Around the World in Reality: Munich, Germany

When deciding where to continue our European adventure, Germany naturally topped the list. Donnell’s grandfather spoke fondly about his time in Germany, and we felt compelled not to miss the opportunity. With Munich being just a one-hour flight from Venice and my research uncovering numerous opportunities for exploration, we decided it was the perfect choice.

Day 1 – Thursday, June 15

HIGHLIGHTS: Organic Garden Eatery, Munich Residenz, New Town Tower and HeimWerk Schwabing

On Thursday morning, we woke up early in Venice and made our way to the airport. I’d highly recommend booking the express bus for airport transportation, as it proved to be a cost-effective choice. Upon reaching the airport, we had little time to spare before our flight to Munich, so we opted for a quick coffee and croissant to energize ourselves.

Once we arrived in Munich, we stuck to our usual choice of public transit, taking the metro into the city. However, it was still too early to check into our hotel, so we decided to utilize Bounce, a luggage storage service. This quick and efficient service provided us with the flexibility to explore the city without by our backpacks.

For breakfast, we made our way to the Organic Garden Eatery, an interesting venue that also functions as a Mercedes-Benz lounge. Here, we enjoyed Bircher Muesli, which I’d rate a solid 9.5. If you’ve never tried muesli, it’s similar to cold overnight oats.

Following breakfast, our next stop was the Munich Residence, consisting of a museum and the palace grounds. The museum showcased beautiful jewels and historical artifacts once belonging to royalty, and afterward, we explored the palace’s expansive grounds.

We proceeded to Viktualienmarkt, a bustling market with vendors selling an array of goods, from food to flowers. Here, we stumbled upon another branch of the Organic Garden Eatery, where we savored vegan hotdogs – Donnell opting for the vegan Bavarian and me choosing the Green Wiener. We both thoroughly enjoyed the hotdogs, and this says a lot because Donnell doesn’t eat hotdogs! They were both delicious.

Our day continued with a visit to New Town Hall. We purchased tickets to the observation level where we were able to take in breathtaking views of Munich. If you can’t tell already, I’m a sucker for a good view and this one paired with the weather was quite nice.

With our exploration complete, we checked into the Munich Rooms Hotel, a quiet establishment situated slightly north of the city center. After settling into our room, we took some time to do our laundry and then made a trip to the grocery store.

For dinner, we ventured to HeimWerk Schwabing, a trendy eatery offering a fantastic selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes. We decided to try three varieties of schnitzels – vegan corn, vegan potato, and vegan mushroom. Alongside the schnitzels, we shared fries and a pretzel. It was wayyyyy too much food. However, the vegan potato schnitzel was my favorite, closely followed by the vegan corn schnitzel, while the vegan mushroom schnitzel didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Day 2 – Friday, June 16

HIGHLIGHTS: Tante Emma Cafe, Hofbräuhaus Tour, Allianz Stadium Tour, BMW Museum and Welt and Tollwood Festival

On Friday morning, I was up early as usual, so I decided to finish our laundry. I headed to Tante Emma Café for breakfast and placed an order for both of us. They gave me the most generous portions of yogurt, fruit, and a croissant for myself, and muesli and fruit for Donnell. It was so much I couldn’t finish it all. Though, I did make the mistake of forgetting to request honey for my yogurt, it was still quite tasty. Donnell loved his muesli.

Our day began with a tour of the Hofbräuhaus, one of Munich’s most renowned beer halls. It was fascinating to delve into the history of the beer hall and learn about its rich heritage. We spent nearly two hours on the tour.

After the tour, we faced the challenge of finding a seat for lunch as the hall was bustling. Donnell opted for a different dining spot while I sampled the Käsespätzle – spaetzle egg noodles with a mix of grated cheese and fried onions. I rated it a solid 9.5. And, of course, a visit to the Hofbräuhaus wouldn’t be complete without trying the beer. I opted for the Hofbräu Münchner Weisse, which I’d rate an 8.

From there, we hopped on the metro to reach the Allianz Arena, home to FC Bayern Munich. Since our first tour of PSG in 2021, we’ve made it a point to visit different soccer arenas and stadiums during our travels. The self-guided tour at the Allianz Stadium was perfect for us, allowing us to explore the arenas at our own pace. We also enjoyed learning about the team’s rich history at the arena’s museum at the end.

Our next stop was the BMW Museum, a personal favorite of mine. This multi-level museum showcased an impressive array of BMW cars and motorbikes, which I found utterly fascinating. Right across the street, the BMW Welt had its own array of cars and motorbikes. Another element of the BMW Welt was the ability to purchase and pick up your BMW from here. It was cool to see new BMW owners driving off in their new cars.

Conveniently located around the corner was the TollWood Festival, a summer festival featuring many different vendors and food options alongside entertainment from around the world. I love a good festival and this one didn’t disappoint. However, our options were limited as I had recently ran out of euros and could only use my credit card. Nonetheless, we found Mamba Wraps where I had a Casablanca wrap with vegetables, cheese and olives. It was very tasty and I would rate it a 9. After continuing to explore the festival, we were making our way out and found the start of Latin Mix Friday where everyone was salsa dancing and having a great time. Donnell wasn’t quite ready to put our skills to the test from our class in Puerto Rico, but we enjoyed watching everyone else!

Final Thoughts

There is something about Munich that I truly love. I’m not sure if it was the pace of the city or all it had to offer, but I truly enjoyed every minute I was there. It was one of the best stops thus far, but we weren’t done yet.

Stay tuned for the next blog post, where I’ll be sharing our experiences from our fourth and final stop, Zurich!