Germany
September 2015: Lucky for us, the Muslim Eid Al-Adha holiday happened to be right during Germany's famous Oktoberfest. Now, attending Oktoberfest has been on Lisa's bucket list for awhile, so we headed over to Munich for a few days with some friends. We stayed at an airbnb, and I recommend booking really early if you plan on being here during Oktoberfest time. Lisa has previously been to Munich and Berlin (as well as a couple other smaller cities), so we've added a few extras about both places.
highlights
. Beer . Bikes . Random Beer Gardens . Marientplatz . Steins . Food .
lowlights
. Expensive . Crowds . Oktoberfest Bathrooms
munich
Neus Rathaus.
marienplatz
Marienplatz is the main square in Munich. In it, you will find shops lining the streets, the Neus Rathaus (New Town Hall) with a Carillon. From here a lot of tours will start, and the Hofbrauhaus is also very close. So if you can get a place to stay near here, that's a great base. If not, the trains and metro are easy to navigate and are on time and efficient, so you'll never be far from the city centre.
Chinese Beer Garden.
bike tours
On my first trip to Munich, my sister and I joined a free bike tour. We started in Marienplatz, then made a few historic stops before biking through Englischer Gardens to a Chinese Beer Garden in the middle of the park. We drank way too many steins, then made our way back to Marienplatz. With so many parks and bike-friendly streets, I highly suggest taking a bike tour here.
Random Beer Garden.
beer gardens
I'm not sure if it was just the hype of Oktoberfest, but on our first night in Munich, while wandering the streets near Marienplatz, we stumbled upon a beer garden. There were food carts and stein carts everywhere. We managed to find a table and eat all the sausage, curry wurst, and pretzels we could. Along with a giant stein of beer.
One of the tents.
oktoberfest
Now for the real reason we were in Munich: Oktoberfest! The best festival of the year in my opinion. And it is absolute madness. We were there on opening day. We booked our trip early, but not early enough to reserve a table at one of the tents. So if you prefer sitting, then plan it out a year in advance! We were fine standing. We ordered and paid for our beer before the official opening, and we were one of the first groups to get our beer! A few tips: don't get in the servers' way...they will NOT stop, and will literally run you over. Also, if you feel the need to pee even a little bit, get in line! The bathroom lines are horrendous, and workers are banging on every stall door to get you to hurry up. All in all I it was a great time. Some tents also have snacks and souvenirs.
Hofbrau tent.
All smiles, enjoying a stein (or two).
berlin
Lisa has visited Berlin, so make sure you do NOT miss this city while over in Germany. The beauty and history spills everywhere in this city, and it's a definite must-see. Below are a few ideas of what to do while here.
Brandenburg Gate
Reichstag Building
go on a free walking tour
Free walking tours are all over Europe, and I highly suggest going on one in Berlin. We went everywhere and learned so much, considering the history of this city. At the end of the tour you tip your guide whatever you feel like. Below are a couple of stops we made on the tour.
Holocaust Memorial
The Holocaust Memorial has a museum underground I believe. I didn't get to visit, but apparently it is very powerful, and I will definitely be going on my next visit.
Holocaust Memorial. They get really big!
Part of the Berlin Wall.
The Ampelmann is the little men on the crosswalks, and I just loved seeing them everywhere. They are only in East Germany, and there's quite a history behind them too. You can read about it here: https://www.ampelmann.de/en/a-brand-with-a-history/the-development-of-the-east-german-ampelmaennchen/.
Ampelmann!
get out of berlin
We took another tour out of the city one day to Potsdam. I think we had to pay a bit for this one, but it wasn't much. We got to see where the Potsdam conference was held, got to walk through some forests and gardens, and see a beautiful palace. It was a great trip outside of the busy city.
Where the Potsdam Conference was held.
Sans Souci - the summer palace of Frederick the Great.