Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Munich and Griesbrau Brewery

So Lisa and I left the Abrams around 745 yesterday morning and rode our bikes to the resort. We signed in and got on the tour bus for our Munich City Tour through the Alpine Adventures Office at the resort. Our tour guide was Jim who is originally from Boston but has lived in Germany for over 20 years. He jokingly told the whole bus over the loud speaker that Lisa and I were Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The whole bus laughed and cheered. It was about an hour and a half drive with lots of beautiful views. We drove past the Oktoberfest grounds as well as some other sights before being dropped off at Maximilian Square. We walked up to the Royal Residence of the Wittelsbach which is a huge complex built between the 16th and 19th centuries. The symbol of this family is the Lion and there are many seen throughout the area and it's good luck to rub the noses. You'll see us in the pictures getting our share of the luck. From there we walked by the Theatine Church and the Felderrnhalle on our way to the Marienplatz. We saw a statue of Marien this the name and the Rathaus "Town Hall" Complexes, both new and old. Then at 11 the Glockenspiel (play clock) did it's chiming and we watched the dancers and jousting knights(blue and white won). From there we walked through the Vikualien Market which was still open despite the cool weather and occasional sprinkle. We ended our walking tour at the HofBrau Haus, one of the city's oldest breweries. Lisa and I stayed for lunch. We each got our own beer and shared some homemade sausages with sauerkraut and a Bavarian meatloaf with german potato salad as well as a bread basket. (Part of the menu is pictured) The meatloaf wasn't what we were expecting, it turned out to be more like spam we think. We then went to H&M and the C&A stores near the Marienplatz and found a place popular with celebrities evidently that Jim said served a non-carbonated beer. Couldn't remember what it was called and didn't have much time left until our meeting time. We stopped in the Spatenhaus for apple strudel(AMAZING) with fresh whipped cream(YUM!) and Lisa had an espresso. We met up with Jim and saw the crown jewels of the royalties of Munich past which was interesting but not as exciting or awe-inspiring as we thought. We then piled back on the bus just after 3 pm and headed back to the resort. We both fell asleep for a little bit but also spent some time talking to guests and getting advice on places to travel. Lisa and I then waited in the lobby in the rocking chairs in front of the fireplace for about an hour until the brewery tour. Most of the people that went in our van/bus had already been drinking. When we arrived we got a tour and explanation of the process and where everything is stored. We sampled 3-4 beers I think and a Beer Liquor. I'm not sure how to describe it but I liked the beer liquor. I assume that's the best translation as it says bierlikor, anyways, I bought 2 bottles. We tried the Christmas beer with the owner, his first sample of this years batch with us! The brewery is a part of a small hotel and we ate at the restaurant they had, again see the plate of food pictured. Everything was yummy, and I'm not sure what everything was but I'll keep it that way. We then returned to the resort a little before 11 and rode our bikes home in the cold rain. Long day but worth every minute!!
Pictures... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082359&id=44801562&l=fa5763427c

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