Let me share with you my love for Munich and why I live here. I always think that Munich is a bit like London… but cleaner, more organised, and with a lot more trees! Here are my top 5 reasons why you should visit:
→There is always a quiet spot in Munich
Even if you are in the city centre by Marienplatz, all you have to do is walk round the corner or pop into Englischer Garten and straight away you’ll find ruhe (peace). I find when I’m in London even if I go into a coffee shop I still hear the traffic jams outside and the mass of people walking around, whereas in Munich there are quiet spots and it’s not so overfilled that you can’t get a second of peace and quiet.
Englischer Garten in September. Own photo.
→The heart of Bavaria
Of course in the heart of Bavaria lies Oktoberfest, the best time of the year for many Germans (and people from all over the world) where people get together to have eine… oder mehrere Mass Bier (one… or many litres of beer) and generally be jolly. I don’t actually like beer but I love die Atmosphäre (atmosphere), as well as the many Bavarian food stalls such as Die Knödelei (Knödel meaning dumpling) and also dressing up in my Dirndl!
→ The bicycle paths
I love this about Munich. There are Fahrradwege (bicycle paths) everywhere! It is very frowned upon if you walk in these paths instead of using der Gehweg (the path), which means the bicycle paths are always free from people. There are even signs especially for bikes to give you directions and tell you the distance to various locations.
→The u bahn is cheaper here than in London
Okay so this point might change in a few years, as I’ve already noticed that every year the prices go up! But at the moment it’s still pretty cheap. A day card in Munich (all four zones, includes, buses, trams, S bahns and U bahns) is only around 6 euros! What’s more is that there are no ticket barrier which makes life so much easier. No more fumbling around in your bag every time you want to enter/leave the U bahn!
→ The weather and outdoor swimming pools
I love that in summer it can get pretty hot (highs of 28 degrees) and that there are lots of Freibäde (outdoor swimming pools). I recommend das Freibad Maria Einsiedel which is right next to the Zoo in Thalkirchen. The river Isar runs through the park so you have the choice of swimming in the normal swimming pool, which is filtered river water that is chlorfrei (chlorine free), or if you can cope with the extreme cold you can jump in den Fluss (the river)!
And to end with, here is some helpful vocabulary:
Ruhe Peace
Ruhig quiet
Laut loud
Der Fahrradweg The bicycle path
Der Gehweg The path (for pedestrians)
Der/die Fussgänger The pedestrian/the pedestrians
Das Schwimmbad The swimming pool
Das Freibad The outdoor swimming pool
Das Hallenbad The indoor swimming pool
Das Naturbad The natural swimming pool (without chemicals such as chlorine)
Der Fluss The river
Die U bahn The underground
Die Atmosphäre The atmosphere
Die Mass One litre (of beer)
Tschuss!
Larissa
