Three days in Bavaria: Munich

As it often happens before a trip I did not want to leave home. It was a little over one month since I returned from my last trip to Bulgaria and I was flying to Europe again, this time to Munich. The night before the departure I checked if everything was packed. The backpack felt too heavy, new sneakers too tight. I did not have time to break them in and wondered if they would give me blisters. Before going to bed I put a second pair of shoes into the backpack which made it heavier. How would my sore back cope with its weight on the overland journey across Europe? Only 10 days ago a molar suddenly flared up. After 3 dental appointments and a course of antibiotics to stop the abscess the nerve was gone and the tooth was pronounced safe to travel with it. Still feeling the pain from the treatment, I was not too sure about that.

I checked in online for my flights Denver – Washington, D.C. – Munich. All seats in economy on the second leg were taken. I did not want to pay extra for United Economy Plus and printed a boarding pass with no assigned seat.

Day 1

We got up at 4.45 am and my husband drove me to the stop from where I took the bus to the airport. Why was I doing this? The answer came to me on the plane. Because I was going to see new wonderful places and have unforgettable experiences. My back would adjust to the weight and the backpack would feel like a part of my body. The sneakers would stretch in all necessary spots and become like socks on my feet. My mind and body would settle down into the rhythm of living on the road and I’d enjoy it.

In Washington a United agent gave me a seat in Economy Plus at no change which made the transatlantic flight more bearable. Ice cream was a nice and unexpected treat after dinner. I was in the middle of savoring it when a sharp pain shot through the damn tooth that was supposed to be dead. I promptly responded to it with ibuprofen.

The flight was scheduled to arrive at 8.20 am. We landed at 7 am, more than one hour earlier. I got to the central train station where I shoved the annoying backpack into a locker for 4 euros. It was much easier to move around without it. The tourist information office at the train station supplied me with a free city map and pointed into the direction of Marienplatz, the main square of Munich. The pedestrian zone between Karlsplatz and Marienplatz squares features beautiful old buildings, street performers, shops and restaurants, and busloads of tourists. The walk around the area was quite enjoyable. I got to the top of St. Peter’s tower to view the city from above.

At 11 am I was still up there and the famous Glockenspiel started chiming. Munich’s Glockenspiel is one of the fanciest and most complicated tower clocks in the world.  The show lasted over 10 minutes; it was fun to watch the life-size figures dancing.

The next tourist attraction on my list was the Residenz, the former home of the royal Bavarian family since the 14^th century and now a museum. Its grand 100+ rooms are filled with antique furniture, paintings, sculptures, gold and silver services, and other treasures. It took me 2 hours to see the museum and I did not always stop to listen to the audio guide.

I ate at MacDonald’s to save time and returned to the train station, bought a ticket to Füssen and got my backpack from the locker. The travel time from Munich is about two hours. Füssen is not that far, however the railway becomes single-track and our train stopped and waited at each station for an oncoming train to pass.

It was 6.30 pm when I got to Füssen. It is a small and compact city. I walked to the hotel Villa Toscana which is in fact a villa surrounded by a shady garden. My single room was on the top floor. It had a slanted ceiling and a cozy look. I took a bath to relax my muscles and to wash off the dust, spoke with my husband, got into bed and told myself to wake up at 7 am. The bed was so comfortable that I fell asleep in no time.  The sound of raindrops on the roof interrupted my sleep in the middle of the night. The gentle patter of rain was comforting, it felt good to be protected from the elements by thick walls and I drifted into sleep again.