Snowmageddon in Munich

 We thought Munich got a decent amount of snow in the winter, but apparently they haven't gotten this much (about 20 -39 in., seemed like about 10" in actual accumulation overnight) for the last 20 years.  All trains and planes are cancelled.  We had planned to spend a night in Berchtesgaden, but oh well.  Our hotel in Munich (the Concordia Hotel) didn't have a spare room and was trying to figure out what to do with a 30 person Swedish tour group whose flight was canceled.  Fortunately, we were still able to book a room at a place just around the corner for tonight (the Maximiliana).  We are hoping that the trains will be running  by tomorrow as we have a hotel booked for several nights in Salzburg, but the temperature is supposed to drop tonight and anything not plowed will probably turn into a sheet of ice (including most of the sidewalks).

the street in front of our hotel

The snow didn't seem to affect museums and businesses in the main part of the city.  We went to Globetrotter Equipment, a great outdoor gear store, to buy another pair of long underwear each.  They seemed to be doing a good business in winter boots and sleds too.

From there we walked to the Deutsches Museum.  This large museum has exhibits on how things are made from airplanes to musical instruments to bridges and drugs.  We wandered through the airplane exhibit with its cross sections of the body of planes, engines, and wings and the bridge and hydraulics exhibits with models of how bridges are constructed and how waterways are changed with weirs and dams ( and a small exhibit on restoration of waterways).  While Jake meditated in an auditorium space I checked out the musical instrument exhibit with its impressive display of flutes and pianos, harpsichords etc.  Even an instrument designed to mimic birdsongs in order to teach captive birds how to sing (yes, that does seem very sad!).

Flutes and a violin that also serve as walking sticks

Japanese bridge design

Airplane parts

Just on the other side of the river from the museum we found a nice little Italian cafe for a panini and piece of carrot cake.  By the time we were done it was 3pm and time to retrieve our luggage and check into our new place.  

In the evening we strolled (cautiously given the icy sidewalks) around the Christmas market sipping on hot cider, then had a good dinner of fish soup with a glass of Roter Veltliner at Blauen Haus, very close to our hotel.