Adventures in Germany: Berlin to Munich
Rathaus-Glockenspiel, Marienplatz. The gorgeous view from St. Peter’s church tower. A must see for families!
Our last stop on our European adventure was Munich. It was a bit of a road trip from Berlin to Munich, but Paul enjoyed his ride on the autobahn. We arrived in the city and were trying to translate the parking meters and regulations into English while checking into our Air B&B. Checking into our spot required us to go to a nearby restaurant and get a key for the apartment down the road. It definitely had a small town feel. We then decided to go to the restaurant for dinner since we were fresh out of groceries after the travel! It felt like a German Eddie Whipp’s (where we had our wedding) in the heart of Munich.
St. Peter’s Church tower, the view of Munich! So many steps.
Inside St. Peter’s Church for a prayer.
I really wanted to do some more WWII exploring, including visiting a concentration camp. It seems ambitious to do with two small toddlers, especially given the silence and respect such a visitation requires. Despite my initial hesitation, I had faith the boys would feed off our body language. So off we went. We took the train to Dachau to visit the camp. It was sobering. We bought headsets and set off on the the tour.
Walking into the camp takes your breath away. Everything that occurred there feels like forever ago and just yesterday. It was so well done, and the experience transported us back in time.
We stood at the entrance. We walked through the center yard where roll call was held The yard was massive.. The lines of foundations that remain from the barracks stretched on as far as the eye could see. Finally, we walked to the crematorium and a sick feeling fills your stomach. Tears fill your eyes.
My boys caught on. They were quiet and could sense the gravity of the situation. They slept in silence. Drew was in the stroller, and Matt asleep in the Toddler Tula. I was carrying and pushing all 50+lbs of my children through the historical monuments. I am so happy we decided to visit Dachau. I highly recommend the day trip to anyone who finds themselves in Munich.
Keeping the crumbs outside for the birds keeps the Air B&B clean up to a minimum!
More playground action. I’m going to be much more intentional about exploring our own city!
One of the family favorites was the very touristy attraction of Glockenspiel, Rathaus. This is in the center of the city at Marienplatz. We got a spot at the coffee shop and watched the clock over a latte and waffle (for the boys), they loved watching the dancing figures and bells from the clock. We also got a view of the clock after climbing the tower of St. Peter! Drew climbed all the stairs himself, and we took turns carrying big Matt up the single file tower. We watched the clock anytime we came through the area!
When in Munich? Do as the Germans do!
Enjoying a meal on the city streets of Munich, outside of Hofbrahaus!
We visited Hofbräubaus, went shopping in the open markets, had dinner and enjoyed a brew at an outdoor restaurant. We also toured the site of the Olympics and the BMW factory. It was a busy, yet calm way to finish our European adventure. It was also a nice way to decompress as a family of four, snuggled into our second floor European apartment. We walked around our community, played on the vast number of impressive public playgrounds and tried to eat outside whenever possible. Our last meal was a fantastic Italian dinner, paired with a glass of wine. I get nostalgic just thinking of our intimate family dinners (despite the toddler chaos that often paired our gorgeous meals abroad).
Watching the fresh water surfing (in the lightbulb shirt)! Impressive runs!
Enjoying the endless public playgrounds to burn off some toddler energy!
In true vacation fashion, we were getting ready to check in for our return flights, only to find out that they were a day later than we initially had thought. We were momentarily homeless, haha, since we only booked our Air BNB for 2 nights instead of three. Luckily our host was able to extend our stay by one night on an extremely last minutes notice. haha! That put us into a hotel scramble! Lucky for us, we had one more day to enjoy in Munich. We walked throughout the city, over to English Garden and stopped to watch the surfers. We brought a picnic of fruit and snacks and ran around the grassy fields and riverbeds in the English Garden, in the midst of the naked sunbathers (getting their UV rays on a cloudy day).
Picnic and people watching… trying to avoid playing catch near the naked sun bathing crew
Soaking in these Slow Living moments in English Gardens, Munich. Nature heals.
Words cannot explain how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to travel abroad as a family. One of my personal and financial goals is to set aside time and resources to continue to travel abroad regularly. Yes, the flights and time adjustments can be challenging, but the experience of life in another country is so, so valuable.
Paul in the BMW factory, trying on some cars… that we will never be able to afford!
Our feeling on the last day of vacation… I don’t want to go home either buddy!
International travel makes me miss the little things about home, and appreciate the beauty of new ways of doing things, like the clean and seamless European trains.
Traveling also helps me soak in time with my husband, and our kids. Time to focus on ice cream, walks to the city parks, and time away from the demands our routine schedules. These memories will last a lifetime. I will look back on this trip with joy, and longing to do it all over again!
Getting ready for our long flight back to Pittsburgh, Munich to Pittsburgh!
Where are you heading for your next adventure? Did you ever adventure abroad with toddler(s)?
Let me know in the comments!