Munich Local Customs

Germans LOVE their mayo. If you happen into one of the Burger King's or McDonald's for a cheap eat-be advised that there will be an abundance of Mayo on your grub. Thirsty for a soda? You must specify that you would like some ice in your beverage. Otherwise you get it straight up!

I did much beer drinking with locals during my stay. One valuable lesson I learned is that during one of the many 'Prosts', it is important to make eye contact with each person you clink beersteins with. It is considered rude to not make eye contact.

Oktoberfest, perhaps Munich's most famous attraction. A 2-week-long fair, it offers a wide selection of rollercoasters and several large beer tents ("Bierzelte"). The Oktoberfest was first held on October 12, 1810 in honor of the marriage of crown prince Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities were closed with a horse race and in the following years the horse races were continued and later developed into what is now known as the Oktoberfest. Despite its name, most of Oktoberfest occurs in September. It always finishes on the first Sunday in October unless the German national holiday on 3 October ("Tag der deutschen Einheit" - Day of German Unity) is a Monday or Tuesday

Another issue that confounds some tourists is figuring out which tables get what kind of service in beer gardens. I remember sitting at a table for 45 minutes one time, only to discover I was sitting in the self-service area!

There are three types of beer garden service: I'll call them "Full Service" (you get beer and food from a server), "Mini Service" (you get only beer from a kellner/kellnerin and buy your own food at "schmankerl" stands), and "Self-Service" (you get up and get everything yourself). Many smaller beer gardens are one type exclusively. The clues to look for are stands serving food and/or beer to customers. If you don't see any "schmankerl" stands, it's probably full service. If that doesn't work, sit down and observe what the other guests are doing: e.g. if they're getting up empty-handed and coming back with beer, you do the same.

On the other hand, many larger beer gardens have a combination of service. If you see an area marked "SB" or "Selbstbedienung," this is the self-service zone. If all of the tables in an area are covered with tablecloths, then these tables are full service.

One final note: some beer gardens allow patrons to bring their own food, as long as they buy beer. Some don't. When in doubt, observe the regular customers and see what they do to figure out what's acceptable.

According to a local who was feeling friendly, there are three beers/breweries in Munich for three major groups.

1. Hofbrauhaus: All around beer. Popular with tourists and locals of all ages.

2. Augustiner: The beer for the young, hip crowd. Also the brewery with the highest rated beer garden in Munich. (walk left out of the Westbahnhof toward Nymphenburg palace to find the Augustiner beer garden.)

3. Lowenbrau: The beer for bitter old men as it has a slightly bitter aftertaste.

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The city of Munich presently only uses the right arms as the official arms. Until 1957 the left arms were the official great arms, the right arms the arms for daily use.

The monk (Munch) is a canting symbol. The monk already appears as a canting symbol on the first seals of the city, which date from 1239 and 1268. The seals show a gate with the mink and above the gate an eagle, probably derived from the arms of the Bishops of Freising, to which the city belonged. Since 1313 the lion replaced the eagle, as the city now was a possession of the Wittelsbach family, Dukes of Bayern. The lion is the oldest symbol for the Wittelsbach family, which commonly used a blue shield with silver diamonds (see the arms of Bayern).

The arms with the gate have not changed since and were officially granted as city arms in 1834 by King Ludwig of Bayern. Form 1936-1945 the lion was replaced by the eagle used by the Third Reich.

The use of the great arms was abolished by law from December 17, 1957 and only the small arms have been used since. The monk as a single figure has been used on a small seal dating from 1304, and on the banners of the city since the mid 14th century. The shape of the monk has changed considerably during the centuries. The figure as shown above is according to the official drawing of 1957.

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On the morning of the first Sunday of Oktoberfest you can see a grand parade march through the city out to the Theresienwiese grounds (or Festwiese as it's known during the beerfest).

I'm told about 7,000 people take part in the procession, most dressed in traditional costumes and marching along to bands. The breweries sponsor decorated carts pulled by great drayhorses. Pulling up the rear is array of livestock...thoroughbreds, oxen, even goats.

It's a colourful and noisy display of ribbons, flags, harvest garlands and non-stop yodelling. Altogether it lasts about two or three hours, but unless you have a seat in one of the stands along the way you might find that after an hour you've seen enough troupes of riflemen in historical suede shorts to last you a lifetime.

Well, you feel like you are in safari somewhere becasue on every your step you meet lions. They are really everywhere, in different colors and different poses. I'm interesting in, which city, Munchen or Berlin, has found to use their symbols in the streets.