coolography

coolography trip report – munich, germany

Posted on: 12 October 2009

Introducing the first of (hopefully) many future coolography trip reports, we present you with our quick break in Munich, Germany. Arriving in time for the annual Oktoberfest, we aimed to sample a short but intense burst of modern and traditional Bavaria…

Our first experience of Munich was inevitably through the public transport system. After a short journey from Munich airport we found ourselves at the Marienplatz underground station, a major hub of Munich’s U-Bahn system. We were particularly taken by the retro styling of both the stations and the trains; In addition, the mix of modernity and the considerable percentage of people decked in traditional Bavarian dress made the underground commute interesting indeed.

Marienplatz is Munich’s famous town square, known mostly for the new city hall which dominates the area. At the top of the new city hall tower is the famous Glockenspiel, which regularly plays a musical number alongside charming animatronics, which celebrate the tournaments that historically took place in the area. Tourists gather here in the hundreds to view the spectacle, whilst rushing locals frustratedly navigate the sea of upturned heads.

Buskers here are of a completely different class. Numerous times have we admired small orchestras entertaining the street crowds, with a mix of modern and classical music.

The Propyläen, a gate at the west side of Königsplatz, is typical of the classical architecture in the area. Presently the Königsplatz is mostly known for being part of the museum and gallery district. A monumental and majestic area, there exists a sobering element in the air upon reflection on the area’s use by the Third Reich as a mass Nazi rallying ground.

If you get tired of the bustle of the town centre you are but a short walk away from the quiet seclusion afforded by the banks of the river Isar. Running through Munich, the Isar is easily accessible through the many bridges and riverside walkways.

Both Ludwig Beck and Hirmer are famous department stores, the latter reputedly the world’s biggest menswear store. Both are housed in magificently lit buildings that dominate the nighttime stroll in the the centre of Munich.

At this time of the year Munich revolves around Oktoberfest, which confusingly enough starts on the tail end of September. Originally a celebration honouring the marriage of King Ludwig I, the event has evolved over the years into a celebration of Bavarian culture and the biggest fair in the world. Arriving for the opening weekend, we were reliably informed we’d manage to hit a festive period indeed.

Covering over 100 acres, the Oktoberfest completely takes over Munich, with thousands of people filling the area in varying states of inebriation. Peppered amongst traditional games, food stalls, and fairground rides are massive beer tents. With over a dozen tents, each with capacities well in to the thousands, the event approaches unimaginable scale.

Tents open around 9am, with queues a common occurrence. To guarantee a place in the tent (and thus be served beer and food) you must be seated at a table. Unless you have been lucky or wise enough to reserve a table (which are often booked up to a year in advance), procuring a table involves a combination of incredible luck and immorally quick reflexes. The only way to guarantee a table for the evening festivities, is to simply arrive early in the morning and hope you can hold on to your table for the entire day. When the day begins at 9am and beer is pouring from the start, things can get a bit tough. Naturally, this is what coolography decided to do.

Oktoberfest is synonymous with beer, and for good reason. Ordered by the Stein (a 1 litre glass), Oktoberfest revellers consume over a million of these over the course of the festival. At the Schottenhamel tent, the beer is brewed specifically for Oktoberfest, and measures in at liver testing 6%.

With each stein weighing on average 2.4kg, seeing veteran waitresses handling over 10 at a time beggars belief

Food was spectacular here, though admittedly the quantities of beer consumed could have been skewing our tastebuds. Traditional ‘hendl’, half roast chickens, are consumed in the millions, and this example was typical of the slaughter.

Shattering the crisp skin revealed satisfyingly yielding flesh that fell apart with ease, even though we were supplied with a cheap chip fork.

Other options included pork shank, a carnivorous delight -  hunks of flesh being torn apart and wolfed down with glutinous streaks of fat. Nicely matched with the stodge of potato dumplings, the food available seemed to be scientifically calibrated to satisfy an alcohol sozzled stomach.

As the day goes on inebriation becomes more pronounced. It’s not uncommon to see vomiting, comatose patrons, and urgent medical attention being needed as early in the day as 3-4pm.

The Schottenhamel tent is widely regarded to be the most important, simply because it is here where Oktoberfest truly begins. On the opening day, the beer tents can only begin serving beer after the mayor of the city taps the first keg here.

For the reckless and/or brave, there are fairground rides aplenty. Not so much for us, as after a beer or 6 we literally couldn’t stomach the thought of even the tamest rides.

Inside the Schottenhamel, the full scale of the event can be seen, as this tent (of which there are over a dozen others) reaches full capacity. At this point, everyone in attendance jumps on to the tables and fully joins in the rounds of Bavarian drinking songs led by the live band. By 11pm, and after over 12 hours of drinking, the tent closes and we call it a day.

Nursing immense hangovers, we opted to spend the next day in a much more relaxed fashion. The Pinakothek Der Moderne is the modern art arm of the Pinakothek collection of museums, and houses an impressive collection of paintings, as well as architecture and product design.

Unbelievably spacious, the museum revolves around an impressive central atrium, and 3 floors of exhibitions. If a collection that includes Kandinsky, Picasso, Pollock, Warhol and Dali doesn’t intrigue you, then examples of automotive, product, furniture and electronic design will keep you occupied on the lower floors.

We also took the short journey northwards, and visited the Olympic Park, in which we found the BMW World, and the BMW Museum.

The BMW world is an exhibit, educational space, showroom and mini theme park for all things BMW related. Here you can take tours, play games, learn, and of course get up close and personal with some of the German car manufacturer’s finest specimens.

Of particular note is BMW Individual, a bespoke BMW service, where we sat in Eames loungers selecting different materials and finishes for our own very own vehicle.

The Olympic park was built for the 1972 Summer Olympics, and comprises of the Olympic Stadium, Swim hall, and Olympic tower. The Olympic tower, rising 291m into the sky, has a visitor observation deck from which you can view the entirety of the Olympic park, as well as, on a good day, the rest of the Munich skyline.

with thanks to LYKC