Things: Odds 'N' Ends

The German people do a lot of things well, but they particularly excel in two areas: beer and cars. Naturally, a trip to a biergarten -- in my case the Hofbrauhaus (above and below), ground zero for the Oktoberfest -- and a cruise on the autobahn are usually at the top of many to-do lists for outlanders "on holiday."

German beer is arguably the best in the world -- and it's likely because of the fact that Deutschlanders have had so much practice over the years. In Germany, the science of brewing beer began with the Germanic tribes but was considerably refined by Benedictine monks who migrated to Bavaria across the Alps from Italy.

The secret of this beneficient brew is the reinheitsgebot, or purity law, which required that breweries use only four simple ingredients: malt, yeast, hops and water. Passed in 1516, the statute is no longer a legal requirement, although many brewers still conform to it anyway as a marketing ploy against the "big-boy" brewers.

In no small part thanks to the reinheitsgebot, German beer is unique in not producing the after-effect called a katzenjammer, or hangover. And despite just four ingredients, Deutschlanders nonetheless produce over 5,000 distinct varieties of beer, including bock, pilsner, lager, wheat and white, just to name a few of the general categories.

Established in 1397, the Spaten brewery is the oldest in Munich. The popular Paulaner (below) brewery, founded in the early 17th century by Minim friars, is also located in Munich. And, of course, over six million visitors annually join the over one million residents of Munich to pack the massive beer garden near the Altstadt for Oktoberfest.

Germany is also well-known worldwide for its finely engineered automobiles, particularly BMW, Mercedes Benz and Porsche, not to mention the more pedestrian but nonetheless serviceable Volkswagen and Audi.

BMW Headquarters (right) is actually located in Munich between Olympiapark and Englischer Garden. Shaped like eight cylinders on a deluxe model, BMW also has a very cool museum for visitors.

Mercedes Benz also has a presence in Munich (below), but the Mercedes museum is in nearby Stuttgart. I've owned a number of Volkswagens: good, reliable autos that could withstand the type of abuse I could administer to many a dubious vehicle in my youth.

I've only owned one Mercedes; it was a basic 1962 model. It wasn't much to look at -- painted a dreary battleship grey -- but it had a four-speed on the column and leather upholstery, a unique commodity back in those allegedly halcyon days of yore.

The food in Germany offered a mixed bag, about as different from Italian cuisine as another country can be. I've never been a big fan of sauerkraut because of my inherent revulsion to cabbage (in Korea, I didn't like kim chee either), but the local variety was definitely better than any I've had in the United States.

Loved the Wiener schnitzel, though, a breaded veal cutlet dipped in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, then fried in butter of oil to a golden brown. Breakfast at the Hotel Deutsches Theater offered great variety, with eggs, meats, fruits, cereals and breads galore, as well as some of the best milk and cheese I have ever tasted.

The architecture is as you would expect: stunning but strangely different. A German peculiarity -- using a rainbow approach featuring Byzantine and Roman buildings, along with gothic and baroque stylings -- provides a veritable grab bag of unique structures.

The spectacular 19th-century architecture in Munich, as well as many monuments, have been painstakingly rebuilt following mass destruction from bombing raids by Allied pilots during WW II.

Brigit, one of our tour guides, noted that some of the less magnificent buildings -- particularly residential highrise structures -- were built rather hastily after WWII to provide homes for displaced citizens.

The art, such as the satyr sculpture (right) at the Linderhof castle, the primary residence of Ludwig II, is also classic Western European. Frescoes, paintings, sculptures and other art forms are omnipresent throughout Bavaria.

The German flag (below), which is rather unique among the many flags of the world, originated during the freedom wars against Napolean in the early 19th century, with volunteers (mostly students) arriving from all over Germany to fight the French Emporer.

In order to provide the rag-tag group with a uniform appearance, these volunteers colored their clothes black, complimented by brass buttons and red trim: hence, the easily-identifiable red, black and yellow bars of the German flag.

Finally, despite all the stern looks and humorless expressions -- and contrary to popular belief -- Germans do have a light side, as witnessed by the lifelike models perched on the ledge above a Marienplatz storefront advertising "Oktoberfest costumes and more."