#15: Every visit is a new one
On my travels lately, I revisited a lot of the places that I have been to previously, such as Paris, London, Manchester, and Munich. However, it seems like I have never been to any of these places before. I find the things that I come across familiar but I have already forgotten most of the landmarks and directions. This is when I realise my memory can be pretty bad at times. Or perhaps I am just being selective about the things that I want to remember.
I shopped so much when I was in Manchester the last time, going to Arndale and spending three to four hours there and yet when I was trying to give my friends directions on how to get to Arndale, I simply cannot retrace the steps that I took. However, when it comes to the walk to Old Trafford from the tramway, so much memories flooded back. Despite having gone down that long walk at least five to six times, each time I make my way to the stadium, I still feel the adrenaline rush and the excitement about watching a game live again and that it was only yesterday that I had just walked down that street.
When it comes to London, I have transited via Victoria Coach station numerous times but when I had to figure my way to the railway station, the tube and the coach station, I still find myself like a first-timer. Nevertheless, I vividly remember the much coveted Oxford Street shopping. Lol.
Lastly, it is Munich. One of my many inspirations behind my desire to live my dreams is this one friend whom I had who visited Europe back in 2005 on a backpacking trip and a photo that he sent me while standing in front of Marienplatz in Munich. I remember falling in love with Munich the moment I arrived back then, with Hofbrauhus, Marienplatz, etc. Yet when I went back to Munich again this time round, the place looks different and it seems like I have never once laid foot there before.
My selective memory - how ironic.
Showing posts with label Germany;Berlin;Munich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Germany;Berlin;Munich. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 February 2015
Saturday, 24 January 2015
Dozen
#12: Neuschwanstein Castle
I have heard so many stories about this castle that I told myself I must visit this place someday should I go to Germany again. Truth to be told, I did not have a very pleasant experience in Germany when I visited in 2008 but to be fair, one or two bad experiences should not be generalised. So I was hoping for a better experience this time round. I could no longer recall why I had not really like Germany back then but after this trip, I can be very sure that my shunning of the country is really because of the hospitality that I receive. I shall talk more about it later.
Back to Neuschwanstein Castle. I was expecting a "WOW" feeling when I finally reach the castle but I only let out a "Hmm, not too bad." Perhaps it was due to the numerous castles that I have seen all over the world or it was due to the haphazard journey there. We were supposed to take a 2-hr train ride to Fussen then change to a bus to get to Neuschwanstein. At the Munich train station, there was an incredible number of people who were waiting for the train on the platform. Suddenly, everyone started to ran to another platform and not knowing better, we simply followed. The train was supposed to be at platform 27 at 9:25 but at 9:27, it arrived in platform 31 instead. So the whole situation was chaotic! Then 1.5 hours into the train ride, the train pulled over at a station and everyone on board started alighting. All announcements were made in German and since we did not understand a single thing, we simply followed the crowd. We were then transferred to buses to bring us to Fussen. Throughout the entire journey, people were rushing and pushing like mad and we were super perturbed. So after a series of drama, we finally arrived at the ticket office. The queue was super long and by the time it was almost our turn to buy the tickets, they told us the next entry to the castle was at 4.30 p.m. (it was 1.30p.m. then).
We took it slow to make our way up to the castle and the suspension bridge and when it was finally 4.30p.m. for the castle tour, we had a guide who spoke English that sounded like German (we cannot blame him, everyone has their own accent) and we ended up only understanding only the first two and last two words of every sentence that he spoke. The tour ended in 15 minutes and by the time we exit the castle, it was already 5.30 p.m. and the sky was entirely dark. We then had to make our way down again. Needless to say, the journey back was chaotic once again with people pushing and squeezing you from all directions just so they could board the bus.
Yes the castle is nice but it did not overwhelm me. A friend of mine said it was very beautiful because it was covered in snow when she visited. Okay, there was no snow when I was there so perhaps that is why it was not as beautiful as claimed. By the way, one of the sets of Jay Chou's wedding photo shoots was the Neuschwanstein Castle. It definitely helped do more publicity for the place.
The only saving grace for me for the visit was the star-lit sky when we were making our way down from the castle. Once again, I caught a shooting star and this time round, I was fast enough to make a wish and not just get all excited over it or deliberating with myself on whether my eyes had played a trick on me. :) From the scientific perspective, shooting stars are merely fallen stars (dead stars) and it is not a genie. Yes everyone knows that but once in a while, it is good to be detached from reality and facts. :)
I have heard so many stories about this castle that I told myself I must visit this place someday should I go to Germany again. Truth to be told, I did not have a very pleasant experience in Germany when I visited in 2008 but to be fair, one or two bad experiences should not be generalised. So I was hoping for a better experience this time round. I could no longer recall why I had not really like Germany back then but after this trip, I can be very sure that my shunning of the country is really because of the hospitality that I receive. I shall talk more about it later.
Back to Neuschwanstein Castle. I was expecting a "WOW" feeling when I finally reach the castle but I only let out a "Hmm, not too bad." Perhaps it was due to the numerous castles that I have seen all over the world or it was due to the haphazard journey there. We were supposed to take a 2-hr train ride to Fussen then change to a bus to get to Neuschwanstein. At the Munich train station, there was an incredible number of people who were waiting for the train on the platform. Suddenly, everyone started to ran to another platform and not knowing better, we simply followed. The train was supposed to be at platform 27 at 9:25 but at 9:27, it arrived in platform 31 instead. So the whole situation was chaotic! Then 1.5 hours into the train ride, the train pulled over at a station and everyone on board started alighting. All announcements were made in German and since we did not understand a single thing, we simply followed the crowd. We were then transferred to buses to bring us to Fussen. Throughout the entire journey, people were rushing and pushing like mad and we were super perturbed. So after a series of drama, we finally arrived at the ticket office. The queue was super long and by the time it was almost our turn to buy the tickets, they told us the next entry to the castle was at 4.30 p.m. (it was 1.30p.m. then).
We took it slow to make our way up to the castle and the suspension bridge and when it was finally 4.30p.m. for the castle tour, we had a guide who spoke English that sounded like German (we cannot blame him, everyone has their own accent) and we ended up only understanding only the first two and last two words of every sentence that he spoke. The tour ended in 15 minutes and by the time we exit the castle, it was already 5.30 p.m. and the sky was entirely dark. We then had to make our way down again. Needless to say, the journey back was chaotic once again with people pushing and squeezing you from all directions just so they could board the bus.
Yes the castle is nice but it did not overwhelm me. A friend of mine said it was very beautiful because it was covered in snow when she visited. Okay, there was no snow when I was there so perhaps that is why it was not as beautiful as claimed. By the way, one of the sets of Jay Chou's wedding photo shoots was the Neuschwanstein Castle. It definitely helped do more publicity for the place.
The only saving grace for me for the visit was the star-lit sky when we were making our way down from the castle. Once again, I caught a shooting star and this time round, I was fast enough to make a wish and not just get all excited over it or deliberating with myself on whether my eyes had played a trick on me. :) From the scientific perspective, shooting stars are merely fallen stars (dead stars) and it is not a genie. Yes everyone knows that but once in a while, it is good to be detached from reality and facts. :)
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Berlin day 2-31st March 2008
Finally at the 12th day & last day of my trip! Woohoo~
Wasn't a busy day so I don't have much to talk about.
Some unhappy things happen in the morning when we arrived.
Ended up we didn't go to the planned underground bunkers.
Went shopping, bought my BIRKS finally.
Got my HRC shot glass
Shopping at the cheap supermarket,Lidl.
It was another feasting day.
Kim ate 3 hotdogs!
I ate only 1 because I left my stomach for my MCDONALDS!
Ate the shrimp burger meal with my waffle fries 6.29 EUR!
Freaking $13 for Mcdonalds but heck.
Also, had DUNKIN DONUTS!
How i miss them though krispy kremes is equally good.
Still vividly remember CC.CB.Me bought 3 dozens of donuts from KL in June! haha...
When we pass the customs at Johor
I think the immigration must be laughing at us, 3 DONUTS-fanatic? haha..
Oh! Went to the Parliament house.
Was so unlucky.
The glass dome was closed for cleaning and maintenance.
If we'd gone on the first day
We'd have been able to enter it.
Anyway, the view was fabulous as usual.
Share a little story of how the Berlin Wall broke down.
It was an error.
People were protesting on the streets etc.
The press secretary had to start a press conference.
Minutes before it, he received a memo from the governing official.
He was the one who ordered the Berlin Wall to be demolished.
He screwed it.
It was a mistake. haha..
That's how irony life is!
The rooftop of the church had chipped off. Seriously, I don't know what happened. I am puzzled.
Difference in traffic lights. If you see this traffic light, you are in East Berlin. If you see the normal traffic lights, you are in West Berlin. Cute right?
With that, I put a . to my 12 days Europe adventure. :)
Wasn't a busy day so I don't have much to talk about.
Some unhappy things happen in the morning when we arrived.
Ended up we didn't go to the planned underground bunkers.
Went shopping, bought my BIRKS finally.
Got my HRC shot glass
Shopping at the cheap supermarket,Lidl.
It was another feasting day.
Kim ate 3 hotdogs!
I ate only 1 because I left my stomach for my MCDONALDS!
Ate the shrimp burger meal with my waffle fries 6.29 EUR!
Freaking $13 for Mcdonalds but heck.
I was just trying to be funny! haha..
Also, had DUNKIN DONUTS!
How i miss them though krispy kremes is equally good.
Still vividly remember CC.CB.Me bought 3 dozens of donuts from KL in June! haha...
When we pass the customs at Johor
I think the immigration must be laughing at us, 3 DONUTS-fanatic? haha..
Oh! Went to the Parliament house.Was so unlucky.
The glass dome was closed for cleaning and maintenance.
If we'd gone on the first day
We'd have been able to enter it.
Anyway, the view was fabulous as usual.
Share a little story of how the Berlin Wall broke down.It was an error.
People were protesting on the streets etc.
The press secretary had to start a press conference.
Minutes before it, he received a memo from the governing official.
He was the one who ordered the Berlin Wall to be demolished.
He screwed it.
It was a mistake. haha..
That's how irony life is!
The rooftop of the church had chipped off. Seriously, I don't know what happened. I am puzzled.
Difference in traffic lights. If you see this traffic light, you are in East Berlin. If you see the normal traffic lights, you are in West Berlin. Cute right?
With that, I put a . to my 12 days Europe adventure. :)
Monday, 21 April 2008
Berlin Day 1-29th March 2008
Arrival at Berlin Bus Station-07:15 hours
That's early.
Headed to the tourist office and waited till 8 before it opened
Checked out the various places we wanted to visit
All the war museums especially
Our first stop was the Brandenburger Tor.
The most visited tourist attraction in Berlin I guess.
12 columns.6 on each side.5 entry gateways
The middle one was the largest-meant for the king.
Citizens were allowed to use only the outer 2 gateways
On top of the gate is the Quadriga (a statue) representing Viktoria (Goddess of Victory)
When Napolean invaded Berlin
He took the Quadriga back to Paris and kept it
When the Germans took it back again, they changed her name to Nike
And installed the Iron Cross
It's grand!
It went through a lot of ups and downs in Berlin's history
Just for laughs! Imagine we were there in 1961. 
The Quadriga atop the gate. (see the new iron cross?)
He passed through the gate as status that he's equivalent to a royalty
During the Cold War, the gate was held by the East Germany government
Which means if you want to enter East Germany,
You have to pass through the gate
Or Checkpoint Charlie
2nd on the itinerary.
the Free Walking Tour once again.
It originated from Berlin.
The group was so big that they actually split into 2.
There was this 2 really stylish, model-alike Czech guys in our group
One of them looks like Takeshi Kaneshiro
But Kim insisted he looks like Craig David instead
Anyway, we visited all the key places during the tour.
German Parliament Building
Designed by a British Architect
The rooftop of the building was made of glass which makes it transparent
Intention was that when politicians debate policies
They are constantly reminded of transparency
Also, the public will be seating there watching them
For the people, they exist
Constant reminder of democracy in Germany
which was once plagued by dictatorship
Jewish Holocaust Monument.
To the left of the Parliament building.
The Monument was right in the centre of the city
Unlike Munich, Berlin faces its Nazi Past and embraces it.
The monument was designed by a Jewish descendant.
He didn't explain the rationale behind the design
It was deliberately left unexplained to give people room to imagine
The 2 czech guys told us that it represents the Jewish Cemetry in Prague.
When I was in Prague, I caught a glimpse of it.
The Interior of the Monument
It represents uncertainty.
High and Low walls
As you move deeper and deeper
You don't see what's on top or to the right or left of you
It represents the kind of emotion the Jewish felt back then
You were brought to concentration camps
Separated from family and friends
You don't know what lies ahead of you
Not to be missed
Berlin Wall
The Wall no longer exists today but there are still bits and pieces
Only portion that was kept intact was the one we visited
There's a story behind it too
When Cold War begin
Soviet Union took control of East Germany
US & the allied forces West Germany
People from East germany started fleeing to West Germany
The SU were afraid that East Germany's economy would collapse
so they wanted to stop people from leaving East Germany
on 1961, August 13
The berlin wall was erected
It originated with barbed wires and East German soldiers with riffles standing guard
Improved wire fence next
Then cement was used to build the wall
And finally pipes were added atop the wall.
Purpose was that they wanted to deprive people of the grip when they try to climb the wall.
That didn't stop people from escaping because ladder was available.
Instead they introduced the death strip.
An area in between the walls that is covered with sand
Signal fencing, anti-vehicle trenches, barbed wires, dogs on long lines.
In order to escape, you 1st need to climb the wall at the East German side
then you had to run across the death strip
And climb another wall to get to West Germany
Most people died while moving across the death strip
There were watch towers, dogs etc
You will be shot if you attempt to escape.
Plus, you can't run that fast because of the sand which sinks your feet.
But don't be surprised, there were successful escape attempts but at a minimal level.
Death Strip. Now it takes on a completely new look.
There's the topography of terror on display. It depicts Hitler's Nazi and the SS and its success to power. What they did between 1933-1945, to the Jewish, to the Polish etc. Sad...
Sorry but there are really lots of stories in berlin!
Next on Hitler's death.
Hitler was hiding in an underground bunker
when the Allied forces were busy bombing Germany
the bunker had 2 levels and it was huge!
larger than my house in Singapore! WTH !
He realised his time is up.
So he decided to marry his long-time companion
On the wedding, he poisoned himself, his new wife and his beloved dog
He also try to poison all the other soldiers with him
But he first made them burn his body first
He didn't want anyone to find his remains
Otherwise they will most probably be doing all sorts of evil things back
KARMA.
Who knows before his body was completely burnt
the SU troops found him.
But the SU soldiers wanted to play a trick on the Allied forces
The AF searched high and low for quite some time
Finally, the SU told them hitler's body was with them.
HILARIOUS
National Library
There stood a spot where you could see below
And see columns of bookshelves
It was there that Hitler started burning all books that opposed to his ideas.
I like this quote that lies upon there-Can't rmb exactly but the idea is this.
"If you start by burning books, then killing people will be the next to follow."
Oh ya, Albert Einstein has some Jewish blood.
He used to be a researcher and professor in Berlin
Fortunately he left Berlin b4 Hitler came to power :)
Enlarge this photo. It's the spot where books were burnt. You see bookshelves beneath.
University Einstein taught at. 
Why this monument? There was this son who pleaded his mom to let him go to war when he was only 16. After several attempts, his mom gave in. 10 days later, he died in the war. This is to commemorate the soldiers' wives and moms for the pain and agony of losing their beloved kin. It's structured with a really big hole in the top of the building where it's placed. The woman is holding his son in her arms. It's said that when it rains, it represents the mom crying for his son and when it's sunny, the light reflects on the statue and .... I can't rmb. hahaha...
Checkpoint Charlie next.
It's damn cool.
You see a photograph of an American soldier there.
That's because he was on guard at Checkpoint Charlie
The day when it was decided that the Berlin wall will be demolished.
At the east germany side, they hang the photograph of an East German soldier too.
It saddens us.
Though everything happened decades ago
till today you feel for the tragedy seeing all the photos.
That's early.
Headed to the tourist office and waited till 8 before it opened
Checked out the various places we wanted to visit
All the war museums especially
Our first stop was the Brandenburger Tor.
The most visited tourist attraction in Berlin I guess.
12 columns.6 on each side.5 entry gateways
The middle one was the largest-meant for the king.
Citizens were allowed to use only the outer 2 gateways
On top of the gate is the Quadriga (a statue) representing Viktoria (Goddess of Victory)
When Napolean invaded Berlin
He took the Quadriga back to Paris and kept it
When the Germans took it back again, they changed her name to Nike
And installed the Iron Cross
It's grand!
It went through a lot of ups and downs in Berlin's history
The Gate (notice the middle gateway is larger)
Just for laughs! Imagine we were there in 1961. 
The Quadriga atop the gate. (see the new iron cross?)
When Hitler came into power
During the Cold War, the gate was held by the East Germany government
Which means if you want to enter East Germany,
You have to pass through the gate
Or Checkpoint Charlie
2nd on the itinerary.
the Free Walking Tour once again.
It originated from Berlin.
The group was so big that they actually split into 2.
There was this 2 really stylish, model-alike Czech guys in our group
One of them looks like Takeshi Kaneshiro
But Kim insisted he looks like Craig David instead
Anyway, we visited all the key places during the tour.
German Parliament Building
Designed by a British Architect
The rooftop of the building was made of glass which makes it transparent
Intention was that when politicians debate policies
They are constantly reminded of transparency
Also, the public will be seating there watching them
For the people, they exist
Constant reminder of democracy in Germany
which was once plagued by dictatorship
Jewish Holocaust Monument.
To the left of the Parliament building.
The Monument was right in the centre of the city
Unlike Munich, Berlin faces its Nazi Past and embraces it.
The monument was designed by a Jewish descendant.
He didn't explain the rationale behind the design
It was deliberately left unexplained to give people room to imagine
The 2 czech guys told us that it represents the Jewish Cemetry in Prague.
When I was in Prague, I caught a glimpse of it.
The Holocaust Monument. What do you think it represents?
The Interior of the Monument
Our guide gave us his perspective, which was the same as the one I'd in mind.
High and Low walls
As you move deeper and deeper
You don't see what's on top or to the right or left of you
It represents the kind of emotion the Jewish felt back then
You were brought to concentration camps
Separated from family and friends
You don't know what lies ahead of you
Not to be missed
Berlin Wall
The Wall no longer exists today but there are still bits and pieces
Only portion that was kept intact was the one we visited
There's a story behind it too
When Cold War begin
Soviet Union took control of East Germany
US & the allied forces West Germany
People from East germany started fleeing to West Germany
The SU were afraid that East Germany's economy would collapse
so they wanted to stop people from leaving East Germany
on 1961, August 13
The berlin wall was erected
It originated with barbed wires and East German soldiers with riffles standing guard
Improved wire fence next
Then cement was used to build the wall
And finally pipes were added atop the wall.
Purpose was that they wanted to deprive people of the grip when they try to climb the wall.
That didn't stop people from escaping because ladder was available.
Instead they introduced the death strip.
An area in between the walls that is covered with sand
Signal fencing, anti-vehicle trenches, barbed wires, dogs on long lines.
In order to escape, you 1st need to climb the wall at the East German side
then you had to run across the death strip
And climb another wall to get to West Germany
Most people died while moving across the death strip
There were watch towers, dogs etc
You will be shot if you attempt to escape.
Plus, you can't run that fast because of the sand which sinks your feet.
But don't be surprised, there were successful escape attempts but at a minimal level.
Berlin Wall-see those pipes on top?
Death Strip. Now it takes on a completely new look.
There's the topography of terror on display. It depicts Hitler's Nazi and the SS and its success to power. What they did between 1933-1945, to the Jewish, to the Polish etc. Sad...Sorry but there are really lots of stories in berlin!
Next on Hitler's death.
Hitler was hiding in an underground bunker
when the Allied forces were busy bombing Germany
the bunker had 2 levels and it was huge!
larger than my house in Singapore! WTH !
He realised his time is up.
So he decided to marry his long-time companion
On the wedding, he poisoned himself, his new wife and his beloved dog
He also try to poison all the other soldiers with him
But he first made them burn his body first
He didn't want anyone to find his remains
Otherwise they will most probably be doing all sorts of evil things back
KARMA.
Who knows before his body was completely burnt
the SU troops found him.
But the SU soldiers wanted to play a trick on the Allied forces
The AF searched high and low for quite some time
Finally, the SU told them hitler's body was with them.
HILARIOUS
National Library
There stood a spot where you could see below
And see columns of bookshelves
It was there that Hitler started burning all books that opposed to his ideas.
I like this quote that lies upon there-Can't rmb exactly but the idea is this.
"If you start by burning books, then killing people will be the next to follow."
Oh ya, Albert Einstein has some Jewish blood.
He used to be a researcher and professor in Berlin
Fortunately he left Berlin b4 Hitler came to power :)
University Einstein taught at. 
Why this monument? There was this son who pleaded his mom to let him go to war when he was only 16. After several attempts, his mom gave in. 10 days later, he died in the war. This is to commemorate the soldiers' wives and moms for the pain and agony of losing their beloved kin. It's structured with a really big hole in the top of the building where it's placed. The woman is holding his son in her arms. It's said that when it rains, it represents the mom crying for his son and when it's sunny, the light reflects on the statue and .... I can't rmb. hahaha...
It's damn cool.
You see a photograph of an American soldier there.
That's because he was on guard at Checkpoint Charlie
The day when it was decided that the Berlin wall will be demolished.
At the east germany side, they hang the photograph of an East German soldier too.
From the picture above, you see crowds of people at the Britain flag. There are these FAKE soldiers carrying flags there and offering tourists the chance to take a photo and that costs you EUR 1 or 2 I think. Kim & I didn't want to pay so we took with our own cameras while the guard wasn't paying attention. That's why you see the photo beelow. 
Some Church in East Berlin
That's the TV tower. Voted ugliest architecture in Berlin! 
There's a story behind this TV tower. The Russians had built a TV tower back then and the East Germans wanted to imitate them. So they started to work on it. Halfway through, they met with some problems so they called up the Russians to seek help since both were under Communist Control. To their surprise, the TV tower in Russia was built by some Swedish engineers so in the end, the Germans got the Swedes to complete this TV tower. WTH?
Because of all the war stories and exhibitions,
Some Church in East Berlin
That's the TV tower. Voted ugliest architecture in Berlin! 
There's a story behind this TV tower. The Russians had built a TV tower back then and the East Germans wanted to imitate them. So they started to work on it. Halfway through, they met with some problems so they called up the Russians to seek help since both were under Communist Control. To their surprise, the TV tower in Russia was built by some Swedish engineers so in the end, the Germans got the Swedes to complete this TV tower. WTH?It saddens us.
Though everything happened decades ago
till today you feel for the tragedy seeing all the photos.
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Munich Day 2-25th March 2008
Reporting time: 0800 hours @ breakfast lounge
Yes! There's free breakfast at the hostel.
It was a compliment thing the recep gave us
She missed out the discount entitled to us for the ISIC card
If you are going on exchange, go get the ISIC card from STA travel
It's definitely worth it, entitles you to lots of discounts WORLDWIDE
Our faces glowed when we saw all the cheese.salami.ham.chocolate sauce!
Had a REALLY FULL breakfast because we were about to embark on a walking tour
We discover this really cool Free Walking tour.
Actually, it isn't really FREE.
It works on a tips basis rather than the conventional way of paying ahead
Our guide was nice and knowledgable.
He was humorous too and really explained a lot on Munich.
That's where I get all those info on city of monks, hilter blah blah.
Covered almost all the major attractions in Munich I'd say.
1st on the list-Glockenspiel
Named as one of the most overrated shows on earth
I look at it otherwise.
I'd say the astronomical clock and anchor clock was much worst
At least glockenspiel played nice music
It's a "show" that takes place at the tower of the New town hall at Marienplatz
Everyday at 12 noon and 5 p.m
I notice something about the European countries.
Like Germany, Austria, Czech and Eastern Europe-they have town halls
I don't see them in Scandinavian countries at least.
I wonder how the Mediterranean ones are like?
Glockenspiel
Model of the Munich City Centre
Back to Glockenspiel-there are 2 different shows:
1st represents the renowned wedding festival of some royalty
The names are alien to me though haha...
The interesting thing is there's this part where a Bavarian knight fights an Austrian one
Catch the video and you will see the outcome as to who wins.
There's some stint in it. It's a secret.
If you want to know, ask me? haha...
Blue knight-Bavarian. Red & White knight-Austrian
2nd represents the famous Cooper's Dance
It was in celebration for the end of a bad epidemic of a plague by barrel makers
The Coopers (a tribe or troupe I think) come out of their houses to do the dance every 7 years
The last one was in March 2005.
Interested parties, let's go in 2012!
Apparently there's supposed to be a FINALE for the show
But I didn't catch it because the tour guide says it's not worth waiting 5 mins for it
We had to continue with our tour
If you are interested, go to YOUTUBE and type Glockenspiel. haha..
You can hear the guide's commentary in the background if your ears are sharp enough.
The next stop was the Church of Our Lady.
There's a devil's story behind this Church.
Remember Munich used to be populated with monasteries?
There were lots of churches being built when the Bavarians came
The Master Architect of the Church had made a promise that he will complete the building within 10 years
Halfway through the construction, the devil saw it!
He was like "What? Church again?"
So he decided to play some dirty tricks and halt the construction
But he noticed something different about this church
It didn't have its windows installed yet
So he went to look for the MA of the church and reached an agreement with him
The MA was behind his schedule and the devil promised to help him build the church
Provided that he didn't install any new windows
After the construction was finally completed
The devil went into the church but to his HORROR
He saw a million of windows in the church
He was annoyed and summoned the MA
Didn't you promise that you will not install windows in this church?
The MA took out the contract, brought the devil back to the spot where he left his thumbprint and started explaining
"I didn't breach the contract because I didn't install any new windows. Those windows were already there before we signed the contract. It's just that you didn't notice them!"
Angry, Pissed off, the devil STOMPED his foot and left his footprint right at the entrance.
Devil's footprint!
Yeah, it's just a story. It's up to us to believe.
But indeed, there's really the footprint and I stood right at that spot.
I couldn't see a SINGLE window!
There's more to this Church of our LADY.
It was left intact and not BOMBED by the Allied forces during WWII
The reason was that it was the tallest building in the City of Munich back then (even till now)
The allied forces used it as a navigation point. SMART. :)
So till today, in order to preserve it as the highest building in Munich's skyline
No new buildings can be made taller than it.
St Peter's Church was up next.
Oldest Church in Munich and they have a bell tower.
After the tour, Kim & I went separate ways
I wanted to go to Da Chau Concentration Camp but she didn't want to
She wanted shopping so we split ways
Ended up I was late for the video so decided to skip
Went to the tower of St Peter's Church myself!
Freaking 306 Steps I'd to climb.
Catch the video and you'll see me panting
## ChinBoon, I was training for Fan Xi Pan! haha.... ##
The view was magnificent honestly.
But it was windy and of course COLD!
They say you can see the Austrian ALPS from the tower
But the sky wasn't clear that afternoon so I guess not.
As I made my way up. The Panting ME!
The Magnificent view!
Before the tour break off for break,
We went to the Viktualien Market
It's an open-air market, one of the biggest in Munich
It originated as a flea-market
Food was sold mainly-Cheese!! Pretzels!! Pastries!! Chocolates!!
Simply Irresistible but we only looked.
Went off to look for my BIRKS instead.
Trust me-the cheese are fantastic! 
Before we ended the tour, we traced Hitler's route in 1923 when he first tried to stage an uprise
Interesting Story- He recruited one of the officers during WWI and made him host of an uprising gathering at the famous Hofbrauhaus. Hitler had held hostage of key military personnel and was planning to use these hostages as a bargaining chip.
That officer being a patriotic German and Drunk, bought those hostages' stories to let them go home to change into their military uniform. In fact, they were trying to ESCAPE.
You must be wondering why didn't Hilter stop the escape?
He was in meeting with the future Nazi's leaders and had entrusted those hostages to him. With the hostages escaped, Hitler was in DEEP SHIT and had to escape! He hid in the beer house for a night and the next morning, he managed to convince crowds of germans with his eloquence to back him to stage an uprise. They paraded through this street which later became the Dodger's Alley. Hilter's bodyguard actually took 11 bullets for HIM along this street! AMAZING!
However, at the corner of that street, Barbed wires, military stoppages were all in place. In the end, Hitler cowardly ran away by himself in the opposite direction, leaving the crowd of protestors to face the military and punishment for decent. Hitler himself found an ambulance and used his pistol to take control of the ambulance and escaped from Munich!
In total, 16 Nazis died during that parade but actually 1 of them was a waiter who had just finished work from a cafe nearby and was an innocent victim. But the Nazis used him to inflat the numbers. When Hitler came into power in 1933, he made everyone who passed by the street perpendicular to that alley to salute and shout "Hail Hitler" as respect for the 16 dead Nazis in 1923.
How stupid can that be?! There was even a commemoration plaque.
Whether you forgot or you refuse to do it, you'll be beaten by those soldiers standing guard at the plaque! Imagine-soldiers guarding the street to make sure everyone salute! Of course there were lots of Germans back then who weren't for NAZIS So they tried to dodge that main street and took that dodger's alley!
That's how its name came about. However, the Nazis noticed it soon and started sending spies to identify the "dodgers". Today, no more commemoration plaque, instead there's now a golden line along the dodger's alley. It was put in place in memory of those dodgers who silently protested against the Nazis.
The tour finally ended at the National theatre and the Royal residences of Munich. We had more than enough visits of Royal palaces so we skipped.
Also, I checked out the Olympia Park & the BMW museum!
Last but not least, the Arena-Biggest Football stadium-home to Bayern Munich & another small club
The Olympia Park was INSANELY HUGE
I spent almost 1.5 hours there walking around
There wasn't much ongoing, more or less dead
But I could picture how the place would look like if the Olympics were on
It would be like a fiesta~~
Sunny and bright day....
Kids running around with Ice creams and candies in their hands
Adults and teenagers putting on their respective sports jerseys
Elderly having tickets to matches or competitions in their hands
People from all around the world gathered to support their fellowmen
Flags and Banners of all nations
National songs and music all around~~
Caught people swimming in the Olympic Size POOL!
Saw teenagers playing Indoor soccer!
That's the tower!
Can you picture it like I do? The Fiesta Feel...
But now, it's just covered in Snow.
Yes, that's the indoor soccer stadium. A tally of 15 soccer courts! 
The Olympic size Pool!
BMW Museum was crazy!
Totally mesmerized by those BMWs.
How I wish I could bring one back
I would spray my name 71 on the car
With all the bodykit and spoiler
Decorate it with all my ManUtd accessories
Made the interior comfortable and cosy like home....
I am dreaming........
My new Dream Car (But I still like Subaru WRX :))
But I think I will settle for this. It's more affordable.
Never Enough of Cars!
This is damn posh. Classy Display.
Interior!
Cool. Simulator style Car test.
See all those BMWs!
It was a long journey to the Arena.
Way out of the city centre
I didn't walk all the way there because it was late
I had to meet Kim back at hostel and can't afford to be late
Took photo from afar though
Seeing it being lit up was really cool though.....
Dined at Hofbrauhaus once again
This time, we drank the beers!
I wanted a 1-litre to myself but Kim couldn't down 1-l
So in the end, I shared one with her
The beer was nice! It's a bit sweet yet it had the beer fragrance~~
Had the german sausages~~ woohoo!
Met this group of Spanish students who are studying in Munich
They were engineering students.
Germany is famous for their engineering courses!
Those 1-litre beer mugs!
Beer Locks
Me & my 1-litre beer! Simply Love It~~ 
Ended the long day FINALLY & back to sleep....
Auf Wiedersehen München, Hallo Salzburg!
Yes! There's free breakfast at the hostel.
It was a compliment thing the recep gave us
She missed out the discount entitled to us for the ISIC card
If you are going on exchange, go get the ISIC card from STA travel
It's definitely worth it, entitles you to lots of discounts WORLDWIDE
Our faces glowed when we saw all the cheese.salami.ham.chocolate sauce!
Had a REALLY FULL breakfast because we were about to embark on a walking tour
We discover this really cool Free Walking tour.
Actually, it isn't really FREE.
It works on a tips basis rather than the conventional way of paying ahead
Our guide was nice and knowledgable.
He was humorous too and really explained a lot on Munich.
That's where I get all those info on city of monks, hilter blah blah.
Covered almost all the major attractions in Munich I'd say.
1st on the list-Glockenspiel
Named as one of the most overrated shows on earth
I look at it otherwise.
I'd say the astronomical clock and anchor clock was much worst
At least glockenspiel played nice music
It's a "show" that takes place at the tower of the New town hall at Marienplatz
Everyday at 12 noon and 5 p.m
I notice something about the European countries.
Like Germany, Austria, Czech and Eastern Europe-they have town halls
I don't see them in Scandinavian countries at least.
I wonder how the Mediterranean ones are like?
Old Town Hall
New Town Hall
Glockenspiel
Model of the Munich City Centre
Back to Glockenspiel-there are 2 different shows:
1st represents the renowned wedding festival of some royalty
The names are alien to me though haha...
The interesting thing is there's this part where a Bavarian knight fights an Austrian one
Catch the video and you will see the outcome as to who wins.
There's some stint in it. It's a secret.
If you want to know, ask me? haha...
The video is beautiful because it was snowing when the time I was recording.
Blue knight-Bavarian. Red & White knight-Austrian
2nd represents the famous Cooper's Dance
It was in celebration for the end of a bad epidemic of a plague by barrel makers
The Coopers (a tribe or troupe I think) come out of their houses to do the dance every 7 years
The last one was in March 2005.
Interested parties, let's go in 2012!
Apparently there's supposed to be a FINALE for the show
But I didn't catch it because the tour guide says it's not worth waiting 5 mins for it
We had to continue with our tour
If you are interested, go to YOUTUBE and type Glockenspiel. haha..
You can hear the guide's commentary in the background if your ears are sharp enough.
The next stop was the Church of Our Lady.
There's a devil's story behind this Church.
Remember Munich used to be populated with monasteries?
There were lots of churches being built when the Bavarians came
The Master Architect of the Church had made a promise that he will complete the building within 10 years
Halfway through the construction, the devil saw it!
He was like "What? Church again?"
So he decided to play some dirty tricks and halt the construction
But he noticed something different about this church
It didn't have its windows installed yet
So he went to look for the MA of the church and reached an agreement with him
The MA was behind his schedule and the devil promised to help him build the church
Provided that he didn't install any new windows
After the construction was finally completed
The devil went into the church but to his HORROR
He saw a million of windows in the church
He was annoyed and summoned the MA
Didn't you promise that you will not install windows in this church?
The MA took out the contract, brought the devil back to the spot where he left his thumbprint and started explaining
"I didn't breach the contract because I didn't install any new windows. Those windows were already there before we signed the contract. It's just that you didn't notice them!"
Angry, Pissed off, the devil STOMPED his foot and left his footprint right at the entrance.
View from the spot where the devil stood-No windows, ain't there?
Devil's footprint!
Yeah, it's just a story. It's up to us to believe.
But indeed, there's really the footprint and I stood right at that spot.
I couldn't see a SINGLE window!
There's more to this Church of our LADY.
It was left intact and not BOMBED by the Allied forces during WWII
The reason was that it was the tallest building in the City of Munich back then (even till now)
The allied forces used it as a navigation point. SMART. :)
So till today, in order to preserve it as the highest building in Munich's skyline
No new buildings can be made taller than it.
Church of our Lady dominating the skyline of Munich-The 2 onion-shaped like structures
St Peter's Church was up next.
Oldest Church in Munich and they have a bell tower.
After the tour, Kim & I went separate ways
I wanted to go to Da Chau Concentration Camp but she didn't want to
She wanted shopping so we split ways
Ended up I was late for the video so decided to skip
Went to the tower of St Peter's Church myself!
Freaking 306 Steps I'd to climb.
Catch the video and you'll see me panting
## ChinBoon, I was training for Fan Xi Pan! haha.... ##
The view was magnificent honestly.
But it was windy and of course COLD!
They say you can see the Austrian ALPS from the tower
But the sky wasn't clear that afternoon so I guess not.
St Peter's Church
As I made my way up. The Panting ME!The Magnificent view!
Before the tour break off for break,
We went to the Viktualien Market
It's an open-air market, one of the biggest in Munich
It originated as a flea-market
Food was sold mainly-Cheese!! Pretzels!! Pastries!! Chocolates!!
Simply Irresistible but we only looked.
Went off to look for my BIRKS instead.
Viktualien market
Trust me-the cheese are fantastic! 
Interesting Story- He recruited one of the officers during WWI and made him host of an uprising gathering at the famous Hofbrauhaus. Hitler had held hostage of key military personnel and was planning to use these hostages as a bargaining chip.
That officer being a patriotic German and Drunk, bought those hostages' stories to let them go home to change into their military uniform. In fact, they were trying to ESCAPE.
You must be wondering why didn't Hilter stop the escape?
He was in meeting with the future Nazi's leaders and had entrusted those hostages to him. With the hostages escaped, Hitler was in DEEP SHIT and had to escape! He hid in the beer house for a night and the next morning, he managed to convince crowds of germans with his eloquence to back him to stage an uprise. They paraded through this street which later became the Dodger's Alley. Hilter's bodyguard actually took 11 bullets for HIM along this street! AMAZING!
However, at the corner of that street, Barbed wires, military stoppages were all in place. In the end, Hitler cowardly ran away by himself in the opposite direction, leaving the crowd of protestors to face the military and punishment for decent. Hitler himself found an ambulance and used his pistol to take control of the ambulance and escaped from Munich!
A break from all the reading-Just a typical mischievous pic of me-tongue out for the snow!
In total, 16 Nazis died during that parade but actually 1 of them was a waiter who had just finished work from a cafe nearby and was an innocent victim. But the Nazis used him to inflat the numbers. When Hitler came into power in 1933, he made everyone who passed by the street perpendicular to that alley to salute and shout "Hail Hitler" as respect for the 16 dead Nazis in 1923.
How stupid can that be?! There was even a commemoration plaque.
Whether you forgot or you refuse to do it, you'll be beaten by those soldiers standing guard at the plaque! Imagine-soldiers guarding the street to make sure everyone salute! Of course there were lots of Germans back then who weren't for NAZIS So they tried to dodge that main street and took that dodger's alley!
That's the spot for the plaque
That's how its name came about. However, the Nazis noticed it soon and started sending spies to identify the "dodgers". Today, no more commemoration plaque, instead there's now a golden line along the dodger's alley. It was put in place in memory of those dodgers who silently protested against the Nazis.
Dodger's Alley & the Golden Line
The tour finally ended at the National theatre and the Royal residences of Munich. We had more than enough visits of Royal palaces so we skipped.
National Theatre
English garden- worth visiting in summer
After Kim & i split ways, I went to the St Peter's Church like mentioned earlier
Also, I checked out the Olympia Park & the BMW museum!
Last but not least, the Arena-Biggest Football stadium-home to Bayern Munich & another small club
The Olympia Park was INSANELY HUGE
I spent almost 1.5 hours there walking around
There wasn't much ongoing, more or less dead
But I could picture how the place would look like if the Olympics were on
It would be like a fiesta~~
Sunny and bright day....
Kids running around with Ice creams and candies in their hands
Adults and teenagers putting on their respective sports jerseys
Elderly having tickets to matches or competitions in their hands
People from all around the world gathered to support their fellowmen
Flags and Banners of all nations
National songs and music all around~~
Caught people swimming in the Olympic Size POOL!
Saw teenagers playing Indoor soccer!
Olympia Park from afar!
That's the tower!
Can you picture it like I do? The Fiesta Feel...
But now, it's just covered in Snow.
Yes, that's the indoor soccer stadium. A tally of 15 soccer courts! 
The Olympic size Pool!
Totally mesmerized by those BMWs.
How I wish I could bring one back
I would spray my name 71 on the car
With all the bodykit and spoiler
Decorate it with all my ManUtd accessories
Made the interior comfortable and cosy like home....
I am dreaming........
My new Dream Car (But I still like Subaru WRX :))
But I think I will settle for this. It's more affordable.
Never Enough of Cars!
This is damn posh. Classy Display.
Interior!
Cool. Simulator style Car test.
See all those BMWs!
It was a long journey to the Arena.
Way out of the city centre
I didn't walk all the way there because it was late
I had to meet Kim back at hostel and can't afford to be late
Took photo from afar though
Seeing it being lit up was really cool though.....
Arena!
Dined at Hofbrauhaus once again
This time, we drank the beers!
I wanted a 1-litre to myself but Kim couldn't down 1-l
So in the end, I shared one with her
The beer was nice! It's a bit sweet yet it had the beer fragrance~~
Had the german sausages~~ woohoo!
Met this group of Spanish students who are studying in Munich
They were engineering students.
Germany is famous for their engineering courses!
Check out the rooftop of the beer house-Bavarian flag
Those 1-litre beer mugs!
Beer Locks
Me & my 1-litre beer! Simply Love It~~ 
So all the Engineering boys-you know where to go for exchange don't you?
Ended the long day FINALLY & back to sleep....
Auf Wiedersehen München, Hallo Salzburg!