A Love-Cake Travel Affair

Munich was probably my favorite city from this trip! Filled with scrumptious food, beautiful sights and an amazing culture, it was definitely unforgettable. 

This Olympiapark was constructed for the 1972 Olympics held in Munich. It was a very interesting design and reminded me of a piece of canvas being pulled up by strings in random areas. Even though it’s been many years after the Games, the park is still used for a variety of events.

Although I remember very little about living here in Munich twenty years ago, revisiting the places I’d seen so many times in old photos was an unbelievable experience. Back in the day, my family lived in an apartment not far from Olympiapark. After dinner, we would often go for walks through the park. Although really, my parents tell me that they were the ones walking and I rode a tricycle with a rope attached to the handlebars so they could drag me along when I got tired of pedaling…

The weather was very warm (once again in the upper 80’s), and since I’d packed in preparation for Bath, my wardrobe was seriously lacking in the summer department ): I definitely saw the sun bathing phenomenon again here in Munich though. There were quite a few Germans wearing swimsuits while sprawled out on the lawn with a book in hand. These Europeans sure know how to enjoy life!

The BMW headquarters were very close by. For all you car fanatics out there, this place would be a blast. Apparently, I’m nowhere near an expert on cars because it took me awhile to figure out the building design was supposed to be the 4 cylinders of an engine. 

Sooo many people drive BMWs or Mercedes-Benz cars here so of course, I couldn’t resist taking a photo with my future car. 

Munich never ceases to amaze me. Not only does the city have modernized buildings, but it also has beautiful historical structures. The Nymphenburg Palace below was the summer residence for the rulers of Bavaria. It was very much like a smaller version of the Palaces I visited in Vienna and Paris. 

After a walk through the gardens, our family friends treated us to a cafe behind the Nymphenburg Palace for dessert and coffee. This himbeerkuchen (raspberry cake) was delicious! Tart raspberries served on top of a light and creamy cake was a perfect combination and also not too sweet (: 

The pharmacy dork side of me got excited when I discovered this building. Apparently, the headquarters for Bristol-Myers Squibb Germany is located in Munich. This city is pretty cool!

We walked to the city center, and the number of people milling about seemed to increase exponentially when we entered Marienplatz, the heart of Munich. Not to blame them though since this city square is lovely. My dad was really excited to be back again!

There are quite a few churches in Munich’s city center - each beautifully ornate. I felt like everywhere I turned, I could see a church’s steeples. 

This building below is Munich’s Town Hall, which is located in the center of Marienplatz. The coolest part about this town hall is the Rathaus-Glockenspiel on the clock tower. Every day, it chimes at 11 am, 12 pm and 5 pm, and the little figures re-enact two different stories. Unfortunately, we got there after 5 so I didn’t get to see the actual apparatus work ): 

Some festival was going on in front of the City Hall so naturally, everyone was gathering around and drinking beers together.

Out of all the cities I’ve visited in Europe, Munich seems like the one I’d most want to live in the future. In fact in 2010, it was rated as the most livable city. Now if only I could learn to like sausages & master the German language…

Random Observations of the Day:

- Spargel (white asparagus) is incredibly popular here! Germans are obsessed with this colorless and bland vegetable which is only sold in the market for a couple of months so everybody gets super excited about it. I just happened to visit during asparagus season and witnessed this “edible ivory” featured in many restaurant menus and markets. Apparently, it’s difficult to prepare but I didn’t get a chance to try it. 

- For those of you misled by the American fast food chain into thinking Wienerschnitzel means hot dog, then I’m sorry to say you’re missing out on something very tasty. Wiener schnitzel (Viennese schnitzel) is an Austrian breaded cutlet dish made traditionally with veal but can be with other meats as well. Our friends in Germany treated us to dinner at a restaurant below the city hall, and it’s not the best picture but I just had to show you my chicken schnitzel served with a potato salad and cranberry dressing. Super filling & delicious! I made the mistake of comparing it to a gourmet chicken nugget, much to the consternation of my German companions…

- The department stores here remind me of Asia. Unlike department stores in the U.S. which mostly sell apparel, jewelry and cosmetics, these department stores have many floors with each floor specializing in selling a variety of things from stationery items to clothing. So you can pretty much buy everything you want in one store. 

- Orchids are super cheap (found on sale for only 5 euros!) here and seem to grow very well in Germany. Our family friend had many pots of orchids near the balcony, and all were blooming beautifully. It made me feel sad for my lonely orchid that died of heat stroke in Austin ):

- Most of the girls here in Europe wear ballet flats everywhere. Very fashionable of course but questionable regarding comfort. While the streets here in Munich are not nearly as bad as some of the cobblestoned streets of Paris, walking everywhere is no easy feat when all you have is a thin piece of rubber between your foot and the concrete. Maybe European girls are just tougher or they’ve never heard of Dr. Scholls…