We departed Italy with slightly heavy hearts (as most folks do). We saw and did some amazing things and savored the time we had with friends from home. Everywhere we stayed in Italy I visited in 2000 when Mom took me on the “Grand Tour of Italy and Sicily” Insight Tour, so each of our stays included some melancholic reminiscence on my part. Mi manca mia mamma.
Our Eurowings trip to Munich was smooth and easy. Getting off the plane – not so much! Forty degrees! Brrr…. we’re not in Italy anymore. Apparently the week prior to our arrival had been t-shirt/shorts weather, but those items were about the only things we didn’t include in the layers we sported our few days in Munich! Thankfully, between the H&M in Marienplatz and the OxFam thrift shop right around the corner from our apartment, we were able to warm up our wardrobe without much expense!! Unfortunately, this weather kept us from doing the three main things I’d hoped to do in Munich (Mike’s Bikes tour, BMW Factory tour, day trip to Salzburg), but staying in town allowed us to get to know our neighborhood and see local sights that we might not have if we’d ventured further out.
Our Airbnb was in the Schwabing neighborhood, which we immediately fell in love with. There are several universities in the area along with bars, restaurants, and lots of hip, young people (so we obviously fit in).
Schwabing also borders The English Garden, one of the largest public parks in the world and, at least as of now, our personal favorite. While we didnt’ meet our Airbnb host, Fiona, we loved staying at her place. As is often the case when we stay at places where the host actually lives, there were all kinds of little things that made us feel welcome. Fiona left Post-it notes all over the house (something I used to do when we Airbnb’d the SF condo), local maps, suggestions for places to go and things to see, and, best of all, a whole bunch of sweets – chocolate and pastries!
So, with a cozy place to call home and cold weather outside, we stayed inside more than usual. That said, when we did venture out, we saw some really cool stuff. We made it down to Marienplatz, the heart of town, several times – once to see the noon performance of Munich’s giant cuckoo clock, the Rathaus-Glockenspiel , and another time to indulge in the most famous of Munich’s cultural experiences – the Hofbräuhaus. After seeing the glockenspiel’s performance, I looked it up and found that it actually tells stories of two 16th century events. The story told in the top of the clock’s two mechanical levels is that of marriage of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lorraine and the joust held as part of the celebration (the rider from Lorraine always loses to the Bavarian). The story told on the lower level is that of the Schäffler (coopers/barrelmakers), who, after the plague in 1517 (which killed half of Munich’s 20,000 people) subsided, took to the streets with music and dance, lifting the spirits of the city’s people.
Nowhere do spirits seem more lifted in Munich than at the Hofbräuhaus. Turns out, the same Wilhelm V from the clock tower is also the guy who founded the Hofbräuhaus (literally “court brewery”) and today the Bavarian state-owned brewery still uses his original recipes. In just under two hours there, we met three very engaging groups of people – one who was celebrating a family member’s 16th birthday (the drinking age in Germany!), another on holiday from France and visiting a daughter/sister in school in Munich, and lastly, a bowling team who, as they said, “bowl a little” and “drink beer a lot” (which was evident on our arrival and even more so on our departure). We drank from the ginormous beer steins, ate artery-clogging food (spaetzle & cheese topped with French-fried onions may be worth dying for), listened to the Bavarian band play music, and felt all was good with the world.
Back in Schwabing, we found lots of great places to eat within a block of our apartment. Our first night in town, we picked up a towering burger at Ruff’s Burger on Türkenstraße for Mick to have at home while Jeff and I went to Atzinger for some delicious schnitzel and beer. We found a great place for lunch right around the corner from us called Aloha POKE, where they have sort of build-your-own rice/protein/toppings bowl that was delicious. We also enjoyed reading our books with milchkaffees and apfelkuchen at Cafe Paolo, the coffee shop where we’d picked up the keys to Fiona’s apartment. Our last night in Munich we had a delicious dinner at Hans Im Gluck, a kind of gourmet burger place with floor-to-ceiling lengths of birch all around that made us feel we were in a forest.
Probably our favorite part of our stay was time spent in The English Garden. With rivers running through it, yellow and gold fall colors, and lots of green grass, it is truly breathtaking.
And speaking of breathtaking – can we talk about the river surfing in the park?! Since 1972, experienced surfers have donned wet suits and surfed in one area of the Eisbach (“ice brook”), and in 2017 they’re still putting on quite a show. Mick, Jeff and I watched, mesmerized, from the bridge just ahead of the waves, on two walks through the park, taking many pictures and videos. One of many good memories from Munich.
Sounds as if your trip just keeps on getting better. Mick where is your surf board?