MUNICH

It is the capital of the rich Land of Bavaria and perhaps the richest city in Germany even though it is third in population after Berlin and Hamburg. I visited it for the first time in 1973 on a solo train journey from Trieste, the year after the city had hosted the dramatic Olympics due to the attack by terrorists on a group of Israeli athletes which was followed by the intervention of the German police who caused the death of many athletes. I went in September to attend the Beer Festival which takes place from the first Saturday after September 15th until the first Sunday in October. It takes place in the Theresenwiesen area where there are many huge warehouses for each brand of beer. Inside are long wooden tables and benches where guests sit drinking beers in glass mugs and listening to the music that a small band plays from a stage. Every now and then they sing the Prosit, that is, the toast and everyone stands up and toasts singing together "ein Prosit, ein Prosit". I went to visit the beautiful Olympic village with its stadium and tower and then went downtown to Marienplatz, the heart of the city which houses the old and new town hall, the latter with the clock tower and carillon. In the historic center there are artisan shops, the famous Viktualienmarkt market where you can taste Bavarian specialties such as white sausage accompanied by sauerkraut and potatoes or pork shank accompanied by beers. There are some famous beer bars in the area such as the Hofbrau, elsewhere there are beer gardens where you can eat the same dishes but outdoors. There are two beautiful churches, the Peterskirche which gives the opportunity to climb its bell tower to admire the panorama of the city and the Frauenkirche cathedral. There are two interesting museums: the Deutsche Museum which is a huge science and technology museum where you can witness many experiments. There is one of the largest parks in the world, the English Garten, where you can go cycling, horse riding, surf in an artificial lake and swim in a tributary of the Isar River which runs through Munich. A jewel of Munich is Nymphenburg Castle given by a Bavarian king to his wife on the occasion of the birth of their son. There are rooms of majestic beauty with frescoes, antique furniture, ballrooms and a room with portraits of 36 ladies of the time. Another museum is the Residenz which was the enormous residence of the Wittelsbachs from 1385 to 1918 and today a large museum of 130 rooms, a theater, treasure rooms with precious jewels and the statue of St. George. Ten splendid gardens outside. Those who want to feel sad but not become sad go to visit the Dachau concentration camp and those who want to fill their eyes with beauty go to visit Ludwig's beautiful Bavarian castles, that of Neuschwannstein which inspired Walt Disney for the film "Sleeping Beauty " and then the smaller but delightful one in Linderhof where Ludwig retreated to rest and relax even in a cave with an oyster-shaped boat where he was lulled by the waters, sipping tea by candlelight. Finally, for sports enthusiasts it is worth visiting the fabulous Allianzarena built in 2006 on the occasion of the World Cup won by ITALY and where Bayern Munich, winner of many national championships and five Champions Cups as well as many other titles, plays. The stadium can accommodate around 75,000 spectators and its façade is made up of 3,000 light panels, in short, a spectacle. You will return from Munich highly satisfied for having visited a beautiful and interesting city, I would say the driving force of Germany together with Stuttgart. ​

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