Munich, Germany

Coming back from Iceland we flew into Munich and then while the rest of the group took a bus + train ride back to Lugano, I decided to stay in Munich for the weekend and meet up with my adopted aunt! It was one of the best decisions I have made all semester! I was exhausted from academic travel, but I was not ready to go back to Lugano and face my mountain of research papers, so it was really great to put that all out of my mind and just be with family for a few days! 

this whole main square looked like a disney movie set. so pretty! 

Basically this (^^) was me every meal.. My Munich diet mainly consisted of: soft pretzels, sausages, apple schorle (like sparkling apple juice), and sauerkraut. Breakfast, lunch and dinner! I loved it! [Plus a really yummy thai food dinner one night] The picture above is from a biergarten, but we also ate dinner one night at the famous Hofbräuhaus where bavarian beer originated. 

oh and this (^^) was one of the more unexpected sights of our trip! My aunt had seen a youtube video of it, but all we knew was that it was in the English Gardens (which are the Munich equivalent of Central Park) a very large area! Eventually, after walking for 40min, we found it! It basically is an area of the river that surges over these cement posts, forming a very strong current and a consistently surfable wave (like a wave rider, if you've ever been on one of those) it is pretty dangerous, so advanced surfers only. But it was mesmerizing to watch, I think we stood there for at least a half hour. 

T H E   R E S I D E N Z 

The former home of Bavarian royalty, now the Residenz is a giant museum! We were there for hours, but it was such a cool place that I didn't mind. I especially loved this fountain because I had never seen anything like it before, it is entirely made out of shells. So cool! 

Julius Cesar or He-who-must-not-be-named? you decide.

This staircase leads to my favorite part of the museum, which I unfortunately don't have a photo of. Basically there was a large chapel attached to the Residenz, but it was completely destroyed in the second world war. Instead of trying to recreate it, they decided to make it a very open, light and modern space that now hosts orchestral concerts. I love looking at the old baroque architecture, but I am a total sucker for clean, minimalist, industrial design. 

M A R I E N P L A T Z 

This central square in Munich was so pretty and always teeming with people bustling about their business. It was enroute to our hotel, so we tended to walk by it multiple times a day. A highlight was when the Glockenspiel at the New City Hall (below) turned on and I watched the little figures dance and joust. 

This trip will always be remembered for the shoes! I almost never go shopping while I am in europe, just because I'd rather spend the money on traveling, but due to an unfortunate series of events I only had 1 pair of closed toed shoes that weren't hiking boots.. So I decided I needed one more to get me through the last 6 weeks of school! And somehow I ended up taking home 3 pairs of shoes! I swear there were shoes shops on every corner, I have never seen so many options! Thanks to my aunt Anna for enabling my brief shoe shopping addiction! 

Not to mention how much this city enabled my love giant soft pretzels. 

#deutschlandisthebestland

xx