Literally as soon as we got our bags to our room, we couldn't wait to take off and hit the streets. It was just past noon and we had soooo much to do! This was kind of a free afternoon since I didn't plan anything concrete. I wasn't sure how we would feel when we landed, or how much time we would actually end up with. The tentative plan was to walk around and see if we could walk to the Marienplatz square. It was a gorgeous walk thru the city and took about 30mins to get down there. I wanted to take pics of everything, since it was all amazing to me, but didn't want to look like the crazy American tourist! Luckily I look fairly German, and seemed to blend well with the people there...aside from the constant camera out & picture taking!
We crossed a river and wandered through a cute park. Cheesy us taking pics of the colorful leaves, trees, walkways, etc. (Bare with me. During the entire 2 weeks, I did not get tired of taking pics of the fall colors, trees, & leaves.)
The day was an absolute PERFECT day out. It was gorgeous, but cool. Yay for winter clothes!!!
We got to the square, and of course we were in awe of the architecture, cobblestone streets, street vendors, etc. It was a "holiday" so not a lot was open, but that didn't stop us. We were intent on finding the most "local" spot we could for our first beer. Our selection did NOT disappoint. In fact, I am pretty sure we are still being talked about in this place. We wandered down a little alley and found a tiny pub. Perfect. So we walked in, and literally the music stopped and the 4 very large German men in there turned their heads, stopped their conversation and just stared at us. As if we broke into their home. We might as well have! The bartender did not speak a word of English, and we were pretty lacking in German. We did however figure out how to order a beer. We sat in the corner, discussing how to drink fast, remain cool, and make a smooth exit. One of the guys eventually said hi to us, and said he had been to America once. Very broken, poor English but we got some pleasantries out of the way, making it much less awkward. We still finished our beers quickly and escaped. As we left I wanted to take a pic of the outside of the place, but when we turned around, we saw the 3 men all had moved and were staring out the window at us. So strange!! Not my perfect first German pub experience, but it was an experience none-the-less.
Time for us to go 100% tourist and go find the Hofbräuhaus. By far the most touristy and visited spot in all of Munich. This is where the Oktoberfest has become legendary. Well, Oktoberfest is celebrated everywhere, however it is celebrated here year-round. First thing we realized about Euro dining etiquette is that you all sit together. No such thing as getting your own table - anywhere. Do not be offended if people join you! So, we walked in and started our search for the perfect people to share a table with! The place was PACKED. Took us a while, but found a good spot at a picnic-ish table in the main dining hall. There was a band playing, and waiters and waitresses circling with handfuls of very large beers! Pictures cannot capture the hustle & bustle of this place! It was overwhelming! We sat at a table with a few other couples - one from Austin there on their honeymoon (such nice & friendly)...another couple from up by Frankfurt who were just down for the weekend - but the man spoke fairly good English so we communicated with them a bit. Another group of 4 were just finishing up as we sat down so didn't get to visit with them much. You definitely cannot be shy in this environment.
We ordered our giant beers, our authentic German meals, listened to the band playing, and enjoyed the chaos of the dining hall. It was fabulous! After we were done eating, we hit our wall, and realized how tired we were!
