A Postcard From Munich
By Vicky Smith
Munich always yields surprises, from gorgeous gardens to architectural jewels and off-beat indie boutiques. Strolling around is a pleasure, and I’m relishing getting off the standard tourist trail.
Ok, I do spend some time in the Old Town: a honeypot of pastel facades, stepped gables and cinnamon-scented cobblestone streets. I dine at Hofbräuhaus, an insanely popular tavern complete with lederhosen-clad waiters and jaunty Bavarian band; visit attractions such as the onion-domed cathedral and twin town halls; and marvel at jaw-dropping interiors in Asam Church and the Residence palace.
And yes, I take a trip to Neuschwanstein, the world famous castle that inspired Disney’s Cinderella castle.
But my time in Munich is largely spent beyond the main visitor hotspots, discovering the city’s diverse patchwork of neighbourhoods. For a start, I’m staying in Westend, a multicultural district that many just get a glimpse of during the two-week-long Oktoberfest beer festival held here in autumn. Wafts of sizzling kebab fill the air, windows display towering pyramids of syrupy baklava, and animated groups smoke shisha outside gold shops that dazzle like Aladdin’s Cave.
Held in September and October, Munich’s Oktoberfest sees around six million annual revellers consume over seven million litres of beer.
Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle? Autobus Oberbayern runs hassle-free trips to this and other Bavarian destinations
Elsewhere I admire regal mansions and the Secessionist landmark Villa Stuck in Bogenhausen, pay tribute to the anti-Nazi White Rose group in bohemian Schwabing and sample some of Maxvorstadt’s multiple museums. Schlachthofviertel, the meatpacking district, is another highlight, with former shipping containers and slaughterhouse grounds transformed into quirky cultural hubs. Over in Haidhausen, meanwhile, wisteria-laden cottages evoke a fairy-tale hamlet.
Dining is equally varied. Most unusual snack? A scoop of beer ice cream from Alice-in-Wonderland themed parlour Der Verrückte Eismacher. As for my favourite meal, that would be sultry Japanese restaurant IZAKAYA – not cheap but oh its cocktails, the snow crab rolls, that bamboo chocolate pot.
What surprises still await in this enigmatic city? I look forward to finding out.
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This is a feature from Issue 19 of Charitable Traveller.
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