Munich is a city of church bells. You can hear them every hour, ringing from every direction, their different tones blending harmoniously with each other.
And if you’re there on trash day, you can also hear the early morning clanking of thousands of beer bottles being dumped into trucks. This of course pairs nicely with the drunk tourists reveling in the streets, pretending they can keep up with the Germans who were weaned on hops.
We were lucky enough to experience all the sounds of Munich on our recent trip. We stayed at Am Markt hotel, which had some quirky aspects…a super tiny elevator, a room that looked like a convent with three single beds, a shower that took 5min for water to get hot. We also had a nice surprise the first night when Eric woke up to a noise that sounded like someone was pulling on our door trying to get in…realized it was the wind coming through our open window rattling the door. Eric’s solution? Prop a chair against it.
Quirks withstanding, the hotel was at the heart of old town and right next to the Viktualmarkt. Eric & I have been to some wonderful markets (Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal and Seattle’s Pike Place come to mind), but THIS was a chef’s paradise! The cheese selection alone was worth crossing an ocean for. I do believe Eric began salivating when we got to the mushroom vendor, which had an endless supply of chanterelles & ‘shrooms we’ve never seen before. Lunch at the market was a great way to save money & sample different cuisines. We opted for a shawarma plate at Sababa’s food stall & were thoroughly delighted by the huge portions of fresh Mediterranean food.
The market can get very busy & can be intimidating for newbies. If you go, it’s helpful to know that food stalls with tablecloths mean a server will bring your food to you. No tablecloth means you pick up the food then find your own table (if you’re lucky). And don’t forget to return your dishes inside…no plastic disposables here.
I didn’t expect to love Munich architecture as much as I did, knowing that much of the city had been bombed heavily during World War II. But it was beautiful & I strained my neck trying to look up & down & all around, afraid to miss any detail. I fell in love with door handles & windows & horrific gargoyles. Tiny passageways were the best, with cozy cafes tucked away from the crowds & an ambience that made me feel like Diagon Alley could be just around the corner. Asamhof was one of those special passages, with the wonderful Portuguese Cafe Bricelta. We also loved Pfisterstrasse and Platzl because it had a hidden courtyard with the best Starbucks location I’ve ever seen.
Note: I did not partake of this perfectly situated Starbucks because Eric & I have a pact when we travel to never eat at a chain establishment that’s available at home. Otherwise, I could have happily whiled away a few hours in that Starbucks.
Shopping was truly a delight in Munich, even if we were just window shopping. The stores were in beautiful old buildings & some of the businesses were centuries old. Our favorite was Kustermann, a 200 year old specialty home goods store that had every imaginable appliance on display. I didn’t realize there were so many espresso machines & I LOVED being able to try out the new Dyson supersonic hair dryer. I felt like country mouse visiting the city.
On our second day in Munich, we took advantage of fewer crowds on Sunday & walked most of old town (Alstadt) & almost half of the English Garden (Englischer Garten). I really shouldn’t have been walking that day since the arthritis in my knee was in full flare up, but the Munich Marathon was happening that day & it inspired me to push through the pain. We walked 5 hours, only stopping for a brief pastry & coffee break at Cafe Arzmiller.
Munich’s English Garden is one of the largest city parks in the world — larger than New York’s Central Park & London’s Hyde Park! Paths throughout this park total approximately 48 miles. Its unique claim to fame is that the public can surf in the river.
