We got started on the wrong foot with Munich. We left Salzburg in the cold rain and were happy in thinking that we had a nice warm train ride that would take us down to Munich in a couple of hours. But no sooner had we gotten on the train when we were told they were doing maintenance on the tracks just past the border into Germany. We were only on the train for a short time when everyone had to get off. We were told only to go down the street and turn right to the bus station and so we followed the others to the bus station.
And there we waited…in the freezing rain…for over an hour…waiting for whatever bus was arranged to take us all to Munich. Everyone was wet and cold, but no one dared go inside the station for fear that the bus would come and leave and we would be stuck there. There was also an unspoken understanding that the seats on the bus were first come, first serve and with as many people as were waiting everyone wanted to make sure they got on that bus.
We watched many buses come and go. With each new arrival someone would run up to ask the driver if it was the bus that would take us all to Munich. We waited for an hour in that freezing cold rain and despite umbrellas we were all pretty soaked through. Finally the bus arrived, but when someone went to ask they said it was not the bus. We went back to waiting dejectedly. The bus driver had a smoke and then gestured over to the man who had asked and said yes it was the bus after all. We all made a mad dash to the bus. Tessa and I got seats in the back, crammed in with so many others in seats and in the isle. Poor Brad ended up in the middle with our luggage where he would be standing the entire time.
More than two hours later we pulled up to an station miles outside Munich. We all ran across the platform to the train that would take us into town. From there we would have two more transfers on the subway and a bus ride to make it to our hotel. Thank goodness at the main station when we got all turned around with where to go, someone from our long bus ride directed us. What should have been a quick two hour train ride to Munich turned into six long hours.
We were still a little grumbly the next morning as we set off to see Munich. It didn’t help that the day was bitter cold. We had signed up for the city’s hop on hop off bus to give us an overview of Munich. But we had a difficult time finding the bus stop. We walked down the beautiful Leopoldstraße street with tall trees standing on either side of the sidewalk. And at a stop light we loved the group of men racing in their little go carts down the street.
We came to the Munich RE business building where we met the Walking Man. This statue was created in 1995 as part of the company’s art program. It stands at 17 meters high and is meant to represent progress, dynastism, and the will to disrupt Seems like a fitting description for not only the statue but for the city itself.
As we continued down the street we came to the memorial arch, called The Siegestor. This arch was originally commissioned in 1852 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to represent the glory and honor of the army. During WWII it sustained heavy damages and in the rebuilding afterward there was talk of demolishing it. Instead they restored the arch partially and added the inscription that translated means “dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, urging peace”.
We came to the Ludwigskirche with the beautiful colored tiles along the roof. King Ludwig I commissioned the building of the church. He even went as far to name all the bells in the towers after himself. I loved the effect of those unique and colorful tiles. I think it’s the first time I’ve spent more time looking at the roof instead of the building.
A little farther down the way we came to the Odenplatz. There was another church, this one an interesting mustard yellow color, called the Theatine Church of St. Cajetan and Adelaide. Building of the church began in 1663 in honor of the the long awaited birth of an heir to the Bavarian throne. The Baroque style and the color made this church so unique.
Next to the church at the memorial marked another kind of beginning, this one much less happy. It was here on these steps that Hitler first had a run in with the police and was then incarcerated. While in jail after this incident he he would write Mein Kampf, the autobiographical manifesto that would be the beginning of the Nazi party.
We made another quarter turn in the square and found ourselves at The Residence, the royal residence and the governmental seat, where a Christmas market was taking place in the courtyard. We walked around taking in the amazing smells and the twinkling lights. The kid section had animatronic scenes telling Christmas stories and fairy tales. We loved seeing the items for sale and the lovely shops themselves.
Our mood had thawed but the weather had not, so we decided that a bus tour around town sounded really nice. We had finally found the the central point of the hop on hop off bus. There were three lines that would take around different parts of the city and we spent a couple of hours riding through the city in the warmth of the bus.
We drove out by the incredible Schloss Nymphenberg, which was the main summer residence of the former rulers of the Bavarian monarchy. It is one of Europe’s most premier royal palaces. The exterior length surpasses that of Versailles in Paris. It has gone under multiple expansions since its construction. The palace and the surrounding park could be an entire day trip in itself.
The pointed tops of the Olympiapark rose up before us. The summer Olympics were held here in Munich in 1972. Visitors can tour the facility and it still is home to many cultural and athletic events that are held throughout the year. Someone next to us on the bus said that there is a Christmas market being held here but that it is a more modern than traditional kind of market.
Next to the Olymiapark is the BMW headquarters and museum. For all the car lovers, this is a great opportunity to see the history and evolution of these cars. German cars are known throughout the world for their precision engineering, attention to detail, and high performance design which always makes them desirable cars.
By the time it was dark, the city had come alive with a whole new energy. We enjoyed some of the sights like the Opera House and the tower in Marienplatz. But we were tired and cold from a day spent walking and then riding our way through Munich so we would leave those places for the next day.
We had started our day in Munich on the wrong foot, but by the end we came to appreciate the history and the beauty of this city and found we were excited to see more of it.
For some other city tours, you may be interested in these:
Thanks for coming along on this day around Munich. May you walk forward with progress, dynamism, and a willingness to disrupt the norm.
Leave a Reply