Day Two, Or Walkabout

(First of all, let me wrap up Day One for you. I took a brief walk, taking in everything in a two-block radius to familiarize myself with the neighborhood. After that, I decided on trying something unusual for dinner. A traditional dish here in Munich is something called Leberkäse, or `liver cheese.´ Yes, you heard me. It includes pork liver and remnants, and is formed into loaves and baked. I dropped by a small franchised eatery (VinzenzMurr is the name) and ordered a Leberkäse Semmel - a sandwich. I was surprised. It tastes like Spam. But at 1,6 Euro it was awfully tasty. After supper I went back to my hotel and slept for 11 straight hours.) And now, on to today`s fun and games: After fortifying myself with two Danish and some orange juice, I went for a walk. Just in case you`re keeping track, these are the places I went to: Neuhauser and Kaufhofer Streets - major streets blocked off to all vehicle traffic. Great shopping area. Frauenkirche - the main cathedral in the city. Its twin domes are by law the tallest buildings in the city proper. New and Old Rathaus - these are the former city halls, and I`ll have dinner tonight in the Ratskeller. Holy Ghost Church - a brilliant baroque and rococco church. Viktualienmarkt - a huge open-air fruit, vegetable, and flower market. National Theater. Residenz - this is the seat of the Wittelsbach Kings when they were staying in town. I took two tours here, one of the palace itself, and the other of the Schatzkammer, or Treasury where the Crown Jewels are kept (and even though this IS Bavaria, the Crown Jewels are not beer steins). Feldherrnhalle - this is a monument to a pair of Generals, one from the 30 Years`War and the other from the Napoleonic Wars. Hofgarten - The huge garden behind the Residenz. Haus der Kunst - this is the largest piece of Nazi-era architecture still in Munich, and was originally built to house what the Dumbass felt was "German" art. I toured a collection of works by Rothko and Rauschenberg while there - two artists that would have had Hitler ripping his own head off (all the works dealt with the use of black as a color in art - quite provocative). Engish Garden - this place is HUGE, almost 3 miles long and about 1.5 miles wide. I walked nearly all of it, and had lunch at the beer garden by the Chinese Tower. Bratwurst, yumm... The White Rose Memorial - during the War, a group of students and a professor started a student protest against the war and the Nazi regime. The University has a small museum inside dedicated to their words, while plaques that carry facsimiles of their leaflets are set into the pavement of the main plaza out front. The Old Botanical Garden - just what it says, but there was a small art pavilion there showing a collection of works by various artists throughout Germany dedicated to football. The nude angel seated on the football was interesting. After that, back to the hotel to soak my feet and relax. Dinner tonight at the Ratskeller. I have several more museums to tour before I start the day trips portion of the vacation.