In the heart of the Viktualienmarkt in Munich stands this tall, decorative “tree.” I saw a few of these throughout Bavaria and thought they were interesting. I don’t know if this is the so-called “May tree,” but I can’t find anything else to explain it. Maybe one of my readers will know and can enlighten me in the comments?
According to what I’ve read online, t,he May tree is one of the most popular traditions in Bavaria. This custom dates back to the 16th century and has been a symbol for national identity in Bavarian villages since the 18th century.
Anyone walking through Bavarian villages will probably be very familiar with the image of the maypole. Tall, straight tree trunks with no branches at all are a permanent fixture in Bavarian tradition. The maypoles used to be felled during Walpurgis Night or on the morning of 1 May.
Today, this is done much earlier so that the tree can still be festively decorated.
Traditionally it is painted in the colours of the coat of arms, blue and white, and the treetop is decorated with a green wreath. However, the maypole may look different in every region. In some places it is raised with the bark still on, in others this is removed.
Some trees have colourful ribbons hung on them instead of the blue and white painting, others are decorated with carved figures and decorative signs. Whatever it’s like, the appearance plays a major part everywhere: villages compete every year to see who has the tallest and most magnificent maypole.
Other states, other customs – Bavaria is not the only state where traditions have formed around the maypole. The maypole is used as a custom for love in Cologne, Aachen and Bonn. Single men place a maypole in front of the houses of their sweethearts, carve their names into the tree and pick it up again a month later. In return they receive an invitation to dinner, a crate of beer or in extremely lucky cases, a kiss! Our Scandinavian neighbours are also famous for their festively decorated trees for their Midsummer Festival. Regardless of where and for what occasion the maypole is being used, it always ensures a happy moment.
Let your mind wander. Post-war Florence. The optimism of the atomic age. The benefit of the Marshall Plan. Beautiful clothing. I’m I heaven just thinking about it all.
One of the most fun discoveries I made during my 6 weeks living in Munich was this delicatessen. I knew nothing about it and happened upon it while exploring. What a delight it turned out to be!
Alois Dallmayr, usually abbreviated to Dallmayr, is the largest delicatessen business in Europe and one of the best-known German coffee brands: The company has a history of over 300 years and is still in family ownership today. The Stammhaus (original store) in Munich attracts around 2.8 million visitors per year. That’s the store I enjoyed.
delikatessengeschäft
The origins of the company can be traced back to the year 1700. At this time, the Munich merchant Christian Reitter ran a business that is considered the direct precursor of the present company. Around 1870, the business came into the ownership of Alois Dallmayr, whose name the company still bears today. He sold the business to Therese and Anton Randlkofer in 1895. Under the management of Therese, a remarkable businesswoman, the Stammhaus developed into one of the leading delicatessens in Europe, with no less than 15 royal purveyor titles.
In 1933, Dallmayr’s coffee era began: In this year, a coffee merchant from Bremen, Konrad Werner Wille, came to Munich and established a specialist coffee department in the “Delikatessenhaus Dallmayr” that still exists today, which has achieved international renown, amongst other things, due to the television advertisement for Dallmayr Prodomo. The coffee business developed so successfully that in 1985 it was established as a spin-off, the independent subsidiary Alois Dallmayr Kaffee OHG, which represents “Coffee & Tea,” now the largest business unit in the company. The Nestlé corporate group acquired an interest in Alois Dallmayr Kaffee OHG.
“Der Dallmayr,” as the Stammhaus in Munich is known, is the largest delicatessen house in Europe. The store is divided into 19 specialist departments (coffee, pralines, wine, sausage & ham, fruit & vegetable, fish, cheese, bread, pasta, meat, cold & warm buffet, tea, etc.). Due to the television advertisement for the brand Prodomo, the coffee department is the best-known of all: Just as in the advertisement, the coffee is still weighed with beam scales today. In the center of the shop is the Putten (cherubs) fountain, in which crayfish wait to be sold. To a large extent, the goods offered in the Stammhaus are self-produced.
The small “Dallmayr” restaurant, which focuses on classic-modern cuisine is located in the first floor of the Stammhaus. It was re-opened in 2006 and is one of the three Munich restaurants that have been accredited with two Michelin stars. Chef de cuisine is Diethard Urbansky. The wine list includes more than 700 items.
On the second floor, there is a production kitchen, in which 70 chefs create gourmet salads, dishes for the warm buffet and cream cakes. The wine department, in which wines in particular from France, Italy, Germany and Austria are sold, was re-designed in 2008. What Dallmayr cannot produce on-site for reasons of space – such as smoked salmon or chocolate – is produced in their own factories in and around Munich. In Dallmayr’s praline factory near Munich, more than 40 tonnes of handmade pralines and fruit jellies are produced annually in around 70 different varieties. Furthermore, on 29 June 2003, Dallmayr opened a shop in Terminal 2 of Munich airport, to which a café is also attached.
My video, above, shows the coffee section, where the intoxicating aroma of coffee filled the air. The ceramic vessels, holding the beans, were gorgeous and unlike anything I’ve ever seen!
Dallmayr Kaffee is one of the best-known coffee brands in Germany. The product brands include, for example, Prodomo, Classic, the Italian coffee line Crema d’Oro and Ethiopia.
Dallmayr also offers over 120 different types of tea. Besides the classic black and green teas, numerous flavored varieties and a selection of rooibos and fruit teas and herbal tea specialities from South Tyrol are available. Dallmayr is also amongst the first merchants in Germany to offer so-called “air freight” tea: The first flush of high-quality Darjeeling tea is internationally air-freighted directly after picking.
I’m so happy I discovered this lovely spot in Munich. I’ll never forget it and that’s what I like best about serendipity when traveling. I like wandering around and finding things for the first time that I never even knew about.
Visiting an art museum can be a serious undertaking if you plan to look and think, maybe even read labels and think.
But, it isn’t all work.
I love the art museums in Germany. They have lovely cafes attached to most of them.
And the Glyptothek in Munich even had some unorthodox works on display that I very much enjoyed. Have a look at the next 4 photos of some very clever “works of art.” Someone has clipped parts of famous artworks and paired them with unexpected additions. Simone Martini’s angel Gabriel from the world-renowned Annunciation panel painting (housed at the Uffizi in Florence) and an added leopard! The angel embraces the cat in a forest where it seems snow is falling?
I love that! And not only because I love that Simone Martini painting beyond anything else!
You get the drift. Aren’t these fun? I’m inspired!
Just above Florence in the hills to the north, I came upon this sweet little park in the forest that covers either side of the paved road.
The sign attached to the fence tells the story. It reads “Commune of Florence, District Council. This small garden is located where the bodies of Mary Cox and Maria Penne Caraviello were discovered. Two women, victims of the ferocity of fascisim. For everlasting memory, June 22, 1986.”
The quote at the top of this sign above says “The misunderstandings of the present fatally grow from the ignorance of the past. Marc Bloch”
“The ANPI section of Rifredi remembers Maria Penne, wife of Rocco Caraviello, partisan of the G.A.P. (group of patriotic action) who often supported him in the fight against nazi fascism. The fascists of the “Charity Band” after having murdered her husband, arrested her and transferred her to their post of villa Triste where she underwent severe atrocities and torture. The 21st of June 1944 she was transported to this place where, together with Mary Cox and others, she was shot and where her body was abandoned. In memory of her sacrifice for the Liberty supported our commitment: Never again fascism.”
Mary Cox’s memorial sign reads as follows:
“The ANPI section of Rifredi remembers Mary Rose Evelyn Cox, professor of English, courageously hosted partisan Florentines in her home. The 19th of June 1944 the fascists of the famous ” Charity band” arrested her and took her to their headquarters and subjected her to torture in Villa Triste. The 21st of June 1944 she was transported her and together with others she was shot and her body was abandoned. In memory of her sacrifice for Freedom strengthens our commitment: Never again fascism.”
I went, I saw, my phone died. I couldn’t take pictures or record, but take it from me: fabulous museum. Just what you’d expect in Munich from the Bavarian Motor Works!
get back, lauretta! 
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