We arrived safely in Munich yesterday after a very relaxing train ride. Even the 20 minutes we had to change trains in Zurich went smoothly - three tracks over and we were there before the train was!
We got to Munich at 1:30 so had the afternoon and evening to explore the area around our hotel. It is just a couple of blocks from Marienplatz - a "pedestrians only" shopping district in the old town. Lots of shops and cafes and we had our dinner in a little Bavarian restaurant just across from the City Hall and the carillon. Reiswurst, sauerkraut and black forest cake...can't get much more authentic than that!
Today we decided to do the "hop on, hop off" bus tour of the city. We wanted to go out to the Olympic Park and it seemed the best way to see the key sights and not have to deal with public transit.
We started out at Olympic Park with its slightly tarnished history. Quite amazing architecture with steel netting and acrylic slabs supported by masts up to 80m high! 
It was built on hills created from the rubble collected after the bombing of Munich during the war.
We visited the swimming complex (the building in the photo) as well as Olympic Stadium which is quite impressive. Holding 60 000 people, it is still used for concerts, soccer matches, athletic events and was the site of the 1974 Soccer World Cup. There was a "roof walk" tour that takes you around the stadium via the edge of the "netting". I preferred to stay on the ground and look up!
It's important to explore all aspects of a site so Dad counted 65 urinals in the men's room! 
A lovely artistic shot, isn't it?! I didn't count but I think there were only about 10 stalls in the ladies' room! Some things are the same worldwide!
There was construction going on and dump trucks and front end loaders moving dirt for some upcoming event. Dad stopped to take a photo for one of the grandchildren who loves machinery like that and was told by a very officious but scruffy looking security guard, "FOTOS VERBOTTEN!" It didn't seem to matter that there were cameras all over the place or that we'd already been inside the swimming complex taking pictures!!! He was quite adamant! I guess he thought we were gathering top secret dirt moving information! A very nice German gentleman saw the encounter and spoke to the guard himself - then threw up his hands. He assured us that photos were indeed permitted and he wasn't sure why the guard was making such a big deal about it all...especially when it was a picture for a four year old!! Needless to say, we kept our cameras out of sight until we were out of the guard's view!
The BMW head office is across the road from the park as well as a BMW museum. 
It cost 450 million Euros to build the headquarters (approx. $700 million Canadian)! There was construction on the Olympic Park site of another building which would house displays etc. for the upcoming BMW shareholders' meeting...and then be torn down?!!! BMW must be doing well?!
Nymphenburg Palace was built in the 17th century and the complex was extended up until the 19th century. It was used as the summer residence of the Bavarian kings. The buildings go along three sides of the quadrangle with another side strictly "guesthouses"!
We were back in the city and in Marienplatz for a lunch of schnitzel, spargel (white asparagus) and potatoes in the courtyard of the Rathaus (City Hall).
There is a law in Munich that states that no building can be built higher than the church steeples. It makes for a really pretty skyline - especially with some of the onion-domed towers.
St. Peter's Church ("Old Peter) dates back to the 11th century but was bombed during the war. It was disturbing to see the photos of the aftermath - just the walls left standing. After seeing St. Paul's in London and now the churches here, it really brings home the senseless destruction of war.
But they rebuilt and it is quite magnificent today. Very light and airy.
The current Pope was affiliated with this church from 1972-1982. (My German was not good enough to decipher what this affiliation was!) He was appointed archbishop of Munich in 1977.
The Cathedral Church of Our Beloved Lady is distinctive because of its towers. 
It dates back to the 15th century but only the towers survived the bombing that destroyed most of this cathedral as well. The stained glass windows were removed in anticipation of an attack and hidden in caves until after the war so many of them are intact along with some more modern ones that were added later during the restoration.
We were back at the Rathaus in time for the 5 p.m. "performance" of the carillon. Quite an event. There are 43 bells and 32 almost life-size figures. The figures represent a tournament held in 1568 to celebrate the wedding of Duke Wilhelm V and even included a joust. The coopers on the level below did a dance to commemorate the end of the plague epidemic which devastated the city from 1515-1517. 
About 10 minutes of music and entertainment! There was even some clapping and cheering from the crowds of spectators!
Dad has compiled a wonderful collection of short videos on his digital camera of the special sounds of this trip - cowbells, churchbells, organs and now the carillon display! I wish you could hear them!
So another full and activity filled day! Tomorrow we are taking a tour to Dachau. That aspect of history has always interested me and will no doubt be a very moving experience.
