Today started with a three-mile, 2.5 hour walking tour around Munich. There were many historical sites around us at any given time. We saw buildings that once housed the ruling class, gilded and opulent. But there were also a lot of places with a dark past. Hitler’s Munich office (which later served as the U.S. Army’s headquarters after WWII), sites of Nazi parades and rallies, book burnings, as well as Joseph Goebel’s office where he gave the order for Krystalknacht.

We walked to Odeonplatz, a beautiful church with statues of the authors of the four gospels adorning the outside, and tombs of the royal family on the inside. We walked alongside the Munich Residenz before strolling over to Hofbrau Haus, one of Munich’s five main breweries. We ducked inside briefly just as they were opening before moving on to the Viktualienmarkt for a snack.
 

After parting ways with our group, we took the elevator to the top of the Neues Rathaus, or new town hall. The views were stunning! After spending half an hour taking in all the views, we had lunch at an Irish Pub where fans of the local football club (FC Bayern) hang out. We then made our most questionable decision of the day. We decided to visit the Munich Residenz. We walked over a mile in this building over the next three hours, taking in history that spanned centuries. We saw priceless works of art, elaborate tapestries, and one-of-a-kind church relics, including the skulls of John the Baptist AND his mother.

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A lot of this immense building was destroyed during WWII, and was painstakingly rebuilt afterward, along with much of Munich. Our feet were so sore after visiting the residence that we could hardly make the walk back to the hotel, but we managed. We headed to bed around 9pm. We had an early call time to meet the group and head off to our next adventure!