A travelogue on Munich - Top reasons to visit the Oktoberfest City
My love affair with a city that will always be home - and all the many reasons to visit it.
We lived in Munich- the capital city of the state of Bavaria in South Germany from 2013 until 2015.
Just two years in which we managed to bundle up a lifetime’s worth of unforgettable memories, people, experiences, culture and travel.
Greenery, Gardens and Swimming in Rivers
Munich is amply endowed with greenery and expanses of gardens and parks and has the majestic English Garten extending from one end of the city to the other. Studded with the serene river Isar cutting across it, Munchen, as it is called locally, exudes a subtle magic in its beauty that I suspect, is also what attracts a large number of expatriates to it. Never in my extensive travels have I come across a city that offers such vast dichotomy of geographies - of a country side with rolling meadows and rivers in one instant and being teleported to a city center with a gigantic church, cobbled streets, beer halls, offices, shops, cafes - all the components of the quintessential European city center in the next instant.
(Surfers at the Eisbach river in Munich - Photo sourced from www.surfertoday.com)
Within the sprawling English Garten there is a uniquely designed beer garden at every kilometer and the rivers, water bodies and waterfalls scattered through the length and breadth of the city see a stream of summer swimmers, surfers and rafters cruising down giant tubes and tires with beer cans in their hands. The Eisbach river - a 1.2 mile long river running through the English garten sees throngs of surfers throughout the year.
(Old Town of Munich (Germany): on the left the Frauenkirche and on the right the New Town Hall)
For me, Munich’s charm lies in that flexibility and choice it extends to its inhabitant – like a travel brochure containing choices of the kind of places you may want to visit – a fusion of beach towns, buzzing cities, green country sides, and historic havens – except it is all in one place! The New Town hall (on the right in the above photo) is home to some of the most delectable German cuisines and is one of my personal favorite spots for a meal in the city’s popular Marienplatz center.
A Taste of History
Munich is the capital of the old Kingdom of Bavaria and many of the finest buildings it houses were built by Bavarian kings. This may be a lesser known fact but before Berlin, it was actually in Munich that Hitler founded the Nazi Party and where the first official headquarters were established. Predictably, the city is teeming with historic museums, buildings and pertinent sites dating back to the era of the Third Reich. If you are a history buff then some of the historic tours like the Third Reich Tour is definitely for you.
And then there are the Concentration Camps. I have visited the Dachau Camp in Munich and it is simply fascinating. It houses hours of reading material that cover the events that took place and the horrific ways in which the prisoners were treated arranged in chronological order. It also contains the burial grounds and acid shower rooms where the prisoners were famously gassed to death. For history buffs with the stomach for it, these are worth the visit.
Beer and Oktoberfest
Fondly titled the ‘Beer Capital of the World’ Munich lives up to every word. From dark beer (Dunkles), Radler (flavored mild beer) to the lagers and the Bavarian specialty – Weisenbier (wheat beer), you can select from a wide range of Brewery Brands and you will be a stone’s throw away from a brewery or a beer hall or a beer garden no matter where you are. Interestingly, you may struggle to find some still water to drink and will pay more for it when you do than a pint of beer!
(Oktoberfest - Photo sourced from Google)
As if this wasn’t enough beer to tickle your fancy, the hugely and globally famous OKTOBERFEST Beer festival is held annually in Munich with different breweries sponsoring the innumerable tents that are constructed for this purpose – each offering their own beer along with the very large Bavarian pretzels and the delicious Bavarian cheese dip called Obatzda.
(Photo sourced from Dirndl Kitchen blog - www.dirndlkitchen.com)
Donning the Bavarian garb called a Dirndl for the ladies and Lederhosen for men, the proud Bavarians and also people from all over the world flock to the Oktoberfest grounds for these two weeks starting in September. The hospitality and friendliness of the local people is certainly noteworthy. You can also buy your own Dirndls and Lederhosens in the many shops and market places all over the city!
Diversity in food and culture
Some of the other scrumptious Bavarian delicacies are the sausages – Bratwurst, Currywurst, Weisswurst, one of my favorites – a potato mash called Kartoffelsalat, Steckerlfisch and some popular deserts – Apple Strudel and the very unique and delectable Kaiserschwarm (Austrian shredded pancake served with an apple sauce). And if your mouth isn’t watering enough by now – we also discovered an irresistible New York Cheese Cake ice cream! Yes, you heard me. The city hosts some lesser known hole-in-the-wall haunts and joints that dish out some finger-licking Thai, Indian, Vietnamese food and top notch speak easy cocktail bars to go with it.
(Photo sourced from Budget Bytes Blog- www.budgetbytes.com)
A favorite of mine was the Victorian House at Viktualian Market in the city center - an English tea house with a wide range of teas to choose from and the quintessential English breakfast options like scones and jams while seated in a very typical ambience.
(The Victorian House at Viktualian Markt, Munich)
Being an industrial and tourist hub, the city caters in every way to the myriad nationalities it houses. From South African, Indian, French, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, American and even Lebanese restaurants to a buzzing nightlife with bars and some clubs in the center of the city, a wide selection of cultural shows, outdoor cinema, theater, sports centers, huge swimming pools spread out all over the city, you are never at a loss of things to do. Being a bicycle-friendly city with large pavements for pedestrians as well as well-defined cycle paths, you can enjoy a bike ride or a stroll to the beer gartens in the warm summer months.
Flanked by castles both within the city and the outskirts dating back to eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with Romanesque and Baroque architectural styles that attract tourist in large numbers, as well as the more modern BMW headquarters and museum with its unique and very interesting exterior and interiors, the city boasts a culmination of modern and archaic culture and traditions – the perfect blend of conservatism and socialism. And then there is Munich’s close proximity to the many exotic countries around it that make for idyllic weekend getaways. The public transportation system, both within and beyond the city is very well connected with the regional and fast speed trains operating frequently and connecting neighboring countries easily. And some of them serve bratwurst and beer on the train!
Education and Healthcare
There’s something for aspiring students too. Munich is at the forefront of Science and Research and has produced many Nobel Prize winning laureates back in the day. From the esteemed Ludwig Maximillian University (LMU),Technical University to the many other Management, Business, Law, Journalism, Political Science and even Film and Television Universities – there is something for everyone. A short stint of ours at one of the large multispecialty hospitals in the heart of the city proved quite fruitful and was a testament to the country’s outstanding quality of healthcare. Home of Homeopathy as they call it, some of the country’s home-grown pharmaceutical inventions are coveted worldwide even today.
I can write volumes more on my love affair with this city. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to experience all this and more , I implore you to allocate some of your next vacation days to experience the magic of Munchen city!
You can thank me over a Weiss bier later!