14-15 May 2025
After the huge crowds in Paris last month, I hesitate to hope for a better outcome for Munich. Lots and lots of people are traveling, flights are full, popular destinations crowded. Good decision made: “Let Martha do it!”
Martha last traveled to Munich in 1971. While old European cities don’t tend to change much, visiting Munich most likely will be a memory challenge for her. For me, I am not even going to try. Over the years, I have visited Munich several times and could visit almost anywhere for a refresher course. Therefore, my goal is to avoid long lines, soak in the Bavarian life, and enjoy a cold beer, or more.
Duckomenta Memories
Duckomenta presented a synopsis of the history of the world with ducks. Such fun, imagination and entertainment! Think everything from the first prehistoric fossil to the Mona Lisa to Che all done in duck. It was a real treat!
Unfortunately, the exhibit moved on but I loved it so much when I visited in 2021, I wanted to take this opportunity to post another photo. Ah, memories!
Discovery of a Favorite Beer
Long in the past, 1989, I discovered, by accident, what became my favorite beer: Hefeweizen. Hefeweizen is the classic German wheat beer. The name comes from “Hefe” meaning “yeast” and “Weizen” meaning “wheat,” so it literally means “yeast wheat beer.” It’s famous for being cloudy (because of the yeast left in suspension) and for its unique flavors — a result of the special yeast strains used.
To create hefeweizen, brewers typically use a high percentage of wheat malt — usually at least 50%, but sometimes much more — mixed with barley malt. The wheat gives it a smooth, slightly creamy and light, refreshing taste.
The magic, though, lies in the yeast. Hefeweizen yeast creates a strong banana and clove flavor through a process called “ester and phenol production” during fermentation. Esters taste fruity, and phenols taste spicy. Fermentation occurs at slightly warmer temperatures than other ales, which encourages the yeast to throw off even more flavors.
It’s also top-fermented, meaning the yeast ferments at the top of the brew, and usually not filtered, which is why the final beer looks cloudy. It’s sometimes carbonated, giving it a lively, fizzy feel.
Traditionally, Germans serve hefeweizen in tall, curvy glasses to show off its gorgeous hazy look and big fluffy head of foam. In fact, there’s a whole mini-ritual about pouring a hefeweizen properly. Because the beer is cloudy with yeast that settles at the bottom of the bottle, you’re supposed to get all that delicious yeast into your glass — but if you mess it up, the beer’s flavor and appearance are ruined. An error no true Bavarian would ever make.
Hefeweizen – Bavarian Proud
Here’s the “correct” method Bavarians swear by:
1. Tilt the glass at a 45-degree angle and start pouring slowly down the side
2. As the glass fills, start straightening it upright so the beer builds a big foamy head.
3. When just a little beer remains, here’s the critical, superstitious step — you swirl the bottle with a little rolling motion (like you’re mixing a tiny tornado inside) to stir up the yeast stuck at the bottom. Then you pour that yeasty swirl into the glass on top.
Some people even claim the swirl must to be done clockwise for “good luck and better taste.” Old-timers might yell at you if you forget this part. I swear, the drama makes Hefeweizen taste all the better. And you don’t need pretzels.
Because hefeweizen relies so much on live yeast and delicate fruity/clove flavors, it’s fragile. Over time (especially with temperature swings during shipping), the flavors fade, the yeast can settle weirdly, and it can even start tasting dull or bready in a bad way.
If quickly cold-shipped and kept from sunlight — it can taste decent when it arrives. But honestly? Hefeweizen should be freshly brewed, cold, cloudy, and alive, usually served within a few weeks of bottling. German breweries take this seriously. Some refuse to export because they don’t want people drinking a sad, tired version of their beer. While I can get Weissbier at home, and some breweries are trying their best to duplicate it, the quality and taste are not the same. California makes a Sierra Nevada Kellerweis, which is hard to find and just doesn’t have that Bavarian bravado.
Prost!
Beers Among Museums and Plazas
Deutsches Museum
The Deutsches Museum sits on an island in the middle of the Isar River. The introduction of modern technology has made it an exceptional educational museum. The exhibits will challenge most of us in some way.
This museum represents science and technology museums at its best. The sheer scale and personal interaction makes it feel less like a museum and more like a playground for kids. It invites hands-on involvement for adults, too!
A few standout rooms include the historic aviation hall, the robotics room including the small Nao Robot who can dance Gangnam Style, and the astronomy and space exhibits.
Museum Fünf Kontinente (Museum of Five Continents)
Whether you’re a history buff, art lover, or curious traveler, the Museum Fünf Kontinente offers a rich, immersive experience into the diverse cultures that shape our world. The building, along Maximiliamstrasse, originally constructed in 1865, operated under the name of Bavarian State Museum of Ethnology. Since its founding, cultural artifacts have been collected from around the globe and housed here.
The museum represents a treasure trove of non-European cultures, offering a deep dive into the art, rituals, and daily lives of people from across the world. Exhibits explore collections from the Continents of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Americas.
Also, the museum deserves credit as it doesn’t shy away from its colonial past. Instead, it embraces the ugly past as a learning experience for the present.
The excellent exhibition, “Colonialism in Objects,” critically examines how many artifacts were acquired, “looted or stolen,” fostering discussions about history and provenance. The entire exhibit highlights more than a century of conquests, subjugation, dehumanization and theft of art and artifacts from German colonies across Africa and Asia. It is a special exhibit not to be missed and can be viewed when a combination ticket is purchased.
Of note: some museums have begun to return many cultural artifacts to their original homes. In 2019, work began to return more than 50 ancestral remains from five different German institutes. It started with a ceremony here. The remains of King Gimuy Walubara Yidindji, here since 1889, were repatriated to the Yidindji nation of northern Queensland, Australia.
Asamkirche
Walking down Sendlingerstrasse, half distracted by shop windows and the occasional clatter of a tram, the Asamkirche lies tucked between ordinary buildings. Hidden in plain sight, the church exists because two brothers decided that if they were going to build something for God and themselves, they might as well go all the way.
The Asamkirche is a small but wildly ornate Baroque Church built between 1733 and 1746 by the Asam brothers, architect Cosmas Damian Asam and sculpter Egid Quirin Asam, who were famous artists of the Baroque period.
What makes this church really special is that it was a private project. The brothers built it right next to their home, intending it originally for their personal use rather than as a public parish church. Because of that, they went completely over the top with the decoration, without worrying too much about the usual church rules.
Inside, it’s a full sensory overload of swirling gold, dark marble, dramatic ceiling frescoes, and emotional sculptures. The architecture blends late Baroque with Rococo styles, meaning everything feels in motion — twisting columns, flowing stucco, even the light guides your eyes upward toward heaven.
Asamkirche somehow feels huge inside because of the intense decoration and clever design. The altar and the ceiling paintings are especially breathtaking, telling dramatic religious stories with all the flair and emotion of an opera.
Right next to the beautiful Asam Church in Sendlinger Street, is the home of the Asam Brothers. Sculpter Egid Quirin Asam designed the impressive façade of stucco and intended it to serve as a showcase for his work. The facade is interesting but the interior courtyards are now occupied by private residences and businesses.
Hefeweizen Stops
Whether the overcrowded, price-gouging Hofbräuhaus, the English Gardens, or a café in Marienplatz, there will always be a cool, properly poured glass of Hefeweizen on tap.
We have a lady to thank for beer. During the Middle Ages, a German Benedictine abbess wrote that the addition of hops would help with the preservation of beer.
Hildegard von Bingen, a Doctor of the Church and polymath – accomplished writer, composer, philosopher, mystic and visionary – changed the art of brewing beer forever. She died in 1179; in May 2012, Hildegard of Bingen became recognized as a saint. Maybe not because of the hops recommendation, but….
Prost to Hildegard!
Some of my previous adventures in Munich are written about in my 2021 articles:
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