Read this in: German

“Munich, that’s like Hamburg, only worse.” It was always said in our country somewhere between Cuxhaven and Hamburg, where Fuchs and Has say good night. Why, I do not know exactly. But I can well imagine that this is such a cliché that spreads through the media, if you see German early evening series.

Know I know it better. After coming back from Munich for the first time and raving about this magical city, my husband was really scared that I would like to move to Munich. But what makes this incomparable charm of Munich? Is it the architecture, the people, the ambience? I take you on my journey through Munich and show you places that you certainly did not know yet. I found some good advices on the official Munich website.

In the Toshiba Teahouse

Not as expected

As I stroll through the streets of Munich in the evenings and in the morning, I’m surprised how normal and everyday the city looks to me. Of course, all the InstaStories and great pictures usually show only the hotspots of Munich with breathtaking architecture – but behind the city is also just like any other. But it does not matter, I come with the unexpected normality of the city. Only the Chinese Pavilion in the early morning disappointed me.

But let’s rewind the story a bit further back.

I was just leaving the Alps when I got a call: “Yes, I’m sorry, we’re overbooked, you have to be there by 3pm and check in, otherwise your room will be gone.” Reason enough for me, this hotel with such a lousy service no 60 euros per night in the throat to throw – until 15 o’clock I would have done it only shortly and with much haste.

Munich was the fourth and final stage of my travel marathon. First I visited a friend in Berlin and explored with her the coolest locations and the latest food trends in the capital. Then it went with some stress and an incident with an old lady in the U8, which overturned (and no one took care of, so this had to be my good deed of the day), by plane to Växjö and into the countryside of southern Sweden to my outdoor adventure. Then followed the most adventurous journey of my life – that would actually have earned its own blog post! After a flight that arrived completely late, a missed train and a nice person who hitchhiked me to the train station, a sprint to the train with 20 kilos of luggage and a bus ride that ended differently than expected, I took a photo workshop at the spa hotel “The Kranzbach” part.

And now I was in Munich. Actually, to see a friend I had contact over the World Wide Web, but whom I had not seen since school. But since her child was ill, the whole thing failed. Now I had an evening, a day and a morning in Munich, to explore the city for myself alone.

Two nights and two accomodations

The hotel problem solved me with my trump card: my husband. The worried me instead of the hotel with lousy service a hostel and a Airbnb. Of course, both no luxury palaces, but still in order. Near the Theresienwiese I visited my accommodation between cinema and Bürgerrestaurant. At the reception they visited cheese sandwiches. English was spoken, the lady from the front desk fell around my neck. “Oh, we were born on the same day, let’s push you, I’ll take you to your room.” Okay, not every hotel has such a service. The decor is austere and not worth a photo, but that’s okay for one night. After all the traveling one is also happy about a mattress.

Instead of the subway, which is surprisingly normal and reminds me of the stuffy subway stations in Berlin, I walk. I think you can not discover a city and get a feeling for it when you’re hiding in cars, buses or trains all the time. I mostly found my best travel tips for this blog because I just dropped out somewhere and explored the city.

A completely different world

The climate is really mild and almost summery, but some of the rain is in the air. I am very grateful that I took cardigan and jacket with me. Armed with the SLR, I think I’m going to photograph plenty of pomp and old buildings, but I’m strolling through these amazingly normal streets and most of them are not spruced up. Musicians play at Marienplatz. Here is the tourist density already higher, many are in celebratory mood and it prevails despite de many people a quiet and cheerful atmosphere.

While strolling through the shops for a while, I notice how many men’s clothing stores are there and how some of the gentleman’s worlds are dressed up. In Hamburg and in the north, most suits look quite similar. Sometimes with a tie, sometimes without and tight-fitting suits. Here in Munich almost every suit wearer has a playful charm. A silk scarf around the neck, a pocket handkerchief, sometimes eccentric socks or even suspenders in a contrasting color.

As it gets dark, I try architectural night photography to test out the lessons learned in the real world photography workshop. And actually I would like to have a coffee later in the evening, but in fact I can not find a coffee shop that would still be around at this time.

Sunrise at Englischer Garten

The next morning starts early, very early. In the morning I pack my things and sneak through the deserted hostel. I can store my luggage there until I check in. At 5:30 am I set off for the English Garden in the hope of finding a nice location for the sunrise. Once there, only the geese, who graze in the meadows, afford to join me.

Really nobody is there, only a few orphaned bicycles line my way. At a pond I get a few nice photos with water reflection, the Chinese Pavilion disappointed me a little as a photo opportunity. Munich already has a beautiful park in the heart of the city and as a warm spring day begins, I stroll through the streets of Munich and clarify by phone the details for the next big trip.

a relaxed atmosphere in the Teahouse

Relax in the Teahouse

Before the clock strikes 9, I have already made 10,000 steps. But the light is too bright for beautiful photos, so I stop at the Tushita Teehaus. The last days I had plenty of exercise and very healthy food, so I try a piece of vegan avocado-Schuko cake for breakfast. The amazing thing about Munich is that there are not certain neighborhoods. You stroll through a street, here a flower shop, as an Asia restaurant and opposite a blue building that looks like a school building, you suddenly find this charming tea house.

a delicious poke bowl at the Toshiba Teahouse

I stay until noon, as I was recommended a bowl – daily there are changing bowls of vegetables of the season. I’m lucky because today the Bowl is extremely Asian in taste. In addition to sushi rice and marinated tofu, there are also pickled shitake mushrooms on the bowl. This seems to be very popular. While I spent the morning almost alone, the shop is busy at lunchtime to the last seat.

a church at Munich’s campus

The secret Campus

Maybe that’s just my idea because I’m from Göttingen. There you go along streets and know immediately: Here are students at home. And in Oldenburg you are in the middle of a residential area just outside the city and suddenly there are the mighty buildings of the university. In Munich, this is also more subtle. Had I not known that I’m currently on a campus, I might not have noticed that either. The street looks like many other streets in Munich, only the density of hip restaurants and bookstores is significantly higher than elsewhere in the city. Chapeau, Munich – where in other cities loveless copy shops line the campus, you manage to look urban and chic.

Root Beet Latte at the Lost Weekend in Munich

Da ich noch eine Verabredung habe, gehe ich ins Lost Weekend – eine sehr coole Location in einer ehemaligen Buchhandlung, die so voll ist, dass ich es kaum vermag, ein vernünftiges Foto zu machen. Das WLAN ist eben gratis und sehr schnell und auch ich nutze die Zeit zum gerät laden und bloggen, mache es mir auf dem Podest auf einem Papphocker an einem Papptisch gemütlich und trinke meinen Rootbeet Latte. Ob der Barmann mir böse ist, wenn ich das Rezept zuhause mal nachbaue?

The relaxed city

Munich, these are for me personally less grand buildings. But that is a relaxed way of life, the complete elimination of hectic. And also the small details. Small stalls sell flowers, fruits and vegetables everywhere. Not these strawberries that we have in the flatlands at every station and supermarket, no, real stalls like the weekly market. On the signs is not just “tulips” of the “raspberries”, no, they are “beautiful tulips” and “sweet raspberries”. Everywhere in the city center of Munich there is plenty of seating and you can not only settle there yourself, you can also wonderfully observe other people, read and enjoy the sun. Of these, other cities in the north can really cut a slice.

Cat cafe with an event of the unpleasant kind

As I have visited numerous cat cafés in Northern Germany, I naturally do not miss the chance to take a look at the local cat cafe in Munich, which is very close to the campus. Unfortunately, I have to disappoint you. I do not have any photos of the cats for you, because for the first time I had to have a really negative experience. The place itself has nothing to do with it – a cat cafe has strict rules that can also be found in the menu.

Of course, sometimes parents are with their children in this place and such a child that is 3 or 4 years old, then makes a move or is too crude. The stressed cats were not overwhelmed by children, but by a group of adults. Apparently, tourists had lost their way to this place, which classified this cafe as a curiosity Munich. That the two gentlemen of the group were not so much the cat fans, they announced loudly, so probably every cat within 500 meters them approached under any circumstances. “I’m not the cat fanatic, my dad always shot them.”, The older man hooted loudly. I do not want to offend these four people, but the story ended so much that the two ladies complained heavily to the staff that they wanted to pet cats and a cat had scratched one of the ladies.

Well, if she had wanted to hunt me all the way through the store and take her arm (which is forbidden), I would have scratched her as well. At least. I sat at my Matcha Latte and my Bavarian breakfast, unfortunately without Pretzel and could not believe how immature and irreverent this group behaved towards the animals and again echauffierte that everything in the cafe was vegan and the waitress friendly, but desperately trying to explain that behind the concept of this café also the idea of animal welfare plays a role.

I have already seen some cat cafés, but such an immature behavior? Well, I do not think it’s Munich. And there were anyway tourists who were visiting Munich.

The last gentlemen

A personal experience that I did in Munich still does not let me go. As a North German I have everywhere, but especially in Hamburg and in Bremen at the station made the experience that there are hardly any gentlemen. You do not have to carry the suitcase, I am strong enough, but it would be enough for me if you would let the other passengers get off the train first and not shove other women and children half aside. In the north, it’s just a bit gruff. But I’m also not shy and let fall a few clear words, if – regardless of gender – are such a few Raudis at the start.

In Munich, however, I not only experienced a nicer coexistence in public transport, but also a really a veritable rush of nice gentlemen who carried my suitcase across the station, holding the door for me. One of them even carried my suitcase up the stairs to the Airbnb. Not the host, but a complete stranger! I was really baffled.

Jazz concert at the station

Well, my time in Munich came to an end and even for the station I have a few good words left. Despite the first meeting, I have the top station of Munich with his really many, many tracks very nice. I think it’s great that there is a sofa corner for travelers with a piano that anyone can play on. It’s a little bit like Amsterdam in Central Station, but even more comfortable, since you have sofas to sit on. If you can play the piano, you can contribute something to the musical entertainment and I was lucky. A student punched the keys and was really good at what he did.

My conclusion to Munich

If you’re away for two weeks, it hurts to experience all these great things without your husband. I think it’s not just me. So any journey without him is a bit ambivalent. It would be my wish and privilege to be able to take him with me someday. He instablog recently on Instagram on the subject of minimalism and special education, but it is just not the same topic as traveling.

That’s why it would actually be desirable that I return to this city with my husband, preferably in good weather. I always did not think anything about people telling me: “Visit Munich in good weather, but do not go to Oktoberfest.” But that’s exactly what I would recommend to any of you.