Tag: solo travel
Top Things to Do in Munich – 3 day itinerary
Munich is one of the larger cities of Germany with people from everywhere. Being an important part of Germany, it was a central place during the Nazi time and has a lot of history associated with it. The city also boasts of beautiful gardens and old and intricate architecture and buildings.
Often referred to as the beer capital, Munich is famous for its annual beer festival, Oktoberfest where herds of people come from around the world to indulge in the city’s beer culture.
Let’s get into the details on how you can have the best of time in this city.
Where to stay?
Munich is no doubt an expensive big city so staying within my budget was a task in itself. I chose to stay at Wombat’s City hostel. It had a good rating and the price per bed was also at par with the other hostel options. When I reached my hostel, I was pleasantly amazed by its central location. With a cordial staff at service and a comfortable room and other common areas, it was just a perfect stay. PS: Breakfast at Wombats is every penny worth – huge variety and great taste!Day 1
Walk around Old Munich
Marienplatz, Odeonsplatz
I chose to walk from my hostel to Marienplatz and on my way, I crossed many significant buildings of Munich. I spent a lot of time clicking pictures of the marvelous architecture that adorned these buildings. Marienplatz is a prime tourist attraction since there are numerous showrooms and historic points of interest in its vicinity. You can spend time shopping or immerse yourself in the historic richness of the square. A few blocks from Marienplatz is Odeonsplatz which is another historical location of the city. If you are in Munich during winters, stop at San Francisco Coffee Company for a quick break from the cold outside.
Relax in the Gardens of Nymphenburg Palace
Apart from its much-talked museum, Nymphenburg Palace is also adorned by an extensive picturesque garden with numerous lakes flowing through it. There are also beautiful sculptures spread throughout the garden that will take you back into the Roman times.Gardens of Nymphenburg Palace
Statues in the gardens of Nymphenburg Palace
Watch the sunset from the hills of Olympiapark
Olympiapark is a huge stadium that was built for the summer Olympics of 1972. Many events are held all the year around in the stadium. Climb to one of the higher hills and enjoy the sunset and city views from there. You can also go up the Olympia Tower to get even better views of the city – It is paid though.Day 2
Indulge yourself in the country’s art and history
PS: All the museums in the city are closed on Monday
Visit the Jewish Museum
The museum was closed, so I spent some time reading the informational lines (more of a conversation) related to Jews on its all four sides. An interesting read! I went to Alte Pinakothek after that. But it was closed as well, so I just took a nap in the surrounding park.LOCAL PRO TIP: Enjoy a cup of coffee with a good city view at Café im Vorhoelzer Forum, inside the Technical University.
Visit Dachau – Concentration Camp, or Gardens or both
Dachau is a small city just outside of Munich. It is famous for the concentration camp where many Jews and political prisoners were held captive during the Nazi rule. You can also visit the Dachau Palace and Gardens, another great place to just sit and relax amid the beautiful nature. It not only boasts about the amazing views of the peaceful city, but you can also look at the Alps on a clear day.Love Indian Food?
The Royal India Restaurant is a must go. Delicious rich Indian food and that too in good budget ~10-12 euro per person. My German friends loved this restaurant!
Day 3
Visit any other museum of interest
I went to NS- Dokumentarizm because I was interested in knowing more about the history of the city and the country. A lot of information in one place – perfect for enthusiastic readers of history.
Chill at a Beer Garden
A must have experience.
Beer gardens are large outdoor gardens with seating space and beer and food stalls – something like an open restaurant. People often go to the beer gardens to hang out with their friends and families. While it is okay for you to carry your own food, it is considered polite (and generally followed) to buy beer and other drinks from the stalls.If you are in the city at the time of Oktoberfest – the largest beer festival that happens every year in Munich, make sure to be a part of it!
From being skeptical about the program to falling in love with all the kids – My Experience With VP Bali
Why did I decide to join VP Bali? I had recently left my job and was in Mumbai for acting classes. I’d be free for the next 6 months and I wanted to travel and experiment with different things as I decide what I want …
New Years in San Francisco – Day 1
A warm place to spend the winter weekend at
I had been planning something special for New Year’s this time, something that I had not done before in my life. I decided for an end to end solo trip, starting right from planning to execution. I stumbled upon a few places, starting from the nearest cities- Portland, Salem, Eugene (in Oregon) to farther ones like Orlando, Salt Lake City, San Francisco.
Seattle being a cold and rainy city, I wanted someplace that was warm and in addition to that had a good number of things to take a tour of, and that is when I decided to visit Orlando. It had warm temperature and a lot of Disney world kind of places. I did a pretty good research but was confused up until I thought of finalizing San Francisco.
I don’t remember why it hit me, but I am glad I decided on SF!!
Stay on budget at Green Tortoise Hostel
I planned to stay in SF for 3 days and 2 nights. I looked at flight rates- the rates were still pretty cheap. Post that, I searched for available accommodations for the time I’ll be there. I planned to stay in a hostel, for two reasons: to meet new people and to stay in budget.
Green Tortoise was the best-rated hostel on hostelworld.com. It is by Broadway St and Keary St with good proximity to restaurants, fisherman’s wharf, China town, Telegraph Hill and much more.
The only thing that you would need to take care of is that though the hostel had good connectivity to most of the places, it was in a block full of strip clubs. So, if you are uncomfortable with it, choose your stay accordingly.
How to reach the hostel
I landed in SF on 30th Dec at 8:15 am. As suggested by the hostel, I took BART train from airport to Montgomery St. station which was $8.95 and approx. 30-45 minutes ride. Montgomery St station is a 15 min walk to Green Tortoise Hostel. BART was the most convenient option for me but you can also take Amtrak shuttle bus or other shuttle services that are available at the airport for additional 10$.
What to do if you reach before check-in time
I reached Montgomery St station at around 9 and I was thrilled to see the sunny town with tall architecturally beautiful buildings. From there I walked straight to my hostel appreciating the beauty around me. Now, check-in times for hostels are usually 2:00 pm or after that. It was 4:00 pm for Green Tortoise Hostel. I reached the hostel pretty early, but the hostel staff was very accommodating. They considered me for early check-in and suggested that my room would be ready by 1. I kept my bags in the locker room and had some breakfast (they have breakfast till 10:00 am).
What all to see
Coit Tower, Telegraph Hill
After some freshening up, I started towards my first target spot, Coit Tower. It is an uphill climb from Green Tortoise hostel towards Telegraph Hill. It was this place that made me fall in love with San Francisco. There were numerous closely packed pretty little houses on the way towards the tower adorned by the greenery around them. There is a good view of the beach from most of these houses.
The stairs to the tower had names of different people engraved on them signifying their donation to the restoration of the tower. This set of steps is Filbert Street Steps. There is another set of steps, the Greenwich Stairs that you can take to reach the tower.
Inside the tower, you’ll see paintings on each of its walls – also known as Murals. A Mural is a kind of art that is done directly on the wall. These paintings depict different aspects of life in San Fransisco and other parts of California. Some of these painters currently take classes in different art schools in and outside SF.
The tower itself is a 13-floor tall building that gives a 360-degree view of the city. Ticket for going to the top of the tower is $8 for non-SF residents. You can stay on the top of the tower for however much long as you want (of course unless they are closing). I stayed there for around 15 minutes enjoying the beauty of the city underneath and took some pictures. After coming down, I took a small stroll around the tower enjoying the narrow path along the tower walls.
Top Right: View from Tower
Bottom Right: View from the foot of Tower
While coming down the tower stairs, I saw an old-aged main selling lovely paintings done by him. I bought myself one of his artworks, a simple yet so beautiful painting of Yosemite Park (partly complete I guess).
General Trivia:
1) Coit tower is 84 years old and stands 210ft tall on the top of Telegraph Hill. It was commissioned by Lillie Hitchcock Coit who left 1/3rd of her fortune to the city as a tribute to the firemen of San Fransisco and her love for the city.
2) The other two famous hills in SF other than the Telegraph hill, are the Russian Hill and Nob Hill.
Muir Woods and Sausalito Tour
After coming down from the Telegraph Hill, I first went to my hostel and checked into my room and headed for my next spot. I had pre-booked an “Afternoon half day tour to Muir Woods and Sausalito” via Viator in partnership with Gray Line of San Francisco. The tour was to begin at 2:00 pm and it was already 1:30 pm. I rushed to the Gray Line‘s office. I decided to stop by a cafe, Cafe La Taza near their office to get some sandwich and coffee. Apparently, this cafe has a good rating on Yelp, but my experience of both food and beverage was really bad. This makes to my list of places to not eat in San Francisco.
SF streets are really busy on weekends because of which the tour bus was late by half an hour. It arrived at 2:30 and all the people in the group got settled in and we started off crossing some of the very famous streets of San Francisco, like Lombard St., Pacific Heights (also known as Billionaire’s row), and the guide telling us about some historical facts about the city. Muir woods is approximately 16 miles from the main city across the famous Golden Gate Bridge. We reached the forest around 3:30 and had 90 minutes to take a stroll in the woods.
The Woods
Muir woods had one of the most spectacular views. These are the giant redwood trees that have their roots intertwined which helps to hold together the soil against winds or floods. There are 2 to 3 trails in the woods, you can take whichever you prefer. All of these go through the whole forest. The best part about Muir was that the area was so dense and yet so quiet.
Small Tip💡: There’s a cafe as you enter the Muir woods and washrooms just beside it, outside of which you’ll see a huge queue on a busy day. Better to use washrooms that are just outside the entrance.
Key Fact⚠: there is no phone network in and around Muir Woods. You’ll have to travel around 2/2.5 miles till you get the network back.
The exciting part
After spending an hour and a half in the woods, I came out to realize that my bus has left. It was already getting dark, the main office had closed and all other people were slowly leaving. With zero network connectivity, I could not make a call to either the tour company or any other person that I might know. Throwing away the idea to walk till I get a network, I hitch-hiked with a family back to San Fransisco.
Dinner at New Woey Loy Goey
By this time, I was literally starving, so I looked for the best oriental restaurants that would be near my hostel. I found this top-rated Chinese restaurant, Chong Qing Xiao Mian and booked a cab from Pier 39(where the family dropped me) to the restaurant. There was a long queue outside the restaurant and it was already 6. I had planned to reach the hostel by 8 to get a good night’s sleep for an early beginning the next day. So I wandered a bit and stopped at “New Woey Loy Goey“, another Chinese Restaurant. It was full too, but since I was alone I managed to get a seat at the bar. I ordered Vegetarian Chowmein and though the quantity was huge, I did not like the taste of it very much. But it was good enough to satisfy my hunger. Oh Oh, and there was free Chinese green tea served as a welcome drink.
After finishing the dinner, I walked to my hostel. On my way, I crossed a group of Chinese people singing and dancing to authentic Chinese music. I stood there listening to them for a while and then continued on my way back to the hostel.
I dozed off within few minutes after reaching the hostel.
Next day to be continued...