Tag Archives: Bavaria

Munich

Euro Trip, ,

I spent my second day in downtown Munich and checked out the out the beautiful and ornate Rathaus-Glockenspiel at lunch time.

The Ornate Munich Rathaus Glockenspiel at noon.

I then Immersed myself into Pinakothek der Moderne which is a feast for the eyes.

Go on Sunday it’s only a single euro for all four section of the museum: Art, Design, Architecture and Design.

I was able to see a number of works of art from Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and a print of Andreas Gursky Rhein II the most expensive photograph in the world. I also really enjoy the works of Joseph Beuys He was really playful with this art and he was a new artist for a foreign like me.

I also learnt about the works of Otto Freundlich in the Degenerate Art exhibit and how he was denounced as a jew murdered on the day he arrived in the concentration camp Lublin-Majdanek. It was horrific the effect National Socialism had on every spec of life in Germany at the time.

Skylight feature in the main lobby of the Pinakothek Der Moderne. What a gorgeous building.
Skylight feature in the main lobby of the Pinakothek Der Moderne. What a gorgeous building.

The building is quite impressive and I really enjoy the architecture, The cafe was busy but really decent. I shared a table with local who in seeing my camera invited me to his table. It made for easy fun conversation over lunch.

The English Garden of Munich
The English Garden of Munich

I closed down the Pinakothek der Moderne and decided to walk to the English Gardens of Munich near by. There I had a conversation with Johannes Mirtschink who was photographing the park. I asked if he had got some decent photos.

I didn’t have plans for the rest of the evening so Johannes invited to go see the Allianz Arena as there was a large football (soccer) match happening that night and it was lit up.

Johannes had a tripod and suggested we get some long exposures from a highway overpass.

In something that is just really unique to photographer, I spent my last night in Munich hanging out on a highway over pass with someone taking some night photos.

Time exposure of Johannes setting up for the next exposure sequence.
Johannes setting up for the next exposure sequence.

We working on the photo together to get the best photo we could, It had been a long while since I did any real long time exposures and Johannes was still learning the tricks of the trade. There was a lot of trial and error but working together we got a really decent photo.

While hanging out on a highway overpass on your vacation may not sound like a lot of fun. But making new friends and creating awesome photographs, for me, it certainly was.

While I came with the mission of seeing Octoberfest and I was happy with what I saw. I really didn’t see enough of Munich or the surrounding area. I hope to return.

The Allianz Arena in Munich illuminated in red the color of the home team. The FC Bayern. Photo is a collective effort of Johannes Mirtschink and Robert Dall
The Allianz Arena in Munich illuminated in red the color of the home team. The FC Bayern. Photo is a collective effort of Johannes Mirtschink and Robert Dall

I left Munich for Berlin on something I really had an interest in taking. A night train, where you go to sleep in one city and Boom wake up in the next and true to form both the quality of sleep and the train wasn’t that bad.

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Oktoberfest

Euro Trip, ,

One of the big events of my trip to Europe was going to Oktoberfest with my brother and visiting the relatives who live just outside of Munich.

Seeing Oktoberfest on a beautiful sunny Saturday was an awesome experience and a fun highlight of the trip.

But OMG going to Oktoberfest on a beautiful sunny Saturday is an absolutely crazy idea.

A packed Oktoberfest on a Saturday Afternoon from the top of the Ferris Wheel.
A packed Oktoberfest on a Saturday Afternoon from the top of the Ferris Wheel. Approximately 200,000 people in the festival grounds.

Luckly our relatives had a contact who worked with Paulaner and got us reservations to the Festzelt Winzerer Fähndl.

Very little had prepared me for an experience of a Beer Tent at Oktoberfest. It is the largest party in the world.

Prezels the size or steering wheels, Huge Lebkuchen Hearts with a variety of messages hung from your neck and litres and litres of traditional Bavarian beer.

So how do you get into a tent in Oktoberfest without relatives who have contacts with a brewery?

  1. Don’t go at the start or end of the festival.
  2. Don’t go on a weekend if you can help it early weekdays are best.
  3. Arrive very early Tents open at 10:00 and can be full by 10:15
  4. Be prepared to wait hours to get into a tent.
  5. If you can’t get into a tent try a beer garden. Their are both tents and gardens.

You can have an awful lot of fun without going into the tents and there is a variety of family fun available. One of the most uniquely Munich things we did was the Teufelsrad or Devil’s Wheel which has been part of Oktoberfest since 1910.

Teufelsrad (Devil's Wheel) has been part of Oktoberfest since 1910
My niece takes on the Teufelsrad (Devil’s Wheel) which has been part of Oktoberfest since 1910

To survive the Devils Wheel you need to have a strong sense of balance a good start position on the wheel and some good luck. I tried my hand at the wheel and well I don’t think the two litres of beer before hand helped my chances and I was flung off in quite short order. But my niece Morgan did far better surviving to be the last girl on the wheel. (Being 10 at the time she was also far more sober then I )

Oktoberfest tourist hat
Don’t buy this hat. You’ll just look like an idiot.

Also an attire suggestion. Don’t buy one of these hats. You’ll just look like an idiot.

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