city walk, souvenirs, + beer tasting

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day shopping for last minute things before my parents must leave. It's always interesting to me to see what people want to stock up on while they are here.

The typical things are gummy bears, or my favorites spicy gummy chili peppers that Stefan's mom gave us at Christmas. Salts and spices are also very popular, as are assorted exotic jams like blueberry with Grand Mariner, and an array of chocolates, mustards and knödels. Another interesting one is Labello, a great lip gloss. I love seeing what they choose and it helps to see what they like so I can bring things back when I visit.

The day was a bit dreary and rainy, but we made the most of it. We stopped in the Frauenkirche so I could show them the legend of the Devil's footprint. The Devil is said to come to Munich every once in a while when his Birkenstock's wear out. While the church was being built he stopped by to make a deal with the builder to not put in any windows, however he had been tricked and the columns disguised them from his vantage point (where the foot print is). He was unable to enter since the church had been consecrated. He angrily stomped his foot, thus leaving his footprint behind.

Interestingly, this is also the church where Pope Benedict XVI had been Archbishop. Another small detail that I always appreciate is the city layout in 3 dimensional bronze complete with braille, which is located outside.

For dinner we went to Paulaner am Nockherberg, our old Bavarian favorite. We had a beer tasting and more Bavarian food. My mom and I had the standard and delicious käsespätzle, while the guy's both enjoyed a meat feast.

I was really surprised at how good I was at distinguishing the beers. Initially we weren't told what the beers were. The first beer I tasted, I thought was a Pils, and then Stefan asked the waiter, who confirmed I was correct. I was able to identify the remaining 4 beers as well. Maybe I missed my calling as a sommelier.

Since we don't mess around, we also ordered dessert. After a long day of walking we definitely earned it (in all fairness we shared them). One was a champagne tiramisu with mango and raspberry sauce. It was heavenly. The other dessert was an ice cream mix with assorted fruits, that was also delicious.

That's the funny part of people visiting - I often have to remind myself that I'm not the one on vacation, regardless we all had a nice evening.