" Munich at a glance "

My travel begins at the heart of Marienplatz.
We arrived on a busy Thursday afternoon and
took the Metro S-Bahn * S8, *see last post *.

Exhausted and Tired, jet-lagged with terrible eye bags,
we wheeled our luggage along the cobbled streets of Viktualienmarkt,
obviously looking like tourists.



We can't wait for our hotel check-in and have some rest,
but only to find that we still need to wait for another hour or more,
because rooms were not yet ready.
oh brother...

Clearly it leaves us sans choix,
but to circle round the area instead,
we immediately head to the nearest supermarket.





The supermarche was just a few blocks away.
Good 'ol Tengelmann.



order of the day:
Chips, Junk food and more chips.
I've been craving for Chipsfrisch for sometime now. ^0^
I miss this, still do.



random book shop.
cute display. ^-^



events and ads pasted on this pole.



trams come and go,
I have yet to try this next time. ^-^






Bike stops




This was the first thing we ate,
the simplest crunchiest Bretzn we've ever tasted. *note on superlatives* ^-^
freshly baked for just * 50 cent euro *



>

just look at how busy it was on a typical noon.



that's me, heading to our second destination...



The server was friendly enough to smile at our camera.
Looking at their menu,
they even have healthy Bio-wurst and Bio-Leberkäse.



We took our orders outside.



and shared a plate of : 2 Stück mit Brezn un Senf.
That is : * 2 pieces (sausages) with Pretzel and Mustard. *

German white sausages called Weisswurst = Weißwurst

eventually, I am starting to learn Deutsch especially when it comes to food. ^-^



In munich,
you can drop by any meat shop and order some of their ready made meats.
Like this:



we had this yummiest Leberkäse or
Leberkässemmel in town for just 2 euros. ^-^
It's like eating spam only tastier and meatier.
I guarantee you, it's mouthwatering delish. ^-^

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Later that night,
after freshening up and skyping our love ones.
We headed to Marienplatz and was surprised at how beautiful it was.
Despite the cold,
The place was twinkling with lights and you can really feel the Christmas vibe.



We stayed at this Hotel.
Specifically wanted somewhere near this area.
I will share my review next time though.





We walked further.






and found a bookstore again ! ^-^



♥ love Asterix and Tintin. ♥
any favorites?!



Dirndl madness ✿



then we passed by St. Peter's Church



church's exterior



postcard for your thoughts:




More Marienplatz at night:




close up details:



we suddenly heard a few hums and accompaniment,
A team of church choir performing " O come o ye faithful" in German.
Oh, that was very inspiring.







I also wanted to share this LINK
In case you wanted to see the real time and view of the plaza via LUDWIG BECK's website.



So, there's more to Munich than Oktoberfest, Dirndls and Beer gardens.
In winter, every nook and corner is filled with Christmas markets - Christkindlmarkt.
which I will share with you on my next post. ^-^

" The joy of flying KLM "

So I have been sharing my flight experiences ✈ for the past few weeks now.
I assure you though, this will be its 3rd installment,
I guess you must be quite bored looking at same boarding tickets and plane food for ..nth time already. ^-^



Flying with KLM left us good memories even though we only booked the Economy Class.
~Reason why we preferred this than other airline when we head to Munich, Germany last year.~

For starters, the service was Impeccable.
Something I clearly look forward to in an airline.
After all, return tickets don't come cheap especially when you travel a thousand miles away from home.

BUT:

again, There were a few minute details I wish they could improve ...

* I noticed on my 2nd trip that things didn't look as new as they were before.

The button switches were a bit rundown.
Like an overused remote control.



* Some seats don't recline like they used to,
although frankly, I don't mind,
I hate people who angled their seats without consideration.



* The legroom is always an issue and as much as I want to complain further,
you just can't, that's how they were designed, except for business/first class.
But that's for another post,
maybe when I hit the jackpot.

* Earplugs/earphones to keep you busy,
but no extra toiletries, like Qatar's goodie bag.




and finally the food menu:
Although,
what we had last year was more or less the same with the previous one ( see the old post )* berlin trip* ,
It was not as delicious as we were expecting,
still, it was served fresh and hot.

I just hope that it doesn't deteriorate.




the FOOD:
















and I can't help but smile when I saw this inspiring phrase on the cup:

.. Every Cloud has a Silver Lining...



What a joke though,
our short flight from Amsterdam to Munich,
The flight attendant asked us:

SHE: hi ma'am, would you like salty or something sweet ?

ME: salty please.

and here I was expecting it was something FULL-filling. ^0^

Tada!
~ just a small bag of chips and a choice of drink.

* if you opted for the latter, it was a slice of sweet bread.




I almost forgot to show you the TRANSIT card, this time in color Orange - connecting flight from Taiwan to Amsterdam.



: the dreamy window-seat view was just magical:





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19 hours after, still a bit jet lagged we were in AMSTERDAM enfin!

remember how I said the Schiphol airport was confusing as ever?!
well, you can forget about that part. ^0^

Having more time to navigate and this time, much waiting time before boarding,
and gladly without any delay or change of gate.
We got to appreciate the airport better,
even took more fotos than before.
but STILL my darn GLOBE signal wasn't working!
* there goes your roaming! *






Hi there! ~



The self service station where you can easily print your tickets in a jiffy or Check flights etc.



The w0w View Outside.



morning at Schiphol airport




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MUNICH AIRPORT

Finally! Touchdown at Munich Airport.
I love the spacious design and its simplicity.



the walkalator



that's us trying some mirrored shots. ^0^



When you're lost, follow the herds of luggage and tourist,
Look for this sign and you're off to the city centre.



Usually we took a taxi or shuttle service from the airport to the hotel.
But I did a quick check days before traveling and was shocked that a normal taxi ride
would roughly cost around 60 Euros !! * very expensive indeed *

so, we decided to take the S-Bahn metro ride instead.
The metro map is an easy read.





Once you're outside the area,
follow the letter S bahn logo

or the train symbol

photo credits: yahoo image

You can always book at the Information desk, but the long queue will take you forever.

It's better to buy tickets from these counters * The Airport City Day Ticket * or the german word :Fahrkarten
In less than an hour you'll be at the heart of action.



what the ticket looked like.
We chose the number S8 - Flughafen that took us from Munich to Marienplatz.
Here's another LINK that I think is helpful.



Of course I have to wander inside the bookshop first. ^0^
as if my Grade A german would suffice.




The train arrives every 10 minutes,
take note where you're heading though.

note: screen read: GLEIS - 1 * platform 1 *

DOORS do not open automatically: you NEED to switched the OPEN button.



while waiting...


seen inside the train: crumpled unattended magazine freebies.



tourists / locals anticipating the ride....



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then fast forward weeks later, our ride from Firenze to Amsterdam.

KLM CITY HOPPER





Leather Seats, which I preferably love than those itchy Economy Saver furry seats.



The VOLKORENBROOD or simply the Whole wheat bread was a delight.
and I like the packaging. ^0^

definitely better than the chips.







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FIRENZE AIRPORT

Early morning after we checked-out,
A reliable taxi service from our hotel, less than 45 minutes later,
and less than 30 euros for taxi. we arrived safe and sound,
the airport wasn't crowded as I was expecting and surprisingly New!~ ❤
sorry,
I've seen Rome's Ciampino and Fiumicino Airport and it sucks!





this is where we queued for our boarding tickets.



the info centre



I have a thing for books,
I think that's my first thing I visit next to the souvenirs.



This was us, while waiting for check-in.
ugh! I always dread the last day of my trip,
I'm torn between missing my family back home and the unforgettable sights I've seen.



there's also the FAST CHECK IN,
I have yet to try that one.



and the shuttle bus that would take us to KLM's Hopper.




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On another note:

I took a quiz from Nomadic Samuel's blog
thought I might share it with you,
out of boredom btw, ^0^
What's your travel personality?!
hmmm...
here's what I got.
The Interepid Traveler. ^0^



How I wish I am brave enough to travel South America. * we'll see *
For now, je suis juste dingue ~ about Europe. ^0^
Although India and Thailand are still in my long list of must-see.

what about you?


NEXT POST :
MUNICH 101