Portugal 2026

Getting around: Public transport is generally good, especially in large cities like Lisbon and Porto, although we learned that some transport systems operate independently of one another so don't expect to find one card fits all. There is a Porto Card but I believe that also includes a number of (discounted) entrances to museums, etc so you will pay a premium for that.

We found that one of the best ways to get around both cities is either an Uber or Taxi; they are both inexpensive, reliable and prolific (especially Uber).

Bus services outside the cities are reputed to be reliable and inexpensive but we simply don't have any personal experience in that. We used the Rede Expressos bus from Lisbon to Porto and back and it didn't didn't take much longer than the high-speed Alfa Pendular - and it was much less expensive.

It should be pointed out that since the funicular accident in  Lisbon a few months back, all the other funiculars and elevators in the city are shut down. We were informed that since they all use the same (old) cable system they will not reopen until the problem that caused the accident is discovered and the other systems repaired if necessary.

Communication: Smartphones are absolutely necessary but here the key word is "absolutely." We have been using our phones almost exclusively for transport and other tickets for several years now, but in Portugal -- so far - they still rely on lots of paper.  The Porto Card seems popular for travelers but again we have no experience with that and don't know if it is available electronically.

Oh, and please learn how to say hello, goodbye, thank you, and please. Most Portuguese we encountered spoke pretty good English but hey it's their country. We should give their language a try. It goes a long way.

Accommodation: We used air BnB in Lisbon and Hilton hotels in Porto and Lisbon. Our accommodations were very nice and both centrally located, especially the apartment in Lisbon. The Cenica hotel in Porto was wonderful - we give it a big thumbs up - with an indoor pool, jacuzzi and breakfast available for an extra fee of course, unless you are a member of the Hilton Honors program. And the staff were in a word incredible. Our Hilton hotel in Lisbon, the Doubletree Fontana Park property, we give a thumbs down for reasons which I enumerated in my final travel journal entry.

Eating: We ate quite a bit of Portuguese food, which can be a bit heavy. Lots of potatoes and fish of course so you have plenty of options. Generally VERY reasonably priced too!

Sights: In winter some sights close down for refurbishment or remodeling during low season. You might want to check with the local Tourist Information office in either city before venturing off on your own. 

Speaking of Tourist Offices - make sure you find yourselves inside the OFFICIAL tourist office. In Porto especially there are offices that list themselves as Tourist Services with a large "i" out front -- these offices are usually in red. These are for-profit.

People: Wonderful, friendly and always willing to help. Often the four of us would be standing on the street looking at a map or a phone and a local would come up and ask if she or he could help. I'm sure they have their share of jerks, but most everyone we met were pleasant and kind to us.

Go or not? Absolutely.  If you go on your own I would recommend staying for at least a week in each city. Get to know it, the feel of it, get to know your way around it. 

Paris 2025 summary

Transportation. Except for trips from and back to the airport (taxi and Uber respectively) we used public transportation. remember that Uber is always going to be less expensive than a taxi. We noticed several of the Metro lines had newer cars and there were a few more escalators than we remember and an occasional elevator. But still lots of steps and connections in some of the larger transfer stations required quite a bit of walking. 

The buses we took were clean, reliable, and seemed fairly up-to-date and were often the better choice than the Metro. Just depends on your itinerary. Anyway, we found it pleasant to travel around the city above ground once in awhile.

Using the transportation ticketing system is easy. For the casual traveler you'll use tickets (acquired via one of the Metro apps). If you've come to Paris a number of times over the years you might have acquired a physical Navigo Pass -- which apparently can also be accessed on your phone as well, although if I'm not mistaken it seems you have an IDF Mobilités account. Anyway, the Navigo will give you access to Metro, RER, bus and trams within central Paris. If you use the Bonjour app and just download tickets (singly or in multiples) be aware they will not work on the bus, odd as it may seem. 

And the Metro apps also provide you with handy maps for the various lines so pretty much everything you need to get around Paris can be right on your phone.

Accommodation. Whether you opt for a hotel or apartment, location, as they say, is everything. Plan to stay close to transportation hubs, close to say two different Metro stops would be ideal, which isn't terribly difficult in the city. There will always be a bus stop close by.

Since most services are taken care of  in a hotel there is little need to prepare food or do the laundry. If you opt for an apartment, and if your stay is say longer than a week, then things like availability of a washing machine, oven, cooktop, kitchen accessories, will require a bit more thought.

Our particular Air BnB apartment has issues right from the get-go. More of that right here.

Communication. We relied on on iPhones throughout our travels. I used a data eSim from Airolo which I've used in the past and it works great. I paid $6.00 for 2gb/two weeks in France and it was more than enough for our needs. Otherwise I used WhatsApp to communicate with our host as well as a friend. Texting and phone cals remained with our USA carrier as usual and I believe Xfinity no longer charges for those while abroad. 

Food. Wonderful food experiences as noted in my blog. And our neighborhood next door to major indoor and outdoor food markets was, for us, food central. 

Attractions. Noted in my daily postings. I will say that for us just walking, strolling striding, whatever you want to call it, is one of our favorite things to do when traveling. Just being a flâneur! Cheap and easy way to see wherever you're staying and this is certainly true of Paris, an eminently walkable city.

That said, we did see the "new" Notre Dame de Paris -- it was a smart move to get timed tickets online, to be sure, but once inside it was wall-to-wall people, Gorgeous, true, but the humanity! Visiting the cemetery of Père-Lachaise is always near the top of our list. We did go to the Musée d'Orsay to see the John Singer Sargent exhibition and a stop at the Petit Palais is always worth the time to see whatever exhibition is going on there. 

market on rue d'Aligri - and we did eat that particular head of broccoli

Visiting Annecy

[26 April]

Annecy is small and unlike the other cities (Tours and Lyon) we visited this trip, quite limited in what there is to do and see. But what it might lack in cultural amenities the town more than makes for with it's location and stunning scenery.

Getting around. Walking is commonplace since the key parts of the city are easy to get around on foot. Public transportation is unnecessary for the casual traveler. 

Accommodation. Our apartment was located just a three blocks from the train station, one block from the TI and two blocks from the lakefront.  Picking somewhere close to city center is wise. Driving particularly in high season must be messy and parking at a premium I should think.

Food. Lots of touristic restaurants, as you might expect, many of them serving pretty much the same type of food. And probably way too many gelaterie, which are also very popular. We ate at Le Zinc et Raoul  and thought the food OK but our experience at L'Estaminet was only average if not a below par.

Stuff to do. A stop at the TI office is really very helpful. The Gorges du Fier is a must-see and can accessed via a handy little bus tour which can be arranged through the folks at the TI. A boat cruise on the lake is very nice and we thought  also a must-see. Otherwise it's just being out-of-doors that is the main attraction here. Lots of biking and walking/hiking.

photo courtesy of the Tourist Information Office

Visiting Lyon

[24 April]

Lyon is a city worth spending at least several days exploring its history, culture and sense of self. A full week might be even better.

Arrival. I would suggest not coming by car; construction seems to be everywhere at least in the city center and traffic snarls are routine. If you come by air there is an express tram that comes right to the main train station, which is itself close to the city center. Coming by train is probably the best move. Taxis, Ubers and public transport are close at hand. Plus public transport is superb.

Where to stay. I'd recommend finding a place be it a hotel or apartment on presqu'île. It's right in the heart of the city and close to just about everything the casual traveler or tourist could want or need. It's also very convenient  to all public transport.

Lyon City Card. Is it worth it? If you're staying for several days the short answer is yes.  Any less time in the city and the answer is maybe, depending on what you're hoping to do. 

If you don't opt for the Lyon City Card, which includes unlimited use of the public transport system, the ticketing system is easy to access and use. Goes just about everywhere the tourist needs to go. Ticket kiosks are user-friendly, although we came across one that was buggy when we tried the English language feature. Switching to French it worked fine.

We purchased the 72-hour pass and with our 10% discount (show your air/train ticket) the cost came to just about €100. Based on the places we visited and the various public transport used we would've spent €178 without the card. Not too shabby.

The TI on Place Bellecour is very helpful with tons of information; they can also schedule certain tours, etc.

Food was another matter. We had good food at Kaia, lousy pizza at Nobile Forno and an average meal at Badahourian at Les Halles. Otherwise we ate at home, which was fine. I suspect part of our issue was Lyonnais cuisine itself: too heavy for us by and large. Also, mussels and oysters were really big here which we tend to pass by when given the chance.

photo courtesy of the Tourist Information Office

Visiting Tours

There are two very special reasons we enjoyed our visit to Tours and the Loire.

The first, and foremost was an opportunity to travel with our good friends Richard and Pauline. It's always a fun time no matter we are at the moment and sharing such incredible experiences as we have had, including the visit to the Loire, is priceless.

The second reason was getting a chance to experience a place we had only heard about or read about, a part of France that had so much to offer in the way of attractions (fantastic chateaux) and really good wine.

Contrary to what the American travel writer Rick Steves says, Tours is worth sleeping in. It's a perfect location for traveling to many if not most of the famous châteaux, most of which are accessible by train from the city. 

The city itself has much to recommend it: an old quarter, a very nice indoor market, and a user-friendly public transportation system centered on a sleek tram that runs north to south. Our apartment, in the medieval part of town, was just a few meters away from rue Colbert, which had many restaurants out of the tourist maze, with food options including Lebanese, Ethiopian, Asian, one dedicated to just cheese dishes, pubs, pizzas and, of course, several traditional French cuisine eateries.

Naturally there are plenty of neighborhood boulangeries and pâtisseries that produce incredible breads and pastries. 

It was also nice that we planned our stay during a less crowded time of the year. And speaking of time, it was further confirmation how important it is to not rush during these trips, but relax, to act as if one is back at home, to treat wherever one is staying as if it is home. Of course, it helps if someone is a bit under the weather, as it was in my case, forcing one to go slow and enjoy where you are.

Europe 2022: planes, trains and automobiles

So, as the character Tom Haverford would say in the TV show "Parks and Rec", here are the deets (as in "deetails") from our 2022 trip to Europe:  

Using 19 trains, 3 airplanes and a handful of automobiles we traveled to 8 countries, visited 19 places in 55 days. Tiring to be sure but what an experience! 

Countries and major cities visited: 

Austria: Salzburg
Czech Republic: Prague
Denmark: Copenhagen, Roskilde
France: Paris
Germany: Hamburg, Hohenfels, Munich, Nurnberg, Regensburg
Netherlands: Delft, Gouda, Utrecht
Norway: Oslo, Flåm, Bergen
Sweden: Stockholm

Transportation:

Air Travel: We used British Airways and their partner American Airlines for flights between the US and Europe and KLM for our one-way flight from Bergen to Amsterdam.

Automobiles: We rarely used automobiles but did rely on Uber four times: twice in Grand Rapids to and from the local airport, once in Munich and once in Prague. Uber was not available in Denmark. We did use a taxi to get to our AirBnB from the train station in Munich. Oh, and our host in Bergen kindly picked us up in his car at the train station (it was raining which precluded our walking to the apartment).

Trains: This was our primary source of travel between countries and cities. We both had senior Eurail passes (15 days in two months) and arranged for our required seat reservations well before the trip. We used the mobile passes which allowed us to upload tickets with the QR code directly to our phone.

Local transportation: We relied on local public transportation nearly everywhere we traveled, including getting to and from airports and train stations. And getting from one town to another by train, especially in the Netherlands, was easy, simple and inexpensive.

Accommodation: 

We used Air BnB for apartments, and Expedia, Hilton and The New York Times for finding hotels.

Four hotels: Hamburg, Stockholm,  Flåm and Gouda. Reichshof Hotel in Hamburg was very nice, Hotel Slussen in Stockholm wonderful, Weeshuis R & C in Gouda less so.
Six apartments (Munich, Prague, Copenhagen, Oslo, Bergen, and Paris). The shortest stay was in Copenhagen (4 days) and the longest in Paris (14 days). The quality was generally good with some relatively minor issues (see notes for Munich and Prague). 

Communication: 

Nearly everywhere in Czech and Scandinavia the preferred language was English. Curiously, nearly everyone we came across assumed by looking at us we were locals and began by speaking their language until we looked blankly at them and said "English please".

Food: 

We ate quite a few meals in our apartments -- we love going to local grocery stores and small markets; for us it's always been part of the experience of traveling. Also, eating out for nearly two months straight would have been prohibitively expensive and not great for our health.

Transportation.

Eurail passes. Slick interface and with two exceptions worked surprisingly well. Customer service virtually non-existent, however. No way to get immediate help while on the road. 

Also, a question remains for us regarding reservations. Eurail drives you to another part of their website and many reservations can only be mailed. In any case, all require some cost, ranging from $3 or $4 up to $30 and higher per. When we had to make reservations at the station in Oslo for our next leg (to Myrdahl) the ticket agent informed us that because we had 1st class Eurail passes reservations were free! 

Our few Uber experiences generally worked fine where available, but the company is not allowed in Denmark. We didn't use Uber in Sweden or Norway.

German local train service was fine and very useful.

Czech metro was nice with pretty much all escalators and/or elevators but it was the tram system that won us over: widespread through the city, very accessible and free to everyone over 65!

Copenhagen metro also nearly all escalators and elevators, very modern and fast.

Stockholm metro showed its age compared to the other previously visited cities but very extensive. Plenty of escalators and elevators available at the stops we used.

Download local city metro apps (free and in English), allowing you to see station locations, plot our journeys, etc.

Trains and stations.

German train system is DB
Czech system is CD
Danish is DSB -- app COPENHAGEN CARD
Swedish is SJ and metro is SL - apps
Norwegian is Vy - app OSLO PASS
Dutch train system is NS
French system is SNCF

German and Czech trains ran on time and were generally clean and comfortable. The Munich station was largely a mess with new construction. Hamburg station was huge with massive crowds of travelers but easily navigable with lots of facilities and amenities.

The Czech station was large and we thought oddly laid out, with no taxi stands, and little or no signage assisting the traveler in finding the tram stops. In fact, one had to walk several hundred meters to get to the tram system. Alternatively, the metro was clearly marked within the terminal.

Danish train from Hamburg was a half hour late getting into Copenhagen but quite comfortable and only one so far to provide snacks and coffee in 1st class.

Copenhagen station easy to navigate at first glance but the relationship to the metro system was awkward and it took us some on-the-ground research to find our way from the underground into the station without wandering around outside aimlessly.

Swedish train system sent me an email the day before our journey explaining how to find our high-speed train for Stockholm -- pointing out that it was on a track not easily discovered through the existing track layout.

Stockholm station is easy to navigate and well-connected to the metro system.

Oslo station is perhaps the most modern and well-appointed station so far. Very helpful TI office, plenty of restaurants in a lovely indoor courtyard environment as well as a grocery store (COOP)! Location is ideal and very close the waterfront attractions. Check out the SKYSS APP.

Norwegian trains ran a bit slow off and on but generally arrived at their destinations on time. Clean and lots of room in 1st class; 2nd class (Myrdal to Bergen) would be quite cramped when full.

Bergen station is small but centrally located to the waterfront. 

Dutch train stations very modern and well-run, most using the turnstile method for checking tickets in (and out). All well-located to the center of the city.

Generally, the trains were very busy and mostly full in 1st class.

A good reason  going 1st class is the use of the various station lounges, managed by that country's national train system. Clean, comfortable with free drinks and snacks they also have departure boards and are easily accessible and provide wifi. There is always an attendant to ask questions (which we often had to do). Note that general seating in most stations is often severely limited if not nonexistent.

City passes.

Most provided discounts for seniors (typically over 65).
Copenhagen City Card. Cannot revisit an attraction.
Stockholm transport pass.
Oslo Pass. Can revisit attractions.
Bergen card. We opted to "pass" on this. You get free transport but only discounted admissions to most of the key attractions.

Masking and vaccination.

Germany required masking on trains and public transportation.
Austrian border patrol only ones to check proof of vaccination.
Czech seemed indifferent.
Denmark also seemed indifferent.
Sweden and Norway generally indifferent to masking.
Except for Austria no one asked to see proof of vaccination.

Currency and money.

Each Scandinavian country and the Czech Republic each had there own currency. Credit cards widely used in all countries but AMEX not so much. 
Used ATMs infrequently for incidental cash.

Language and translation programs.

Czech and Scandinavian languages challenging but Google translate helped in certain circumstances. English widely spoken through Scandinavia.

Odds and ends.

Bathroom facilities - requires a nominal fee to use; one even took a credit card (contactless).
Grocery carts - a nominal fee to use but coin is returned upon returning the cart

Overall:

This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience notwithstanding my getting Covid and almost not getting to return home with my wife. It was made even more special being able to reconnect with old friends and spend quality time with family. Even so, it was tiring to be sure. Until we got to Paris we were never anywhere long enough to really get into a rhythm, a genuine feel for a particular place. But we did go and see and do. Time to catch one's breath now.

If we had to chose a favorite, it would have to be Norway. It was stunningly gorgeous.

cruising the fjord, Bergen to Mostraumen

After we returned home we we given the wonderful opportunity of seeing Bob and Carol, our familiar Sandhill cranes, with their newborn, Teddie. Seeing those three and finally getting to sit out with our neighbors for a warm conversation to catch up on the local news is something worth writing about.

Now it's your turn to go and have an adventure. . . big or small, it doesn't matter just go. Life is short.

Our experience in the Netherlands

Accommodation - hotel.
The Weeshuis (orphanage) Relais & Chateaux. Reasonably priced, lovely location. Breakfasts were so-so, tending to overwhelm with appearance rather than substance. The room itself was nice but had an odd layout with the commode separate from the shower area, which was in itself not unusual, but the commode room was smaller than an airplane toilet. Oddly enough there was no storage at all, except a rack for hanging clothes. No closet, no drawers, niente.

Food.
The food in Gouda was outstanding. Ate twice at Chaplin's located very close to the hotel; highly recommended.

Attractions.
Churches and canal cruising. 

Public transportation.
Typically we went by intercity trains, which was superb. Plenty of available trains, on time and the stations in Delft, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Gouda were very modern, user-friendly.

canal in Utrecht

Our experience in Bergen

Accommodation Air BnB.
Second-floor (1st floor European), no lift and the stairs narrow and winding. Most comfortable space so far. Lots of room. Great place for relaxing, furniture very comfortable. Kitchen good with a couple of minor issues. W/D separates and oven worked fine, cooktop typical European, all icons, minimalist controls but worked fine. Bathroom large and good storage, W/D worked fine.

Food.
We ate mostly at home. Our last night we ate at Bryggeloftet & Stuene; local dishes well-prepared and the food was tasty. Good service as well.

Attractions.
We took the funicular up to the top of the one of the mountains ringing the city. It was rainy but still had superb views. Otherwise we focused on the water: harbor cruise and then a second cruise up the fjords (the first was from Flåm).

Public transport.
This is one of the rare instances when we did not use any public transport except to get to the airport. The city is quite small and eminently walkable and we remained in the greater downtown area.

Our experience in the Norwegian Fjords

Accommodation - hotel.
The room was a bit tight and somewhat tired in style but the location incredible: a corner room with two terraces and a spectacular view of the fjord. The bathroom was just fine.

Food.
Dinner at the hotel was good and our second night we enjoyed sandwiches from the Flåm Bakery in our room

Transportation.
The electric boat was a wonderful way to explore the fjords. The tram from Myrdal to Flåm was an absolutely stunning experience.

Attraction.
The singular attraction here is of course the scenery. The cruise up the fjords was superb and the boat exceptional.

Our experience in Oslo

Accommodation - Air BnB.
Probably the most modern of all our accommodations. The location was superb, close to a major tram stop and an easy walk to the heart of the city as well as the train station. Host very accommodating. Although located fronting a major street it was surprisingly quiet. Kitchen and bathroom were both fine, everything worked as it should. W/D combo worked fine. 

Transportation.
Superb system of trams (light rail). Used the Oslo Pass to get around and everything went off without a hitch.

Attraction.
Ekeberg Park and the outdoor sculptures, Fram Museum, the Kon Tiki Museum, the Munch Museum, a harbor cruise, Vigeland Sculpture installations in Frogner Park, the Norsk Folk Museum.

Vigeland in Frogner Park 

Our experience in Stockholm

Accommodation - Hotel.
We stayed at the Hilton Slussen hotel and it was a very pleasant experience.  Stellar service, outstanding breakfasts (extra cost) and very nice rooms. Comfortable beds. Perfect location as well for getting to the old town and close to a major metro stop.

Food.
Wide variety, all-in-all very good. Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes at Riche were a special treat.

Transport.
We used the 72-hour transport pass, followed by a 24-hour add-on to end the trip, both of which worked wonderfully and got us around via trams and water taxis with no problem.

Attractions.
The Vasa Museum, Skansen open-air museum, visiting Greta Garbo's grave, and strolling around Gamla Stan, the old part of the city.

Money.
We were pretty much cashless the entire time. 

Our Experience in Prague

Accommodation - Air BnB.
Our host Michal was very accommodating especially as we arrived an hour and a half later than planned. He was also helpful and explained the apartment details fully. 

The appliances worked well and the shower was very nice. 

There were a few issues as we were to discover: some of the lights did not work, a couple of outlets were non-functioning, the outside noise could be distracting for some (fortunately it didn't bother us too much), and there were a couple of unstable slider doors that rendered that space unusable. Also the wifi was extremely slow. 

Food.
We used a nearby Tesco market for groceries but ended up eating at home only once. Our neighborhood was packed with great dining venues. We can strongly recommend Pilsnerka Narodni, Monarch and Pho Bar.

Public Transport. A big thumbs up for Prague on transport. First off all trams, busses and the metro are free for seniors (65+) with proof of age. Second, the trams go everywhere and are easy to find and use. 

The metro was fast, smooth and a great way to cross the city quickly; also it was nearly all esclalators and elevators.

Our one experience with Uber was OK but we opted to rely on the tram system which was extensive and for us (over 65) free.

Attractions. 
There is plenty to see and do in Prague but you knew this already. The Charles Bridge, the Jewish quarter and especially the old Cemetery (a feee to enter), and of course the Prague Castle. 

We were a bit disappointed in the complexity of the various ticketing systems: rather than an attraction with multiple elements (such as the Jewish quarter or the Castle) having just one ticket you're required to pick and choose the various elements you want to see and then find the right bundle. Quite awkward. 

Communication.
No landline phone so relying on mobile is the only option. A smartphone is a big plus for texting and occasionally checking maps. It's also possible to get tickets to some attractions right on your phone..

Currency.
You can use euros with confidence but we found taking local currency out of a bank ATM (NOT     Euronet) worked well. While many places take credit cards it's always nice having local currency on hand for incidentals (ice cream, the odd aperitif, tipping). Note that Prague is quite inexpensive.

Masking and vaccination.
Neither seemed to be an issue. No one asked for proof of vaccination let alone booster and masking mandates were gone, left to the individual's preference.

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.