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Thursday, February 13, 2014

Munchen Part 2: Exploring the City

We had one full day to explore the city of Munchen - and so we did! Started off bright and early, and we were lucky as we had good weather that day.

When we started the journey, we passed by this beautiful old building - I think it's a government building or something, but the carvings were simply amazing. Especially the gargoyles and figurines.






Time to explore the main city area! Passed through these castle-like gates...




More amazing architecture in the vicinity. Most of these have been converted into high-class cafes/bars and shops.





My dad spotted this interesting-looking fountain...and I should admit, it's quite amusing! The dude on top is trying to spit at the darker-coloured little dude at the bottom...and this goes on and on...till the fountain is turned off for the day!




Detoured a little, and explored a concert hall. There was an upcoming concert, so we couldn't go in.





Jewish memorial - presumably to commemorate World War II - just opposite the concert hall.




Time to explore the main streets of Munchen! Along the way, I spotted more unique architecture...








We went into this beautiful church for a look - but didn't spend much time there, as there was a service starting and photos weren't allowed. I managed to sneak a pic of the angel sculpture though!





Explored more interesting architecture along the way. In the bottom pic, the old Munich Town Hall is on the left and a museum is on the right. Can't recall which museum, but it sure is quirky!

The old Town Hall was first documented in the early 1300s, and has undergone quite a number of restorations...including one to repair damages from the Second World War. It was the central municipal building of Munich until 1874.









Target for the day - the New Town Hall in Marienplatz. This town hall is an icon in Munich and it was constructed between 1867 and 1908, with lots of intricate designs, gargoyles and patterns. The New Town Hall is definitely a must-see when touring Munich. Oh - and there were lots of Christmas market stalls around the area! Check out my previous post for more Christmas market pics.









The Rathaus-Glockenspiel - a cute little show in the facade of the Town Hall, which performs daily at 11am, 12pm and 5pm, accompanied by music. The "dancers" are so adorable! And the colours are amazing!







The entire basement of the Town Hall was occupied by the Ratskeller Restaurant, a very popular eatery. We had our lunch there, and the service was amazing!







Spent some time exploring the grounds of the Town Hall, behind the magnificent facade. The inside was equally beautiful...











If I remember correctly, these beautiful buildings were banks, and we passed by them as we were walking to another part of the city.







Check out this awesome yellow building here! The dome was so intriguing too! I reckon this was another church - popular amongst tourists, and right outside this building, there was a market selling Christmas trees. Real Christmas trees that were freshly obtained! Next to the building was a magnificent monument - which was popular amongst tourists...and the locals too.









Monument commemorating King Joseph Maximilian (Maximilian I) - right outside the National Theatre. He was the King of Bavaria (where Munich was located) from 1806 to 1825.




We had some time to walk around the English Gardens, a sprawling park in the middle of the city (it's even bigger than New York's Central Park!). The English Gardens was created in 1789 by Sir Benjamin Thompson, and subsequently expanded and improved. It was named "English Gardens" due to the landscaping style that was reminiscent of 18th-19th century English gardens.

And although we didn't explore the entire compound, we did see a number of beautiful spots around. Even the bike stands were gorgeous! The skies were also beginning to get cloudy, and it really brought out the winter atmosphere within the gardens.










As the sun was beginning to set, we decided to explore the streets a bit more before heading back. The lights were now being turned on...and the buildings looked even more beautiful than ever. And of course, we got to walk around the Christmas Markets (as seen in the previous post).









Ended the day by having a nice hot meal and enjoying a really good nights' sleep at the hotel. We did spend a lot of time walking after all! But we were all happy and ready to go home.

And that concludes today's post! I'll be posting pics of Austria soon! Do stay tuned!