Everyone loves to talk about Munich’s beer halls, especially the Haufbrahaus. This is a classic, and very touristy beer hall with quite a bit of history behind it, but don’t overlook the local halls. I loved the traditional music, delicious food, amazing liters of beer, and you can’t forget the very fashionable Bavarian men wearing their unmistakable suspendered attire complete with a feather in the hat. Take a trip to the Augustiner just outside of Marienplatz if you want a large beer hall with a more local feel. Both served amazing beer, but I would say that’s a safe bet no matter what beer hall you happen to stumble into.

Munich has fewer sites to see, being a smaller city than Berlin, and more of a small town culture or atmosphere to it. I mean that in the sense that it felt like a more close knit community. There are multiple markets spread throughout the town, and the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Dear Lady) holds mass for Europe’s second largest Catholic city behind the Vatican. There is an interesting story behind the church as well. Built in only 20 years during the 15th century, quite a feat given the technology and shear size of this building, it’s construction was said to have been aided by the Devil himself. The story begins with an architect who is constructing this church at a strenuous pace in order to have it completed for the king as fast as possible, but the project begins to run out of money. The Devil gets word of this and visits the church, entering from the west facing door way. He sees no windows and a rather dark church, leading him to believe this church will be used to worship him, not God. He takes human form, meets with the architect and makes a deal that if no more windows are created, he will help finish the construction. If new windows are installed, the architect’s sole belongs to the Devil. Upon completion, the Devil enters the church, is immediately blinded by light and begins searching for the architect. The Devil tells him that the deal was broken and his sole belongs to him now, but the architect is quick to interject. When the deal was made, the Devil was standing at the west entrance, where no windows can be seen due to the placement of the main columns. Knowing he had been beaten at his own game, the Devil raises hit foot in a fit of rage and pounds it on the ground leaving his footprint forever (check out my pics to see this massive footprint). A fun tale, with the actual footprint being that of the architect’s, a kind of signature for his masterpiece.

Just nest to the church is the center and heart of Munich, Marienplatz. I love this square not only for it’s architecture and over-hyped, yet entertaining glockenspiel (check out my video), but also the crowds of people walking to and from various markets and cafes really makes it feel as if the city has come to life. If you want a break from the bustling crowds near the city center, you can head north to catch a breath of fresh air in the Englischer Garten. Once again this is a former royal hunting ground, full of lush fields of grass, a couple of slow moving streams and a large collection of foliage to hide you from the sun on a warm day. A great open space, but it’s not until you really head outside of Munich that you get a feel for the wilderness.

A day trip I made with some friends from a free tour, the journey to see King Ludwig II’s Neuschwantstein Castle was undoubtedly worth the 11 euro train ride. About 2 hours away, this castle tucked in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps was the inspiration behind the Walt Disney Castle. Castles aside, just taking that first glance at the snow covered peaks made me feel as if I was back in Colorado for a moment. Then I caught a glimpse of the castle out of the corner of my eye and quickly snapped back to reality, I was in the Alps. There are two castles on this site, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, both former homes to the young King Ludwig II. Although Neuschwanstein was never completed because of the king’s death, it’s still worth touring for 9 euro. Be sure to make the hike to the Marienbrucke (Mary Bridge), for not only a fun hike, but the best possible view of the castle. Once we started out train ride home, the sky began to clear and the clouds were placing themselves in perfect position for an absolutely amazing sunset. It only seemed a fitting end to such a fairy tale type of day.

As I mentioned before, Munich is not the large city with tons of tourist attractions you’ll be running around all day to catch a glimpse of. It’s that subtle, smaller town feel that really pulled me in. I loved Munich… nothing like mountains, castles, bockwursts, pretzels and delicious beer to get your attention. If you are ever in the area, Munich is a must stop for anyone looking to relax with a cold liter of German beer.

So, I’ll be changing a few things with how I operate the site.  I’ve been taking into account what you guys love most… THE PICTURES! I’ve noticed that page gets more hits than any other.  I’m glad you’re enjoying my photos so I’ll be sure to keep them coming in grand fashion.  I also have been on the road long enough to share some of my Hobodrifting knowledge with you all.  I am going to start a little tips and tricks series with some fun stories and info on how to get by in the world of travel.  The posts about each city or area are going to be more of a journal type entry just to give you a sense of how my crazy brain works as I tour Europe.  Let me know if you want to see anything else incorporated into HoboDrifter.com

Well, I’m leaving Munich within the hour and am heading to Prague!  My first mission is to find a bar to watch the Super Bowl!!  Then I can officially enjoy what the city has to offer.  I captured some new videos while in Germany, so I hope to get those to you soon, Munich pics will be up soon also, and as always I will continue to update my site when I get a hot minute.  See you all soon in the Czech Republic!