Munich - Monday

Boy, I have been slack in posting on our adventures in Europe. In my defence I was drinking at least 1.5 litres of beer a day in Munich so I was usually feeling a little snoozy by the end of the day.

On Monday Tessa and I went to the Dachau concentration camp on a walking tour with a guide. As Dachau was the only concentration camp that existed from the beginning of the Third Reich to the end of the Second World War, it was interesting (if that's the right word to describe something so horrific) to see how the camp evolved over time. The picture of the camp that I've added below is a sculpture made in memorial of the victims of the camp.

In the afternoon I went on a Third Reich walking tour through Munich with an Italian guide Sabine, who also happened to be a beer sommelier (beer expert basically - she gave some excellent bar and restaurant suggestions). We walked past places such as the Feldherrnhalle where Hitler's attempted Beer Hall Putsch was ended by Police gunfire in 1923 and the Hofbräuhaus where some of the early meetings of the Nazi party were held (it also has this cool section where regulars have their steins kept locked away for their personal use when they come to drink). After Hitler took power, the Feldherrnhalle became a shrine to the 16 men who died in the Beer Hall Putsch and everyone was required to give the Hitler salute as they went past, but there was an alley nearby that some people used as a shortcut to avoid giving the salute. It was nicknamed "Shirkers' Alley" and it now is a memorial to the German resistance.

For dinner Tessa and I went to this lovely restaurant recommended by Sabine during the walking tour for a Bavarian Plate (bits and pieces of everything). The duck was basically the best I've ever had, just so much flavour!Read more