Exploring Munich

We returned to our Art Hotel in Munich after finishing the BMW Museum tour at around 13:15. We quickly found the hotel but could not get hotel parking – because we did not pre-book it beforehand!

We found another garage nearby and dropped off our car there, but it was time-consuming and complicated.

After we checked into the hotel, we parked our car. At first, we parked at the wrong garage, and after realizing it, we re-parked at the correct garage. The suitable garage charges a much lower rate to hotel guests. The parking garage is deep underground with very narrow car spaces. Parking in the parking garage is quite tricky.

After finishing parking, we decided to stop at the nearby Ca’D’Oro Pizza Ristorante to order quick slices of pizza. The pizza was surprisingly delicious, and Alex ate two slices!

After our mini-lunch, we walked to Munich’s City Center, about 20 minutes away. We took photos of Karlsplatz, New Town Hall, and Marienhof there. We rode the elevator to the top of the New City Center to get a better view of the city.

At 17:00, the New Town Hall’s clock plays a mechanical jousting and wedding scene, so we waited around (with other tourists) to observe this mechanical wonder. It was pretty impressive.

Most of the city was destroyed during World War 2, so most buildings were recently rebuilt. There were not too many tall buildings in the vicinity.

As I looked at the guide to Munich, there were a couple of other items to explore, including the Synagogue and a church. The Synagogue is a square-looking building with a nearby museum with questions posted.

On the way there, we ran into Eataly Munchen – one of Alex’s favorite pizza and gelato restaurants, so we had to stop over for a taste of gelato. Alex really enjoyed it! Eataly has lots of shops inside, including a Bianchi bike store. I was surprised to see this in a restaurant.

After eating gelato, we decided to continue to the Synagogue and church, and then we decided to see the 5,000-seat Haufbrau pub.

Since eating and drinking at the Hausbrau is such a special occasion, we sat on one of the benches and observed the spectacle. There was lots of “oomph-pah-pah” music and giant jugs of beer.

Initially, I waived to a waitress selling giant pretzels and got us a pretzel to eat. Eventually, a waiter stopped by, and we ordered food and beer. Inna and I chose the 1-liter mug filled with a beer/lemonade mix and other food items.

We watched waiters carry 6-7 liters of beer, dropping and cracking some jugs on the floor. Everyone was very amused by the spectacle of it all. After dinner, we explored the building further, marveling at its size. It could seat 5,000 guests, and with 4-5 floors, it was busy! There was live entertainment on every floor!

Alex tried our beer/lemonade combo and really liked it.

Friday, July 14

In the morning, we had our usual breakfast at our Art Hotel. The small cafeteria was rather busy, and we sat at the last available table.

I selected some cereal and pastries with a machine-made cappuccino.

After breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and packed our belongings for temporary storage.

We took the Munich subway to see the “Residenz” of Bavarian Kings. We initially had a difficult time finding the correct entrance. Google Maps showed one location – but it turned out to be incorrect. After asking multiple people, we finally located it near the Opera house.

We decided to do both the residence and the treasury. The residence reminded me of the French Louvre style – everything was gold-leafed with a magnificent baroque design.

The treasury had many extravagant items meant for kings (crowns, scepters, swords). We were impressed by the wealth of Bavarian kings.

After a few hours exploring the “Residenz,” we decided to eat at Eataly - Alex’s favorite restaurant for pizza and gelato. We discovered Eataly by chance in New York City and enjoyed pizza, gelato, and pastries there. 

The Munich version was also fantastic, and we enjoyed our first pizza, followed by pastries and gelato.

Being a bit tired, we returned to our Art Hotel (we thought about doing other things but did not).

We rested a bit, and then, at around 17:00, I went to the garage to pick up my car. Then we loaded up and headed to the Munich Airport. There was a lot of traffic, and driving in Munich was stressful due to all the pedestrians, bicycles, scooters, and aggressive car drivers. After 40 minutes, we made it to the airport (first, I stopped to get gas) and then dropped off our car at the “Rental Return” at Munich airport.

We decided to get dinner at the airport, and I ordered Wiener schnitzel and a nice German beer while Inna had paella (not very good).

Our EZ Jet flight was delayed by 25 minutes, so we departed at 21:50, landing at London’s Lutton airport at 23:00 local time. From there, I ordered UberX, and we were quickly picked up in an Audi A4 and taken to our hotel room at Premiere Inn at County Hall, arriving around 00:30. Everyone was exhausted, so we quickly went to bed.