Euro Trip - Day 1 (Germany - Munich)
Those who know me well know that I have always loved to travel.
A seed of wanderlust had grown inside me. Finally the Eurotrip was on!!! The flight tickets were booked, places finalized, car reserved, a solid plan of 12 days was drafted and there was no looking back now! Basically, the plan was to drive through Germany (Munich, Garmisch, Zugspitze) -> Austria (Salzburg, Hallstatt, Vienna) -> Czech Republic (Prague) -> Germany (Dresden, Göttingen, Frankfurt). Being October, it was not too hot not too cold. I would say it was a perfect weather for a perfect destination. In fact, what better time than a fall season to visit the dreamy Alps!! My excitement knew no bounds!
As a child I was always fantasized about the mountain ranges and green lands of the mountain villages. Southern Germany & Austria was full of all this lovely landscape, driving through this was like a dream come true! It was 3 of us: Me, my sister and my better half.
Nymphenburg Palace
At Toronto, we boarded the flight and eagerly waited for 8hrs to arrive at the destination. The first destination was Munich (2 days). Our hotel was in the outskirts of Munich in a beautiful countryside Aufkirchen. Once we arrived at the hotel & freshened up, were all set to explore Munich (München in German). A short drive took us to the city centre where we strolled around & grabbed some light lunch while exploring the nearby places.
The first place in our list was Nymphenburg Palace located 9kms northwest of downtown Munich. Built in 17th Century, this is one of the largest royal palaces in Europe and most importantly, the birth place of King Ludwig II. This was the summer palace for the former rulers of Bavaria. The central pavilion has the look of Italian villa. The insides of the palace comprises of fine furnishings, precise interiors and eye captivating paintings. The 200 hectare ornamental garden was designed in the 19th Century. It has palm house, fountains, hedge theatre and a lot of marble statues of Greek gods. The entrance fee to this spacious Bavarian palace is around 10-15 Euros. Guided walking tours are available which give more insights on the history of the place.
Nymphenburg Terrace
Nymphenburg - Munich
In case you want to know about the history in general, please refer: http://www.schloss-nymphenburg.de/englisch/palace/index.htm
Peak Season: July and August.
With nothing else planned for the day, we headed back to the hotel a bit early, took a stroll around the hotel. It was a lovely walk along the countryside, chatting and gossiping around with my sister whom I met after quite a long time. The Day1 was done and we had a long Day2 in front of us.
Mercure Hotel