RO: Or fi ele Berlinul si Hamburgul mai aglomerate si mai mari, insa Munchen este se mandreste cu titlul de cel mai mare si mai cunoscut oras bavarez (pai la cata notorietate ii aduce Oktoberfest-ul, nici nu e de mirare!), iar noi suntem innebuniti dupa Bavaria! Dupa satele sale traditionale, cu casele superbe din barne de lemn, dupa drumul romantic, dupa biergarten-uri cu halbe uriase de bere si covrigi impletiti deliciosi! Dupa kasespatzle decandent (pastele acelea savuroaaaase acoperite de tone de branza gratinata – varianta nemteasca a renumitelor macaroni and cheese), dupa obazda periculos de gustoasa, dupa wurstii lor de toate soiurile (mai putin interesanti insa pentru vegetarianul amarat al familiei :D), dupa strudele cu mere ori dupa radlere racoritoare. A se nota ca scriem articolul acesta seara tarziu, murind de foame si de pofta 😀 Insa revenind la orasul Munchen, si nu la mancarurile sale, sa tot fie cel putin a patra oara cand ajungem aici, si spre rusinea noastra, niciodata nu am apucat sa il vizitam asa cum se cuvine. Pesemne ca era nevoie de bebe Alexei ca sa ne organizeze putin si sa ne motiveze sa facem doua zile de maraton prin oras 🙂

EN: Berlin and Hamburg might be bigger and more crowded, but Munchen proudly wears the title of the biggest and the most renowned Bavarian city (no wonder why, considering the notoriety that Oktoberfest brings!), and we’re totally mad about Bavaria! About its traditional villages, with its lovely timber frame houses, about the romantic road, beer gardens with huge pints of beer and delicious pretzels! That decadent kasespatzle (the savory pasta covered in tons of cheese – the German version of macaroni and cheese), the incredible tasty obazda cheese, the all types of wursts (less interesting for the poor vegetarian from the family :D), the apfelstrudels or the refreshing radlers. Note that we’re writing this article late in the night, while we’re starving 😀 But going back to the city of Munchen, and not its food, it might be the forth time we’ve been here but never properly visited – to our shame. Seems like we actually needed baby Alexei to organize us a bit and motivate us to tour the city in two days 🙂



RO: Bun, despre cum a fost prima noastra excursie cu un bebelus vom scrie un articol dedicat foarte curand, pentru ca momentan vrem sa ne focusam pe ce se poate face, vedea, vizita, manca (oh well… ajungem iar la mancare :D) in Munchen. Sau ce ne-a placut noua mai bine spus 🙂 Si incepem lista dupa cum urmeaza:

EN: Ok, so we’ll write a separate article about our first trip with the baby, as in this one we’ll only focus on what can be done, see, visit, eat (oh well… going back to the food :D) in Munich. Or better said, what we would recommend. And here it goes the list: 

From Karlsplatz to Marienplatz

RO: In Munchen, toate drumurile duc la Karlsplatz, orice am face 🙂 Asa ca fiecare vizita incepe inevitabil aici, cu un nelipsit selfie in fata portii Karlstor si se continua de-a lungul strazii Neuhauser, o zona complet pietonala, impanzita de tot soiul de magazine, cladiri tipice zonei (e si un TK Maxx pe aici, just saying :D) si biserica St. Michael, de altfel foarte frumoasa si instagramabila – cea mai mare biserica renascentista de la nord de Alpi (spune Wikipedia).

EN: In Munich, all roads lead to Karlsplatz, no matter what 🙂 So each visit inevitably starts here, with a selfie in front of Karlstor (:D) and continues towards Neuhauser street, a pedestrian area filled with shops, typical buildings (there’s a TK Maxx store here, just saying :D) and St. Michael church, very beautiful and instagrammable indeed – the biggest Renaissance church from north of the Alps (Wikipedia says that).

Marienplatz

RO: Cea mai importanta piata din centrul vechi al orasului, renumita pentru impresionanta noua cladire (“noua” de 100 de ani :D) a primariei (Rathaus) cu al sau ceas am zice noi oarecum overrated, care eclipseaza cam orice alt obiectiv turistic din preajma 😀 Saaaau, poate ca e la egalitate cu cafeneaua Rischart, chiar din mijlocul pietei, cu priveliste superba catre primarie. Dar cui ii mai pasa de primarie cand ai prajiturile acelea FABULOASE in fata?! Cert e ca pentru o priveliste superba deaspra intregii piete si a orasului, merita urcat in turnul bisericii St. Peter (asta daca vremea capricioasa bavareza permite :D). Ooo, si sa nu uitam de piata de Craciun din Marienplatz, pe care nu am apucat sa o vedem pana acum, dar despre care se spune ca e superba de-a dreptul – ca de altfel toate pietele de Craciun din Germania, sunt campioni la acest capitol 🙂 Foarte aproape de Marienplatz este si Frauenkirche, biserica cu cele doua turnuri iconice, pe care multi o considera simbolul orasului. Si tot in zona pietei centrale Marienplatz se afla si Viktualienmarkt, o piata cu tot soiul de bunatati (paradis pentru foodies) si mancare stradala.

EN: The most important square in the old town, renowned for its impressive new (100 years old “new” :D) town hall (Rathaus) with its somehow overrated clock we would say, a building that outruns any other touristic place around 😀 Oooooor maybe it is equally impressive as the Rischart Cafe, right in the middle of the square, with a beautiful view towards the town hall. But who cares about the town hall when they have those FABULOUS cookies to stare at?! One thing is certain, for beautiful views to the market and the city, it’s worth climbing into the St. Peter church‘s tower (if the moody Bavarian weather allows it :D). Oh and let’s not forget about the Christmas market from Marienplaz, which we haven;t seen so far, but we’ve heard that it is gorgeous – as well as all the Christmas markets in Germany, they are simply the best 🙂 Very close to Marienplaz there is Frauenkirche, the church with those two iconic towers, that is often consider the symbol of the city. Also in the same area there is Viktualienmarkt, a street market with all kind of goodies (Paradise for foodies) and street food. 

Odeonsplatz & Hofgarten Park

RO: Din Marienplatz se poate ajunge pe jos, intr-o plimbare de zece minute, pana la Odeonsplatz si in parcul de langa piata, Hofgarten Park. Care noua ne place tare mult 🙂 Poate pentru ca pare gradina unui palat (ceea ce a si fost de altfel pentru palatul regal Residenz – renumit ca fiind unul dintre cele mai frumoase palate din Europa cu un interior absolut fabulos), fiind mai intim decat faimoasa English Garden, poate pentru ca are pavilionul dragut din centru cu cele opt arcade, ori poate pentru Staatskanzlei (cancelaria de stat), perfect simestrica si tare fotogenica.

EN: From Marienplaz it is easy to walk (ten minutes walk) to Odeonsplatz and the nearby park, Hofgarten Park. Which we love 🙂 Maybe because it looks like the garden of a palace (which it actually was for the royal palace Residenz – renowned as one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe, with an amazingly beautiful interior), being a bit more private that the famous English Garden, maybe because it has that cute pavilion with the 8 arches or maybe because it has the Staatskanzlei (State Chancellery), perfectly symmetric and photogenic.

English Garden

RO: Un parc urias, pur si simplu urias, care se intinde din centrul orasului pana departe, aproape de marginea sa! Nu-i de mirare ca este unul dintre cele mai mari parcuri urbane din lume. Ce-i drept, noi am vrut sa vedem in mod deosebit Monopteros, monumentul circular din mijlocul parcului, cu tavanul colorat (se pare ca ar mai fi un templu similar, numit Templul Apollo, in parcul din curtea palatului Nymphemburg, insa nu am apucat sa il vedem), Chinese Tower si beraria din jur imprejurul sau 😀 Am ratat insa surferii de pe Einsbach (un rau artificial de vreo 2 km lungime, unde au loc chiar si competitii de surf), care pare-se ca fac senzatie in gradini 🙂

EN: A huge, simply huge park, that extends from the city center until far, far away, close to its borders! No wonder why this is one of the largest urban parks in the world. We actually wanted to to see Monopteros, the circular monument in the middle of the park, with its colorful ceiling (seems that there is a similar temple, Apollo Temple, in the Nymphenburg Palace parkm but we haven’t seen it), the Chinese Tower and the surrounding beer garden 😀 We missed the Einsbach surfers (that’s a man made 2km long river, where surfing competitions are held), which are actually pretty famous 🙂 

Nymphemburg Castle 

RO: Fara doar si poate, locul preferat din Munchen este castelul Nymphemburg, resedinta de vara a regilor bavarezi, precum si plimbare pe jos pe canal pana la el 🙂 Nu am vazut interiorul, insa exteriorul este tare frumos, atat in partea din fata cu lacurile si lebedele dansatoare (chiar dansau :D), cat si parcul din spate. Ce am ratat si ne pare tare rau este gradina botanica din cadrul palatului, pare sa fie spectaculoasa, poza aceasta cel putin ne-a convins.

EN: No doubt about it, our favourite place in Munich is Nymphenburg Castle, the summer residence of the Bavarian kings, and the walk on the canal in front of the castle 🙂 We haven’t seen the interior of the castle, but the exterior is very beautiful, having the lakes in the front and the dancing swans (they were really dancing :D) and the park in the back. What we’ve missed and we’re so sorry about it is the Old Botanical Garden from the palace, seems to be spectacular, and this picture convinced us.

Maximilianeum

RO: Cladirea Parlamentului cu alte cuvinte care este de-a dreptul spectaculoasa.
EN: The Parliament building in other words, which is truly spectacular. 

Siegestor (Victory Gate)

RO: Una dintre portile orasului confundata adesea cu cea din Berlin (cam micuta totusi fata de aceea :D). Spre deosebire de celelalte porti ale orasului (Karlstor, Isartor sau Sedlingertor) care sunt parte din vechiul zid care inconjura orasul pe vremuri demult apuse, Siegestor este doar un monument, insa unul care merita pus pe lista obiectivelor din oras 🙂

EN: One of the city gates, often confused with the one from Berlin (a bit smaller though :D). Unlike the other gates of the town (Karlstor, Isartor or Sedlingertor), which are part of the old city wall that surrounded the town long time ago, Siegestor is just a monument, but one that it’s worth visiting 🙂 

Hofbräuhaus

RO: Intre noi fie vorba, vorbim de pomul laudat 🙂 Berea e senzationala (cum altfel in Bavaria?), insa mancarea nu-i cine stie ce (exceptand covrigii uriasi :D), e scump, servirea nu cea mai grozava si in general o atmosfera cel putin haotica. Dar Hofbräuhaus e despre experienta in sine, despre faptul ca e cea mai renumita berarie din oras, printre cele mai vechi de altfel. E un obiectiv turistic in sine, mai degraba decat un loc potrivit de luat cina, foarte turistic si aglomerat. Insa pentru cei ce nu l-au vazut, merita trecut pe lista, chiar si pentru simpla experienta de a bea o bere la litru, servit de ospatari imbracati in costume traditionale si zgomot (asurzitor) de fanfara 🙂 Cladirea in sine este si ea foarte frumoasa, atat pe dinafara cat si pe dinauntru. Totusi, noi am fi tentati sa recomandam alte berarii din Munchen, mai putin turistice. Am gasit lista aceasta, nu le-am incercat inca pe toate, dar mai avem drumuri prin Munchen 😀 Ne-a placut insa Hirschgarten (Gradina cu Caprioare) din lista mentionata mai sus 🙂

EN: Between you and me, this is a bit overrated 🙂 The beer is indeed very good (how can it be different in Bavaria?), but the food is so and so (except those huge pretzels :D), it’s a bit too expensive and the serving is not so great and in general the atmosphere is a bit chaotic. But Hofbräuhaus is about the experience itself, about the fact that this is the most renowned beer garden in town, actually one of the oldest. It’s a touristic place that needs to be seen, rather than a restaurant to have a chill dinner. But for those who haven’t seen it, it’s worth putting it on the list, even for the simple experience of having a one litre mug of beer served by waiters in traditional costumes while the band is loudly singing in the background. The building itself  is very beautiful, both inside out. However, we would be tempted to recommend other beer gardens in Munich, maybe less touristic. We found this list, we haven’t tried them all yet, but we have plans to visit Munich again 😀 But we loved Hirschgarten (The Garden with Deer) from the list mentioned above 🙂 

Other places to see in Munich

RO: Poate ca Munchen nu este neaparat cel mai ofertant oras pentru un turist caruia ii place sa viziteze si sa alerge de dimineata pana seara. Nu iti trebuie foarte multe zile ca sa vezi mare parte din oras, si-o spunem noi, vazandu-l cu un bebelus in spinare 😀 Cu toate acestea, au ramas multicele locuri nevazute si-o sa incepem in primul rand cu Schwabing, cartierul hipsteresc si boem al Munchen-ului, cu multe restaurante si cafenele si cladiri dragute, devenit intre timp unul dintre cele mai scumpe cartiere din oras, cu chirii si preturi pe masura. Lista aceasta de restaurante din Schwabing ne va fi siguuur de folos la urmatoarea vizita 🙂 Apoi cele trei Pinakotheci (veche, noua si moderna) pe care ne-am dori sa le vedem, dar pe care cu siguranta nu le vom vedea anytime soon cu un bebelus 🙂 Este vorba de niste muzee foarte renumite de arta, pentru care Munchen-ul este de altfel foarte cunoscut. Si daca tot suntem la capitolul muzee, trecem pe lista si Muzeul Brandhorst, pentru arhitectura interesanta – chiar e o cladire foarte cool 🙂 Apoi biserica Asam, pentru interiorul absolut fabulos, si nu in ultimul rand, Olympic Area (construita pentru jocurile olimpice din 1972), turnul Olympia si muzeul BMW (pe care le-am vazut cu alte ocazii in tinerete :D). Nu ne tenteaza sa vedem Dachau, primul lagar de concentrare nazist, oricat de aproape ar fi el de Munchen. Dar am da o fuga intr-un day trip pana la castelul Neuschwanstein si pana la palatul Schleissheim.

EN: Munich might not be the best city for a tourist that loves wandering around from sunset till dawn. You don’t need too many days to see most parts of the city, and we’re saying it after doing this with a baby with us 😀 However, there are quite a few places left unseen and we’ll start with Schwabing, the hipsterish and bohemian neighborhood in Munich, with lots of restaurants and coffee shops and nice buildings, that has become one of the most expensive areas in the city, with huge prices. This list of restaurants in Schwabing will be useful for our next visit 🙂 Then the three Pinakotheks (old, new and modern) that we would love to see, but for sure we won’t be able to that anytime soon with a baby 🙂 These are some some renowned art museums that Munich is famous for. And speaking of museums, we’re putting Brandhorst Museum on the list, for its interesting architecture – it’s a really cool building 🙂 Then the Asam church for its absolutely fabulous interior and of course, the Olympic Area (built for the Olympic games from 1972), the Olympia Tower and the BMW Museum (which we have seen with other occasions :D). We’re not tempted to see Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, no matter how close to Munich it might be. But we would like a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle and Schleissheim Palace.