Salzburg promised us better pretzels in Munich. So we took the train over and arrived that evening.
Munich wasted absolutely no time being Munich.
Arrival Night: Beer Hall Energy#
For dinner, we ended up in one of those classic Bavarian restaurant situations with dark wood everywhere, huge plates of meat, giant beer glasses, and approximately seventeen times more people than felt necessary.
Nicholas had the beer. There was roast pork, sausage, sauerkraut, gravy, a dumpling, and enough calories to power a small farming village. It was good. Very German. Very committed to the assignment.
At this point, we thought Munich was just being lively.
This was adorable in hindsight.
The Crowd Situation#
The next morning we wandered into the old city and immediately started asking the obvious question: why is it so crowded?
Not normal crowded. Not “popular European city in June” crowded. Weird crowded. Rowdy crowded. Everybody looked like they were heading toward either a party or a fight.
Then we figured it out.
World Cup.
Of course.
Nicholas was not thrilled. He does not enjoy tourist chaos under the best of circumstances, and adding thousands of screaming soccer people to the equation did not improve his mood.
We kept going anyway.
The Churchy Thing With the Demon Stabbing#
One of the first stops was St. Michael’s Church, which has a giant dramatic bronze angel over the entrance stabbing a demon.
Now this is how you decorate a church.
Above the entrance, the whole façade rises up in layers of arches, statues, and gold lettering, just to make sure nobody misses the point.
Inside, it was all soaring arches, side chapels, and that enormous pale nave that makes everyone look tiny and quiet whether they planned to be or not.
Munich, I will give you this: your churches know how to make an entrance.
Marienplatz, But Make It Overcrowded#
From there we drifted toward the center of town, where Munich starts doing the full postcard routine.
First the twin green domes of the Frauenkirche started looming over the rooftops.
Then we reached Marienplatz, which was packed.
The Neues Rathaus was out there being absurdly ornate, all Gothic spires and carved stone and flags, like it had personally decided to win the architecture competition.
The Mariensäule was surrounded by a crowd of people all staring upward, filming, waiting, cheering, or doing whatever it is soccer crowds do between chanting episodes.
It was one of those situations where the city itself was genuinely beautiful, but the atmosphere around it had the energy of a very loud group project.
The Good Part#
Thankfully, we eventually wandered far enough to escape some of the crowd surge.
We ended up near Odeonsplatz, with the yellow Theatine Church glowing in the sun and the Feldherrnhalle off to the side.
Much better.
From there, we drifted into the Hofgarten and the Residenz area, which was the first part of Munich that actually felt calm.
Nicholas walked through the park with me tucked into his backpack, which is still one of the better methods of transport available to me.
Then the whole place turned almost suspiciously elegant.
Formal gardens. Gravel paths. Flowerbeds lined up like they had been measured with lasers. A domed pavilion in the distance. The sort of place where everyone looks like they should either be painting watercolors or plotting something dynastic.
Calm, sunny, stately, and not yelling at us.
The Exit Through the Airport#
That evening, we headed to the airport to fly to Stockholm.
There was, naturally, another work call.
This photo does not capture what came next.
What came next was the worst airport experience we’ve ever had.
World Cup traffic had apparently broken the place. We ended up in a tiny terminal that was absolutely jammed with people. No lounge. No place to sit. Trash overflowing out of the cans and onto the floor. Hot, crowded, loud, understaffed, and full of sweaty drunk soccer energy.
It was vile.
By the time we finally got out, Nicholas had declared that he never wanted to come back to Munich again.
I assume this position will soften eventually, because the churches were dramatic, the gardens were civilized, and the food took its responsibilities seriously.
But as exits go, it was not a strong one.
Final Verdict#
Munich had some excellent architecture, one aggressively competent church façade, a very respectable park, and a serious beer-and-meat program.
It also had World Cup chaos, crowd density beyond reason, and an airport experience that felt like a punishment.
So my official review is this: Munich was good in parts and deeply annoying in others.
Which, honestly, is more memorable than just being nice.
Also, for the record, this was not my first Munich layover. I already dealt with that back in 2012. Even then, I was not given my own seat on the plane. Some things improve. Some do not.
Next stop: Stockholm. Hopefully with fewer soccer mobs.