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Eating Sauerkraut in the Rain  

08/30/06 - Münich, Germany (Germany photo album)

Window-shopping for lederhosen in the smokiest city in Europe

 
Next stop: Münich!  Yesterday, after an anniversary celebration trip to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial - happy anniversary, honey! - (OK, it really was purely a coincidence, we swear) we arrived in Münich, dropped off our little Puegot rental car at the train station and headed off on foot.  It's good to be back in a city again and the transition this time from countryside to metropolis felt almost seamless.  We really like it here.  Münich is not filled with a zillion must-see sights and we decided that's one big reason we like it.  The people are friendly and it's a great city to simply wander around, soaking up the super-Bavarian atmosphere with the rest of the (Japanese) tourists.  The most interesting things to us about this truly cosmopolitan city have been the Italian influences (luscious cappuccinos abound) and the shop windows filled with high-quality and expensive, yet traditional Bavarian lederhosen (for him) and dirndl (for her) outfits.  We added up the prices posted in a typical window display for one of these handsome suits and it came to about 1300 euros (close to $1800 usd)!!!  They are truly beautiful but who can afford these expensive "costumes" and who wears them?  (We have seen some men wandering around in the traditional suede-shorts-with-suspenders-and-felt-hats outfits, but there aren't that many!)

It's been raining for most of the last few days and it's been cold (you weren't kidding, were you, Daniel).  Caroline is getting sick of wearing the same Bamberg-brat-stained pants every day since leaving Spain, since she (naively) only brought one pair of full-length pants...but we had the best sauerkraut ever at a very cozy, if smoky, restaurant filled with long tables and beer-drinking locals last night...but no more pork and dumplings...please!


Scott shops for a new pair of lederhosen... on the sale rack, of course


"Oh, you two..."


Stone dome at the Hofgarten


People do actually wear this stuff...


And it's not cheap!


Looking out of our hotel window over Sendingerstrasse