Heading to Munich

Training to Munich

After a restful evening, The Sister and I head over to the Parental Minion’s hotel to pick them up! Unfortunately, we will be leaving Berlin today and heading to Munich! However, before heading to the train station, we stop off for a bit of breakfast at Steinecke. It’s like a chain coffee/sandwich shop and since it’s a bit cloudy outside,  we opt for the split pea soup which is delicious!

From there we make our way to Berlin’s train station and before we know it our train pulls up to our platform. It’s a multi hour trip from Berlin to Munich but its something the whole family wanted to do instead of flying. Papa Minion and I have always enjoyed train rides and getting to do so in Germany is a treat! Train travel in Europe is very efficient and comfortable. After settling into our seats, we all start to pass the time in our own ways. The Sister and I start listening to podcasts while the Parents are on their phones or do a bit of reading. Occasionally, we’ll look outside to enjoy the passing German countryside. 

Halfway through the trip the Sister and I head down to the cafeteria car to avail ourselves of some train food. I get to channel my inner “man in seat 61” (IYKYK) a little with an Erdinger beer and curry fries. 

Munich

Before Long we arrive in Munich and head to our hotel to check in. Once we settle for a little bit we head out into the evening to explore our surroundings a little. Our hotel is within walking distance to the old town, so we decide to take a stroll and take in the neighbourhood.

Agustiner Stammhaus

One of the things that Papa Minion has on his bucket list for Germany is to visit a German Beer Hall. Thankfully Munich has many of these and for dinner we head to Agustiner Stammhaus. After walking around a little we head here for dinner. Agustiner is one of Munich’s oldest breweries and this restaurant is set in its original building. 

Obviously, we would need to order some beverages with our meal so the whole Minion family orders a variety of beers to quench our thirst. On the menu is a variety of their beers in different shapes and sizes. Of interest is the 1 litre beer mug which I felt compelled to order. We all enjoy our drinks a fair bit and personally I think the novelty of the big glass is pretty fun!

Following our drinks comes the food orders. It’s a variety of pork dishes with gravy and side dishes. I think the first few bites are very good, but the general consensus is that it starts to get a bit heavy so near the end we are all struggling to finish our dishes! Overall it’s a great experience, but maybe the advice I’d give is to share a few dishes. Add the beer and it starts to add up.

Breakfast

One of the things that Mama Minion enjoyed a lot in Vienna is the hotel breakfast. So when the option to have breakfast is offered here in Munich, we opt for it. So in the morning we all head down to the breakfast area and start the day together loading up on some great breakfast foods.

Marienplatz

With full bellies, we once again head into Munich’s old town. We didn’t have a lot of time in the evening the night before to fully explore the old town, so this will be our first daytime visit. I really like this walking street concept that seems to be apparent in many European cities. It creates an enclosed feeling away from traffic and traffic noise.

Our first stop is Marienplatz, which is home to the famous Glockenspiel. The Glockenspiel is a large mechanical clock that at certain times in the day will have moving figures that re-enact scenes from Munich’s history. We get there at around noon just in time to watch the show. Personally, I’d like to think that the show is spectacular. But after the first few minutes of watching the mechanical figures rotating through the scene, it starts to feel repetitive. Maybe I’m not able to appreciate it but with the parts of the crowd thinning I might not be alone. Soon our family enter into the City hall building and find that the architecture elements of the building are a bit more fascinating.

Frauenkirche

The other major landmark within the Old Town of Munich is the Frauenkirche. This is a large gothic church with two large towers that are prominent in the skyline. It’s an expansive church and is fairly grand inside as well. What makes this visit a little more significant is that the current serving pope passed away while we are travelling. So there is a memorial to the pope at the pulpit which adds a bit of poignancy to the visit.  

The other interesting thing about this church is the presence of the “Devil’s Footprint“. Legend has it that when trying to build the church, the builder didn’t have enough funds. So he made deal with the devil on the condition that the church would worship darkness and there would be no windows. So when the church is completed and the builder shows the devil, it looks correct. However, the builder hid the windows behind the large pillars, and when the devil discovered this, he stamped very hard on the ground leaving his foot print. I doubt the story is true, but it’s a unique element to this church nonetheless!

Viktualienmarkt

From the church we head to Viktualienmarkt, which is a farmers market in the Old town. There is a lot of variety at the market. Anything from fresh fruits and vegetables to a large collection of  vendors that are selling a lot of different tasty treats. There’s also a beer garden in the middle of the market where tourists and locals can enjoy the beautiful weather with some tasty drinks and food. 

Speaking of food, Mama Minion and I are fascinated by the sight of people walking around with just a pickle in their hand. We find a vendor that is selling large pickles made for snacking and we get one to try! If you like pickles this is an awesome summer treat. It’s oddly refreshing in a savoury way and I’m sold on this pickle snack idea! 

Vinzenzmurr

On our way out of the market we pass by several butchers that have these pork sandwiches on offer. Since they look very appealing and aren’t overly pricey we stop off at Vinzenzmurr and we order a variety of “meat in buns” to try! For an afternoon snack it really hits the spot! If only we had something like this at home!

Cards with the Family

After walking the old town for a bit more, we head back to our hotel to rest in the afternoon. As evening comes, we start talking about dinner options. I think given the days events the consensus is we’d like to stay in and spend some time as a family playing card games. So the sister and I head out into the city to pick up a few take out items. Papa Minion has a preference for KFC while Mama Minion wants a salad. The Sister and I had spotted a unique restaurant called Lezizel serving Turkish Manti, which are little dumplings. We’re fascinated so we pick up two bowls and bring it all back to the hotel.  We spend the rest of the evening playing cards and enjoy some family time. 

Tomorrow we will be heading to English Garden so stay tuned!