Munich: Beer Capitol of Bavaria

The next day was my birthday. I had already seen that people’s birthdays were called attention to in the entire ship with the evening meal, and that is not my idea of a good time. So, I was hoping I could keep it on the down low. Our ship docked in Regensburg, which is in Eastern Bavaria. But this day was also our chance to board a bus to Munich and I really wanted to go there. Munich is the capital and the most populous city in the Free State of Bavaria, home to about six million people.

In 1972, Munich held the summer Olympics; the first time the games had been there since 1936 under the Nazis. Munich created a beautiful Olympic Park and wanted very much to demonstrate to the world that Germany was now a democratic state and optimistic about the future. Sadly, the games were badly shadowed by the Munich Massacre. Just before dawn on September 5, 1972, eight members of the Palestinian Black September terrorist organization broke into the village and took eleven Israeli athletes, coaches and officials hostage. Two hostages who resisted were killed immediately and the standoff lasted for more than 18 hours. The terrorists demanded that they and their hostages be transported to an Arab country. The Germans, who recognize now that they did not have sufficient police presence, tried to rescue the hostages, all of whom were killed in the effort. All but three of the terrorists were also killed, and although they were imprisoned while pending trial, were ultimately exchanged for the hijacked victims of Lufthansa Flight 615. Two were eventually hunted and killed by Mossad, and the third is still living in an undisclosed African nation. This massacre led to the establishment of the GSG 9, a counterterrorist unit similar to the British SAS. I remembered this event and it seemed all of America was watching this horror unfold in our living rooms. The Olympic Park stands today and is a reminder of the importance of identifying and containing terrorist organizations.

Our guide today was Jardo (pronounced Yardo) who lived in Regansburg but was a wealth of information about Munich. He taught us some basic German, highlighting how many German words are similar to those in English. The bus we had today for the 90 minute drive to Munich was the mac-daddy tour bus, with reclining seats and leg rests and seats with tables in the back for enjoying a meal or a card game. It belonged to a German handball team and was exceptionally comfortable.

Jardo told us we would make a bathroom stop at the Olympic Village, which has now been purchased by BMW, a giant in Germany. The showroom was spectacular, and Bob got a chance to take pics of some of the early BMW’s in the showroom. It was very futuristic, and had robots circulating that both cleaned the floor and gave you information about what you could do there, besides buy (or dream of buying) a very expensive car. We drove to the Village on the autobahn, but alas, Jardo told us that busses have a speed limit. Cars do not have a speed limit, and we did see some very fast cars pass us along the way.

50% of the energy in Germany is produced by renewable energy resources, and they have limited their gas purchasing from Russia since the war. However, they don’t have much in the way of electric cars yet. Along the way we saw fields of hops which are just beginning to grow for the new season, having been harvested in September. 30% of the world’s hops are grown here. They refer to beer as ‘liquid bread’ and we were reminded again that beer is safer than water in some areas. Did you know that hops can be smoked? They can and this produces a sedative effect.

Munich is truly incredible, and while much like a big city in any part of the world also has a comfortable culture that makes you feel right at home. It is easy to navigate on foot, and Jardo led us to the center of the city, the Marienplatz Square just in time to hear the Rathaus Glockenspiel strike noon. This is clearly an attraction for tourists and Municher’s alike, and the square was packed. While we are too early for the Christmas markets, the Christmas tree had just been added to the square. The Glockenspiel is quintessentially German and features the wedding of Duke Wilhelm V and the Schaffer dance. It is solar powered and has 43 bells. It was great fun! Shortly after that, Jardo took us on a foot tour of the City to help us get our bearings, and then we went to lunch at the Ratskeller restaurant, located in the town hall. The food was delicious, the pretzels were served with an excellent sweet mustard, the beer was cold, and we had the best apple strudel I have ever tasted. But just after lunch, my stomach let me know that I had consumed enough food to last me for several days, and it would make that clear through stomach cramps. Fortunately it was tolerable. We then had 2 hours to wander through Munich and take pictures and shop. There was a big football match happening between the Germans and the Turks, and there was a very loud and boisterous contingent of Turk football fans chanting and singing in the square.

The folks in Munich are very aware of the effect of the Nazis and are serious about never letting something like that happen again. School children are informed about the economic and social issues leading up to the atrocity, and each of our tour guides has been forthright about the message that Germans recognize the issues that caused Hitler’s reign. Let’s hope it’s a lesson we can all learn.

Our bus ride back was about another 90 minutes, and the coach was so comfortable that many people fell asleep. We got back to the Vail around 6 and I was certain I could not eat another bite, so I told Bob to go get some food but that I would stay in the cabin and rest. However, unbeknownst to me, the Vail crew was aware of it being my birthday, and asked Bob when I would appear for dinner so they could give me my cake and sing to me. I was having none of that, but the crew member was adamant and brought my birthday cake to the room. He didn’t sing to me, thank goodness, and I was not at all in the mood for cake. I think he was a little concerned since cruise crew are very sensitive to the possibility of norovirus, but I assured him I was fine and just had reached my food limit for the rest of the day. The cake was very thoughtful though, and I appreciated it.

Munich is now one of my favorite cities, and I could easily come back for a more in-depth stay.