We have entered Germany, which looks to be a very well cultivated and prosperous country, as the power house of the EU. Of note, as we have read in the press, there are many middle eastern folks here, and they look like they are well to do travelers. What we have not seen is the over 1 million refugees from the conflict in Syria. As a side note, when we were in Zurich, our server at the Fondue restaurant was from Sri Lanka and told us that there are 60,000 Sri Lankans in Zurich, escaping the conflicts in that country. Interestingly he was on a list for housing, which after a 2 year wait he finally obtained one for 800 Swiss Francs, roughly equivalent to 800 US dollars. Zurich is a very expensive city to live in but somehow is finding a way to provide immigrants, hardworking and striving ones, a means to thrive. I would say the safety net is alive and well in Europe but these our just the observations of a traveler passing through. I am sure all is not perfect but it makes one ponder… Anyhow on with the travelogue what greeting us a short walk form our hotel were the old and new town halls. The new town hall was completely destroyed, as was most of Munich and WWII. If I have my facts straight the old town hall survived, or they are really good at making it look old.
Old town hall
Of course no visit would be complete without enjoying a few very large frosty brews from one of the original 7 brew masters represented on a large maypole in the market square. See if you can catch the symbols of some famous recipes that have made it to the US.
In the beer garden you are cozily surrounded by festive Germans and visitors.
Prost!
On our city walk, hosted on our phones by the inimitable Rick Steves, with his corny jokes, we were introduced to the Jewish Synagogue, which Hitler had destroyed in 1937. The walls are made from travertine, which represent the Jewish wailing wall. The steel mesh top, represents the tents used during their time in the wilderness.
Later in the evening we visited the world famous HB beer hall well attended to say the least and evident that there are still some conspicuous meat consumption going on in the modern German state!
Again Prost in the 1 liter format!
On our walk back to the hotel I caught this shot, which somehow took me back to early German cinema with its tendency to exaggerate forms for the surreal effect.
We are here until Saturday so more posts will be forthcoming, Auf Wiedersehen!
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