Today’s goal was far less ambitious than my usual: experience the Viktualienmarkt, peek into as many different churches as possible, linger over coffees, do some souvenir shopping, and – if we were hungry – maybe eat dinner in the Rathskeller.

Son #2’s knees have had enough walking. I have a huge blister on my left big toe. We’re quite the pair – but there’s no question that this old lady was still spry enough to have undertaken this trip.

Today ended up being the perfect ending to our mother-son trip: a low-key day, a wonderful market, friends and conversation, beer, pretzels, and absolutely perfect sunny weather. Plus, I got the opportunity to give son #2 a complete Bavarian makeover!

Our day started with breakfast in the hotel – a bit later than usual after #2’s late night with his friend Benjamin.

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With the intent really just to stroll, we headed to the Viktualienmarkt in the centre of the old city. En route we passed a fruit stand selling huge sweet Italian figs, so we bought two and each ate one.

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Herein the Viktualienmarkt , food and drink and flowers have been sold for centuries. There’s everything from fresh-pressed juice to wine to kombucha; fresh meats and fish to smoked sausages and canned caviar; asparagus, cherries, and berries from Germany, peaches and oranges from Spain; fresh baked breads: cheeses from all over Europe; and local herbs beside Middle Eastern spices. Plus there are lots of small eateries snd – of course – beer, even at 10:00 a.m.

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Almost right beside the market is the Holy Ghost/Spirit Church. When Ted and I were here last there were twice weekly organ concerts. Today there were buskers outside providing the soundtrack, and we simply enjoyed the beautiful light-filled interior.

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Behind the church, to no one in Munich’s surprise, is the Holy Spirit beer garden.

It was too early (for us) for beer, but not too early for gelato.

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Our walk continued along the Tal all the way to the Isartor (gates at the Isar River), where we stopped for coffee (#2) and an Aperol spritz (me). We did a lot of walking between these snack stops, but without photographic evidence.

What we were looking for were souvenirs for my three grandsons. What we found was a lederhosen store that was having a moving sale.

Well-made lederhosen, like well-made dirndls, can be quite expensive, so a 70% off sale was very tempting. Not only did this store have wonderful wares, but also an sakeswoman, probably about my age, with a great sense of humour and no filters. Her insistence at only “allowing” him to try on dark leather (the lighter colour being for blondes), and choosing his size based on some pretty “cheeky” observations, was absolutely hilarious. She spoke no English, and used strong Bavarian dialect – it’s probably a good thing only she and I understood her comments! The end result: I bought #2 some really nice authentic lederhosen, the shopkeeper threw in a shirt and socks, and proud mama walked out with her son looking authentically German.

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Time for a reward. Son #2, looking very Bavarian now, opted for coffee from Sweet Spot, where the barista weighed the coffee and made sure there was latte art.

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Although it was already early afternoon, neither of us were interested in lunch. Nice cold beer, on the other hand, was beckoning from Munich’s famous Hofbräuhaus, the beer hall that was once only the purview of royalty.

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Now commoners – especially those dressed in lederhosen – are welcome.

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We had such a good time! Not only did Benjamin and his girlfriend arrive to join us, but since the set-up in the beer hall is communal tables, we also met Connor (young pharmaceutical sales rep from Australia on a whirlwind European tour), and spent a really enjoyable couple of hours sharing stories.

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It was time to think about heading back to our hotel, check in fir tomorrow’s flight, and pack. Once again we walked along streets from which we could see a church with a striking yellow and black colour scheme and wondered what it was, so since today was our last chance we detoured past it on our way back to our hotel.

The Theatiner Kirche is immediately opposite the Munich State Theatre & Opera (below), but the name has nothing to do with “theater”. The Theatines are a Catholic order of founded by Archbishop Gian Pietro Carafa in 1524.

The church was built in Italian High Baroque style, inspired by Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome, and designed by Italian architect Agostino Barelli. It was built between 1663 and 1690, founded by Elector Ferdinand Maria (of the Wittelsbach dynasty) and his wife as a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long-awaited heir to the Bavarian crown in 1662. The church’s facade is a well-known symbol of Munich.

Despite being partially hidden by scaffolding and preparations for a fair, and not being the biggest or most ornate, it is undoubtedly the loveliest church we’ve seen on this trip.

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What better way to end a German holiday than with dinner in a Persian restaurant? Son #2 chose Shandiz, almost right around the corner, and we had yet another wonderful meal together.

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It’s been a great experience showing off my side of our family’s ethnic roots, and I can hardly wait to do something equally wonderful with son #1 next year.

AFTER: A day after getting home, Benjamin sent us some of the photos he’d taken of #2 and me with his “real” (non-cellphone) camera, which was either a Leica or a Hasselblad. I retrofit two of my favourites here:

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