Germany Adventure - Trip to Munich

    
     On this day Vanita, Stan, Logan, Naomi, Landon, Josie and I went to explore downtown Munich, the third largest city in Germany. Munich has a mixture of old and new buildings, because some of the old buildings were destroyed during the war. After driving to the station, we bought a family day pass that would allow us to hop on and off wherever we wanted. We rode the tram into the city, which was quite fun. 

I was just clowning around. I enjoyed the ride very much.

Riding around town

     
     We met Naomi’s friend Gina, an architect, and who was very helpful in providing information about the buildings. We saw the Old and New Town Hall in the city center. The buildings were guarded by gargoyles and dragons.  We went to the Marienplatz. Vehicles are not allowed there, so we strolled down the cobblestone streets. 

     We interacted with some interesting people in the streets. Stan got a hug from a bride-to-be. Gina said the bridesmaids had probably dared her to do so. Two young men who were walking behind us said something about Americans. I turned to look at him and he said, “I love America! My uncle, he worked in America.” His friend just stood and smiled at us. The young man gestured to his friend and explained, “My friend is drunk.” He paused a moment, then grinned wryly and admitted, “I am drunk, too, but he is more drunk!” We all laughed as they went on their merry way on down the street.

Sisters and cousins share their food at the Italian restaurant.

     We ate lunch at an Italian restaurant, where Naomi’s brother Gabe, sister Lidia and her two children joined us. While we were there an Indian procession passed by. Gabe has traveled to India and explained that the man sweeping the street in front of the float with gods in it was clearing the path, so the gods could pass. We later saw them in the city center, where they put on a performance and handed out brochures and fruit. A street actor who looked like a bronze statue of a miner also performed nearby.

After exiting one church, I held the door open for some people,
 and it almost became a full-time job. Finally, a kind stranger took my place.

We went into two beautiful old churches, Frauenkirche and St. Peter's Church.

     We stopped for an ice cream treat, a yummy concoction of fudge and vanilla ice cream with a crunchy cookie in it. Although it rained intermittently during the day, we enjoyed the sights. We rode the subway back to our station. Another amazing day exploring Munich, Germany!