Two Days in Munich

Day 1

We arrived in Munich. Although the flight was good, we were exhausted. None of us had slept much on the plane. 

After gathering our luggage we went to the train station adjacent to the airport. It took a while but we managed to find our way onto the correct train (thanks to the many helpful English-speaking German people).  Our train took us into the Munich City Centre where we quickly found our hotel. Once we checked-in our only priority was a much-needed nap, which we embraced wholeheartedly. 

The plan for the rest of the day was simply to walk around and get our bearings , have a good meal, settle in, and get a good night’s sleep. 

Day 2 - Munich

We spent the day exploring Munich's Old Town. There was so much to see and we couldn’t fit it all in but I think we managed to hit a lot of must-see spots, many of them Churches. 

St Michael’s Jesuit Church

We almost missed going inside this Church. We had taken photos of its exterior the previous night but decided to snap a few more as we walked by. When we saw others entering we followed suit and we were glad we did. I found this Church was very light and calming. While we were there, a rehearsal was taking place, and a choir was singing. It was beautiful.

Frauenkirche

This iconic church in the Old Town, is easy to find with its two towers soaring above the other rooftops. Inside it is also light and airy With its cathedral ceiling it feels light and airy. Entering the church is free but we chose to pay to climb one of the towers where we were rewarded with great views of the city centre and the Alps in the distance. 

Photo by Joshua Kettle on Unsplash

Heilig Geist

This is the third Church we went into while walking around Old Town. From the outside it is very understated and didn’t beacon us inside. Once inside, however, we were mesmerized. The paintings on the ceiling are absolutely stunning, and the hundreds of doves (hanging from the ceiling on a net) seem to be “flying” from the back of the church to the front. This Church, above the others we visited  was the one that touched us the most.

 

Marienplatz

I think my favourite part of the day would have to be spending time exploring Marienplatz. Marienplatz is the world-famous square that has been at the centre of the Bavarian capital since 1158. The building that dominates the square is the New City Hall which was built between 1841-1909 in a neo gothic style.  This ornate building is so large (almost 100 metres) it was very difficult to get the front side in one photo (thus, I had to search unsplash for a photo to use here.)

Photo by Dirk Gonçalves Martins on Unsplash

There's an inner courtyard to this building that is also fun to explore. It gave me Harry Potter vibes.

On the main tower of the New City Hall is a large Glockenspiel, which comes to life at 11 am, 12 pm, and 5pm daily. We made a point of seeing it twice while we were there.

Nymphenburg Palace

Nymphenburg Palace, an opulent baroque residence that was built in the 17th century as a summer retreat for the Bavarian royal family.  The palace features beautifully decorated rooms, impressive art collections, and picturesque grounds perfect for leisurely strolls. 

Our time visiting the Palace was limited since we were late arriving.  We only had 30 minutes to explore inside before it closed, and then took some time to enjoy the sprawling gardens.

English Gardens

The English Gardens is one of the largest inner-city parks in the world at 5.5 kms in length. We were only able to spend a little time here as we wanted to get to Nymphenburg Palace before closing.

surfers on the river running through the gardens

Our time was rushed in Munich went by way too quick and we had so much more we wanted to see.  I suppose that means we need to make it back again one day to finish off where we left off.