MUNCHEN

Alexander is the tall guy in black

June 16:  Today was our third day in Munich, but we were jet lagged and brain dead the first day and spent most of the second at Dachau. Today, after our wonderful breakfast, we took a morning walk and thought we'd locate the Avis office, so tomorrow we wouldn't have to traipse there with our luggage not knowing where to go--we'd already done that. The car rental offices are in the train station, so how hard could it be? Well, evidently too hard for us. I had bought an international data plan for my iPhone, but if you walk around with roaming on, your data will soon be gone. We finally gave up and walked over to Marienplatz where we picked up a walking tour with a very knowledgeable guide Alexander who was a native Münchner.

Alexander walked us around the city for almost three hours with some other tourists from the US, Australia and Canada. One of our group was a retired professor of German literature, and he complimented me on my German. Of course, he only heard me say a few things and didn't realize I had spouted my entire repertoire. He'd been to Germany many times, and he too was impressed with Alexander. Alexander didn't shy away from Germany's and Munich's involvement with the Nazis. Munich was actually the "cradle," if you can use that word, of National Socialism. It's a painful subject, but one they confront. I didn't realize it, but Hitler was already agitating in Munich by 1919, less than a year after the end of the Great War. By the mid 1920s, Hitler was head of a movement.

Haus der Kunst now

One of the sights Alexander took us to was the Haus der Kunst, the House of Art, commissioned by Hitler. Of course, the Nazis thought art should serve the state and they purged what they called degenerate art (although they still plundered it) in favor of kitchy depictions of kinder, kuche, und kirche. They celebrated portraits of Teutonic maidens and virile Aryan men. The museum building was interesting, because it was a representation of Nazi monumental architecture. Alexander quipped that it was a shame Hitler, who had studied art in Vienna, had not been a more talented artist, because then he might have gone into painting instead of politics.

Haus der Kunst then

Alexander took us into an enclosed palace courtyard when all of a sudden a man in a business suit, carrying a briefcase, walked to the center fountain and started singing "O Sole Mio" in an beautiful operatic voice. The acoustics were fabulous! I thought it was some sort of street performance, but there was no collection plate. When he finished the song, he picked up his briefcase and left the courtyard with his friends who seemed as surprised as the rest of us. I was enjoying the moment too much to take a picture, but I do have a shot of the courtyard.

Site of the improptu concert.

Just another ornate church door.

After our walking tour, we asked Alexander for a lunch recommendation, and he mentioned Weisses Bauhaus. Alexander said they served real Bavarian food, including offal, and it was one of his favorites. Richard and I found it easily, because it was across the street from where we had eaten the first day, and we had a great lunch. Everyone else seemed to be German, and even though it was mid afternoon, there was lots of beer (and one table was also drinking shots of something). Richard ordered a variety of sausages with sauerkraut and I ordered sauerbraten. I was tempted to order the offal, but went for something more mainstream. I've made sauerbraten before, but I wanted to taste the real thing. As we were settling the bill, the waitress actually counted the number of the big doughy pretzels we ate. The Germans are very precise and thrifty.

Huge sculpture in an urban shopping center

This looked familiar--it is a copy of the Loggia della Signoria in Florence.

Yet another piece of art in Munich

After returning to the Blauer Boch, we walked next door to the Munich Stadtmuseum which is dedicated to the history and culture of Munich. The most interesting wing was the one devoted to National Socialism. The Nazis were masters of propaganda, and you could see the progression of their power and control in the exhibits. I found it very interesting that their depictions of German soldiers on propaganda posters verged on the homoerotic, especially since they persecuted homosexuals.

There are many lessons to be learned from how the Nazis lead so many people to follow their twisted path. History teaches us lessons at a great price, and we should heed them.

Since we had eaten a large, late lunch, we weren't hungry for dinner, but we did have a beer at the Viktualienmarkt biergarten. Alexander told us that by law, beer gardens allow you to bring your own food, as long as you buy beer. What a nice custom! The beer garden has tables under huge trees and was full of people. A very festive place. My pictures did not turn out.

Note to self: Must find out how a model-thin woman ate four slices of heavy German bread at the breakfast buffet.