Day 8 – 10 : Munich (Wrap Up)

3 days in Munich City, with lots to see and do. 

Being here during the period of Oktoberfest, there are more tourists than usual in the city. 

Hostels were charging close to Euro 100 just for a bed in a 6 dorm room! 

It was a good thing I managed to find someone to host me during my stay.  Back to real backpackers life and no more hotel stays :(

Overall, I love Munich.  I personally feel it can be regarded as another romantic city like Paris, though Paris in my opinion felt to have more things to see and do.

On the last day of my stay in Munich, I was even invited by Terry to the Oktoberfest - On my 2nd night in Munich, I was craving for beef noodle soup and found a Vietnamese restaurant.  As the restaurant was full, Terry shared a table with me and we ended up chatting.  Terry is an American, who had lived in Germany for many years.

This year, he had reserved a table at one of the beer stands for the last weekend of the Oktoberfest, and had invited some friends to join him, and extended the invite to me.

Even though I had already been to the Oktoberfest with Frank, I wanted to experience the atmosphere the German way.  It was a short night for me, as I left after 1 drink, since I will be flying out to Mexico city that evening.

The experience at the beer tent was amazing though – Terry had a table on the upper floor, so I could see the hordes of crowd on the lower floor and in the whole tentage. 



The atmosphere was incredible and unbelievable.  You can see it for yourself here.

Other than that, key attractions within the city includes :

Marienplatz and Rathaus (City Hall) : A beautiful gothic building, admiring the architecture here is a must. 

There is also a clock tower, with clock work figures dancing and bells ringing several times a day.



Heilig Geist Church : Located next to Marienplatz, visiting this Church is a must. 

From the outside, it looked fairly ordinary, however walking in was what captured my attention with its Rococo design and paintings. 

It is even grander than Wieskirche in Fussen.



Residenz : I didn’t go into the museum, since I will be visiting some of the nearby palaces
. 
However there are a number of beautiful buildings around where Residenz is located.



English Garden : A huge garden located near the centre, and possibly big enough to almost rival New York Central Park. 

It’s a great park to visit when the weather is good and sit on the grass by the lakes and / or feed the ducks and swans around the area. 

There is also a beautiful river running through this garden, and you will spot surfers surfing on the waves generated at certain sections of the river. 

Watching what some of these surfers do is truly amazing on a small narrow river!


Hofgarten (Court Garden) : A garden located between the Residenz and the English Garden. 



Viktualien Market : A small bustling outdoor market located close to Marienplatz, one can find different vegetables, cheese, flowers, deco and a couple restaurants constantly filled with people. 

Great place to have a meal (which was what I did), while people watching.



Odeonsplatz : A square located between Lugwigstrasse Boulevard and the Historic city centre, the prominent buildings and monument surrounding this square, such as the Felherrnhalle (Field Marshal’s Hall), Munich Residenz and Theatine Church, makes it the key reason for visiting.



Munich River : A walk along the River Banks from where I stayed into the city centre was one of the best ways to also experience the city. 
You will see families and people bringing their kids out for a walk, and for those who are interested, there is also a nude beach on one of the river sections. 

It was mostly all old men when I was there, being all open about displaying their birthday suit. 

My friend in Munich made sure that I took a couple of photos before I could leave the spot! 


Konigplatz (King’s Square) : A square built in the 19th Century, and houses the Propylaen (a city gate), Glyptothek (a Museum) and Antikensammlungen (another Museum).



Siegestor : A 24m high triumphal arch, separating the Leopold Street from the district of Schwabing from Maxvorstadt.




Outside Munich City

Schloss Schleissheim (Tongue twister!) is located about 1 hour away from Munich city by metro, and was worth the trip. 



It’s a lot quieter as there are lesser tourists, likely because of the distance and also Oktoberfest, and so was more pleasant to relax here. 

The palace was a summer residence of the Bavarian rulers of the House of Wittelsbach.  There were some couples taking their wedding pictures here when I was there.



Schloss Nymphenburg : A baroque style castle built for the same Bavarian kings is huge! 



The attached park is about 200 hectares large and spans further than the eyes could see.

There’s even a man rowing a Venetian style boat on the river!



Olympic Park : The site of the 1972 Olympic Games, and currently primarily used for cultural events like rock concerts and festivals.  A nice park for a pleasure walk on a nice day.



BMW Showroom : This building is located next to the Olympic Park and is very interesting to visit, displaying the latest car models, as well as some really old classic ones. 

They also have a bike section in this showroom.