Beer and BMW

Munich is renowned for its beer gardens, BMW and Oktoberfest. Fortunately for me, I wasn’t in Munich during Oktoberfest. Why fortunately, you ask? Read on my gentle reader, read on.

Above, I make my way to traditional beer hall a few minutes after I arrive in Munich. This one is owned and operated by Augustiner Brau, an independent local brewery since 1328.

A few hours and two liters (or was it three?) later I stumble out of the frying pan into the fire; I have no recollection of the beer stall in the picture above. The “Helles” style beer being sold is typical of Munich, it’s a little sweeter than a traditional Pilsner.

Now, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a lot of beer, must be in want of food. While I cannot claim full responsibility for this poor beast’s sorry state (above), I remember waking up with enough meat between my incisors to satisfy a family of four.

 

Upon waking from my beer induced coma, I did what all responsible adults would have done. I sternly chastised myself for the previous night’s excesses and headed to the English Gardens (above and below) for round zwei.

This time I was well prepared for the yeasty onslaught, having learned a lesson about beer consumption on an empty stomach. I purchased the bread, sausage and cheese (not is picture) from Viktualienmarkt, an open air food market.

The next day I decide to assuage my conscience by steering clear of beer halls and visiting a few landmarks instead. Above, the Hofgarten and it’s fountains with the State chancery in the background.

Once a royal palace, the Residenz (above) now exhibits collections belonging to Bavarian monarchs.

A statue of Virgin Mary adorns the plaza in front of the new town hall. In the background is the famous Glockenspiel of Munich, a clock-work that comes to life at certain times of the day.

The church on the right is Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan, which contains the tombs of Bavarian royalty. The small arched building to the left is the Feldherrnhalle, which honors the Bavarian army and later was the site of the infamous “Beer Hall Putsch”.

The world headquarters of a small car company you might have heard of, is also located in Munich. The cylindrical building in the foreground is a museum, and just left of the tall building is the factory (not in picture).

Inside the museum, a 1999 Z8 driven by Pierce Brosnan in “The World is Not Enough”. The request to upgrade my Z4 was politely turned down.

The BMW factory is reflected in the storm like structure of the BMW Welt, where customers can take delivery of their new Bimmers. Later, I went on a factory tour and a subsequent mind erasure.

   

On my last day in Munich I visited the Neue Pinakothek, which contains many notable works of art. Above, a few of my favorites, Vincent van Gogh’s Still life with Sunflowers, Plain near Auvres, View of Arles, and Nympheas by Claude Monet. Interestingly, van Gogh painted the Sunflowers to decorate the room of his friend and artist, Paul Gauguin.

Here are some more pictures (soon).