Rathaus (town hall) in Munich
I’m excited that I can finally announce that I’m moving to Munich….on Monday! It is with mixed feelings that I’m moving. I have lived in Stuttgart for just over a year and feel that everything has just started to come together in the last few months. I’ve established a small circle of close friends, have finished my intensive German classes, know my way around the city and have explored much of the city and surrounding area, but of course there’s always more to discover. I have really enjoyed living in Stuttgart. With a population of ~600,000, it’s a nice size, lots of good restaurants, a bustling cultural scene, and surrounded by vineyards, of which I have spent many Sunday afternoons walking through.
On the other hand, we’re moving for J.P.s (my German husband) job and I do think that Munich will be a better place for us to live in the long term. I also feel I have made good use of my time in Stuttgart and the area. Virtually every week I would be off exploring with either J.P. or my friends -whether it be a castle, museum, a festival or a hike in the Black Forest. I haven’t come close to seeing everything there is to see in the area – there’s simply too much to see, but I’ve made a decent effort. My German friends tease me that I’ve seen more than they have of the Stuttgart area.
Munich, being a larger and more international city has the advantage of having more expats and therefore more expat activities than Stuttgart has. I’ve already signed up for a book club on my second day in Munich and have plans to join in on numerous other expat activities including an international hiking club, badminton and a weekly curry night to name a few. I also plan to make an effort to make German friends by joining the Deutschen Alpenverein, a German hiking association. As I plan to live in Germany for the foreseeable future, it’s important to me that I have both German and expat friends.
Munich also has the advantage of being closer to the Alps, something I’m really looking forward to. While I have enjoyed hiking in the Black Forest and Swabian Alps (these are hills, not to be confused with the real German Alps), I have really missed being closer to the mountains as I was when I was living in Calgary, Canada.
Having said that, I’m grateful that Stuttgart is only 230 km from Munich so that I can come back whenever I want and of course want my Stuttgart friends to come visit in Munich as well – with Oktoberfest just around the corner I have a feeling this won’t be a problem.
I’m also really looking forward to exploring Munich and the surrounding area. I have spent some time in the area, but not nearly as much as I would like, so that is also exciting. So with that, what recommendations do you have for places to visit in Munich and the surrounding area? I will be checking out Oktoberfest, the Deutsches Museum, have already visited Neuschwanstein Castle, seen the famous surfing in Munich and some of the other more popular tourist attractions, but I’m interested in discovering the offbeat attractions and places. Looking forward to your recommendations and with that I bid an “Auf Wiedersehen” to Stuttgart and a “Hallo” to Munich!