Japanese tea houses, Chinese towers and park surfers... Veronica Stivala was surprised by Munich’s unexpected treasures, but also impressed byits majestic architecture and sprawling parks and gardens.
Munich takes you by surprise. Despite it being an impressively grand city with imposing architecture, more of which later, it’s pleasantly surprising to come across random, unexpected treasures.
Take the anachronistic hipster bar during your stroll along one of the many grand bridges over the river Isar, flanked by two majestically grand mermaid statues. Or better still, stumbling upon surfers in the middle of a forest, in the middle of October.
As I walked through the sprawling Englischer Garten (German for English Garden), I had what you could call a superman experience (is it a bird, a fish?) when I caught a glimpse of a black figure diving into the foamy waves of the Eisbach River.
On further inspection, I discovered barefooted Germans clad in wetsuits plunging with their surfboards into what has been a popular wave venue for surfers from all over the world since the 1970s.
Indeed, the Englischer Garten is a gem; a public park so large it stretches from the city centre to the northeastern city limits. With an area of almost four square kilometres, the gardens are one of the world’s largest, urban, public parks.
An unusual name for a park bang smack in the middle of the largest city in Bavaria to be sure. The name originates from the style of landscape gardening; think gently rolling lawns, perfectly pruned groves of trees and an Apollo temple called the Monopteros. And a Japanese tea house and a Chinese tower.
One does not visit Germany without sitting in a beer garden, in the freezing cold, drinking beer and eating pretzels and other Bavarian culinary delights
A word must be said about this five-storey wooden structure that is the Chinesischer Turm. For this sits in a beer garden that holds 7,000 seats – it’s the second largest in Munich. One, of course, does not visit Germany without sitting in a beer garden, in the freezing cold, drinking beer and eating pretzels and other Bavarian culinary delights.
In a country which claims more than 1,200 types of sausages, one can understand that the German menu can be traumatic for a vegetarian such as yours truly. And yet I was pleasantly surprised in being able to choose from a delectable choice of dishes: from obazda (a cheese pâté) to brezenknödel (pretzel patties) and käsespätzle (egg noodles), my palate was satisfactorily tantalised.
Indeed, my visit to Munich was a feast for the senses: I was enthralled by the sheer vastness of greenery, crystal-clear lakes and magnificent architecture.
The Nymphenburg Palace, one of the most famous sights of Munich, encapsulates all three. This baroque palace was once the summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.
A stroll, which can easily turn into a trek, in the grounds of this palace is a must for any visitor to Munich. The garden alone occupies some 490 acres, and so you feel like you really have the place to yourself as you stumble upon a Rococo hunting lodge, a baroque pavilion and another Apollo temple. And that’s just what I discovered in the space of a couple of hours.
Of course, if you’re going to go strolling, then Marienplatz must be on your to-do list. This is the picturesque central square, dominated by the Neues Rathaus (the new city hall), an impressive neo-gothic building.
You’ll find it hard to not gawk at its façade, which is adorned with intricate statues, from paupers to gargoyles and dragons to kings, dukes and prince electors.
Continue your stroll to Odeonsplatz, which is home to the Theatine Church. I was impressed by the yellow colour of the exterior of this Catholic church, which really gives a warm, Mediterranean look to this Italian-style gem.
The church’s interior is a stark contrast to the outside, with pure white walls and statues made almost entirely out of white stucco. I braved the underground crypt, which houses the graves of a number of members of the Wittelsbach family, many of whom died very young.
Back outside, back to happier thoughts, go introduce yourself to the two beautiful Bayern lions which guard the Feldherrnhalle.
On closer inspection, you’ll notice that one’s mouth is open, while the other is closed. According to legend, the lion with the closed mouth is the Bavarian one; the open-mouthed one is Prussian (since northern Germans can’t, allegedly, stop yapping).
Bite into some mouthwatering lebkuchen and also magenbrot (both a form of gingerbread) and sip on a rich, hot chocolate from one of the many stalls packed closely in this cosy market
I was also lucky to catch the first day of the Auer Dult – a traditional market held only three times a year in Mariahilfplatz in the Munich district of Au.
Each one lasts nine days. Catch this if you can and bite into some mouthwatering lebkuchen and also magenbrot (both a form of gingerbread) and sip on a rich, hot chocolate from one of the many stalls packed closely in this cosy market. Although it was the first day, the market was packed, evidently a sign of its popularity.
This was but a taster of a city with so much to offer and so much to discover. I will be back.