The Arrival
Our flight to Munich was scheduled for early morning. That meant we had to be at the airport at some ridiculous morning hour and wait for ages before we could board the plane. The flight from Athens to Munich is only two and a half hours long, but in reality, it takes almost half a day to finalise the journey. Once on the plane, our mood changed. We were offered a very tasty breakfast which included real greek yogurt. Of course, some of the passengers opted for the alternative morning meal and ordered a beer. Munich welcomed us with very freezing temperatures but no sign of snow. Equipped with multi-day passes for public transport we caught a local train, from the airport to the central railway station. Our prearranged accommodation was Wombats Hostel on Senefelderstraße. It was located just 5 minutes away from the Munchen Hauptbahnhof and 10-15 minutes away from the old town. By the time we settled down in our hostel, it was already getting dark and it was time to introduce ourselves to wintry Munich.
Day 01
First Evening in Munich
18-Dec-2009
With a paper map in our hands, I'm not sure if we had heard about mobile Google Maps in 2009, and with a bit of instinct, we found ourselves on Marienplatz in front of the ice skating rink. We stood there for ages mesmerised by couples skating to the tunes of traditional German/Bavarian music and enjoying every moment of it. It was such a different experience from what we were used to. In NZ we spent our Christmas on the beach, not ice skating. From mid November to Christmas Eve Marienplatz hosts a Christmas Market. This traditional market has roots dating back to the 14th century. This is not only the home of living customs and old crafts but also of what is probably Germany's largest Nativity scene market. While Fiona's attention was devoted to browsing through thousands and thousands of Christmas decorations and visiting market stalls, the rest of us concentrated on Glühwein and Bratwursts. Later that evening we had a traditional dinner, and some big beers, of course. at Austiner Birhalle. Only our noses were exposed in our ski jackets, but after the short walk to the Beer Hall, they were frozen. It was great to whip off the coats in the warm Beer Hall. We sat on long shared benches with other patrons. There were no alterations to any of the dishes. They were all cooked with all the traditional ingredients.The substantial meals came out fast.
Day 02
Deutsches Museum
19-Dec-2009
The museum has since undergone an extensive makeover and the first part of the reconstructed building was reopened in July 2022. We spent over four hours walking across multiple floors visiting the main sections of the museum. We all were able to find multiple items of interest. Musical instruments, very cool Foucault's Pendulum, motors and engines, historic aviation, model railway, electronics, photography and film. The list goes on and on. Of course, a few hours wasn't enough to fully appreciate the place but it was the beginning. On the way back to the old town we had a quick look at the building of Müllersches Volksbad, Munich's first public indoor swimming pool, which opened its doors back in 1901. Being cold and thirsty it was time to visit Schneider Bräuhaus, the inn with a long history of serving wheat beer. Back on Marienplatze we did some window shopping and took some compulsory photos around the Wild Boar statue and the old town fountain - Brunnen Buberl (covered in ice). We finished the day in Augustiner Bräu having a traditional German meal. And sharing the festive atmosphere with the supporters of Bayern Munich after their team won 5:2 against Hertha Berlin. The waitresses managed to carry multiple steins of beer. Fiona ordered a pancake which was served in the cast iron pan in which it was baked. It was huge and delicious.
Day 03
Around Munich
20-Dec-2009
Fiona decided to start the day with a new approach. Instead of freezing our asses off we jumped on a local tramway and took a long return trip along some of the more prominent Munich buildings. This way we saw the Old Government Building, Dresden Bank, Bernheimer Palace, Alte Börse München and Bürgersaalkirche in a short period. One of the last items on our to-do list was a visit to Theresienwiese, the largest fairground in Munich (overlooked by the bronze, 18-meter-high Bavaria statue) where Oktoberfest takes place every year. In December Gluhwein or Bavarian hot rum punch seems to be a more appropriate drink than a cold beer. The rest of the day and the evening we spent in the old town among thousands of other visitors enjoying the Christmas atmosphere, walking along endless stalls of the Christmas market, drinking Gluhwein and taking some last photos to remember this very pleasant visit. We were surprised to see people wearing horned masks and costumes of Krampusse, a beast like devil that accompanies St Nicolas to punish naughty children. Krampus stalk the Christmas market in Munich with a Krampus run traditionally taking place in early December. The following morning with extra weight in our luggage in the form of two big beer steins on our way to the airport we finally experienced a snowy European winter. What a way to say goodbye to Munich.
