Athens to Amsterdam 10/1-7/2023 Episode 6 – Munich to Amsterdam Wed-Thurs, 10/4-5

After completing our visit to the Dachau Memorial, we took the bus back to the train station in Dachau and the train back to Munich. Getting off at the Marienplatz we looked for a place for a late lunch.

One of the locations we wanted to visit is known as the Viktualienmarkt, a large Farmers Market, mostly outdoors with some shops mixed in with beautiful displays of flowers, fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, fish, honey and other products. It has been in existence since 1807 operating every day except Sundays and holidays.

The Maypole

And right in the center, under large chestnut trees are dozens of tables and chairs at which to eat, and the J.W. Augustiner Beer Hall.  Our friends, Mark and Pat, had told us about another Augustiners and we were unable to get there, so we were so excited when we discovered this one!

Augustiners has been privately owned since 1829, and at one point was state-owned, but had its beginning in 1328 when Augustinian monks began brewing their beer in the monastery. It was such high quality, the Monarchy exempted them from taxes!

There are dividers that mark tables for those who want to pick up food at kiosks and sit and eat and for those who want to order at the table from Augustiner staff. We wandered through the tables looking for an empty spot and a waitress saw us and told us to sit with a couple at their table. So we did.

They were from Brazil and were nearly finished with their meal, so we chatted a little, figured out what we wanted and placed our order. We did not sample the beers, but we shared a sampler of Bavarian meats, saurkraut, potatoes, and a lovely fresh salad. It was all delicious and it was just terrific sitting outside in perfect weather under old chestnut trees enjoying the atmosphere of the market with hundreds of others. 

After our mid-afternoon lunch we walked over to the Hofbrauhaus, the famous beer hall where Hitler and the National Socialists held their first meeting in 1920. It was also there that Hitler delivered one of his first speeches on the ideology of Nazism in Germany. Today, it is a state-owned, very popular Bavarian Beer Hall with a festive atmosphere.

And talk about atmosphere! There was a three piece band of guitar, accordian, and tuba playing “typical” Bavarian music. We found a table that had a reserved sign on it for 6:00 p.m. but it was about 4:00.  I looked around for a waiter, got an eye, raised an eyebrow, and got a nod in return. We sat. Along came another waiter who took our order for dessert and water. It was just an excuse to soak up the environment and join in. We had the last item on the menu, which was a caramelized pancake with apple sauce.

While we waited we noted the hundreds of names and initials scratched into the tables. So for the first time that I can remember, I scratched some in as well.

By the time we were ready to leave we had checked off several of the sites we wanted to see and had run out of steam, so decided to walk back to Marienplatz and return to the hotel for our bags. From there we took a cab to our airport hotel for our early morning flight on KLM to Amsterdam. 

We slept well that night after the long day at Dachau and walking in Munich. At 6:30 the next morning we took the hotel shuttle to the airport where we must have been among the first arrivals for our KLM flight to Amsterdam at 9:25. Once we found our way to check-in (signage could defintely be improved there!) the lines for everything were very short. We waited in a quiet area for awhile, then at the gate, then boarded for 1.5 hour flight. 

We agreed that the seats were actually comfortable, and after about 30 minutes or so they brought pre-packaged cheese sandwiches on lovely brown bread and whatever beverages you would like. Since our 2.5 hour flight on Ryan Air did not even provide water, we were pretty pleased. We split a sandwich and saved one for later. After about another half hour they passed out prepackaged slices of banana bread! Wonder what a 4 hour flight looks like?!

Our trek from the plane to train to Amsterdam Central Station was fairly uneventful for a change. There is always the uncertainty of finding your way to the right train, getting the right ticket, finding the right platform, getting on the right train and getting off at the right stop, all while moving your luggage and watching over your shoulder for pick pockets, and figuring out a foreign language, but there is nearly always someone to ask who will help. 

Amsterdam Central

Doubletree by Hilton on the canal

Once we found our way out of the station we knew where to go as we had stayed at the same hotel, a Doubletree, before. Walking to the hotel is not a long distance, but there is construction, and in Amsterdam, when you are crossing a street you not only have to watch for cars, you have to add buses, trams, and most importantly – BICYCLES! 

There are more bicycles than cars, and they FLY. We saw a shouting match between a pedestrian and cyclist that fortunately did not turn into fisticuffs, but it was getting pretty sporty!

We spent the rest of the day resting and planning, excited about what the next day held. And with that, we’ll end this episode.

Thanks again for rambling along. It’s nice to know you’re there.