Break in Bavaria

To be honest, I have no idea where to start when talking about the trip to Munich in Bavaria and Stuttgart in Baden Wüttemberg. Not because there is so much that happened and I don’t know where to start but simply because nothing truly happened so I don’t quite know what to write.

We were in Munich and Stuttgart for a total of four days and most of it included meeting some old friends and that is a personal matter which I do not wish to share every detail of. But since I have challenged myself to write this article, I shall write this article. We’ll see how good the article will be with minimum information to work with. 

On Monday, due to a fortunate coincidence, some friends of mine went to an amusement park and they had an extra ticket. And since I am an adrenaline junkie, I gladly went along. The day was quite fun since I love amusement parks with all my heart no matter how big or small they are. Nevertheless, throughout the day I found out that I have become an adrenaline junky with some sort of motion sickness.

To be perfectly honest, a little bit of motion sickness did not stop me from going on all the rides because nothing and no one could stop me from going on all the rides. And to be fair, I don’t think I have motion sickness just something is wrong with my neck. With all the rides, my neck felt too weak to support itself so it felt quite hard to have fun on the ride while also paying attention to not breaking your neck. 

After the amusement park, I had a day before I was off again. Which meant packing but since it was a four-day trip there isn't much to pack. I have been in between cities quite often so I am kind of used to packing and packing has become muscle memory to a certain extent. This makes packing easier but also harder since I would take more things on vacation than my in-between trips so I have the tendency to forget a thing or two. 

This time we went all the way down to Munich with the train. The transit was a bit of a pain in the arse because German rail is not quite as reliable as people may think but we arrived safe and sound and somewhat mostly on time so that is a plus. 

On the first day, we were exhausted from all the travelling and didn’t do much besides having dinner. Dinner was in the city centre of Munich and there were a few landmarks to see but they were all landmarks seen before so it wasn’t oh so spectacular. Nevertheless, I still find the city centre of Munich beautiful. 

The old historical buildings are amongst rather modern buildings and the blend of those two just works so perfectly together. The old buildings are so detailed and the fact that each pillar and statue are made individually makes it even better. 

In addition, I am just a sucker for big cities and modern buildings and architectural styles. There is something appealing about the straight lines and clean cuts of modern buildings. 

So if you would want a place to start your architectural photography journey, I would suggest going to Munich or old modern cities alike to learn to capture the details of the design it the old buildings and the whole outline and reflections of the modern buildings.

Since we were exhausted, we went straight back to the hotel after dinner without much of a stop in between. This is quite a shame because you are in another city you might as well explore it but we were beaten so that puts a big no on any potential plans.

The next morning not so bright and early, we took the train down to Tegernsee because we had already seen the city of Munich so there wasn’t much more to explore and since Germany has a train initiative with the €49 ticket we could travel anywhere we wanted within Germany. 

On the way there the train was really full. As it turns out we weren’t the only ones with the idea of taking a day trip. Tegernsee is a popular vacationing spot in Bavaria since it has a water and mountains perfect combination for a swimming and hiking trip. A little bit of something for everyone, I guess. 

Once we arrived, we followed the street signs to the lake. And not much to my surprise there were quite a few people there, especially seniors. There were a lot of elderly people who were prepared to hike and just enjoy nature. Most of them had hiking boots and waterproof jackets. They seem like professional hikers. And I was for instance out of place with my comparable city girl look. 

Since I was not too much of a hiking fan, we decided to take a boat round trip to see the lake. I really like boat rides because I just love the wind in my hair and the water underneath my feet. My dream trip would be a week-long trip on a boat with no one besides loved ones and the sea. A week filled with vacationing, swimming and relaxing. I am still working out the kinks for a perfect isolated boat trip but if I want it bad I will find a way.

Once we figured out what round trip we wanted, we got on the next boat which arrived every hour and took off to the next stop. When we arrived on the other side of the lake, we got off for lunch and figured out the hard way that most restaurants are closed until the evening. It was frustrating to find out when you are hungry but eventually, we found something and it was fine. 

My mother wanted to see the place before we set sail again so she went off on her own and I just went to the lake and sat down on a bench overlooking the lake. Then I got out a book and started reading. As it turns out, I love reading but most of the time I just find the time to read. The only time I find is on vacations where I have nothing on my mind and can relax by the seaside or in this case lakeside and read a book. 

As it turns out, in Germany not only the trains were delayed but also the bloody boats. So we waited half an hour on the docks unsure when the boat would come because, unlike the trains which will announce delays, the boats won’t. Then the boat came and we were just glad to get back. 

The rest of the boat tour became somewhat interesting because the sky turned grey and the clouds turned dark. The weather announcement didn’t predict rain but it sure as hell looked like it. The winds started picking up and the surroundings became cold so on edge we tried to enjoy the rest of the tour. 

Luckily for us, the rain did not come and the sun made an appearance real soon after. So we got off the boat and made our way through the little town back to the train station to find the train already waiting and each wagon filled to the brim. It would make plenty of sense since many people tried to go there in the morning so they need to return somehow. Luckily for us, we found seats next to an elderly couple. 

On the train ride back, we spontaneously decided to get off at a station or two before the main station and visit a salad bar in the area since we both weren’t feeling all too hungry that evening since lunch was quite filling and we didn’t want to eat dinner in the people packed Munich.

As it turns out, the maps are a distance deceptive since we thought it was close to the station but in reality, it wasn’t. So we walked for some time and eventually found the salad bar. And as it turns out pictures are deceiving as well since the salad was very filling even though it was quite small. 

After dinner, since we were beaten, we made our way back to the hotel and stayed there for the rest of the evening. A small traveller's tip would be taking a shower after a long day is a miracle since it is so relaxing and it washes off everything so you would feel refreshed in the morning and ready for another adventure-filled day. 

The next day, we packed our bags and headed towards Stuttgart. Very much to my dismay, we didn’t book a train ticket which meant taking the slower trains and not the ICE to Stuttgart. From a financial standpoint, it makes sense but from a travelling standpoint, it is a pain in the arse.

In the morning, we chose the trains we wanted to take. The best connection from Munich to Stuttgart via the regional trains took about 3 hours while ICE took about 2 hours. But since we knew the train system in Germany so well, we just knew that day would be a pain.

At the end of the day, it took nearly 5 hours for us to arrive in Stuttgart due to delays and cancellations. When I was back at the hotel, all I wanted to do was sleep because even though we did literally nothing on the whole train ride, it was exhausting.

However, a new city meant new adventures so we didn’t stay in the hotel too long. We checked in and left our bags in the room so we could go to dinner. After scouring the internet for good suggestions, we ended up at Carls Brauhaus. A really good restaurant for traditional food and drinks.

The food was delicious and the restaurant overlooked the beautiful schlossplatz so it was an amazing view while eating dinner. The location is quite practical as well because everything you could possibly need is nearby. Train station, Subway station, shopping centre, parks, etc…

In the end, we ended up strolling through Stuttgart for quite a while, admiring the city and shopping. When we got back this time, we didn’t go out again until the morning. In all fairness, I am still surprised how much travelling can take out of you after all this time.

On the last day of our trip, we went for breakfast in the city and the next thing you know, it was already lunch time and we needed to catch our train back home. And that is what we unspectacularly did.

Since I was hungry, I did get to enjoy a lovely onboard tomato soup while enjoying the magnificent German countryside we were passing through. And can I just say I love the creamy tomato soup they are serving on board?

The next thing I know is that we dropped a few things off at my dormitory since we were passing through and made our way back home with plenty of delays since the train passengers had to be arses and the police were involved for some reason.

Nevertheless, soon enough, we were back home where we were supposed to be. And it did take a few nights for me to recover from the exhaustion which I like to call travel. Eventually, I did recover and that is what matters.

This trip has shown me that I am not as young as I used to be because when I used to travel I normally don´t get too exhausted but during this trip I was. So next time I am travelling, especially by train operated by the German train operators, I will make sure to get plenty of rest instead of filling my whole itinerary to the brim.

Besides the constant exhaustion, the trip was quite fun since I got to be someplace else for a little bit and a change of scenery is what I adore so I really appreciate that I was given the opportunity to travel down to Bavaria and Baden Württemberg. So until my next travel coming up soon…