Tales From Germany Part 5: Munich 2: Crazy Clothes on Crazy People

Our lunch at Prinz Myshkin was fantastic. The restaurant was hailed in our guidebook as the best in Munich, and it did not disappoint. My delicious and filling pasta dish cost only nine euros (really cheap for a European meal) and actually made me enjoy the mushrooms used in the pasta, which is a first for me. Shewara's pasta was equally savory.

After Prinz Myshkin, we headed further into the city to see the Residenz, the Royal Palace of the kings of Bavaria. The massive complex now houses a variety of museums and high-end antique and retail stores. Our experience there would have been more enjoyable if any of the museums had actually been open. The single map we found in the entire place didn't tell us how to get where we wanted to go, so we had to figure out for ourselves that to get to the museums in the middle of the palace you actually had to go back outside the palace grounds and then come back in through a very small door. Only then did we see that the museum was closed for renovations. You think they could have told us sooner.

Very disappointed, we decided to just meander around the city for a few hours. We happened upon some rather interesting sites. The first was a ridiculously oversized soccer ball in the middle of one of Munich's many squares, undoubtedly being used to advertise the upcoming 2006 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Germany. People everywhere are selling shirts for this event, featuring the rather creepy logo the Germans invented for it. I do not mean to be stereotypical, but I have never seen a German nearly as happy about anything as those little soccer balls are in that logo. Like seriously.

After the soccer ball encounter, we wandered back towards Munich's main shopping district where we encountered some mannequins clad in the most trendy European fashions. Fashions that apprently include aviator sunglasses, jean beltloop chains, emo hair, and Sylvester the Cat t-shirts. I think wearing an outfit like this in America would not get a hot girl to cling to you - it would get a hot girl to beat you up. Because she and her 100-pound frame could school you. You and your aviators.

Content in our fashions for the day, we walked further toward the Munich Hauptbahnhof (Main Train Station) where we wandered into a very small, unsuspecting cafe on the second floor of an old building. Shewara and I sat down and hat two beautifully presented cups of Chai tea: each one came in a tall glass glass complete with a little spoon, saucer, doily for the saucer, and even a little box to place your used teabag into. We sipped our tea and had thought provoking conversation until we decided to splurge for dessert a great little ice cream dish for two. The best part about this particular establishment, however, were its bathrooms. Each stall contained a live, four-foot tall plant (something to look at while doing your business, I suppose). Even more interestingly, the bottom of each urinal contained one half of an orange, I assume for two reasons: 1) to improve the smell, but 2) to have something to aim at. Just for fun. But the best part was the poster on the bathroom wall:

APRIL 15: BOMBASTIC GAY AND LESBIAN DANCE PARTY
(featuring the musical stylings of DJane Skinny)

I really wished we could go back, just for that.

Satisfied and satiated from our small meal, we decided to make one last trek through the main shopping district before our train left. At one point during our walk, I turned to Shewara and said, "Do I hear Peruvian pipe music?" I naturally assumed it was a CD being played inside of a store, but I was shocked to find an actual group of Peruvian musicians playing in the middle of Munich! As an Andeanophile, I found this very exciting. Apparently the aforementioned love of Native American cultures in Germany extends to South America as well. We stayed there for a few minutes to listen to them play (their music was excellent, plus they were totally jammin' out and having a great time, which made them fun to watch). Satisfied from our long and eventful day, we walked back to the train station and slept all the way back to Tuebingen.