Soft Girl Day in Munich: A Romantic, One-Day Itinerary Through the Old Town
This is not a guide to cover the whole of Old Town Munich in a day or even "top 10 things to do in Munich" guide. It is literally an excerpt of how I spent an afternoon when I just wanted to unwind.
The Ultimate Soft Girl Travel Tip: Be Present
It wan't a day to be a Touristy Jock and cover fifteen places by sundown or exertion whichever arrives early. It was a day to unwind and It was also days before Aunt Flo was due, you get the gist.
I started my day in Marienplatz with my supplies1 (check the footnote for what's in my bag) it took about 25 minutes to reach the Old Town from my hotel. Once there, like any other European city centre you will see restaurants and cafés lined up. most these restaurants although not bad, are catered for tourists. I walked towards Hofbräuhaus, this is where the legendary Oktoberfest takes place.
I thought of getting a pastry from one of the many small shops you'll pass by but I stopped myself and instead got a small bottle of chilled white wine and a trail mix from the convenience store instead. With my snacks I headed to Hofgarten another gem of the Old Town Munich. Another quick walk later, I found a spot and put out my thin picnic blanket and spread out my supplies.
Hofgarten in summer will bring in everyone out of their homes. You'll see couples in love, kids playing, cyclists, etc. Everyone is onto something. I put my earphones to my favourite playlist whenever I am in public or want to read, if you have noise cancellation earphones, even better. In my trance I didn't realise when two hours passed, multiple chapters and a healthy wine buzz later I decided to head for Lunch.
Lunch was a simple mediterranean meal from a place called Spice Bazaar, it was too hot for me to eat a meat heavy German meal. At the restaurant I go to talking to the attendant who works six months during summer and travels six months during winter. It's also something that get's you thinking about the different kind of people we live among, not that what she's doing is wrong nope not at all, if anything, I could take that opportunity in a heartbeat provided my asian mom would let me live peacefully after.
Anyway, next I walked back to the centre of Hofgarten a place called Dianatempel a beautiful pavilion with people gathered to dance, that day it was Waltz. The music was on a speaker and the pavilion worked as a surround sound system (kudos to renaissance architecture) There's something about Vivaldi playing in a Garden under a pavilion in Old Town Munich that passed as one of my core memories.
Not everyone could waltz, the younger couple imitated the older couple who knew the steps. People at the benches watched as song after song couples danced tirelessly. The golden hour was a paid artist to make the moment absolutely perfectly magical.
I guess this is romanticising life? I'd probably be equally happy and elated if I'd covered fifteen places that day or checked the places on the "list of must see spots in Munich". And yet here I am and I just cannot go on to tell you I wish I'd done something differently. Even if that was the first and the last time I visited the Old town, I wouldn't change a single thing I did that day.
So, take it slow, it is impossible to cover everything in the world, so cover what will truly, genuinely make you happy, not your social feed. Do Not Travel to boast about it next week to your friends, travel so that five years later when you are sitting in a coffee shop you look back to a beautiful afternoon in Munich you spent doing absolutely bare minimum that turned out to be one of the fondest memory you have.
Travel for you.
Yours Truly,
Your Everyday Girl.
- Kindle
Small Refillable water bottle
Smallest 30x30 inch cloth to spread for picnic
(weird I know but I carry it with me during summers in Europe)
LipBalm
A Chocolate Bar
Small Grocery Bag (trust me)
That's it I guess. ↩︎
