Swiss Family Pletcher: A Visit to Munich

When we first moved here, Mat talked about wanting to go to a Christmas market in Germany for a weekend getaway. We chose Munich because it is only 4 hours by train, and a beautiful city.

We left Friday evening after school and work and took the train straight to Munich. We had decided to stay in a "Aparthotel" this time (we almost always use Apartments when we travel due to our family size) and it ended up being a good choice. We had the convenience of a hotel but the great amenities of an apartment (2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen).

Saturday morning we got up and headed for the Christmas market. We spent the whole day out and about. We looked at several areas of the Christmas market, climbed to the top of the Rathaus (council building) to view the city, ate delicious food, and watched a light snow fall.

We had a great time. Even though it was cold, we didn't mind because we were busy looking around. The city has so many beautiful buildings and a lot of history. I hope to return when the weather is warmer to explore some more.

Beautiful church

The Rathaus and the Christmas market

This is a working Glockenspiel from the 1500s. We got to see it in action, and it was really neat

Large fountain in front of the Rathaus

We have seen several nativity scenes with an Elephant in them. Love it

View from the top of the Rathaus

Looking down at the main Christmas market from the Rathaus

This is a museum, but the building was really beautiful

This is part of the Munich Residence - which was a Royal Palace. It served as the seat of government and residence for Dukes from 1508-1918. Starting in 1385, though, it was a castle. At lot of the building was destroyed in the World War, but it has been gradually reconstructed since then.