Penguins around the Horn!

The penguins weren't on Cape Horn, but I was trying to come up with a catchy title and that's the best I could do with what I had to work with. We woke to a view of an Alpine village nestled among the mountains of Tierra del Fuego, which translates to "Land of Fire" in English. Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world and the departure point for Antarctic Cruises. A prison was built here in the 1890's to help augment the population and substantiate Argentina's claim on the island. It operated until the 1940's and has since been converted to a maritime museum. Ushuaia has all the charm and feel of a European mountain village that happens to be situated on the coastline. The people are warm and friendly, if the weather is not. Even in the middle of their summer the temperatures are on the chilly side with highs in the 50's F and an ever-present breeze.

Our plans for the day centered around an excursion to see Magellanic penguins in their natural habitat. Our journey by boat up the Beagle Channel was a tableau of amazing scenery. Islands coated in colorful lichens of vivid yellows and burnt umbers, birds, sea lions, penguins, and any combination of all of the aforementioned items were abundant. In the era of digital photography you are guaranteed to create hours and hours of work sifting through all the images you capture. Some images border on the surreal, others come out overwhelmingly pedestrian. As difficult as it may be, make sure you spend plenty of time enjoying the scenery first-hand, the photographs will be there in the future to help refresh your memory.

The desolation and unspoiled beauty of the landscape will give you pause, especially when you consider it in the context of the ruggedness and the extreme conditions that can appear at almost any moment. With summer water temperatures hovering right around 48 degrees Fahrenheit the risk of hypothermia is significant year-round. Storms can appear at a moment's notice and it's not a matter of if the wind is going to blow, but rather how hard is it going to blow. The moral of the story is that beauty can be dangerously deadly if not given the proper meaure of respect. Hikers are encouraged to registered with the Walkers Safety System, to provide a tangible example of the threat that the environment can present. This is not a place to strike out with cavalier abandon.

I'm not quite sure what I expected to see when we arrived at the penguin colony, but I do know the sheer numbers were overwhelming.  Everywhere you looked on the island there were penguins. The shallows around the island were scattered with penguins swimming, diving, and checking out the boat full of gawkers. When I saw their numbers as we approached I expected a cacophony of penguin-chatter to emerge as we drew closer, but they were relatively quiet. Most excursions to the colony only allow observation from boats that draw up to the shoreline, but there are expeditions that hold permits to take you on the island and allow you to walk among the penguins. If you're headed to Ushuaia and have an interest in seeing penguins in the wild then you should definitely do your research on the various excursions offered. Some of our table mates from the dining room booked a  "walk among the penguins" that was reported as an amazing experience, but they had a rather long, rough ride in the back of a truck to reach the boat that transferred them to the island. I will say that there is something to be said for taking a boat that has a bar and snacks available, even if you can only observe from the shoreline.

Ushuaia is certainly the "End of the World" for all intents and purposes. It's probably the closest that I'll ever get to Antarctica and is completely unforgettable. Perhaps we'll make it back one day, I'd certainly like to.

We raised anchor just before dinner time and advanced down the Beagle Channel to Port Williams in order to clear Chilean customs and immigration for our visit to Cape Horn the following day. "Visit" being a loose term, since the only opportunity for a visit would be for a few ship's officers and then, only if the weather were exceptionally forgiving. Our visit at Port Williams was extended by several hours when the ship ran aground and we were forced to wait for the incoming tide to float us off.

The next morning we awoke to stereotypical Cape Horn weather. Everything I've read in books and seen in movies prepared me for a churning ocean and mist-shrouded islands and I was not disappointed. While it would have been nice for the Captain to go ashore to sign the guest book and meet the Chilean Naval Officer who lives on the Horn we did get to experience the weather I anticipated. The winds were strong enough to heel the boat several degrees when they were off the beam and the spray was reaching our balcony, five or six decks above the waterline. We circled the Horn several times and then made course for Uruguay.

South to Ushuaia!

The first day at sea after leaving Valparaíso was the "sportiest" day I've ever experienced on a cruise ship. Seas were a steady twenty to thirty feet with an occasional monster that would break over the bridge of the ship. When you consider that the ship is just over 1,000 feet long and comes in at 130,000 gross tons with the bridge situated about one hundred feet above the waterline, this is saying quite a bit. Fortunately I grew up on and around the ocean, so this was great fun for me! All of the outside decks were obviously closed for the safety of passengers and crew, as it would have been quite easy for someone to slip overboard and the odds of recovering them would have been virtually non-existent.

Sometime that evening we entered the Chilean Fjords and we woke up to waters as flat as swimming pool and stunningly majestic landscapes. While the waters were calm the winds remained brisk and the Captain kept everyone inside most of the day. There were brief periods that the wind would abate for brief windows and we were allowed out on deck to take photographs. Lighting was a challenge a large part of the time; dull, flat overcast that sucked the colors from the exposure. The sun did reveal itself a few times and we were rewarded with even more breath-taking views. Alas, the Chilean Fjords are only so long and the route to the Strait of Magellan for a large ship involves another transit "outside" the protection of the islands in the open ocean. More "sporty" weather for a while the next day, and I'm not ashamed to say that I enjoyed it. It does make you chuckle a bit when people on Caribbean itineraries complain about rough weather when the seas reach six to eight feet. If you have the opportunity to travel on a similar itinerary with seas of this magnitude on a Royal Caribbean ship I recommend spending time in the Viking Crown lounge for the best views.


Day three found us back in calm waters, transiting the Strait of Magellan on our way to Ushuaia. Around mid-afternoon we passed Cape Froward, the southernmost tip of continental South America, marked with column near the water's edge with a large metal cross on the peak of the promontory. The marker is visible in the lower right corner of the photo and the cross is just left of center at the top of the photograph. The first Cross of the Seas was erected on the site around 1913, but fell victim to the elements several times over the years. The current cross was built in 1987 to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II to Chile. Finding the landmark on a globe produces a bit of a "wow" reaction - it's quite a long way from home for most of us! We continued through the strait and towards Ushuaia throughout the evening and into the night. The next morning we awoke anchored in the harbor of the southernmost city in the world, and it was time to see penguins in the wild!

On to Valparaíso!

With mixed emotions we packed up to leave Santiago. Anxious to board the ship and begin the next leg of the adventure, but longing to stay and explore more of this amazing country. Our guide said the trip to the coast was pretty long, but not to worry as we would make a couple of stops along the route for snacks and an opportunity to stretch our legs a bit. If you check the map you'll see that the distance is just under 80 miles. I've been known to drive 80 miles round-trip to pick up hamburgers from a favorite restaurant on a Saturday afternoon. During college move-in or move-out it wasn't uncommon for me to drive a 570 mile round trip in a single day. Eighty miles being characterized as

"pretty long" gave me a little chuckle! Keeping our mindset of curious guests embracing a new culture we went with the flow in order to gain an appreciation for a Chilean road trip. Once again, we were not disappointed. As we drove past acres upon acres of vineyards and avocado groves I developed a bit of a hunger. Avocado had been part of almost every meal since our arrival and I knew that our access to ample quantities of these magnificent green fruits at amazingly affordable prices was drawing to an end with every mile we drove. Our first stop came about 30 minutes outside of town at what amounted to a roadside coffee shop and my hunger for avocado was sated, at least for a short while.

For snacks we had hallulla, which is traditional Chilean flatbread, sliced in half and filled with manjar (dulce de leche) spread. Forget PB&J, this is the most amazing creation on the planet. After we recovered from our diabetic coma there was more hallulla, this time covered in fresh, creamy palta (avocado spread.)

Our need for rest and nourishment met for the moment, we continued on to our next stop, Emiliana Organic Vineyards. They were quite busy, especially for a Tuesday, and ours was a drop-in visit so we didn't have a formal tour arranged. We were able to stroll through parts of the vineyard and see the various animals wandering around taking care of weeds and providing fertilizer for the vines. When our spot in the tasting room was available we were treated to one of the best Pinot Noirs I've ever tasted, and that's saying quite a bit considering that my cousins at Chehalem make some absolutely fantastic wines. The Emiliana compared quite favorably and I wouldn't hesitate to put back a half-case if the opportunity presented itself. Emiliana wines are available in various places throughout the USA, so keep your eyes peeled.

When we arrived in Valparaíso our driver gave us a tour of the area, including Viña del Mar, before taking us to lunch. After lunch we visited the Moai statue from Easter Island at the Fonck Museum in Viña del Mar and were slightly accosted by a local gypsy woman, whom I strongly rebuffed when she wouldn't take a simple 'no' as an answer. I really did not need my palm read nor my fortune told! We headed back to Valparaíso and our driver dropped us off near the port with our guide so we could walk around the historic district and check out one of the funicular railways that dot the cityscape. The first of the twenty-six units started service in 1883 and remains in service today, along with seven others. A funicular railway consists of two cars attached to each other by a cable running on parallel inclined tracks. The cars run in opposite directions, counterbalancing each other and minimizing the amount of energy needed to operate the system. The ubiquitous automobile and other forms of mass transportation have rendered most of the railways prohibitive to maintain.

Our tour of the city complete, we headed to the terminal to check-in for the cruise. Since Valparaíso is configured primarily for shipping traffic and not large cruise ship traffic the process was a bit convoluted. Passengers were screened, checked-in with cruise staff, and received their Sail & Sign cards, then loaded on to busses with their luggage for a ride around the port to board the ship. Passengers who arrived on the ship were bussed back to the terminal area, where they could use public transportation to move around the city. The ship arrived that morning and was not scheduled to leave until the following afternoon, but we chose to spend the rest of the day unpacking and getting settled rather than venturing out again.

Chile - Wineries!

Since we were traveling such a great distance to meet the cruise in a country we had never visited that produces some great wines we factored in an extra day for sightseeing. Due to the language barrier and other logisitical concerns we hired a driver and translator, which in retrospect was an absolute stroke of genius. The cost for this service was about $100 per day and my only regret is that our driver didn't speak English. Don't get me wrong, our translator was absolutely delightful. But our driver was a "wine guy" and generally interesting individual with whom I would have loved to share a bottle of wine (after hours, of course!) Thankfully we also had the same team for our transfer to Valparaiso to meet the ship so we were able to enjoy their company for two days.

The first morning we drove to Viña Aquitania on the edge of Santiago. It's a boutique winery and vineyard of approximately 45 acres, but there's nothing small about their wines other than the production. Founded by one Chilean and two French winemakers, with a third Frenchman eventually joining their ranks, this place produces some stunning wines. They have another vineyard in the Malleco valley planted with different varietals that weren't offered for our tasting. If their other wines are even close to the quality of the wines we tasted they must be remarkable as well.

Standing in the pergola atop the fermenting room you can easily see the four borders of the property, which lends credence to the adage of 'good things coming in small packages.' The labels here are still applied by hand and tour groups tend to be proportionally small. Unfortunately their wines are not generally available for purchase in the USA, although we continue to search them out. Hopefully we'll find an affordable source (shipping from Chile is prohibitively expensive for small quantities) and be able to enjoy these wines at home.

On our way to the next winery we stopped for lunch at La Vaquita Echá in Pirque, just outside Santiago. One word of caution - your eyes will likely be much larger than your stomach and your nose will not help your restraint improve! The aromas of meat grilling over an open flame will have your mouth watering and the local specials listed on the menu will be a huge temptation. You'll do much better in a small group (four to six) than you will as a couple. While most of the food is simply prepared it is absolutely delicious. We had a ton of leftovers and were delighted that our translator was happy to take them home. In retrospect we should have insisted that they join us instead of dining separately, as is the company protocol.

Thankfully we had a short drive to Concha y Toro, as I would have drifted into a food coma if I sat in the van for very long! While most people have probably become aware of Concha y Toro through their Casillero del Diablo collection, readily available across the USA in grocery stores and price clubs, there are lesser-known wines produced here that are a bit more obscure. Their flagship offering, Don Melchor, is one of my perennial favorites. Occasionally I stumble across it at Costco at a more reasonable price than what you're likely to find elsewhere. I'll pick up a bottle (as much as I'd love to purchase it by the case...) and put it in my wine cooler for a year or two before enjoying it for a special occasion. Incidentally, Don Melchor is the only wine now aged in the actual Casillero del Diablo. The tour provided our first taste of their Trio collection, namely the Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc blend. Delightfully drinkable and balanced, this is a nice warm-weather wine that we haven't located yet in the states. Note that you'll get a wine glass with your tour, so make appropriate packing plans to get them home safely if you'd like to keep it. While they're not luxury stemware, they are much nicer than I would have expected. Concha y Toro is a huge wine producer and tours tend to be sizable (a dozen or so by my estimation) but once again we were fortunate and only had one other couple on our tour along with two guides.

Dinner for our last night in Santiago was at Liguria, another of the restaurants adjacent to Hotel Orly. They found a server who spoke about as much English as we speak Spanish, and in the spirit of shared adventure and understanding of the limitations we were operating under we ended up having a delightful meal. There's something to be said for stepping out of your comfort zone and we did that in a big way with our time in Santiago. We hope to return some day, after we cross other destinations off our list.

Chile - Getting there

In 2011 Royal Caribbean was repositioning the Mariner of the Seas from San Diego to Galveston. Since the ship is too large to pass through the Panama Canal this requires a lengthy trip around Cape Horn and an opportunity for guests to see some obscure parts of the world at fairly reasonable rates. Repositioning cruises such as this are generally quite long, which tends to make them more difficult to sell, so they make the pricing as attractive as possible to incentivize passengers. If you have the flexibility to schedule a vacation of two weeks or more and enjoy cruising I suggest investigating repositioning cruises as an option. They tend to occur at the change of seasons and may feature a trip around the Horn, through the Panama Canal, or across the Atlantic.

This repositioning cruise started in San Diego with a two week itinerary that ended in Valparaiso, Chile and then continued on another two week itinerary to São Paulo, Brazil. Sailing around the Horn is a bucket-list item and a full month was a bit much for our schedule so we signed on for the second half of the trip and made plans to fly to Santiago, Chile on the outbound leg with a return flight from São Paulo at the completion of the cruise.

Our outbound flight was a bit convoluted, but with the open-jaw booking I was able to put together an

itinerary that combined coach seats on the domestic legs and business class on the international legs for barely over the cost of a round-trip coach ticket had we gone to a single destination. When making similar plans make sure to check all of the luggage allowances for each check-in point, as that will be the controlling factor for your checked luggage. For example, allowances coming from Brazil are greater than going to Chile, so we were able to pack an empty duffle bag to bring home with our purchases.

Our initial flight departed at 7:00 am on Friday and we arrived in Santiago at 5:20 am the next day. While we were jet-lagged a bit from the travel there was only a one hour time change and we arrived to warm weather, it being summer in the southern hemisphere. A couple of tips for arrival in Chile.

• You may have heard that as a U.S. citizen you would be charged a visa reciprocity fee of $160 per person upon arrival in Chile. This is no longer the case as Chile has been added to the U.S. Visa Waiver program. Since we no longer assess a fee to Chileans, they no longer charge us a fee. Immigration officials are polite and helpful.
• Chile is militant when it comes to agricultural import restrictions. Your suitcases will be X-Rayed upon entry. Chile is geographically isolated (Andes on one border, Pacific the other) and they would like to keep invasive species and disease out of the country. Can't blame them for that.
• There are ATMs in the arrivals area, just past customs. I suggest checking exchange rates before you leave home and making a few notes. At ~685 Chilean Pesos per US Dollar things may seem a bit overwhelming, especially if you've arrived on an overnight flight. Amidst the fog of jet lag your head will spin as you try to digest the pre-determined withdrawal increments. Selecting something in the mid-range you're not sure if 50,000 Pesos is a reasonable amount of pocket money to start with or if you just purchased a car and may not have enough cash to survive the rest of your trip!
• Relative to the above point, a quick reference (either an index card or a note on your phone) to maintain a frame of reference for price conversions is helpful. You can always pull out your phone and do the math, but I suggest having at least $5, $10, $20, and $50 amounts at-hand for convenience. $1 and $100 are pretty straightforward, but add those if they make your more comfortable. When you see 5,000 pesos for a burger and fries at a cafe it's comforting to glance at your reference and see that it's about midway between $5 and $10.
• To that end, make a reference for each country you'll be visiting as they all have different currencies and exchange rates. For example, our itinerary also included Argentine Pesos (~14 per USD) Uruguayan Pesos (~30 per USD) and the Brazilian Real (~3.60 per USD)

It didn't take long after arrival for our first language-barrier adventure to begin. Originally we booked a room at the Hotel Aubrey but changed to the Hotel Orly because of availability due to shifting dates. We notified the Aubrey via email, but things got a bit confused and thus began our first adventure. We were met at the airport by a driver who spoke as much English as we speak Spanish, which is to say almost none at all. But he was holding a sign with our surname on it (reasonably rare

most anywhere in the world) so all was well. He was exceedingly polite, immensely helpful, and a consummate professional.  Unfortunately he was from the Aubrey and there was another driver standing around there somewhere, also with our name on a sign, that we never saw who was from the Hotel Orly. As we pulled up in front of the Aubrey I pulled out my printed information on the Orly and, after a bit of language butchery, he delivered us to the correct/wrong hotel - depending upon your point of view. The gentleman at the Orly helped us sort things out with the driver, whom we tipped generously for the mixup, and got us checked in to our suite located a few doors down. We offered to compensate the abandoned driver but he would hear nothing of it, so our initial impression of the Orly exceeded our already high expectations based on prior research.

Our suite was spacious, well appointed, and immaculate. The Orly is located on a quiet, shady street with several cafes and restaurants with more of the same around the corner and a subway stop just a couple of blocks away. After a short nap we enjoyed lunch at a cafe adjacent to the hotel consisting of some of the best ceviche to have ever crossed our lips. If you're a fan of avocado you will love Chile, as it is plentiful and ridiculously inexpensive (~750 pesos, or just over $1 for a kilogram, as compared to $1 per avocado in the states.) After lunch we successfully navigated the subway system, even with a language barrier, and went to the Plaza de Armas.

The plaza was stunning. Dominated by the Catedral de Santiago on the west end and accented by tree-shaded chess players and a large statue of Don Pedro de Valdiva, a Spanish conquistador who founded Santiago in 1541. We tend to gravitate towards cathedrals and churches, as they are often the best preserved examples of ancient architecture. The intricacy of design and construction are also quite telling, so you can learn a tremendous amount about a region and culture just by taking time to walk through one of their larger churches. The sqyare itself is fascinating, you could spend hours just sitting and watching people, if it suited you. Chess games range from intense to casual and, on nice days, the fountain is filled with frolicking children. If people watching isn't your cup of tea you can wander through the Museo Histórico Nacional (National Historical Museum) where you may even meet a local that is interested in where you're from. We had an exchange with a young lady of about age eight using maps and gestures, as she spoke no English and our marginal Spanish was quite useless. Note that photography isn't permitted in the museum, but if you enter through the exit, as we did, you may not notice the posted signs until it is too late.

Our adventure complete, we returned to the hotel for a break before enjoying an excellent meal at the Cafetto by Park, located in the main building of the Orly. As is the case in many Chilean restaurants dinner will start with a Pisco Sour, sort of a lime daiquiri concoction that packs quite a wallop. Sip gingerly, as they go down much too easy and too much is never a good thing! The menu offered a vast assortment of choices from soups and salads to traditional Chilean dishes. The wine list is extensive and prices are shockingly reasonable when compared to the mark-ups usually seen in U.S. restaurants. Between the food, drink, and atmosphere the experience is absolutely sublime. 

Munich, Part Deux

Dachau is just a short train ride from the Munich Hauptbahnhof on the S-Bahn. It is home to one of the more well-known World War II Nazi Concentration Camps, which is a short bus ride from the Dachau Stadt train station.

Walking through the gate is a sobering  experience, I know of no other way to express it. There are many photo opportunities, and I certainly took my fair share, but I hesitate to plaster them all over out of reverence for those who suffered and died in the atrocious conditions that existed in the camps. The camps started out as centers of forced labor populated by dissidents and other "undesirables." In the early days prisoners would be sentenced to a term and released when they had completed their time and indicated that they were "rehabilitated." Ultimately the inmates were held indefinitely and eventually worked to death. In the final stages camps were converted to carry out the wholesale extermination of humans. 

From the displays of personal artifacts to the "showers" and crematoriums the experience is an ever-evolving battle against disbelief. The living conditions were so marginal and the tasks carried out within the walls and fences were so horrific that they defy understanding. You should plan to spend at least three to four hours touring the site and it wouldn't be difficult to spend twice that amount of time. There is a good bit of walking involved, which I welcomed, as it allowed me to digest one visceral experience before being exposed to another.

I'm rarely at a loss for words, but attempting to convey the breadth and depth of emotions that I experienced at Dachau leaves me scrambling.

Far from an enjoyable experience, it is one of the most educational and gob-smacking experiences I have ever encountered. As they state in one of the displays, Never Again.

Our final day in Munich wasn't spent in Munich, per se. A friend who was born in the area picked us up and took us on a road trip to Chiemsee, also known as the Bavarian Sea. A little over an hour to the southeast of Munich, not far from the Austrian border, Chiemsee is home to the largest of King Ludwig II's castles. While Neuschwanstein is the most well known of Ludwig's three castles (Schloss Linderhof being the third) I'd have to say this may be the most unusual due to the remote location.
Ludwig purchased the monastery on Herreninsel and converted it to a royal residence while he built Herrenchiemsee, or his New Castle (Neues Schloss,) which was modeled after Versailles. Ludwig spent 16,5 million Marks (in 1880's currency) on construction (over $250M in 2013 dollars) and only completed twenty of the seventy rooms. To add insult to injury he only slept in the castle a few nights before his mysterious death at Lake Starnberg on 13 June, 1886. 

To access the castle you have to take a ferry from Gstadt to Herrininsel. There's a ticket booth just off the end of the pier and (depending upon the season) the castle is a moderate walk or a short carriage ride up the hill. The original monastery is now a restaurant and beer garden. It has served as a hotel in the past, but I am unable to ascertain the current status of lodging facilities. The castle itself is stunning, even the incomplete areas that are part of the tour. We visited in late winter, so the fountains were sealed up, the gardens were dormant and the skies were overcast with a few snow flurries. I'd love to visit again to see the grounds in their full splendor and enjoy the beer garden.

Munich, Part One - In which we find beer, lots and lots of beer.

I've always had a fascination with Germany. My surname has been traced back to an ancestor whom originated from Dossenheim, Germany, a small town just north of Heidelberg, in the mid 18th Century. This connection is probably the most significant contributing factor to my Teutonic attraction and led to my choice to study German in high school. Even with this drive and my love of travel I never made it to Germany until early spring of 2012.

If you're hesitant to visit Germany due to a language barrier, don't allow that to be the decisive factor. Over 50% of Germans (higher in the former West Germany) claim to be conversant in English. Most restaurants have menus in English and nearly everyone in a tourist-facing position has ample language skills to help you with whatever you might need. Tourist sites have English-speaking guides and even those who might not be conversant in English will make a strong effort to communicate with you.

I arrived in Munich on a much-delayed flight from London. (Sidebar: EasyJet has deeply discounted fares, but don't expect to get more than you pay for.) My original plan was to purchase my S-Bahn (Urban Rapid Rail) ticket from an agent, but that fell apart when I arrived over an hour after the service desk closed. Not to worry, I was confident that with three years of high school German ~25 years prior I was capable of navigating the automated ticket kiosk, so I took the plunge. Just a couple of minutes later I was triumphantly removing my ticket from the dispensing slot when I noticed a neat little row of national flags across the bottom of the screen of the dormant kiosk next to me. There's no telling how quickly I could have received my ticket had I only selected the American flag and navigated the system in English. DOH! Lesson learned: take a couple of seconds to completely understand the system before jumping in with both feet.

If you find the vast number of possibilities in Munich daunting, and you're not sure where to start exploring, I recommend going with one of the free tours to break the ice. While there are no tickets or admission charges you should be aware that the guides work for tips and have to pay a set fee per person back to the organizer for the opportunity to make money leading the tour. I've heard good reviews from several others in addition to the positive experience I had, so I encourage you to offer a tip commensurate with the value you receive. You might even have a guide that you can buy a beer for after the tour (ask politely, they often have arrangements that will get you a free beer) which leads to a nice conversation that provides suggestions for what else to see around town. The free walking tour (compete details available at the link above) can be picked up at either the Starbucks at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) or in front of the Glockenspiel on Marienplatz. They last about three hours and the walk is steady. You'll get a solid foundation of Munich history and see the high spots (there's no way to cover all of Munich in just three hours.) After the tour you should be oriented enough to the city to revisit places of particular interest or find new sites that you'd like to explore.

Speaking of beer. If you're a fan of beer then Munich is the mothership. Augustiner, Paulaner, Löwenbräu, Hofbräu, Spaten, and Hacker-Pschorr are the "Big Six" in town.

Augustiner is, by far, the local favorite. It is also my favorite. The beer hall just down from Marienplatz (zum Augustiner) is an outstanding place to eat and drink. We spent a couple of evenings here and found the staff friendly and efficient. The food is quite good, the pretzels absolutely divine. One evening we shared a table with a young professional couple for a couple of hours and had an absolute blast working on our German a bit. They were gracious enough to nudge us along until being forced to revert to English to explain how we were butchering things. Another evening we visited Augustiner-Keller with a friend from the area and sat in the cellar, where the traditional band only added to the enjoyment of the beer and food. I could have stayed for hours, but we had a flight to catch the next morning so we had to call it a night at a reasonable hour. I look forward to my return to Munich so I can drink my fill of Augustiner.

The pleasant surprise for me among all of the beer I sampled in Munich was Löwenbräu. My first exposure to the brand was as a middle-schooler in television commercials "Tonight, let it be Löwenbräu" then, sometime late in my teens, I actually drank one.

It was nasty.

Fast forward nearly three decades and I found myself in the Löwenbräukeller, drawn specifically for their wheat beer, Franziskaner, which I knew to be delicious. We were visiting during the Lenten season, which is Starkbierzeit (Strong Beer Time.) It's not as raucous as Oktoberfest and is generally considered Munich's best-kept secret. Older than Oktoberfest, Starkbierzeit started when Monks began brewing a strong, heavy beer to help sustain them through the Lenten fast. Of course, I had to sample the Starkbier offering along with the Franziskaner and it would just have been silly to not give the eponymous brew a fair shake. It was shockingly good, which is to say I'd have no problem drinking it on a regular basis were it available in the States in this incarnation. Once again we found good food (including soft, warm pretzels!) If you're in Germany don't pass on Löwenbräu based on what you may have tried by the same name in the States. The only thing they have in common is the name.

You can't visit Munich without going to Hofbräuhaus, but be prepared for a crowd any time of the year. It is a magnet for tourists and you may have to wait for a seat. The atmosphere is loud and boisterous as this is where everyone goes to demonstrate their knowledge of drinking songs. We also managed a dinner visit to Paulaner one evening (before we ended up at Augustiner for more beer...) and it was equal to the task as well. Overall we ate good food and drank excellent beer during our stay in Munich and my only regret is that I haven't been back in four years at this point.