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Munich, Germany 🇩🇪
Munich, Germany 🇩🇪
Our first stop in Europe was Munich. While I had been practicing my Czech and Hungarian a couple months before the trip, Max had been learning German. As part of his heritage, it made sense that we made our first stop at Germany to see where his ancestry had come from.
Despite not understanding the language very well we were able to navigate through the Munich airport very well! There was plenty of signs and directions that we were able to use to navigate.
However, we did hit one snag when trying to buy the tickets for the train. We were using Max's credit card to pay for the tickets but the transaction didn't work. Luckily, a kind person next to us at the kiosk know that if we don't have a pin set up for our credit card it will not work! This happens in most European countries so I recommend setting this up early!
When we did end up setting a pin, the credit card company had frozen his account and declared his actions fraudulent. It is a good thing I had my debit card on me and was able to process the payment.
✴️ Before traveling international make sure you use credit cards that are accepted globally (like visa)!
✴️ Ensure your credit card company knows you are traveling outside of the country!
✴️ Ensure you have set up a pin for credit cards that need it!
Alley outside Hotel Altmünchen by Blattl
The train fiasco was pretty much the only thing we had to deal with. Once we took the train, we were able to enjoy the scenic ride to the heart of Munich. Max enjoyed pointing out the different words he knew how to translate to English and I was able to pick up a couple of words!
Hello - Hallo
Good Morning - Guten Morgen/Abend
Food - Essen
Street - Straße
Thanks - Danke
Thank you very much - Danke schön
Ticket - Fahrkarte
Please - Bitte
While most places do speak English, it is a nice gesture to thank and ask for things in the language of the people. Picking up a language is difficult only when you don't practice with a native or well knowledged speaker. There are also many youtube videos out there where you can learn basics. Furthermore, I try listening to music from the country I travel to as it is a fun way to train my brain to learn the language while also picking up common phrases most people say!
We arrived at our hotel and met up with Max's Mom, Dad and his Aunt!
Glockenspiels 🕛
Glockenspiels 🕛
After some much needed rest, our first stop that day was the Glockenspiel! According to wikipedia: "The glockenspiel or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout". This particularly famous Glockenspiels is called Rathaus-Glockenspiel. While called glockenspiel it is actually a large mechanical clock! Located in Marienplatz Square, at certain times in the day, the windows will open and glockenspiel rings throughout the crowd. A story of tournaments, royalty and knighthood awaits those who come to see this grand clock!
Dragons 🐉
Dragons 🐉
Has anybody heard of the Ministry of Magic? Well, that's actually a made up place (only to muggles, not to my Potter head fans however!), but this dragon is actually scaling Munich's city hall! He is a fearsome creature, and he even has a name which you can find out if you dare!
Munich Residence 🏰
Munich Residence 🏰
Munich Residence was by far my favorite part of visiting Munich. This is the largest city palace in Germany which boasts of beautiful architecture, gardens, paintings hallways and more! It was the Royal palace of the Wittelsbach Monarchs of Bavaria but is now open to the public!
Beautiful paintings adorn every inch of the Hall of Antiquities
The Baroque of the Ancestral Gallery
Above is a gallery of some of my favorite finds from within the palace. I loved the details and extravagance of hallways. Max loved the individual rooms and the orante jewels!
For the Foodies!
For the Foodies!
I love a good food adventure and in Munich there are many places you can take advantage of! Here is a seasonal vegetable known as white asparagus. I've always known asparagus to be green vegetable usually on the side. So, imagine my surprise when I saw white asparagus as a main dish! It was very juicy and paired well with the cheese dip along with the potatoes. Vegetarians would love this dish!
Brunches, Lunches, Linneres, and Dinners
Brunches, Lunches, Linneres, and Dinners
Max had one of his favorite dishes which was pork schnitzel. This along with mashed potatoes cooked in butter made for a hearty meal after a long walk across.
If you care for more modern food, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants nearby that still also have Germany specific dishes!
Beer Gardens: Biergarten am Chinesischen Turm
Beer Gardens: Biergarten am Chinesischen Turm
Germany is very well known for their beers and even have beer gardens where you can try different kinds of beers!
My favorite is the Radler which is a blend of Lager or wheat beer with Lemonade!
Cheese Galore!
Cheese Galore!
We randomly came across this cheese shop called Cheese & More by Henri Willig with so many cheese wheels!
They had lots of cheese you could taste, along with crackers and jams!
Cheese Spätzle is pretty staple dish in Germany. It was so rich and creamy! Definitely give this a try! (I am lactose intolerant and if the recipe uses low lactose cheese–like cheddar–it is safe to eat!)
After two days in Germany, we hired a driver to take us from Munich to Prague. The drive itself is around 4.5 hours but we decided to stop in between to get an earlier lunch before reaching our hotel in Prague. We arrived at our hotel before our 2pm meet up in Prague and this folks is where the Rick Steve's adventure begins!
(If you are interested in Munich Germany, Rick Steve's offers a Best of Germany in 13 Days! There are other tours that also combine other countries with Germany as well!)
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