Munich; My love affair with a European gem.

Munich, the capital of Bavaria, was nothing more than the hometown of my favorite soccer club, Bayern Munich, and a city known for its high cost of living on my list before I set foot on its land. On the first day I arrived in Europe, I landed at Munich Airport and was greeted by a dear friend. From there, we drove for about forty-five minutes to Augsburg. That day, I only caught a brief glimpse of Munich, but I knew deep down that I would return to truly explore this magnificent city.

I have always been passionate about cars, especially vintage ones. To me, they possess an aura that modern cars, despite their advanced technology and design, simply cannot match. Vintage cars hold a charm similar to the magic that Shakespeare weaved with his words. So, when I knew I would be in Munich, a visit to the BMW Museum was a must. Stepping inside, it was like embarking on a journey through time, witnessing every step this automotive giant has taken since its inception. In that moment, the little boy within me was awakened, and I was completely immersed in the display of everything from the very first engines to the first race cars, family cars, and the mass-produced cars for the average German family. I savored every moment of this extraordinary experience.

Munich is rapidly emerging as a startup hub in the heart of Europe with the grand vision of becoming the Silicon Valley of Europe. I had read about it and watched documentaries about the amazing startups here and their creations. I was eager to see it for myself, and as fate would have it, the universe presented a perfectly orchestrated opportunity. I got to visit a bustling startup hub in Munich, an area that houses not only up-and-coming startups but also big names like Google and Salesforce. A friend was kind enough to ask another friend who runs a startup in this area to show us around. He didn't just give us a tour but also took the time to have lunch with us and engage in a long and fascinating conversation about AI, technology, business, and the world that I find so captivating. On our way home, we drove past the Olympic Stadium in Munich, where a Coldplay show was taking place during my time in Germany. This marked the end of my first day in this beautiful city, and I knew I wanted to see more. I knew I had to come back.

I don't remember exactly when it started, but I have long been fascinated by the level of research and innovation that comes out of Western universities. I recall watching a documentary about the concept of the Hyperloop, and in it, several scientists and entrepreneurs working on advancing the technology were in the spotlight. One story that caught my attention was Elon Musk's Hyperloop competition, in which a team from the Technical University of Munich won. So, when I returned to Munich, I was lucky to make a new friend who happened to attend this prestigious university, and he was kind enough to show me around. German universities are surprisingly open and not like the large, closed-off campuses we have in China. To my surprise, the university seemed like many different buildings scattered throughout Munich. We also took a walk through the city and visited LMU, another amazing university, older but equally impressive as TUM.

We walked through most of Munich and took the city bus for part of the journey. It was the middle of summer, and at some point during the day, the heat became unbearable. We made our way to the famous English Garden, a must-see for anyone in Munich. I had seen pictures and videos of it before, so being there was truly surreal, and I loved every moment. There is a river that flows through the garden, and at a certain point where the water rushes with great pressure, we were treated to the sight of surfers taking turns to conquer the slightly wild waves. Some were quite impressive, while many kept falling. At a shallow part of the river, we took off our shoes and dipped our feet in the water. It was so refreshing that we almost didn't want to leave. But soon, it was time to move on, and the next place we visited was something I had been looking forward to. We stopped at a lovely outdoor beer garden, where my friend treated me to some amazing cold German beer and pretzels. Bavaria introduced me to the concept of beer gardens, and I have to admit that I have fallen deeply in love with them. This is definitely something I will be looking forward to on my next visit.

We walked past many interesting places in Munich, like the Bayerischer Hotel, which looked extremely fancy. We walked through neighborhoods that I was told were very expensive to live in, even though the apartments and houses didn't seem that big. I learned about the Diana Temple when we walked through the Hofgarten. My feet were starting to ache, but I was having the time of my life and didn't want to stop.

We headed to the famous Mariansplatz in the heart of Munich. Tourists from all over the world gathered in this beautiful square, lined with wonderful shops, restaurants, and coffeehouses. This was another spot on my Munich bucket list that I was excited to check off. We walked around and visited a few shops. One that stood out was a shop with some of the most expensive meats in all of Germany. Who would have thought that meat could be branded and sold like a luxury product? On the same building, right above the meat shop, was a beautiful café where we sat and had a drink. There's nothing like a glass of cold, freshly squeezed juice on a hot summer day.

For every city I visit, I always make it a point to take a beautiful picture with a panoramic view of the city. I was glad to find that Munich has plenty of towers. After taking a much-needed break from all the walking, a friend suggested we visit St. Peter's Church, a church in the heart of Munich with a tower that offers a magnificent view of the city. The climb to the top started with a narrow passage, which for a moment made me feel claustrophobic, a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time. But as we got closer to the top, the passage widened. After what seemed like an endless climb, we finally made it to the top. We stepped out through a small door, and there it was, Munich in all its glory, as beautiful, majestic, and magical as I had imagined.

I had been warned about how chaotic the Munich train system was, but I have to say it wasn't as bad as I had been led to believe. It wasn't as punctual as the trains in China, where I currently live. Germans are known for their punctuality, yet their public transport always seems to be a bit late. I bet this drives many of them crazy.

Munich has been on my mind for a long time. I knew I would visit it someday, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. As I walked through the streets of Munich, I had moments of disbelief, but then I would be brought back to reality, realizing how everything had fallen into place. And now, here I was, ticking another wonderful city off my travel list.

Thank you for reading, and I'll see you in the next adventure.

Fred Agaba