munich before heading to Hohenfels and the MacDs for a few nights.

I hope you are well, healthy and happy. 

Stay tuned!

Munich old town

22 April 2022.

Munich's alte stadt or old town is the historic center of the city and is where we began the first full day in Munich and our Bavarian experience.

It was about a  50-minute walk from our apartment to the Sendlinger Tor where we turned onto the pedestrianized Sendlingerstrasse past the Apple store and soon found ourselves on Marienplatz, probably the true center of Munich. Beneath the Glockenspiel (we weren't on hand for one of the two daily performances) was the Tourist Office, our first stop. We wanted information on multi-day transportation passes and, after chatting with the agent, opted to pass on them for the time being. 

We are taking each day as it comes. 

Sendlinger Tor

Sendlingerstrasse

From the TI we walked a short distance to the Frauenkirche and to the nearby St. Michael's church. 

Frauenkirche

cenotaph for Ludwig IV in the Frauenkirche

St. Michael's church

We then backtracked crossed Marienplatz and kept our eyes open for a potential lunch stop. We soon found it: at Rischart's rooftop cafe overlooking the viktualienmarkt (more of that later).

Susie opted for a goat-cheese salad. I had promised myself to to try spaëtzel whenever and wherever possible and so I did, a delicious plate of spaëtzel with Emmenthaler cheese and caramelized onion. Sehr lecker! The place accommodated a large number of diners and was pretty much packed the entire time we were there. Service was attentive but harried to be sure.

lunch at Rischart

Bergspaëtzel

goat cheese salad

After lunch we walked maybe five minutes to the nearby Hofbrauhaus, certainly one of the most well-known and frequented attractions in the city. 

Capable of seating some 5,000 people it serves beer and local hearty dishes to eager customers sitting on benches around long tables. Beginning as a brewery and subsequently turned into a beer hall, you'll notice some of the tables reserved (permanently?) for certain families while many of the locals have their own beer steins locked up in small metal cages (only the owner has the key). There was also an oompah band playing!

On our meanderings we came across this replica of the Juliet Capulet statue, given as a gift from the city of Verona to Munich in 1974. We had seen the original some years ago on one of our Italian adventures. BTW, in case you're wondering - rubbing the right breast is reportedly good luck.

Hofbrauhaus entrance

more tables in the Hofbrauhaus courtyard

It appears my family once had its own staat.

Leaving the Hofbrauhaus we continued on our stroll and made our way to the Hofgarten, once the backyard of the Wittelsbach family home, which once ruled this part of the world. This small garden links up with the nearby English Garden, reportedly the largest garden park on the continent and which we hope to visit tomorrow.

Hofgarten

Leaving the Hofgarten and skirting the immense Residenz, home of the Wittelsbach dynasty, we walked down Residenzstrasse back toward Marienplatz, another pedestrianized part of the old town. 

Residenzstrasse

National Theater - note the Ukrainian flag

We stopped at the famous Dallmayr delicatessen where we picked up a bottle of locally produced walnut liquor for after dinner.

At Marienplatz we turned back toward where we had lunch, and soon found ourselves in the food lover's dream: the viktualienmarkt. The large open air market of food products, food to go and large sitting areas was a wonder to behold. The people of Munich certainly like their food and beer, of that you can be sure. 

  

entrance to the Dallmayr deli

falafel and wraps on the street

in the viktualienmarkt

Across from the market we stopped at Bite Delite and grabbed a pair of sandwiches to take home for a light dinner. As we strolled back up Sendlingerstrasse we stepped into the Asamkirche. A very unassuming church built into a long row of living and retail spaces you are immediately confronted by an amazing riot of color and stories packed into a very small space. Just when you thought the art couldn't get better you look up at a ceiling that made one understand why the Roman Catholic church has made such a mark on the world. The space literally takes your breath away.

As we neared the Sendlinger Tor we popped into a pastry shop and grabbed two pastries for our morning coffee. It was back to our digs for the night.

Asamkirche

Tomorrow we do a hop-on/hop-off bus tour. Sounds touristy and indeed it is, but we've learned this can be a great way to see a large city's environs easily and quickly. We hope to stop at the Nymphenburg Palace and Gardens, then past the Olympic park and hope to get off at the BMW Welt and Museum complex. From there we plan to end up seeing part of the English Garden. We have dinner reservations at Jack Glockenbach Vietnamese restaurant (right around the corner from our place).

Stay tuned!