Compared to some more of my tour heavy or ‘inadvertent’ party trips, this little gem of a trip is much more of the chilled variety. Needless to say, it’s still full of funny moments, some great new friends and memories.

 

I’m in Munch for this late October ‘bonus’ trip for my buddy Leo’s 40th birthday. As Leo isn’t arriving until the next day, I’ve caught an early morning flight from Gatwick into Munich and after a short bus ride into the city center, I am making myself at home at the hostel. 

 

The dorm door beeps and a girl in her early twenties enters the room, with a smile I introduce myself and offer to help her make up her bunk. I like Arielle already, she has filled her backpack full of stones she’s acquired from various historical sites.

 

After getting acquainted and bonding over our neurodivergence, we find a cafe nearby and put the world to rights whilst stuffing our faces full of waffles, washing it down with cappuccino. Arielle takes up my offer for an impromptu hostel made dinner and we get hunting for a supermarket.

 

As it’s sunday there are no major supermarkets open, save the one under the main metro station. If you ever decide to take a premature trip to sample what hell might be like, I can safely say this supermarket is the closest thing you’ll discover in this lifetime. The endless queue stretches outside the door. After a stressful shop, we arrive back at the hostel and I concoct a cream cheese and courgette pasta dish, which Arielle assures me is delicious.

 

The following day Leo arrives to the hostel and checks in and we have new travel bestie in the

Shape of my Aussie bunkmate, Chris, who shares our same twisted sense of humour. After a trip to the nearby Lidl, we have a box full of wine, snacks and ingredients for my signature chickpea and peach curry.

 

After a relatively civilised afternoon sipping beer and munching on pretzels, Arielle joins us for a cosy hostel dinner before Leo, Chris and I ( along with most of the hostel bar crew) head out to the local beer hall.

 

Sadly, en route, Aussie Chris has peaked too soon and the chickpea and peach curry makes an encore performance on the side of the road. Leo and I, of course rush to his rescue (once we’ve finished laughing at how australian his heaving is).

 

Miraculously we make it to the beer hall and are treated to a performance whilst we’re served beer in the largest beer glass I have ever seen. After closing, the group splits into two - the ‘let’s go home to the hostel’ group and the other group who want to go to a shit club.Needless to say I have opted for the go home early club and we head back to the hostel (after a cheeky maccy d’s en route).

 

As I return to my bunk for forty winks, the guy on the dorm bed opposite is snoring like a dying whale. I dismiss a thought of dragging the entire bunk out into the corridor.

 

Waking up, wonderfully unaffected by the festivities of the night before, Chris, Leo and I take a stroll into Munich center. Our first stop is a magnificent church, neatly tucked into a line of shops. As churches go, it’s pretty impressive. Our stroll takes us into the main square, where we’re packed in like sardine into with crowds, awaiting the 1pm appearance of the glockenspiel clock (which happens once a day). 

 

Perhaps it’s having been treated to the Prague astronomical clock, but the clockwork performance is quite the anti climax, despite the cheers from the crowd. You got to love tourists.

 

As the weather has taken a bit of a turn, the evening is spent getting cosy at the hostel and I make  some of my tasty homemade veggie fajitas for our little crew.

 

On the following day, we decide, what could be more uplifting than a visit to the nearby concentration camp? Having visited Auschwitz in Poland, I think to myself I’d be mentally prepared for what I’d see. There’s a strange juxtaposition, given that it’s a bright sunny, autumnal day - compared to the brutality towards some of the camp’s residents.

 

The remainder of my Munich stay is mainly catching up on some work in the winter garden common area and of course the in house bar.

 

One of the days I went for a long run around the park which hosts Oktoberfest.

 

In the evening we are playing pool and sipping on apreols in the main bar - I enjoy watching everyone make fouls and periodically pot the white ball.

 

I’ll reflect back on my Munich trip for being a great balance of socialising, making some quirky friends and taking in some of the local history and culture.