Munich, Germany - Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower)

A beautiful afternoon at the Chinesischer Turm.

After a few days of visiting castles and hiking in the Alps, we found our way to Munich, the last stop on our Bavarian adventure.  With over 200 beer gardens in the city, how do you choose where to go?  First we went to, arguably, the most famous, the Hofbrauhaus, a raucous indoor/outdoor beer hall with a long history.  Then we popped into a few lesser known and less noteworthy (but all enjoyable) venues.  It wasn't until we made our way to the English Gardens and the Chinesischer Turm beer garden, that I found one I wanted to write about.






This guy is having fun!

 Our time in Munich was limited and we wanted to see as much as we could.  Since it was a glorious summer day, we rented bicycles and spent the entire day maneuvering through the traffic through interesting neighborhoods, down the bike paths of the Lech River and through the wonderful English Gardens.  You can ride for hours through the English Gardens, as it's one of the largest public parks in Europe, located in the center of Munich.  After four solid hours on our bikes we were ready for some refreshments.  We parked our bikes by the beer garden and found a free table under the shade of a large chestnut tree.  The garden is just lovely, with tables set under lush trees and surrounded by grassy lawns and flower beds. In the center is the Chinese Tower, a wooden structure that was constructed around 1790. (It was destroyed during WWII, but was rebuilt shortly after the war.)  The location is nearby the University of Munich, hence a younger crowd frequents the beer garden.  The day we were there, it was not overly crowded, but I was told it is one of the city's largest and can seat up to 8,000 people. Being a traditional beer garden, it was self serve.  My husband went for the beer and I went for some sustenance.

The carriage driver catches a quick beer in between trips. 

What did we have:  The Chinesischer Turm serves Hofbrau beer which is high quality and flavorful.  Since I was really thirsty, I decided to try a radler, which is a helles beer mixed with lemon drink, similar to a British shandy.  Radler means, "one for the bike" and is often drunk as the last drink at the end of a long night of revelry.  It was a good choice for the occasion, but I doubt I'd make it a regular favorite.  Somehow it reminded me of drinking wine coolers, and why dilute that delicious German beer?  My husband chose his favorite, a dunkel and enjoyed every sip.  We ate an interesting combination of bratwurst, purple cabbage, Greek salad, and pretzels.  Don't ask me why, they just all looked great and I walked down the food line and made my selection.  And they were all tasty.  The salads in Germany are made from the freshest ingredients, and did not disappoint.


What was fun:  We loved the kick-back atmosphere of the English Gardens and Chinesischer Turm.  It was such a relaxing atmosphere, we could have sat there all afternoon, drinking beer, watching the folks strolling through the park, and enjoying the gorgeous day.  We were only in Munich for such a short time we wanted to cover a little more territory before we called it a day.  So we turned in our mugs, collecting the required deposit, and made our way back to our bikes.  As I sit writing this review, in our air conditioned home, looking out on a sweltering Georgia afternoon, what I'd give to be back riding bikes and drinking beer in Munich's second largest beer garden.

A Little About Wine and Chocolate

The bride and groom enjoyed their wine. 

Although we clearly focused on beer during this romp through Bavaria, we did not forget our other loves...wine and chocolate.  Matter of fact, I must admit, on a few evenings I got a little "beered out" and switched to a very popular drink in Munich, a aperol spritz which is made from prosecco and aperol, an bright orange aperitif similar to compari.  I first tried one at the wedding reception and enjoyed it.  Later I saw people drinking them in outdoor cafes, restaurants and even beer gardens. I gladly joined in.  We also had some lovely white wine at the wedding reception.  It was 2009 Escherndorfer Lump Silvaner Kabinett trocken (dry).  I was not familiar with Silvaner grapes before drinking this wine, but I discovered they are the third most commonly grown grape in Germany.  The wine tasted like dry Riesling, crisp with a slight fruitiness that I enjoyed so much I drank a few too many glasses.  Ah, the joy of wedding receptions!  




Schuhbecks chocolate shop is tempting.

 Although we did not have many chocolate desserts in Bavaria, we did order a chocolate souffle with vanilla sauce and Johannes berries, at a lovely sidewalk cafe one night. It was quite spectacular, and since I hadn't had any chocolate for a number of days, it was truly appreciated.  We also stopped at Schuhbecks, a sophisticated chocolate shop that features homemade chocolate from Germany and other gourmet brands from Belgium, Switzerland and Italy.  I did a little shopping there and brought back some great chocolate including a sampler box of dark chocolate flavored with spices including cardamon, anise and cinnamon. 
On this trip it was about the beer, but when we return to Germany (and we will!) a drive through wine country and a few more chocolate shops will be on the itinerary. 

You can find great chocolate desserts in Munich.