Saturday, April 24, 2021

Munich and Salzburg, July 05. - 08. 2020

We had been thinking for some time about doing a city trip in Europe without the children. The best way for this seemed during the summer holidays in Estonia, where we would have been able to leave the kids with their grandparents. Not wishing to spend too much time for flying, we were only looking for direct flights from Tallinn or Riga. Our final choice was Munich, with the possibility to visit also Salzburg. We had already been in Germany - in Berlin before we had kids, and in Frankfurt (not counting the stopovers in the airport), and Munich as a Bavarian capital with its old town seemed very appealing. It was difficult to make travelling decisions during Covid, but in summer the contagion rates were low and we decided to give it a go. My sister and her husband were also travelling with us.

Our flight was leaving from Riga airport in the afternoon, but we already left Tartu in the morning - it takes around three and a half hours from Tartu to Riga airport and during Covid times we wanted to be there on time or even a bit early. The airport was mostly empty and three-quarters of shops and restaurants were closed. As we arrived a bit early, it was not so great, but fortunately we still found a place to have a bite to eat and a coffee.

Our 2 hour 15 minutes Air Baltic flight went smoothly, we were given disinfectant wipes and masks (although we already had our own) at the entrance of the aircraft and the flight was only half full. We decided to take the train from the airport to the town - our hotel was not far from the central station. We got an excellent deal for the hotel, very likely due to the lack of travellers because of the Covid restrictions. A brand new Premier Inn Munich Center hotel just a short walk from Karlsplaz for only 39 euros per night for a double room. The room was nice and modern with a spacious bathroom. There was no breakfast served due to Covid restrictions, but all guests could grab a complimentary coffee and croissant from the lobby in the morning. In Germany the masks were compulsory in all public indoor spaces and public transport, but everything - museums, bars, restaurants, markets - was open.

Munich is an excellent city for walking around and the center is mostly car free. There were lots of great looking restaurants on the squares and in the courtyards and we finally chose a nice square with several restaurants just behind Frauenkirche (the cathedral with two towers) for our dinner. Munich is an easy place for vegans to travel to, as plant based choices are widely available.

On our way to Marienplaz

 
The impressive Rathaus

Vegan burger and local beer for dinner
 


Our first morning in Munich looked cloudy and looked like it could rain and we decided to head to Residenz München - a Bavarian palace that served as the seat of government and royal residence for Bavarian dukes, electors and kings from 1508 to 1918. It is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open as a museum. The complex of buildings contains ten courtyards and displays 130 rooms. We bought the tickets (9 euros) and started the visit, realizing we were almost the only visitors. It was definitely worth going and taking a look into Bavarian history. Much of the Residence was destroyed during the Second World War though, and it has been gradually reconstructed to its former grandeur from 1945.






The weather had gotten a bit better and we went for a walk in the English Garden, one of the world's largest urban public parks. Unfortunately the Japanese Garden and teahouse situated in the park were closed, but we still took a stroll around. We spotted surfers on one of the streams - who knew you could surf in Munich!



No visit to Munich is complete without going to the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, probably the most famous brewery and beer hall in Munich. That was exactly where we headed for the real Bavarian beer hall atmosphere. 





During the day we stopped here and there, to have quick bite in several places to eat or take a coffee. We loved the little Asian food outlets, be it soup, dumplings or bao buns... 

The next morning we needed to pick up our rental car from the central station and head towards Salzburg in Austria. The one and a half hour drive passed some beautiful landscapes - Lake Chiemsee, hills and Bavarian Alps. 

Salzburg is a lovely town by the Salzach river, probably most famous for being the birthplace of Mozart and also as one of the filming locations of The Sound of Music. The Mozart name is seen everywhere - Mozart park, Mozart square, Mozart university... We took a stroll in the charming center and old town and then headed for lunch in a vegan restaurant GustaV, a short walk from the center.

Delicious vegan lunch at GustaV

 
Salzburg town center
 







After lunch we checked out the picturesque gardens of Mirabell Palace - one of the filming locations of the Sound of Music movie. 
 



Wishing to see more nature we took a little detour on our way back to Munich and went to take a look at the area of Königssee - a paradise for hikers and nature lovers. We were sorry that we did not have more time, not even for a short hike, because we had to get back to Munich before the car rental place closed at 7pm.

As it was our last evening of the trip, we chose a nice Lebanese restaurant called Ksara for a dinner - the food and service were excellent and we had a memorable evening. 

Johnny had to take a flight back to France the next morning while the rest of our group had a flight back to Riga late afternoon. It gave us some time for another nice walk in the center, some shopping and a chance to sample some local specialities for lunch - Knödel - large flavoured (in this case, beetroot, mushroom and mixed veg) bread dumplings cooked in stock. Lets just say trying once was enough...
 Knödel
 
It was a wonderful short break in great company. We all fell in love in Munich for it being a very walkable and green city with a lovely old town, an excellent choice of restaurants, historic Bavarian beer culture with its gardens and cellars, and great overall cleanliness and organisation. Germany is a country definitely worth getting to know more and maybe next time we could stay longer, see more and even bring the kids.


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