Munich - A lovely Suprise

My two days in Munich were by far two of the most perfect days on my holiday.  I loved pretty much everything about Munich. We had the most brilliant weather – crisp fall temperatures, clear blue skies, and vivid autumn colors – striking.

I took a bus from Konstanz Germany to Munich and oddly enough, my bus took a ferry – who knew that even occurred? But on the way there, I saw the Alps! Oh my, I’m going to have to venture and visit them – so gorgeous, even from afar.

Petrina and I stayed with one of Bianca’s friends- Nina. She was absolutely the most gracious host – so very welcoming and generous! Bought us a delicious fair of sandwich spreads – even peanut butter – oh how she knows us Americans well :)

Nina and me in one of her favorite parks

My first full day in Munich was actually Halloween – very different experience if I say so myself – not as much hype here in Europe. Petrina and I had the whole day to basically explore Munich – and explore we did. First, we started the day with a little boutique shopping. The stores were so darling. I wanted to buy everything I saw for my home, especially in the shop Kadoh and Kare. Granted, I did buy a little something in each… From there, we ventured down to the heart of Munich. It was bustling with people, but yet not too touristy, which is always a bonus.   

Roasted Chesnuts!

Little figurines that dance

And of course when I saw a roasted chestnut stand, I jumped on the opportunity to partake – definitely one of my new favorite holiday foods! It just so happened that we arrived at the GLOCKENSPEIL at just the right time (I’m telling you, it was the perfect day) because at 11, the little figurines dance around to music! I later came to find out that it is in the top 3 list of overrated European attractions, along with the Mona Lisa and the astrological clock in Prague (yes, I can now say I’ve seen all 3 haha). But nevertheless, it was still cool to see and the building, oh the building, so incredibly gorgeous, such magnificent detail and its grey color and pink flower boxes were striking against the clear blue sky. We then ventured up to the top of the bell tower and saw a gorgeous view of the city – oh so worth the 2 euro entrance fee! I highly recommend it.

Glockenspeil

From there, we went to possibly the best open-air market I have seen since upon my arrival. It’s called the Viktualienmarkt. 

Olives at the market

Oh my word – I was in foodie heaven – everywhere I looked I wanted to have it! They had glorious produce, spices, olives, cheeses, schnapps, wines, beers, breads, chocolates, fresh meats and fishes, and desserts – oh the list could go on and on. 

my first apple studel!! 

Nevertheless, I had my first real German apple strudel. It was divine. Flakey buttery layers of crust with cooked cinnamon apples and raisins perfectly nestled in between the layers. I was in dessert heaven. I also had my first schnapps experience – definitely one I won’t forget any time soon. So I ventured up to a schnapps stand and asked to try one. So the man poured me about half a shot size amount of the pear and apple one. It wasn’t until after I downed the drink that he told me it was 40% alcohol and man oh man could I feel it all the way down! I don’t know how people drink it – he even said it’s common to drink it after dinner, straight. Whew, I am definitely not cut out for that hahaha

The pear and apple schnapps

But I redeemed my taste buds by partaking in a little red pepper stuffed with cream cheese. Oh so good – the tang of the pepper mixed with the creaminess of the cream cheese. Mmmm I want one now just thinking about it!

Then (I’m telling you, we did a lot) we went to yet another Foodie Haven – a fancy smachy shop  - Dallmayr’s (Full title if want to check it out – Alois Dallmayr) It was like a Harrods in London! So many good-looking foods – I seriously wanted it all because as we all know, I have a champagne taste and a beer wallet! I did manage to come away with one thing from there – a 1 euro Christmas card! Haha

I love autumn  - especially in Germany!

English Gardens - yes this is my picture!

Next up – English Gardens. Gardens they were – it is the largest urban garden in the world! They were absolutely stunning, my words and pictures simply cannot give the gardens justice. The vibrant autumn hues shone magnificently against the vivid blue sky with whips of clouds. I felt like I was walking in a picture – quite surreal and such a blessing. There were a ton of beautiful dogs romping around the grounds and many strolling pedestrians – it was just so picturesque. If I lived in Munich, I would be there quite a bit. There was one area that really stood out to me - the picture. The rush of water paired with the rocks and autumn trees. Breathtaking.

After all this walking and sheer happiness, we were getting quite hungry. So dinnertime in the University district – good, quality food, cheap prices! We went to a hole in the wall restaurant   - Schall & Rauch. The minute I walked in, I knew it was my kind of place. First off, I ordered my first German beer. SUCH a fantastic decision. It was absolutely excellent and not expensive at all because as we all know Beer is usually cheaper than water in Germany! So I got a local Munich Beer  - Augustiner Hell vom Fass – a brewing company that’s been around since 1328. It was a light beer, not too hopsy – similar to a Stella Artois – but different. I highly recommend it!

For dinner, I selected the housemade gnocchi pasta mixed with a smooth tomato sauce, fresh basil, and Parmesan.  I wanted to lick my plate it was so good!

To top off this absolutely joy filled, perfect day, we watched Pretty Woman. I have to say, top day, top day.

DAY 2 Munich

This was yet another brilliant day in Munich. As of now, I am officially a fan of Germany! I think everyone should definitely visit this incredible country (after they visit France of course) if given the opportunity!

So today, Nina acted as our official tour guide of the more off the beaten track Munich. She took us to another fantastic park. Lovely fall colors once again paired with a rushing river and lots of walking trails.

So today was also a great day because my college friend Liz, whose been working at the US military base in Garmisch Germany for the past 13 months! It was a spur of the moment trip and so fantastic to catch up with her!

Liz, Me, Petrina in English Gardens

1st mulled wine with orange and cranberry

pumpkin curry soup

So for lunch, we all went to another Nina recommended restaurants – Gartensalon – another my kind of places! It was so quaint – lots of greenery growing on the building, strings of lights, darling patio tables dotting the exterior! Plus, it’s located off the street in a courtyard! It was a tad warmer that day, so we decided to sit outside! The café gave us warm fuzzy blankets to wrap up in while we ate. Since I was in Germany and find it imperative to experience a culture through its food – I of course got a hot mulled wine! My first in fact, and will definitely not be my last! It was so good. Hot mulled red wine mixed with orange slices and cranberries – how could it not be divine! Plus, it was served in a darling teacup! Foodwise, I settled on the soup of the day – Pumpkin curry soup. Mmmm it was scrumptious. They served it with some hearty multigrain German bread and topped the soup with sesame seeds and pumpkin oil. Then Nina treated us all to dessert – so I choose the house made carrot cake with cream cheese frosting! They even warmed it up for me. It was also very good – lots of texture and nuttiness – my fav. As you can see, I appreciate food quite a bit haha

After our long and leisurely lunch, we ventured off to see the Nymphenburg Palace, located right outside the city. It was an immense palace that dates back to 1623. The grounds kept going and going as did the windows. The palace had some quite bizarre statues as you can see in the picture below - an oddity that I won’t forget haha

the Palace

one creepy statue

So this concludes my 2 magnificent days in Munich! Thanks for reading. Next stop, Prague.