Munich

I also have been out to the Olympic park (due north of the Center), which has a really tall tower with an amazing view of the entire city, the monster truck show about to take place in the stadium below and across the street at the BMW headquarters, factory and museum.

Lets start in Munich. Its the first place I ever went in Europe, three times on business and a couple pass throughs as a wandering vandal, a renter of cars on my way to someplace else. Munich is the wealthiest city in Germany, while this is a recent (past 30 years) thing, there are some attitudes that go with that. But if you want to max out a credit card or make fun of middle age men wearing funny glasses way too trendy for them, the shopping here can make that happen for you. A lot was destroyed in the war, and unlike Berlin, many iconic places were restored, but much is new.

The center of town is called the Marienplatz and has all the stuff you would expect in a major European city. The Oktoberfest stuff happens down there, and is a tourist magnet. Do make a point to take in one of the department stores, Galleria Kaufhof for example. (Not Kaufland, that’s a grocery store!). We just have very few shopping spaces like that anymore.

I mostly stayed out in Nymphenburg (west, northwest of the center), where the former Country palace (Schloss Nymphenburg) for the Bavarian king was. Fully in the city now, it is a huge garden and park space. Many of the buildings are used for commercial or government office space, but some remain open for tourist gazing. BEWARE THE SWANS.

The area is down Arnulfstrassa from the Marienplatz and is served by a tram line that I know well, my company's European office was midway between the two down by the Haubtbanhof (Central train station). Also out that way is the Hirschgarten, a small park featuring a ginormous beerhall and Biergarten filled with locals and traditional food. Most tourists don't know about it. In a way, its what the Athenaeum imagines itself to be.

Finally, Munich is a big place and growing. I have only seen little bits and pieces of it. Go see the rest.