Day 2,794 of Traveling the World | Munich, Germany | September 26, 2025

Jan and Mike

8 months ago

Bavaria, Sweet Bavaria. We made it to Munich for opening day of Oktoberfest, our third time there. To start the festivities there is a proclamation, the tapping of the first keg, and a volley of gunshots. Everyone is happy, smiling, and courteous to each other. Entrance to the fairgrounds is free, and like a typical American-style state fair, there are rides, attractions, games of chance, food booths (especially sausages), and, oh yes, lots and lots of loud singing – and drinking. Don’t forget the drinking! Very important.

We don’t try to do everything in Munich, as we save stuff for future visits. We spent our first two days with our dear friends from Zurich – Yasmine, Onur, and Carmen – who took the train in on Oktoberfest’s Opening Day to spend two days with us. The last time we saw them, Yasmine was pregnant with Carmen, so it was great to meet her in person. We had a lot of fun catching up and discussing world events. Carmen is now two years old and is adorable and precocious. She speaks/understands Arabic, Turkish, English, German, and sometimes other languages she hears at daycare. Yasmine said not long ago she was getting Carmen ready to leave the house. Apparently she wasn’t moving fast enough, as Carmen started saying, “Andiamo, Andiamo!” (Italian for “Let’s go, let’s go!), surprising Yasmine with yet another language.

With our remaining time, we took in the Residenz Munchen, a former palace turned museum, and the heart of the city, Marienplatz. A photo can never do full justice to a glittering gold palace, but we tried! The Residenz is over the top! One thing to note, in the midst of all the luxury, is that they provide a very generous number of places to sit and contemplate the ornamentation. It also is a very modest admission price, about $10, as compared to similar places like Versailles. It also wasn’t near as crowded as Versailles, which, even as large as it famously is, was uncomfortably crowded the last time we were there.

We can’t wait to return and visit even more places in Munich. The food is great, and the people are very welcoming. We encountered quite a number of Americans who are traveling around Germany. So, scroll through our photos and take a glimpse into a very small part of the large, glorious city of Munich. There will be more photos – and places – in the future!

Opening Day of Oktoberfest! People arrived way before noon to get a seat in the beer halls, playing games and drinking soft drinks until noon. At noon, with the Opening Ceremonies and Tapping of the First Keg, and only after the tapping, was real beer available. Suddenly, everyone was happy!

*Unbelievably in this day and age, entrance to Oktoberfest is free!*

Many, many carts pulled by horses were out on the streets, heading toward formation in the opening day parade. We took an Uber across town before noon on the second day of Oktoberfest and were amazed how much the traffic was delayed by street closures to allow horse carts to pass. The driver had to backtrack so much that it took him three times longer than it should have to get to our destination. We gave him a very substantial tip.

*Look how decorated and “dressed” the horses are!*

*Dirndls, lederhosen, Alpine hats…and cell phones.*

*Some of the elaborate “architecture” at Oktoberfest.*

*The Bavarian fashion! If this were any other city in the world….*

*Heart-shaped cookies of all sizes, all with lovely sentiments – starting at 5 euros.*

*The restaurant Chopan Schwabing, Afghanistan cuisine, where we had wonderful ethnic food with our friends Onur, Yasmine, and Carmen.*

*The courtyard of Residenz München. Note that the walls are just painted. While it looks impressive from afar, it looks like wallpaper close up.*

*The Antiquarium, built in just three years (1568-1571).*

*…and a view from the side. There are actually built-in seats with padding beneath the lower statues for everyone to take a break!*

*The Grottenhof, with its central stalagmite fountain.*

*Just an ordinary wall as you walk through the palace.*

*The Court Church of All Saints at the Residenz as it looked in 1837.*

*The same church after being severely bombed in WWII.*

*The restored church, reopened in 2003, now used for concerts and other public events.*

*You can see, in the brick, the lines where the old church still exists topped by new construction.*

*Satyr sculpture in the courtyard* *of the Residenz.*

*The Theatine Church in Marienplatz, a Baroque Catholic Church.*

*What a glorious facade in Marienplatz, the center of Munich.*

*The interior of Frauenkirche in Old Town.*

*A trip to Bavaria has to include wiener schnitzel, sauerkraut, potatoes, and beer. Period.*

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