Showing posts with label Bavaria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bavaria. Show all posts

Our experience in Munich

Apartment and Air BnB.

We couldn't have chosen a better neighborhood to spend our week in Munich. An easy 10-minute walk into the old town, close to a public transport hub (Sendlinger Tor), 25 minutes by foot from the train station, next to one of the major cemeteries (an extensive green space to walk), and outstanding cafes and restaurants with a grocery store close by. It was also very quiet at night.

Our apartment was certainly large enough, and on the ground floor just off an interior courtyard. The bathroom was quite large and gave us plenty of space for spending a week and the bedroom was equally large with lots of storage for clothes. The king-size bed was very nice and quite comfortable and the pillows made sleeping easy. 

The overall feel of the space was one of comfort; heat controls were easily identified and adjusted and having the heated towel rack in the bathroom was a big plus.

But there were two or three issues. 

One was lighting. The outdoor lights above the door did not work; in the main living/kitchen area there was very little light to be had (unlike the bedroom and bathroom which were both very well lit). In fact, the only lighting over the stove barely worked at all (we had to use our phone flashlights to see the range controls). When at highest power the lights blinked repeatedly and could be dimmed but would not turn off. When this issue was pointed out to the agent we were told we could remove a picture from the wall and turn the electricity off to those lights inside the switch box. Really?? 

The switch to another light above the dining room table worked but erratically; there was a floor lamp in the corner which functioned normally.

Another issue and one which might bother some more than others concerned the Nespresso machine. When we arrived and were settling in I noticed there was standing water in the machine's reservoir. When emptied out the tank was literally coated with scale. I knew that scale can build up inside the machine itself but I had never seen anything quite like this.  

Lastly, the wifi connection in the apartment was quite slow but sufficient. 

Food.

The selection and variety of restaurants available in the city is amazing. Our neighborhood boasted three Vietnamese restaurants alone as well as numerous casual food venues all within three minutes of our door. Whatever kind of food you're looking for you can probably find it within the historic city center.

Reservations, at even the most casual of places, is strongly recommended, at least in our neighborhood where it seemed everyone under 30 (or 40) ate out every night. And when you add in the small size of most restaurants/cafes, space can only be had by planning ahead.

Payment is usually by cash or credit, although not always. At Jack Glockenbach payment was by cash or PayPal only, while at Botanista it was no cash and card only.

As for grocery stores we used a nearby branch of the Edeka chain. Plenty of choices and payment was made with our Mastercard. 

Transportation.

Getting around on foot is pretty easy and straightforward in the city center. However, if you want to go a bit further afield or hop around from one place to another in the historic center you'll want to tap into the extensive public transportation network. 

Note that the ticketing system is rather complex (and we thought a bit complicated) so you might want to stop by a nearby Tourist Info office for help in figuring out how to get from A to B. We didn't find much in the way of ticket booths staffed by humans; pretty much all the ticketing is done via kiosks. It's worth pointing out that some kiosks accept only credit cards that use a PIN (a European thing) while others make using a card easy so be prepared to pay with cash.

We took a cab from the train station to the apartment and Uber back to the train station.  Both worked flawlessly but we definitely leaned toward using Uber.

Attractions.

There is a wide variety of things to see and do in Munich. In our week in the city we tapped into just a handful of them. We tend to focus on just being in a place and experiencing its vibe, so we're not the best judge of how to structure your time.  If you're in the city for just a few days making your decision as to where to go and what to see can be challenging to be sure. 

While actually a suburban site, Dachau should definitely be on the list; German schoolchildren are required to visit a concentration camp and it should be required for all tourists as well.

The English Gardens are truly amazing and a great place to stretch your legs and relax.

Naturally a day spent strolling the old town would be worth your time, to get a feel for the Munich appreciated by locals and tourists alike: visiting the Hofbrauhaus and Viktualienmarkt alone is worth even just an afternoon in Munich.

For museum junkies we enjoyed the Alte Pinakotheke, but be forewarned the museum's collections are enormous -- so much to see. The Deutsches Museum is fun for everybody with lots of displays covering everything from mining to astronomy and just about everything in between. The holdings are scattered over six floors and some exhibits are a bit dated and many have signage in German only. Still, we thought the views  of Munich from the roof top and the first German U-boat were pretty cool.

Masking and Vaccination.

While we wore masks required on all public transport and in some museums, restrictions had otherwise been lifted. Otherwise, some continued to mask indoors and many did not.

We were asked for our vaccination cards only once and that was as we got off the train in Salzburg, Austria, otherwise no one seemed concerned about our vaccination status.


Regensburg

1 May 2022.

May Day is Labor Day in Europe. It began overcast but didn't prevent the group from heading into Regensburg for a day trip. The short drive (about 40 minutes) took us on the German autobahn for the first time and Glen sped us along at about 105 mph. He deftly maneuvered us through the winding narrow streets of the old town until he found his objective: an indoor parking garage.

Once outside the garage (which BTW had very nice WCs) we meandered through the back streets in an occasional light drizzle until we came to our first stop: the cathedral of Saint Peter. (The church was closed for mass but we returned a bit later when it was open to the public.)

Unfortunately it was very dark inside so taking photos of the wonderful funeral sculpture, stained glass or even of the crypt was next to impossible. Visit Wikipedia for more details.


parking garage inside the old town



From the church our next objective was to find the house of Oscar Schindler. Yes, that Schindler. We wandered around the narrow streets and after getting turned around a couple of times, we at last found what we were looking for.



finding Schindler's house



From the Schindler house we made our way to the Danube River along which we found the Wurstkuchl, the oldest brat house in the world (so they claim).



Directly across from the brat haus is the old medieval bridge spanning the Danube (or Donau).

along the Danube


views of the old bridge from the clock tower room


clock tower living spaces


view of the clock tower from the bridge

From the bridge tower we returned to Schindler's house and ate lunch at a lovely little Vietnamese restaurant right next door - Cafe Dang.

lunch at Cafe Dang, next to Schindler's house


During lunch we decided it would be a grand idea to take one of the city boat cruises on the Danube so Glen went online and ordered the tickets; it was that easy. Once we had polished off our delicious lunch we returned to the river where we found our boat. 
off to get our boat for a cruise on the Danube


nothing like a river cruise to bring out the smiles




a major stop for Viking river cruises




Leaving the boat and the Danube we made our way back toward the parking garage. One the way we passed a rock concert going on that included a playground for the kids. Thoughtful.

music concert with a playground festival for the kids

For our last evening in Hohenfels Christina fixed scrumptious Korean tacos with an Asian slaw salad. After supper we chatted for a while over digestifs before heading off to bed. 

Monday would bring a somewhat leisurely morning since we didn't have to be at the Parsberg station until a little before 10:00am to catch our train to Regensburg where we would connect for Prague.




Nürnberg

30 April 2022.

Breakfast was another leisurely affair in greater Hohenfels capped off with homemade sourdough bread provided by one of Glen's colleagues who has definitely mastered this particular skill.

Eventually we got ourselves together, loaded into the car and headed off to the Parsberg train station where the six of us caught the train to Nürnberg.

Exiting the train station via an underground passage we were immediately confronted by one of the original main gates of the old city. And just inside the gate was a small group of shops just behind the tower and wall. Leaving the gate we began our stroll heading toward one of the city's main attractions, the Kaiserberg Castle.

Parsberg station


part of the old walls that once encircled what is today the old part of the city

small group of shops tucked in behind the tower


back onto the pedestrianized portion of the old city


We popped into Saint Lorenz church (one can never see enough gothic churches) and stopped for coffee to await the city's glockenspiel at noon. Soon afterwards we found ourselves in the large open air city market and meandered among the tents of everything from fresh food to pottery.  We were so impressed by the fresh vegetables that it was decided then and there to stop on our way back to the train and pick up some goodies for supper.
 
Saint Lorenz church



back onto the street

the group standing in front of the side entrance to Saint Lorenz

the lactating fountain


Ship of Fools by Kurt Klutentreter

city open air market



Since it was lunchtime we made our way to one of the city's most famous brat houses to sample the world-famous Nürnberger brat. I had mine with potato salad (incredible) while several others opted for sauerkraut. The brats could be ordered in 6-, 8-, 10-, or 12-sausages (they are small though). One of the popular ways to handle the sausages is to also order one of the rolls and create your own sandwich (Glen handled this particular option with ease).  Quite a few people were doing the same, particularly at the outside tables scattered along the walkway.

Brautwursthausle

Nürnberger brats



outside the brat haus


From the brat haus we continued out trek upwards to the castle where we had not only superb views of the city but also enjoyed a stroll around the castle walls.

strolling toward the castle

Kaiserberg castle






Glen, Susie, Kiera, Liam, Christina and me


rooftop drainage






inside the castle
Walking down from the castle it began to rain lightly and the group opted to stop for ice cream. We waited out the downpour in the gelateria while the kids enjoyed some truly stupendous ice cream treats.

Eventually we had to leave and so we headed back out into the light rain, making our way back to the train station. The train wasn't as crowded as our morning one and so we all got to sit (more or less) together.

protest in the rain outside Saint Lorenz

getting our meat for supper out of a vending machine


That evening Christina fixed a delicious supper of boiled weisswurst (white sausage), a Munich specialty, blanched spargel (white asparagus), a Bavarian spring specialty, and roasted potatoes, while Glen grilled a half dozen slices of pork (from the vending machine).

Tomorrow it's Sunday, May Day in Europe and we plan to be lazy before driving into Regensburg. Stay tuned!

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