Bavaria

I woke up this morning eager to see as much of Munich in the morning as I could. Today is 1st May, Labour day in Germany, a national holiday. The sun is shining brightly so I'm assuming today will be another busy day in the city centre.

The streets were far quieter this morning and so I was able to see a lot of the major sights I wanted to check out while I was here - Marienplatz with it's two town halls, Odeonsplatz and the Munich Residenz, the Hofgarten and State Chancellery, and the Viktualienmarkt. Munich is a city filled with grand, impressive buildings marking its long and proud history and distinct regional identity.

After climbing up the tower in Peterskirche for a panoramic view, I went on a walking tour of the Altstadt led by a very enthusiastic Nebraskan called Brett. He was very knowledgeable about three essential elements of Munich's history - beer, Bavarians and Nazis. The tour was very informative and particularly highlighted how Munich had rebuilt itself after the end of the second world war. Unlike cities such as Berlin, which opted to rebuild themselves in a very modern, forward-looking aesthetic, Munich rebuilt itself as close to its original specifications as possible. This even went so far as to rebuild St Peter's Church with a cannonball lodged into it which had previously become stuck there during the Napoleonic wars!

After the tour I had to check out the Hofbraühaus, Munich's quintessential beer hall. It has a fun vibe if a bit overpriced - this afternoon I think I'll be heading to a few different beer gardens to take in the Labour Day atmosphere in different parts of the city and take a tour of the Neuerathaus.Lue lisää