Accommodations
In Munich we stayed in a VRBO (like AirBnB). We had our own basement unit to ourselves, which was much nicer than it sounds, so wipe that image of a dark, mildewy room with a pool table out of your mind and replace it with this: a well-furnished flat, sunken a few feet into the ground, lined with high windows, housing 4 bedrooms with multiple beds to each. It had a small washing machine that I struggled to operate but eventually got the hang of and was located next to a preschool, which was cute until I woke up early to the sound of young kids screaming.
Activities
We managed to do a lot in Munich, having 5 days in the area. We first arrived in the afternoon after driving in from Innsbruck so we spent the rest of the day walking around the main square, Marienplatz. We did this for a little bit before getting some food and going to bed.
On the second day, we met up with my brother Ryan's friend, Jahandar, and his mom. Jahandar and his mom are from Santa Cruz, but live in Munich in the summertime. After meeting up, we all went up the St. Peter tower to get a good view of the city. The tower has 306 steps that wind back and forth up the inner walls. Sometimes it would be very narrow and we'd have to stop and wait for other tourists walking down. When we got to the top, the view was excellent.
After that, Nico and I took advantage of the ability to walk around town with an open beer in hand. We went to the Eisbach river to watch the surfers.
Yes, you read that correctly. Experienced surfers actually surf in a river. It was really entertaining to watch.
Nico enjoys walking around with an open beer
River surfing
Later, we went to Viktualienmarkt for lunch. It was crowded and difficult to find space for our group at the long tables but it was a really cool experience. I had currywurst and others had schnitzel.
To conclude the day, we visited the Botanical Gardens, which were quite expansive and beautiful.
Jahandar and my brother, Ryan
The next day, we left the city of Munich and took a bus to the village of Hohenschwangau. There, we took a bike tour and visited Neuschwanstein Castle. The castle was built in the 19th century and was the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle. The name literally translates to mean "New Swan Stone."
It was one of the prettiest castles I've ever seen (and I've seen a decent amount traveling through Europe). I particularly liked the view of it from a bridge behind the castle. We did have to wait in a pretty long line, however, and were almost cut by a large, oblivious group of Asian tourists (they figured it out after being yelled at by multiple people in line).
The whole group: Brady, Kyli, Ryan, George, Carol, Darcie, Kory, Nico, me
We biked to this lake
The always photogenic Streckfuss family
Neuschwanstein Castle
Me & Nico
Hohenschwangau
The tour provided us with lunch, during which I actually met my ex-boyfriend's aunt, who happens to live in the area.
Lunch came with beer, of course
Nico & Ryan
For the fourth day, we visited the BMW museum. It was cool to see all of the shiny, old and new cars all in one place. This outing was most tailored to Nico, being a true BMW lover but I enjoyed the museum as well.
BMW i8
Nico's favorite
My favorite
After visiting BMW, we walked through Olympic Park and had lunch there. The rain started to come down, however, chasing us out of the park and back to the house. Luckily, if you've ever travelled with my family, you'd know we come prepared with games. An no, not just a deck of cards, but full on board games.
Some family favorites are:
Sequence
Resistance
Rummikub
On our final day in Munich, we visited Therme Erding, a giant indoor water park and spa. It is the second largest thermal bath complex in Europe, housing Europe's longest tube slide. Most of the facilities were indoors (which was nice because it was kind of cold outside) but some of the pools and slides spilled outdoors. I had a lot of fun behaving like a kid and zooming down countless slides but I also enjoyed relaxing in the mineral pools and pampering my skin with complimentary face masks.
Photo taken from The Internet
For our final activity, we visited the Hofbräuhaus where I enjoyed a mug of beer larger than my head. It was the perfect ending to our Munich adventure.
Nico & Beer
Ryan & Beer
Food
In my opinion, German food doesn't really stack up when compared to cuisines from countries like Italy, China, or Mexico. I have, however, still been able to enjoy some of the best meals I've encountered in Germany. How's that, you ask? By simply eating non-German cuisine.
See, Germany, like the US, is a bit of a melting pot. People come from all over the world to live and work there for different opportunities and, sometimes, a more comfortable lifestyle. With that, the people bring their food-- and thank god they do. When I was in Berlin, I had some amazing Turkish food. The area where I stayed had a Turkish restaurant or cafe on just about every block. The food I had in Munich was just as extraordinary.
On night four, our group of 11 went out for Greek Food. The restaurant we dined at was called Mystikon. We had a mixed plate of appetizers with delicious tzatziki sauce, octopus, and other bites to eat. I had a mixed grill plate to eat that came with gyros, steak, and chicken skewers. Not only was the food excellent, but our server was very kind and funny. He handled our large group with ease.
A partially eaten mixed appetizer plate
My mixed grill plate
On our last night in Munich, we went to this amazing Indian restaurant called Dhaba. We shared all kinds of dishes. My favorites were Chicken Tikka Masala or Mango Chicken. The naan was also excellent. It was coated in butter and sprinkled with cheese.
I don't know what food exactly is in this picture, but I would order it all again in a heartbeat
Nico & I enjoy a piña colada, cause why not
Although German food isn't my favorite, there are a few dishes I do enjoy. I mean you can't really go wrong with a soft pretzel, right? The currywurst I had at the market was pretty tasty. I also really enjoyed the spaetzle I had after our bike tour. It's almost mac and cheese so there really aren't a lot of better things to eat out there, in my opinion.
Curryworst
Spaetzle
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