Today was our day for exploring Munich and thankfully it had put on a beautiful sunny day for us. One thing that Germany lacks is a corner store culture as even with all our walking around yesterday we could not find a supermarket or convenience store to get some instant coffee as they didn't provide it at the hotel. I had cereal but was on the hunt for coffee once we stepped out the door. We first wandered around the corner to the Theresienwiese gardens where Oktoberfest is held and they were in full set up mode as it was only a few weeks away. From here we cut back towards the bottom of the old town, luckily via a fairly good cappuccino. Passing thru the Sendlinger gate we wandered through the Viktualien market where Germans were already taking advantage of the weather with beers in the central seating area. It was almost noon so we made our way to Marienplatz, the main square, to wait patiently under the gothic edifice of the town hall for the Glokenspeil to do its thing. In very unGerman character the clock didn't start playing its bell tune until a few minutes past as it had to compete with two other churches & their bell ringing both of which towered just off the square. Finally the tune started & then the little carousel like characters started spinning around with jousters jousting & men dancing. It lasted longer than the Prague clock but got a bit repetitive after a few minutes. Another thing missing in Germany is ATMs after stopping for a quick lunch we went in search of one and then circled back to the Munich Residence which was the seat of the Wittelsbachs family from the 1300s until 1918 who ruled as dukes, then electors, then kings of Bavaria. First we visited the Theatre which was opulently decorated in gold and red but this was just the beginning of the extravagance as once we entered the residence each room seemed to out do the last with gold leaf, marble & intricate craftsmanship. After over an hour of visiting room after room of excess we were getting Palace fatigue. Once we were finished at the Palace we wandered up towards the English Gardens which like the Tier-garten in Berlin sprawls over an enormous area. We had come in search of the beer gardens in the park & just as our feet became worn out we found the Chinese Tower beer garden where we found a seat in the shade & enjoyed a summer ale & a wheat beer with a big salty pretzel whilst listening to the brass oompah band who were set up inside the tower. Once we started to get hungry we found the tram which took us directly to the Augustiner brew house attached to the brewery itself. The meals were cheap & tasty and the beers were cheap at only €2.75 ($4) a pint. From here its was only a short walk back to our hotel.