Germany: Day 6

This was our last full day in Germany and we didn't have much planned.
Originally we had wanted to take a tour of the BMW factory but were unable to reserve a ticket in time, so instead we decided to wander around Munich and then do some shopping.

We went over to St. Peters and decided to climb the tower to get some nice views of the city.
306 steps to the observation deck, and I walked every one of them (albeit very slowly).

I did of course get passed up by every single other person climbing the tower that day, but I made it to the top eventually. Also I think Seth was secretly pleased he was with his pregnant wife because it meant he could take lots of breaks with me on the way up and not look like a wimp.

In spite of the thick fog the views were still incredible. Directly in front is the New Townhall. To the left with the orange roof and 2 towers is the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).
I'm told on clear days it's possible to see the Alps in the distance but obviously we did not get to see that.

A better view of Frauenkirche. The street leading away to the left is Kaufingerstrasse and it is a major shopping area. This road also leads to the Hauptbahnhof.

A better view of New Townhall. Theatinerkirche (my favorite yellow building) is just beyond it. To the right of that with the orange and green roofs is the Munich Residenz.

Looking down into the Marienplatz.
After we'd had enough of the views, we made our descent and then went over to the Viktualienmart, a farmer's market that has been around since the 1800s.

View from St. Peter's of the Viktualienmarkt. All the little green roofs and the white awnings are the shops. You can see the blue and white maypole in the center.
It was a very picturesque place to stroll through. In addition to the usual fruit and vegetable stands, they also had breads, pastries, jams, juices, spices, honey, cheeses, meat and fish for sale, as well as a beer garden and other restaurants/cafes. They also were starting to put out little booths of Christmas decorations. If I lived here I would go and buy delicious food every day.

Sadly this is the only picture we took down in the market itself. If you're wondering what I am doing, I'm consulting my guidebook because they had a few recommendations of where to eat in the Viktualienmarkt. We settled on a little soup kitchen. The whole menu was in German so I picked a soup that had one German word I knew - kartoffel (potato) and it turned out to be potato, sausage and onion soup and it was of course delicious. Seth picked another one at random that I think was a kind of vegetable soup with lots of greens and cabbage in it. Also delicious, but not as delicious as mine.

After that we went and looked at all the shops and bought some souvenirs. Actually I should say, Seth followed me around while I went shopping and I had a fabulous time.
We took a little nap at our hotel and then went out to eat. We decided to try a restaurant called Weisses Brauhaus - a fairly well-known place in Munich with a reputation for good beer and good food.
Going out to eat in Germany is a bit different than America. Most of the places we went to had big tables or long benches and if it's particularly crowded you will share tables, especially if there are only two of you. Also you do not wait for someone to seat you. You walk in and find a spot and sit down and the waiter will come round eventually to get your order. This can be tricky when it's very full and busy. Sometimes the waiter will help you find a spot, but for us that meant we had to find one who could speak English.

Random picture of us on top of St. Peter's

This was actually the 2nd time we were going to try Weisses Brauhaus. The first was on Sunday after we got back from Dachau and after wandering into the restaurant and not finding any waiter (or at least one that spoke English) or a sign telling us where to wait to be seated, we left in confusion.
But by Wednesday night we were feeling more confidant in our German restaurant skills so we gave it another go. We went in, wandered around, found a waiter who directed us to possibly the only two empty seats in the middle of a long row of people, took off our coats, got some English menus and after a few minutes I decided I could not handle this place and told Seth we had to get out of there right now.
Being around so many people in such a tight space makes me really nervous and claustrophobic and I can't think or talk, and I didn't want to spend my last night in Germany in such a state.

So we left and went to the same restaurant we had retreated to on Sunday - Zum Spockmeier. Much fewer people, less frazzled waiters, smaller tables and benches. And SUCH GOOD FOOD. This is me about to eat the most delicious steak and potatoes and green beans I have ever eaten in my life. EVER. I am not exaggerating. And I ate all of it. My mouth thanked me but my belly did not.
It was possibly the best part of my trip to Germany.

Seth got something called Escalope, which is basically Schnitzel but with fried cheese on it as well. Also extremely delicious, though nothing could compare with my meal.
Then we went back to our hotel and finished packing for our plane ride home in the morning.