München!

Und zo, finally, with work complete and a whole afternoon/evening staring us in the face, it was time to get out and explore Munich.

At least as much of it as was within walking distance, anyway.

The closest area of interest to the hotel -- ten minutes on foot -- was the Marienplatz, which was thronged with people on a Friday afternoon. It's a pedestrian-only area, lined with shops, stalls and open-air cafes. Before settling in at one for a weissbier or two (two, it was), I grabbed this picture...


Here, you can see more of the Marienplatz, with one of the plaster lions that dotted the area. The Loewe is, apparently, a symbol of Munich, and in honor of the upcoming World Cup, a variety of lions, decorated by local artists, had been placed around the city. This poor one seemed to have hurt his leg, poor guy...


This church, complete with a gilt statue of God-Knows-Who in front, dominates the Marienplatz. The cafe we picked was right in front of it; no worries about mixing beer and religion here! I took a picture of a colleague standing in front of the church, not realizing until I got home and looked at the photo full-screen that a young girl standing behind him was making some kind of gesture that looked as if she either meant to pat him on the butt or pick his pocket...


Vegetable stands (like this one) and restaurants alike were proudly proclaiming the availability of spargel. It's the season after all, and I ate more than my share of it. Sausages, too, neither of which appears on my diet at home very often...


Another church, older than the one in the photo above by the looks of it, sported signs like this, admonishing passers-by to not stand too close in times of bad weather, lest they be conked on the noggin by falling bricks...


Our farewell dinner, replete with plenty of beer, sausages and -- yes! -- spargel, took place in a nice restaurant near the Marienplatz. Another good excuse to walk! Munich was quieter at 11:00 at night, but the trams were still running, and there were plenty of people around...


I'm still dithering about posting a few more photos that I find fascinating, but which may offer a little too much of a clue to my identity. We'll see....

In the meantime, I'm missing lovely München and environs, and wishing I'd had more time to explore the countryside and gather trinkets. I need to go back soon, preferably to share it with someone whose lovely presence was sorely missed this time....