Cars, Castles and Beers in Bavaria

Munich is home to Oktoberfest, which really begins in September by the way and the place where I can imagine many German stereotypes were born. It is chic, sleek, silent and beautiful; at least the places I visited and the people observed. 

I’ve visited this city, which is the capital of Bavaria twice and it remains the only place in Germany that I’ve actually stayed in (passing through Frankfurt doesn’t count).

On my first visit, I did many touristy things including a day trip to Salzburg which is a very beautiful city with a castle perched on a hill and lots of activities going on especially in the summer. My second trip to Munich was cut short because I extended my stay in Switzerland. I was visiting for the first time and trying my hardest  to wring every cent out of an expensive pass that I’d bought which covered all transportation, boat rides, museums and some mountain excursions. I was hopping from mountain to mountain and city to city but it was a fantastic adventure and memorable experience. For me Switzerland is all about the outdoors. Although, I had a museum pass I never entered one!

Back to Munich, my second trip was just one day and two nights which wasn’t long enough to do anything much except drink beers. My hostel had a really nice bar and was rather posh: glass roof, indoor garden etc.

On my one full day it rained. Then I had a verbal fight with an extremely miserable and rude cook and after posting my bad review on TripAdvisor I headed out to do some exploring but somehow ended up in a local beer garden where not one person was flashing a camera. It truly was filled with just locals and not wanting to stick out like an obsessed social media person I didn’t take any pictures. My visit to Munich ended on a high note though; some locals invited me to drink with them and they squashed one of the stereotypes immediately. They turned out to be very friendly, witty and good at small talk! 

Castles

I visited the infamous King Ludwig‘s Neuschwanstein castle. The eccentric king’s story is just as impressive as his castles. 

This castle was King Ludwig’s childhood home and below Neuschwanstein Castle. After climbing a little hill to get to Neuschwanstein I didn’t have the strength to visit this one. The problem is living in a flat part of my country and never having to climb anything…

Munich Residenz is a palace that has been converted into a museum.

On my second visit the only touristy thing I did was visit this palace, which is humongous by the way; couldn’t get the entire place in a close up shot and the weather was also not on my side.

There are other impressive castles and palaces close to and in Munich: Linderhof Palace,  Burghausen Castle, Herrenchiemsee New Palace etc.

Cars

Although I am not into cars, in Munich my eyes were assaulted all the time by very nice rides. It started on my first visit when I stepped out of the airport and was met by a line of new BMW and Benz working as taxis. I didn’t bother asking the price but promptly found out where the buses were. Maybe, the fares were reasonable maybe not but living in a country where people drive reconditioned and old cars this was new to me.

Chic Munich

So as I mentioned earlier I went low-key on my beer experience and due to the Oktoberfest schedule, I’ve never been able to catch one, unfortunately.  However, Munich is a very beautiful city with lots to offer. The park is heavenly, maybe for some it isn’t but compared to what we have it is. I love the pagoda and falls and there is even a nude section if one so desires. There are other smaller parks too, it’s a very green cosmopolitan place.