Roaming Newton: Chapter 11
I was sitting in Johannesburg not knowing what to do, Swaziland had gotten my pulse racing for something bigger (I blame those crocodiles). I needed a city with some history but a modern day environment that would not only keep me riveted but at the same time happy. I looked around and Europe had a big bright smile glaring at me and inside of Europe with a flashing light was Munich!
Ahh Munich…I could see it now, the castles, the cars, the Bavarian culture and of course the beer. What else can one ask for, well maybe a change of luck with the person sitting next to me on the plane that is. Again I get the bad breath Jabba the Hutt lookalike who seems to find my seat just as comfortable as his. My battle with the Jabba’s of the world has been an ongoing one which I feel will never end unless I become a Jedi!
I land in Munich and pushing my baggage through customs I find out that Munich is not actually Munich but rather München as it is locally known in Germany. My German is bad well nonexistent rather, so I start to find my way to Munich central, first by train and then I have myself booked into a hotel which I couldn’t find by foot and I end up taking a cab. Turns out the cab driver spoke very little English, so it made for a longer journey than expected as he got his English mixed up with his German and I got my German mixed up with my English…what a mishmash.
On arrival at my hotel I settled into my room, knowing that tomorrow I would start tackling Munich with the enthusiasm of one of those Swaziland Crocodiles I just encountered. However in the meantime Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was on TV both in German and English, I only found the English version half an hour into the movie and then switched back to the German version which was a lot more fun. Harrison Ford dubbed in German now that’s awesome.
I wake up after having dreamt of being in a Jungle speaking German whilst brandishing a wild whip! Thank you Steven Spielberg, you truly are the man! Anyways after readjusting and understanding that I am now in Germany and not in Swaziland nor a Jungle, I decided to venture through Germany…Munich style. This is what I found!
1. Munich is situated in Bavaria (a kingdom that makes up Germany) which leads to Castles! Yes Castles, the last king of Bavaria was one King Ludwig, who built castles everywhere, he ended up bankrupting the Bavarian Empire because he built so many castles, however there is still debate about this fact…so who knows! The most famous, Neuschwanstein, I found was in a place just outside of Munich called Schwangau near Füssen (Fuessen). It was a magnificent building and surprisingly popular with many Japanese tourists!
Wikipedia has more!
2. The BMW World (Welt) and the BMW Museum. I am not one for cars, but after you go here you want to either own, work for or just drive a BMW. It was an epic adventure, from the latest models to the origins of the brand. It is hands down the best advertising campaign I have ever seen. A must visit!
You can find out more about the BMW World and the BMW Museum on the respective official websites:
http://www.bmw-welt.com
3. Then the Munich U-Bahn (underground train) is probably not just a quick mode of transport but after going on the BMW adventure a must because you will probably be in need of some fast paced action. These underground trains go super fast!
Check out the list of Munich U-Bahn stations on Wikipedia.
4. After racing around on the U-Bahn one should build up an appetite, try Café Aran http://www.aran.coop, they have a cool sandwich mix that allows you to pick and choose various spreads on healthy bread. Yes healthy living in style.
5. Still hungry, why not try Prinz Myshkin a vegetarian restaurant that is wicked, kind of the anti tree hugger vegetarian restaurant! www.prinzmyshkin.com
6. Now for the brave at heart and well the really confident, one should visit the Therme Erding just outside of Munich, it’s like Disney land for naked people! It has the longest water slide in Europe as well! http://www.therme-erding.de
7. Then for those academics the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich is a place full of history and knowledge! http://www.uni-muenchen.de
8. Finally leaving the city of Munich itself I took a casual trip to the Lake Tegernsee, awesome with a touch of spectacular along with a stunning view of the Alps to boot it’s a must visit. Found myself staying in a very cool family run Hotel called Gästehaus Margarete. Very cool and pleasant that is just a hop, skip and a very cold dive from Lake Tegernsee.
Find out more about Lake Tegernsee and Gästehaus Margarete on the following:
Gästehaus Margarete official website:
http://www.gaestehaus-margarete.de
As always my trips are timed perfectly so as I look into the beautiful sunset whilst sipping my beer, I begin to think of the fast cars, beautiful mountains and somewhat haunting history of the university. I start to see myself as a more cultured traveler and that Munich has helped enhanced my understanding of not just Germany but Europe as well, as I blissfully drift away in my thoughts, the slow drumming of the reckless begins to creep up on me…did someone say Oktoberfest! Until next time…Prost.
