Hannah and her friend Erin visited us for 10 days in August. During the first 3 days of their trip, we showed them all around Munich. On Monday, we did some light sight-seeing and enjoyed a traditional Bavarian meal at our favorite Bavarian restaurant, Görreshof. We had them try the schnitzel (pork, not veal), as well as one of our favorite traditional desserts, Kaiserschmarn. The next day, they went on a guided tour of the city and visited the city’s palace, the Residenz. On Wednesday, they took another walking tour, but one which specifically focused on the Third Reich’s history in Munich. Afterwards, the three of us enjoyed a lunch of currywurst, which is type of sausage with a curry and tomato sauce that is a specialty of Berlin. Since they didn’t have time to make it to Berlin this trip, we brought Berlin to them. In the afternoon, they toured one of Munich’s most popular art museums, the Neue Pinakotek. After dinner, we took them to try our favorite gelato place in Munich, Ballabeni. I think they enjoyed it! We kept them pretty busy on their first few days!
On Thursday, we headed to Prague for a quick overnight trip. We arrived in the city around lunch time and found a cute café where we could eat. Afterwards, we walked across the famous Charles Bridge and explored the castle area of the city. When we needed a respite from sight-seeing, we stopped to enjoy some Czech beer. We chose a Czech restaurant for dinner, and we all enjoyed the goulash and bread dumplings. After we were finished eating, we strolled around the city, making sure to stop for a sweet treat of Trdelnik, which is spiral-shaped bread covered in sugar. They serve it warm and it is delicious! We capped the night off with a visit to a really cool cocktail bar called Hemingway’s. The ambience was really cool and our drinks were all very creative and delicious. The guy at the table next to us got a drink that was served inside of a book! On Friday, we were up early so that the girls could head to a Prague walking tour. Since Matt and I have done this tour before, we spent that time meandering around the city. When the tour was over, all four of us grabbed pizza for lunch on a restaurant that is situated on a docked boat. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great view of the castle. After that, it was time to quickly head to the train station to catch our bus back to Munich. We didn’t get home until late, so we relaxed at the apartment before we all passed out.
Although the weather forecast on Saturday was not great, we headed to Tegernsee, which is one of the most popular lakes just outside of Munich. It is situated in the Alps and the views are usually fantastic. Unfortunately, it was cold, rainy, and foggy – not the perfect lake day we had in mind. We compromised by enjoying another traditional Bavarian meal – this time with sausage, sauerkraut, pretzels, and Obazda, which is a delicious, creamy cheese spread. We did walk around the lake a bit and take some photos, but we headed back to Munich in the late afternoon since the weather prohibited us from doing much else outside.
Back in Munich on Sunday, we enjoyed croissants at one of our favorite cafes before heading to Dachau, the concentration camp that is located about an hour outside of Munich. Although it is a very somber experience, I think it is a very important one. Due to the sheer volume of information in the museum at the memorial sight, we spent the majority of the day here.
On Monday, I took the girls to see Salzburg in Austria. Although it was another rainy day, we were still able to see most of the main sights in the old city. I hadn’t been there since 2011 and I forgot how beautiful that city is! On our way back to the train station before heading home, we stopped at the Hotel Sacher so that the girls could try the world famous Sacher torte. You can purchase small “cubes” of the torte to take with you. While it is different from American chocolate cake, I think the girls really enjoyed it. For dinner back in Munich, Matt and I made the girls some cheese fondue. It’s one of our favorite dinners to do at home when we have guests.
For the girls’ final full day, we decided to visit one of the most popular art museums in the city, the Lenbachhaus. I’ve wanted to spend some time here since it reopened last spring. It’s a private collection, so it is a bit different than the city’s other art museums. The collection includes many pieces from the 19th century, but also a lot of modern art, too. There were definitely some interesting pieces. I think we all enjoyed the morning there. We spent the afternoon doing some souvenir shopping, and then we went out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants in Munich, Theresagrill. I think it was a good way to cap off an excellent visit. We really enjoyed having these two lovely ladies with us and we hope they enjoyed their time with us, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment