26 June 2019, Wednesday
Today we remain in Munich but we have to leave the AirB&B and go to the first hostel we stayed in in Munich. So in the morning we took our time getting ready and then walked to the tram station. We waited and waited but no tram. I saw many taxis passing but they were all speaking in German so we didn’t bother. Then one taxi driver insisted we take the taxi, explaining in broken English that there was an accident so the trams couldn’t pass and now these taxis are here to ferry passengers around to the main train station, for free. He was so insistent that we got in. He also asked one of the other passengers who could speak English to explain the situation to us.
However, instead of the main train station, one station away from the main train station, he said he is letting us out. What the hell. Even the locals were nonplussed but what could you do. We had to alight but the passenger who explained to us in English told us which tram to take to the main station. So we then took the tram to the main station (one station away) and then from there the train to the nearest stop to our hostel.
What an adventure in the morning! With all our heavy luggages too! Luckily I had coffee and luckily we weren’t rushing anywhere. We arrived at our hostel at 12 p.m. but check in was only at 2 p.m. so 2 hours to spare. I marked out the places to see on the city map, and did some blogging. Then we checked in and I am so lucky! I think it’s Ljuby luck 😬because there was 1 bunk bed available, upstairs and downstairs. Of course I took the downstairs because I hate upstairs and my friend claims she doesn’t care so she can have the upstairs.
Settled, we went out to explore Munich for a bit. First we went to Karlsplatz, which is a square with a massive fountain. Some people have told me that Europe is experiencing a sort of heat wave right now. Indeed, the weather is really hot, and humid too but maybe not as humid as Malaysia. So we saw many of the locals walking and playing and getting themselves wet in the fountain. So cute.
Then to 2 medieval gates; the Sendlinger Tor which is the well-preserved southern gate of the second city wall, and the Isartor which is the eastern gate to the former Salzstrabe.
Then to Marienplatz again, but this time to see the beautiful New Town Hall. This for me is the most beautiful building in all of Munich. It is still in its original architecture, somehow it managed to survive the bombings during the World Wars. It is most famous for its glockenspiel or mechanical clock or chimes, displaying a Bavarian knight’s tournament victory. Right below the knights were coopers (people who make barrels for beer and wine).
There is a legend about coopers. Apparently there was a plague, and the people became afraid to leave their houses. This was not good for commerce and trade in the city, so the government asked the coopers to dance in the streets to induce the townsfolk to come out of their houses. It worked, and what is more, people who had the plague began to recover so coopers were also associated with having magical powers. The coopers’ dance has been maintained as a tradition, but only once in every 7 years.
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