Bier, Brats & Bavaria

Part II

After over half a day of touring the Residenz I was ready for some food.  The Viktualienmarkt- Munich’s oldest outdoor market (since 1807) has over 140 market stalls selling everything from fresh fruits, flowers & spices, regional specialties like wursts, schnaps, honey, pretzels and of course serves as biergarten which unfortunately is late to open at 9AM!! 

So at 9:02 you can roll up to the beer shack where all the bier is poured out from the barrels and you grab how ever many half liter or full liter mugs that you want! It’s quick, quick, quick just get your bier and go sit at one of the communal or highboy tables! 

Of course after I had gotten my biers a tour bus of American students pulled up outside the Viktualienmarkt, their occupants heading straight to the bier line, these kids clearly taking advantage the lowered legal age for drinking in Germany (drinking at 14 with a parent, 16 without!) Students aside, the Maypole was beautiful in the center of the square and I got myself and nice salty pretzel to go with my bier & some wursts and all was right with the world.

I did a few laps around the market, and left with some assorted German schnaps- in raspberry, peach, pear, cherry and a spice blend.  This is the thing with German schnaps, they are sugar free- really just a distilled alcohol infused with fruit or spices or roots. 

Therefore they are EXTREMELY strong 35% volume and UP, and therefore go down like paint thinner burning your throat! People down these after meals in Germany like nobody’s business but unfortunately, I couldn’t do it! I’m a lightweight!  So, I’m trying to figure out ways of mixing what I brought home.  I’m determined to make it work.

           

After my day was said and done, my body was straight up hurting form all the walking around. Even with my most comfortable pair of shoes, my feet still hurt.  So I made it a point to pick up some nice German badesalz (bath salts) from the local Apotheke and gave myself a much needed hot soak back at the hotel.  After that I felt somewhat renewed and hungry, so I sought out an option close to my hotel which was located in the center of the city anyway, so there were lots of options.  Knowing that I wouldn’t be eating typical Bavarian for the latter half of the week, I wanted to get it all in for the first half! The Beim Sedlmayr fit the bill.  The seating was beer hall style with long communal tables and the restaurant is a local favorite, so I plopped myself towards the back giving me a full view of the place.  Beim Sedlmayr is known for it’s schnitzel and its sour calf kidneys or pickled pigs feet, but I of course I went straight for the wienerschnitzel- it was pounded thin and fried to perfection, not heavy or oily with a slice of fresh lemon. SO good.  Served with a side of german potato/apple salad and a weissbier, it was fantastic.

For the next day I decided I was taking a trip OUT of Munich and towards Austria to visit Bavaria’s most iconic castles Schloss Neuschawanstein & Hohenschwangau. The first being the iconic home built by the wildly eccentric “Mad” King Ludwig II and the latter being the summer home he grew up in with his father King Maximilian II. 

Hohenschwangau

There are many aspects of King Ludwig’s life that were debated, whether he was actually mad or not, (the consensus is that he was not, but rather the victim of a plot to dethrone him), his sexual orientation, many believe he was likely gay and involved romantically at some point with the composer Wilhelm Richard Wagner. Ludwig II was reclusive, choosing to leave miles away from Munich and the circumstances surrounding his death are still disputed and investigated (was he shot or drowned?) So, theories aside, Schloss Neuschawanstein is every notion you might have in your head of what a fairytale castle SHOULD look like. 

If you get into specifics, the Cinderella castle in Disney World was inspired by this castle.  Built into the side of a mountain overlooking beautiful rolling hills, lakes and valleys it honestly was ALL the magic I needed right then and there. The weather was perfect and it provided a deep blue backdrop that just enhanced the overall experience.  

It took over 23 years to build the castle and Ludwig II spent so much money on its construction that he died with so much debt, the castle was immediately opened to the public as a tourist destination to help repay what was owed. The trip was about an hour and a half outside of Munich and after touring two castles I got back to Munich at around 8pm having to attend a work function at 9 & that’s when the magic stopped!   Well, work WAS the purpose of this trip. 

Since I had a media event at the Mandarin Oriental hotel the next day, I was pleased to find it overlooked the bier garten of the iconic Hofbrauhaus so I got to listen to Bavarian music throughout the day as smell of crispy pig knuckles wafted up. Hofbrauhaus, Munich’s oldest brewery was built in 1607 at the order of King Maximilian I so that he had his favorite wheat bier within close range of the Residenz.

Maximilian I was a known gourmet and he demanded the white bier be produced over the heavey “brown barley ale” that was typical of the time.  Luckily I was able to make a lunch stop at Hofbrauhaus in between appointments. If you want a similar experience go check out the newly opened Hofbrauhaus in NYC on Third Avenue- I haven’t been there yet, but I hear its fun.

Hofbrauhaus House Band

Another stop worth noting, also within range of the Residenz is the gourmet store, Alois Dallmayr. Over three centuries old, (est. 1700) Dallmayr used to serve as the official supplier of food items to the Royal Bavarian Court. Now, Dallmayr is the producer of some of the finest food items in Germany, with gourmet coffee being one of their main commodities.  I bought several items to take home with me from Dallmayr, pistachio honey, some liquors, cookies and candies which didn’t even make it home with me.  Dallmayr has this great old world hand crafted aesthetic coupled with a beautiful traditional German feeling.  The store had a huge selection of alcohols, dessert items, candies, artisanal sausages, speck, honey and jams.

There is a dining area upstairs that offers food made with Dallmayr ingredients and of course there are a few other dining areas for a quick in and out snack or drink. To me it has a VERY similar layout and feel as Mario Batali’s Eataly in NYC.

Dallymayr and everything in Germany was just fantastic.  I enjoyed my trip thoroughly and recommend the city/country to anyone who might be considering a trip to Europe. You can only hope the weather is good when you go!