Munchin' in München

Munich was such a fun city to be in for a few days despite the fact it was FREEZING. Something a California girl cannot get used to overnight. We arrived at 6:30 in the morning on a overnight train to dark skies and frosty air. I was forever grateful that I broke down and bought mittens and a hat two nights earlier in Bologna. We checked into the hostel and went on a free tour of the city. Free but again, FREEZING. And I noticed that the tour guide kept referring everything to beer. Maybe because it was mostly 20 somethings in the group or maybe it was was the fact that it was so cold, people needed a few beers just to warm up! He did mention that tax-wise, beer is considered a food, NOT an alcoholic drink. I think they're up to something with that one...

Either way, I was really excited to try out some local food, and there's not a  better place to do so then in a Beer Hall! Our first stop was the Augustiner Beer Hall in the pedestrian area of the city, not a far walk from the city center, Marienplatz.

Inside the Hall

Also inside the Hall

We of course, ordered some beer! This Augustiner brew is the Augustiner Edelstoff. Rumored to be what the current Pope drinks according to our tour guide. Either way, it is really good. 

For food, we each got a soup to start. Mine was a traditional Munich Beef Liver Meatball in a beef broth. Interesting but very good.

 For dinner, we ordered a Red Sausage, with a Potato and Vegetable side....

 And 'Spicy' Chicken Sausages also with Potatoes and Vegetables.

Yes, the pile of mush on the RIGHT side is considered to be vegetables in Munich

Dinner was fabulous and we were stuffed and warmed to the brim to make our chilling walk back to the hostel.

Lexi and I managed to stumble up on the The Auer Dult two afternoons after our Augustiner night. It happens three times a year and vendors bring in their goods. Also set up are children rides. Since this was the fall fair, all of the booths were decorated in lovely autumn themes. We started to search for some yummy food and found this stand. Un-able to read any of the German menu, we ordered by pointing to the large cast iron pans inside to get some grub.

The biggest cast iron pans I have ever seen

What we ordered was called  Schufrundein and Kasespatzle in Rostzmeibech.

The Schufrundein is on the left and the Kasespatzle in Rostzmeibech is on the right. Pretty much it summed up to large potato gnocchi-like guys with sauerkraut on the left and potato cheese nips with onions on the right. It also means GOOD.

Potatoy-Cheesy-Sauerkrauty GOOD and a bonus, you can eat the bowl! Tasted kinda like an ice cream cone...

We then moved on to find desert and found these AWESOME sweet pretzel type items, called Baumstriezel. We have found them in Prague too and seem to be pretty popular all around this part of Europe. Basically, they roll out a dough into long strips then wrap that around a buttered wooded skewer. They stick that in the oven that you see below and it spins it to cook it evenly.

Moving them around the oven

Rolling the dough

The end result-we got a cinnamon sugar one but they roll it in many different things when it is pulled out of the oven

In Prague we have seen them being cooked over coals, which gives it a different, more crispy texture. The one we ate pictured here was soft and chewy-just barely cooked dough. The grey on top of the bag is steam coming off in the cold Autumn day! I found a video on youtube of a guy making them here.

On a side note, also in the fair was loads of ceramics, antiques, random household goods, and clothing. My favorite clothing stand? This SUSPENDER making station. Can't we have these at home?

They had them in all different colors and sizes, looks like ribbon in the picture but its all stretchy suspender materials. So cool.

We spent our last night in the Hofbräuhaus München. One of the world's most famous beer gardens.

Kegs and kegs, bottles and bottles

Since it was our last night, we decided to be truly German and order a whole Liter of their original stuff. That plus a pork dinner (pictures to dark to see) and we were full. But very fully satisfied.