Munich

A look into my various grand (mis)adventures throughout Europe

After flurrying through three cities in one week, a change of pace was much needed. Enter Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria and while still a prosperous, busy city, also my home for the next five days.

My friends and I stayed in an Airbnb just outside the city center. When I first booked it I was apprehensive about being so far from the action, but it turned out to be the optimal decision--especially after being surrounded by nothing but tall buildings, city traffic, and noise pollution for the past week. A stark contrast from our previous lodgings, we stayed in a quiet suburban neighborhood that played a significant role in my ultimate impression of Munich. While I did get to experience the city culture, I also got a sense of the local life in more ways than one.

Our Airbnb was but a three-minute walk from the English Gardens (think Central Park, but bigger). Although the trees were still bare and the grass was a dull shade of green, it wasn't hard to imagine how beautiful this place looks in the spring and summertime. There were several winding paths that took you over swiftly-running creeks and around tranquil lakes. We barely scratched the surface in our own explorations of the park, and unfortunately were unable to see famous attractions like the Chinese Tower or Rumford House. But instead we were privy to a very different kind of sight: the daily routines of the München locals. Morning joggers and walkers, both solitary and in groups, passed us by (and if they didn't hear our grating American accents, some even nodded cordially to us!). People sped past on bikes, clad in athletic or work clothing; others were spotted rollerblading through the gardens. The peacefulness and normalcy of it all transported me to my local park back home.

It was also in these gardens where my friends and I had perhaps our most difficult encounter with the language barrier. Now, being budget-conscious college students and travelers, we have been making it our business to seek out food places that sport the single dollar/euro sign on their Google review. In this way I came upon a little establishment affectionately called Mini Hofbräuhaus. The restaurant was indeed "mini," with barely enough indoor seating for the three of us. Moreover, the place was every bit the definition of "dog friendly," so if a canine wasn't holding your place in line, chances are it was resting its head on your leg, begging for a bite. The menu was entirely in German (shocker), with no English translation (a much more genuine shocker), and even Google was little to no help in determining what was in the dishes listed on the board. In a moment of panic I ended up getting the wurschtsalat, which is probably best explained with a Google Image search...not a bad taste necessarily, but an interesting one to go with an equally interesting experience.

Floral offerings at the local Viktualienmarkt

Munich was thus far the easiest city to navigate transportation-wise. It may be in part because I've wormed my way through the metro, bus, and train systems of four different cities, but I found Munich's map to be rather straightforward. The U6 line served as either our sole means of commute or smoothly connected us to our next necessary line. It was from here we were able to access Marienplatz, the "city center" that had several shops and tourist sights, or even Olympiapark, located on the outskirts of the city and the perfect place from which to view Munich on a sunny day. Also, in case you were wondering, the metro cars are impressively clean.

As if we weren't already attempting to blend into the Munich neighborhood, we also made a few trips to the nearby grocery stores, one of which was my dear-beloved Aldi. It's actually a German company, but--hot take--I think the Aldis in the U.S. are better. We stocked up on snacks and ingredients for meals (read: sandwiches), in order to avoid spending too much on meals at restaurants and cafes. I am currently still nursing a bag of Haribo gummies and preserving a discounted German chocolate bar.

That being said, we did not deny ourselves the staples of the German diet: pretzels and beer. Aware that the former is in such high demand by tourists in particular, many vendors offer both small and large sizes for pretzels. The small goes for around 1.40 EUR, while the gargantuan pretzel averages 3.5 EUR. And when I say "gargantuan," I mean the size of your face. It will contentedly fill an empty stomach, and if you are even a little bit full beforehand, be prepared to take the rest of your pretzel with you. As for beer, what better place to sample it than at Munich's own Hofbräuhaus (the full-sized one, mind you)? Maybe "sample" isn't the best word, considering the house brews only came in generous 1 liter tankards that could double as gym weights. Again, I would advise coming hungry because your meal is guaranteed to be filled with carbs, starch, and fried food of some kind.

One thing that I was not expecting from Munich: its beautiful, resplendent churches. I will admit that our explorations of these churches occurred because it was one of the few free activities to do in the city, but that also meant there was little to no reason to miss out on them. The churches we explored--(from the left:) Theatinerkirche, Frauenkirche, Asam Church, and St. Peter's Church --each had their own distinct history and style. Frauenkirche, for example, is the location of the notorious "Devil's Footstep," where the devil left his mark after supposedly ridiculing the supposedly windowless church; but in reality it was all a matter of perspective (deep), because from where he stood the windows in the side aisles cannot be seen. Or, if you want a crash course in rococo style, Asam Church is the place for you. Its interior will either enchant or overwhelm you, but nonetheless, it will fascinate with its extravagant, intricate ornamentation and vibrant colors. I realize I've been using words like "intricate" and "vibrant" a lot recently to describe most of these places I've been visiting, but the adjectives apply a thousand times over for Asam Church. For a less ostentatious introduction to Baroque architecture, definitely pay a visit to the Theatinerkirche in Odeonsplatz (also on the U6 line!).

Surprisingly, the days in Munich also flew by quickly. Although it feels like I've been bopping around forever, I'm actually only a little less than halfway through the break. Being surrounded by energetic city life since day one of my travels has definitely messed with my perception of time. Maybe another, even greater change of pace is needed...