It’s time to move on from Munich, but first a few final thoughts about the city. It felt very European, but not necessarily German. I don’t know that there’s anything about Munich that would make me come back, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t find things to do here if I were to come back here again someday. Here are a few random things I noticed:
Bicycles. They’re everywhere. The wide sidewalks are divided into pedestrian lanes and bike lanes, which are loosely adhered to. There are directional signs for bikes just like you see street signs for cars.
Sidewalk cafes are also everywhere. Outdoor dining is very popular (probably not so much in the winter!), and people sit outside to drink, eat, or just converse. Like other places in Europe, you can stay as long as you want. You just ask for a bill when you’re ready to leave. Nobody brings your check to you unless you ask.
Being outdoors in general is a big thing. Aside from the bicyclists, there were hundreds of people sunbathing in the English Garden the other day on a random Thursday afternoon and splashing around in the brooks that run through the park.
Public transportation is just like any other big city, with a complicated map that looks daunting at first, but isn’t so bad once you’ve used it a couple of times. There are S-Bahn trains (suburban trains), U-Bahn trains (urban trains), regional trains, and long-distance trains. I also saw plenty of trams and buses, though the only trains I took were S-Bahn.
Munich was a good place to recover from jet lag for a couple of days, though it wasn’t the real destination for the trip. I’m most looking forward to spending the next week and a half exploring the Bavarian Alps and the countryside of Germany and Austria!
Traveling with Laura 