*It was the summer before my senior year of college and I was about to be studying abroad on a ship for an entire semester. I was expected to be in Hamburg, Germany by September 9th, for disembarkment. So I decided, why not make a little pre-trip out of it and see where the cheapest flights would take me? It turned out, the best option was to fly from Newark to Ireland first and then buy a separate airline ticket from Ireland to Germany. In Germany, I would end up taking a 2 week road trip around the country.*

On the morning of September 9, 2018 I woke up and sprung into action. I was running late for my early flight to Munich, after spending two wonderful days in Dublin, Ireland. I gathered my belongings and took the first bus to the airport. I found the cheapest ticket I could possibly find on Ryanair… probably my first mistake. 

A little preface for this blog post: I am always very hesitant about talking badly about airlines because as I write this in 2023, I am a current flight attendant and know how unpredictable the industry can be. I AM HERE TO INFORM OTHERS OF MY PERSONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES. I do not say this lightly, but if I ever have to fly Ryanair again, please know it will have been my last choice. Looking back now, how I was treated as a 21 year old college student, was inexcusable. Long story short, I was charged hundreds of dollars for a mistake the airline made (I was obviously not in the airline industry yet, so I had no clue how things were supposed to work). My point here is, if you can spend a few extra dollars to fly another airline, do so. This is only obviously my perspective from over 4 years ago- I’m sure others have had wonderful experiences and things have hopefully improved.

DAY 1:

I finally made it to Munich a little stressed out, with all of my luggage for the next 3.5 months. I picked up my tiny red rental car and loaded in all of my belongings, making my way to a park and ride just outside of the city center. I do think it’s important to note that I would be couchsurfing on a strangers couch (couchsurfing is a free website where you can message hosts and stay on their couch for free- a little risky if you’d ask me now). Nonetheless, 21 year old Olivia would have done anything to be able to afford traveling. My host was a middle-aged German man who liked to partake in chain smoking cigarettes in his room… Did I mention I have asthma? However, he was kind and had good intentions; I was grateful he let me stay the night for free. Couchsurfing is a great way to meet people and is much safer if you’re traveling with others- this actually wasn’t my first time and I was lucky to have all 3 experiences be safe and mostly pleasant.

I was able to take a shower and a little nap before making my way to the English Gardens, which was one of my favorite places during my 2 days in Munich. The main reason I wanted to go was to watch the river surfers; in a section of the huge park there is a river with waves, created from the tiny waterfall, where people gather around and take turns surfing on… literally so cool. 

It seemed like half the city was out spending time with friends. It was a beautiful summer day to just wander around the park, checking out the sites.. Aka the German men (jk… maybe). I bought myself some gelato at a tiny stand and strolled over to the Chinese tower beer garden (chinesischer turum), also located in the center of the park. This is where I got to feel like a true local eating currywurst and drinking a radler beer (apparently lemonade mixed with beer). I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy every single second of it. I love current German culture and to this day, it is one of my favorite cities I’ve gotten to travel to. 

When I was finished, I walked about a mile through the Hofgarten to the Residenz. It was surprising to me how walkable a city Munich is… and how much I actually enjoyed those walks. Every building was historic and I wanted to take pictures of it all. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to go into the Residenz as I have seen pictures and the Renaissance/Baroque era style is stunning. The Residenz is known as “the largest palace in any German city. It used to be the royal palace of monarchs of Bavaria”. 

Other notable buildings/structures I got to pass were both the huge yellow baroque style church called the Theatine Church of St. Cajetan, you can’t miss it because it stands out from every other structure in the near vicinity. Feldherrnhalle (Field Marshals’ Hall), which holds significant pieces of Germany’s history- some good and some very bad. The best resource I could find to explain its history is linked here. My last stop on my back to my couchsurfing host’s apartment was the Propylaea monument/gate, which was really pretty lit up at night. 

DAY 2: 

DAY 2:

I had a delayed start on my second day in Munich, but somehow I made it right in time for the thing I was most excited for: the Glockenspiel clock show. Every day at 11am in the Marienplatz (the city square), there is a 10-12 minute show on the New Town Hall Rathaus-Glockenspiel clock. “The clock consists of 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures and comes to life daily in the 260 foot tower, reenacting two scenes from Munich’s history.” All of the little bells dinging and characters moving is truly a sight to see. 

Once the show was over, I walked around the corner and visited St. Peter’s Church; I remember being amazed by the intricate details and how peaceful it was compared to the town square I had just come from. I took a few moments to admire the inside, then I headed outside where I paid a small fee to climb the church tower. From the top I could see the entire Marienplatz, including the Old Town Hall (see the third picture below: the little white building on the street corner in the left of the picture).

By this point I was starving, so I stumbled upon the most amazing cake shop called Cafe Piemonte, where I bought a slice of cake the size of my head. 12/10 recommend going here. It’s not a place I found on any travel blog or website, but I’m sure glad I got to discover it on my own. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking to locals at the Viktualienmarkt (Victuals Market). I met a local woman named Ingred who told me all about her adventures around Scotland. She reminded me how rare it is to have such a free spirit and to have the opportunity to travel is such a profound thing. I started to learn that one of my favorite things about traveling is not just seeing everything, but getting to meet people that live in those places. I wish I could have bought more from the market, but it was time to jump in my rental car and make my way to the beginning of my Romantic Road journey.