In old Bavaria! - Munich 2015

It has been weeks now since I went on holiday to Munich; I probably should have wrote about it sooner, but better late than never as they say. I have my notes ready so here goes:

I went off with my boyfriend, Tom, as he has family living out in Hilgertshausen, a small town about 45 minutes’ drive from Munich - tiny shout out to them as a thank you for letting us stay with you guys!

One size fits all

After a late flight on the Tuesday, our week started in nearby Dachau for their Volksfest - which is basically a traditional German Beer Festival, and really reminded me of my IYP days and the Paderborn Liborifest. Similar events are held all over Bavaria, up until the giant Oktoberfest in October. As well as all that beer though, there were also food stalls and fairground rides - including the highest Swing Ride in the world (really nice and relaxing actually, that is if you don't mind heights). Our first stop though, was in the beer garden for a shandy, and half a chicken (as you do) before going on any rides - and Tom and I went on as many as we could. My personal favourite though was the Fun House as it was just barking mad. I really wish I had taken my camera with me inside, as there could have been some AMAZING photos! I bet it would be amazing to go on if you were drunk!

After coming back in the eventing, we had a dip and a play in the family paddling pool (which is bigger and deeper than what you'd expect at home - you could actually put your face underwater properly). And let me tell you, we needed that pool in the first couple of days - though it rained in the second half of the week, temperatures went up to 35 degrees in the first couple of days!! I was so glad of the cropped hareem pants I bought the week beforehand!

The centre of Munich

In fact, we went swimming quite a lot during the holiday in general, outside and in. Our second day started with a trip to Hersching, where there is a lake and a beach. Unlike the Bordeaux Plage du Lac however, this was not a man-made beach. So instead of lovely soft sand which cushioned your toes into the water, there were sharp pebbles which stabbed your feet and made you rejoice when you got to the part which was deep enough for you not be able to touch the bottom. Despite that though, it was lovely cool water that was perfect for a hot day, and as a start before heading into the centre of Munich itself.

Tom splashing in the fountain

Now, like I said, we were staying with Tom's family and so from visiting them every now and again, he's been here every once in a while, though this was my first time. He had been telling me that Munich was a really nice city and I agree with him. I kept getting asked, which was nicer in my opinion, Lyon/Bordeaux or Munich. But to be honest, I believe they each have their own beauty to them. I'm not going into France now, but Munich has more of a both gothic and homely sense about it - don't ask me what I mean by that, that's just my opinion. I would also say though that Munich has a wonderful bustle to it a night - there are buskers everywhere, really good ones too, and it is most pretty during the early evening.

Bratwurst und souerkraut

 Our Friday again focused on swimming, but Tom and I had to take an epic adventure to get to an outdoor pool. The pool was in a village called Ainhofen and it's not far away, so Tom and I decided to borrow some bikes and cycle there. The last time I had been on a bike was disastrous (cough, Keswick, cough), but this time, I thought the road was much nicer to bike on. The hills were gentler, and it helped that I had a proper road bike to boot. Though, Tom and I started to wonder, as we were cycling along the road, that this place was a bit further than we thought - we could have sworn we followed his aunt's directions... And then, we finally saw a sign for Ainhofen 4K away...... in the other direction...... We had cycled right through it and had gone a whole 4K too far; and so had to go 4K back again......! By the time we finally reached the pool, we were really hot and tired, but at the same time, felt really fit. I felt really proud that I managed to pedal almost all the way and not get off and push for half the time like last time!

Weeeeeeee!!!!!

So after biking 8K more than necessary, we finally got to the pool, ate some chips and ice cream, and had yet another good swim (and Tom was trying to teach me how to dive - I have somewhere forgotten how to do it, only how to belly-flop), before the much shorter cycle back. We actually got back just in time, as it then started pouring with rain and then turned into a thunderstorm!! Being stuck inside for the evening turned into the perfect time to introduce Tom's cousin to the original season of Pokémon (back when it was awesome!). And, in the end, we watched A LOT of Pokémon throughout the week.

Tom in his new hat -
"howdy ma'am!"

Like in a lot of countries, Saturday is Market Day, and so our next day started (along with a giant German breakfast – I forgot to mention, they're HUGE: bread, jam and meat galore!!!!!) with the market in nearby Jetzendorf. The streets were crammed in with both people and stalls every kind of possible good you could sell at a market: from food and clothes, to kitchen equipment, cleaning products and sewing equipment. I mean it, I hadn't seen that many zips in my whole life....

I didn't find anything for myself, other than a giant wedge of watermelon (om nom nom!!) which we all shared together afterwards while watching yet more Pokémon (I think we were on Season 2 by this time), though Tom found some new shorts, as well as this straw hat for only 10 euros - I think it looks good on him!

Englishergarten

From there, we went back into Munich, this time to hang out in the Englishergarten with Tom's family. It's a BIG garden, with lots of space to walk around it, and I would recommend three things if you go there, as well of course as taking a walk round the garden yourself.

Steering the paddle boat

One, go to the beer garden at the Chinese Tower and have some food there. You might see a typical Bavarian Brass Band playing there too. Secondly, you should go out on the lake in a paddle boat! They're really good fun, even in the rain (and you stay dry as they have little roofs on them), and they also happen to be really good exercise for your legs – all that paddling is hard work! Finally, you should find surfers on the river, fairly close by to one of the entrances! They go there due to the current in that particular part of the water, and it is a sight to see - though I wouldn't recommend having a go yourself unless you're really confident on strong waves - plus, it is also technically illegal, though the police don't actually do anything about it. As I said, it started raining while we were on the paddleboats, though it was bright for the rest of the day.

Kaiserschmarrn

The next day was a late start, and we didn't really do anything until the late afternoon. We did to start off with have an awesome treat for breakfast - KAISERSCHMARRN!! This is a German shredded pancake, which has a much thicker mixture than the pancakes we're used to, a lot more eggy too. It's usually served with apple sauce, cinnamon and icing sugar - and AMG they're gorgeous! I would love to have a go making it myself someday, though I've heard the recipe is harder than it looks.

In the afternoon, Tom and I decided to go into Munich by ourselves and do our cultural part of the trip and visit one of the museums. We originally were going to go to the Bavarian Film Studios, but that will have to wait till next time, as it didn't work out timing-wise. So instead, we decided to visit the Deutches Museum. Now this place reminded me of Manchester's very own Museum of Science and Industry. The only big difference is the size. The Deutches Museum is HUGE. There are many different sections to the museum such as the environment, space, engineering etc etc, and usually visitors come and visit a couple of sections at a time, depending on their interests and what's open.

Look at all the old violins!!!
They're so pretty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the one that drew my eye was a section on musical instruments. Well, seeing as I have been in orchestras etc for years, why not? It focused on both the history and the science of how all these instruments worked, and it really was a good exhibition. There was one particular window showing how string instruments have evolved, and as a violin player, how could I not be interested in that?! Plus, all the old violins looked so pretty and cute!!! I was in that part for a bit too long I think.

There were of course a couple of other parts of the museum that Tom and I had a look round in, particularly the boats; this before I forget, did include a small model of the ship Richard the Lionhart bounded on his crusade with! This made Tom happy no end =D

When we were done, I finally managed to get some nice postcards, as well as a present for my brother – a make-it-yourself model Imperial fighter from Star Wars – which he loves! We also had a bit of luck on our way back as we found an Italian gelataria down the street. I got to speak a tiny bit of Italian again to the waitress after she gave us our ice creams - blood orange, peach yoghurt and raspberry for me, I can't remember what Tom had other than Kinder Bueno....... I would love to go back to Italy someday......

The centre of Munich, taken near the Deutches Museum

Our final full day was back in the pool, this time an indoor pool in Pasing, right on the outskirts of Munich city centre. We spent it with Tom's family, and had fun on the slides, in the Jacuzzi, and the outdoor pool they had (which was saltwater..? That was a nasty surprise when I first went underwater). I hadn't been in a pool like that for a while, so it was nice to be a bit more relaxed and have a bit of fun in a pool rather than doing a lot of lengths. There was one moment on the slide as I wasn't going fast enough, the next person caught up with me and crashed into me! Luckily, Tom's aunt gave me a little tip to go faster - and it did work. I would say, but it's a secret =P

We took the rest of the time rather easy, making sure we had everything ready for the flight back to Blighty the next day. Though I have to give a final shout out to Tom's aunt. While we were watching Pokémon on our last night, she brought out some of her homemade fruit liquors for us to try!! And they were GORGEOUS!! I don't normally drink a lot of liquor, and that's probably why my favourite was the apple one, as it was so smooth, you didn't get the strength of it hitting you afterwards, and it just made your tummy feel very warm. That might not be the best thing though, as you could have drunk quite a bit of it pretty easily........

Munich, for the final note, you were really really good fun, and I hope to be back someday soon =D