Europe - Munich Moments

Unfortuntely we only had one night in Munich, the capital of Bavaria in Germany and close to the borders of Italy, Austria and Switzerland - all of which we will visit on our tour.

Heading out of town we stopped at Marienplatz, the main square - the geographical and cultural heart of Munich since 1158, being a centre for trade, especially salt in medieval times as it was also on the Golden Path, which I mentioned in Linz.

Today, Munich has the strongest economy in Germany and almost no unemployment with large Turkish and Balkan communities. It’s home to the BMW Headquarters which we've added to our list to visit if we return to Munich.

The city square is surrounded by the Old Town Hall, as well as the New Town Hall with its fountain and Glockenspiel: twice a day the 43 bells and 32 figures of this elaborate ‘cuckoo clock’ re-enact a historical tournament and the Schäfflertanz, or cooper's dance.

In the centre, Marian Column was erected in 1638 to celebrate the end of the Swedish occupation - it’s topped with a golden statue of the Virgin Mary and surrounded by four cupids symbolising Munich's triumph over war, the plague, heresy and famine.

With only an hour here and so much to see, we were overwhelmed for choice and decided instead to relax in a nice coffee shop instead!

The 10 min video below explores the delights of Munich - the churches are quite impressive as are the palaces. I hope to see them all on my next visit along with the extraordinary BMW complex and museum.

We will have a break tomorrow and then be back in Austria, visiting Linderhof, showcasing one of Ludwig II’s fairytale castles.