After a busy start in Berlin, I boarded a night bus to continue my explorations in Munich. As I mentioned before, my jet lag was pretty brutal, so I thought taking an eight-hour overnight bus would guarantee more sleep. Oh, how wrong I was. 

It turns out my FlixBus was nothing like the Night Bus in Harry Potter, which featured comfortable beds, albeit a bumpy ride. Now, I didn’t expect to be riding in comfort. It is a bus after all. I did not however also expect my bus driver to be chain-smoking the entire trip or a fight to break out on the bus at 3 AM. The silver lining of this horrid trip was meeting a wonderful group of Brazilian women, who I would spend most of my time in Munich with. 

With only three hours of sleep under my belt, I arrived in the city too tired to function. I checked into my hostel early and slept until the afternoon. Feeling more rested than I had since the trip started, I started my exploration of Munich. 

First, I needed some fuel, so I headed to a market near Marienplatz, and snagged a bratwurst with sauerkraut and beer. A true breakfast of champions! I followed this up by inhaling an apricot pastry and coffee to keep me going. 

In the afternoon, I walked around the city center, the Englischer Garten, and stopped by the infamous Eischbachwell to see the river surfers. After living in San Diego the past couple of years, I was used to seeing surfers all over, but in a chilly river, in the middle of the city, in March? That was a new one.

I spent the rest of the day wandering the Munich Residenz, viewing the remaining artifacts and replications of art, china, furniture, and much more. True to its name, the Munich Residenz housed the government and was the “residence of the Bavarian dukes, electors, and kings from 1508 to 1918.” Originally a castle in 1385, is has been transformed and expanded over centuries into the stunning palace you see today. 

In the evening, I met up with the girls from the bus for dinner and drinks at the Augustiner Keller Biergarten. We enjoyed giant glasses of beer and plates full of traditional Bavarian food. Mainly meat and sauerkraut. 

Munich is a pretty small city, especially when you compare it to Berlin. It wasn’t nearly as difficult to navigate or to get around the city relatively quickly. I felt like I’d seen most of the city (aside from the museums) on that day alone. I did enjoy more delicious food, drinks, and time spent with my new friends, but spent most of the next day at the Dachau Concentration Camp, which I’ll save for another post.