Singapore to Germany - Traveling After 2 Years
I was in Germany from 29 Oct to 3 Nov, thanks to the Vaccinated Travel Lane. It took me 2 days to make this decision. I had a minor scare when Germany declared Singapore a high risk country 5 days before my embarkation but luckily it was still quarantine-free upon arrival if you meet the requirements. A common reaction I received was "why is the trip so short"? Well, I hope it had been longer too, but I cannot take leave at my whim. I was contented with this duration and felt that it was sufficient to explore Munich, including a day trip to Schwangau for the Neuschwanstein Castle. It was a long-awaited relief to travel again and a reward for myself before I embark on a new journey in a new company starting 1 Dec.
Even though I had taken a solo trip to China in 2019, I disliked this idea. Nevertheless, the eagerness to travel surpassed any sense of apprehension I had, and after this trip I feel like I would probably go on more solo ones in the future. I personally think that this trip was not much of a hassle - the only additions were some administrative matters, costs associated with PCR tests, and a more expensive travel insurance. If you prepare all your documents well, clearing customs is a breeze. I have seen some people ready with a file of all their paper documents, like a portfolio. Very meticulous, but this is not necessary as you can show soft copies.
The flight to Munich included a short layover in Frankfurt. I missed my connecting flight due to a delay at Changi, and was automatically rebooked on the next flight which was an hour later. Passing through passport check was relatively quick but the horror was the luggage check. I saw long, snaking lines leading to the hall I was supposed to go and joining a queue from the tail was bound to make me miss my flight again, so I talked to a staff, who let me through a "fast lane". Little did I know that passing through a "fast lane" gantry did not lead to a proper queue; those people who did so had to merge into one of the mainstream queues and those disgruntled passengers will not let you in easily.
After some time, they decided to open a new counter. Immediately a mob swarmed to it, disregarding the order of arrival. I asked some people if they could allow me to cut, and luckily they agreed. Later, some people who were running late further cut to the front of me. What was more frustrating was the zero sense of urgency in their actions as they were mindlessly unprepared to remove their jackets and other belongings, and leisurely doing so instead of swift motions. Frankfurt's airport gave me a nightmare but I managed to be on time for my flight eventually.
I'll rate my accommodation in Munich a 9 out of 10. The only complaints for Pullman Munich were the dirty curtains and some slight design flaws. There is a supermarket right below and the surroundings are quiet as it is away from the old town. It is only 6 train stations from Marienplatz on the same line, and not far away from the Lufthansa Express Bus stop, which I strongly recommend as a mode of transport between the city and the airport.
The plan on the first day was just to visit Marienplatz (although I would later pass by here every day) and 4 churches. But before anything else, lunch. I made my way to Andy's Krablergarten for schnitzel, a slice of meat pounded thin. However, the server told me they were full of customers who had made reservations. This was a bad start. I did not bother waiting because I expected the customers to take their own sweet time to chat and chill. With the help of Google, I found an alternative nearby, and it did not disappoint.
Marienplatz is an old square with the imposing city hall building, and is one of the locations I had to take selfies at, since it is so strikingly and memorably Munich. I spent a while trying to overcome my awkwardness and self-awareness although deep down I knew that nobody will give a hoot and it was only a fleeting moment of embarrassment, if any. Also, the selfies I took would surely be less "instaworthy" as compared to someone relatively pro to help me with it. The 4 churches I went to, are uniquely different in their own ways. You should definitely pay to head up the tower of St. Peter's Church to get panoramic views of the city. I was glad it was a clear day. Asamkirche is the other church I would recommend because it is so interestingly and overly ornate. Dinner was käsespätzle, a pasta dish with cheese and onions. I was served beer without being asked, and decided to go along with it since I had to get one sometime. The pasta came with a bowl of salad, and I started realising that the food portions there were really huge. The beer made me realise why it is so highly raved, because it was so smooth with a scent of wheat and no overpowering alcoholic taste. I feel that some people there aren't friendly towards you initially, but they warm up especially if you just wait patiently or start a small talk with them.
Day 2 was the day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle. I had breakfast at a lovely cafe, before making a slightly rushed journey to the Central Station to catch my train to Füssen, the nearest train station to the castle. Do buy the Bayern ticket which will grant you access to unlimited trips within Bavaria in a day, including the train to Füssen and the bus you need to take to get to the castle/other palaces like Linderhorf. The weather was splendid, and I was once again very thankful for that. I started on a trek up the hill which was very manageable, taking about 20 minutes. I chose not to buy the entry ticket to the castle as I read it is underwhelming - in fact it is not completed since the king who ordered the construction passed away before its completion.
Marienbrücke, which is a bridge that offers vantage viewing points of the castle, was closed due to maintenance. I read someone's blog which provided a guide on how to get to a "secret spot" for photo-taking, and the spot would not pale in comparison to the bridge. I was excited while searching for it, and when I found it, I realised it was really an open secret and there were other routes taken by other travelers to get there. I sought help from someone to take photos of me but they turned out really bad. Consider yourself lucky if you manage to chance upon a stranger who takes nice shots for you because most are really amateurish or do not really care about the quality for you. Fortunately, they looked better after some edits on my part.
So I skipped lunch, but was going to eat something nice back in Munich. I ordered suckling pig, and kaiserschmarrn, which is a pancake they listed under "desserts" on the menu. The suckling pig came with a potato dumpling, a springy and chewy ball of potato at the side. The Germans at the same table as me (table sharing is common) looked on as I took my first bite of the potato ball. They were impressed when I finished it as I reckon not many would do so since it did taste somewhat exotic. This potato dumpling is a common accompaniment to many mains so it might be an acquired taste for you. When the pancake was served, I was appalled because it looked like it could serve 3. I was a bit concerned that it would not look good if I did not finish it, but the Germans assured it will be fine as they agreed the portion was too large. Some places would classify it as a main dish instead.
The next day was cloudy, and it drizzled for more than 12 hours starting from around 11am. It was also a public holiday - All Saint's Day. I was shocked to see almost everything closed, including supermarkets (don't remember seeing a similar sight in Barcelona on the same day) and settled for Macdonald's for breakfast. It was fortunate it did not disrupt my itinerary greatly, as I planned to go to Englischer Garten, the Olympic park, and the BMW Welt on this day, which were all open. I soon discovered a big plus point for the empty streets - it was so peaceful and I could take more photos without the fear of being judged or disturbed - even stood in the middle of Maximilianstraße to take a picture. I was thinking about my dinner plan already, and since I passed by Hotel Kempinski, I walked in to inquire for dinner reservation as I read that the ceiling of the restaurant is beautiful. To my dismay, the concierge called back later to inform they were fully booked but luckily, I got dinner settled at my hotel's restaurant, which wasn't too bad!
The garden is extremely big. I heard from a friend you could even row a boat there. The garden is to Munich what Central Park is to New York and what Hyde Park is to London. It was late autumn and the trees were of hues of green, yellow, orange, and red. It looked very apt for a sad scene in a k-drama, and I was somewhat stirred with melancholy. I did not explore the entire park of course, but touched on some photogenic spots. I entered from the south and exited after reaching the Chinese tower. It was already rainy by now. A bus stop was conveniently located not far from the tower and I boarded it using the the day ticket I bought. The day ticket allows you on the U and S bahns, as well as buses and trams! If you are taking 3 or more trips in a single day, it is a no-brainer to get this over single trip tickets. I still do not know what the strip ticket offers though (yes there are a lot of options).
I took a break at my hotel and had biscuits for lunch. Then, I headed out for my PCR test, which was a lot cheaper if you did it in the city rather than at the airport. Next up was the Olympic Park and BMW Welt. I do not have much to say, except that the park is notable for the iconic curved roof structure of gyms and sports halls and was the venue of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games. I was walking around with an umbrella in hand, but it was not much of a trouble as the rain was not heavy. Some people were even walking with just the hood of their jacket/hoodie over their heads or nothing at all. I do not know much about cars, so the trip to the BMW Welt was simply to admire. There is an area for Rolls-Royce bespoke, where you can pick the type of leather for the car seat, the colour of the car's body... It is a luxury lifestyle I would not experience this lifetime. Interestingly at that moment, someone whom I recently met came into my mind. I could imagine him in one of those flashy cars one day. Perhaps in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, driven by a chauffeur.
The last full day in Munich was of museums. It was breakfast at Cafe Frishchhut to start the day. This cafe is an extremely popular spot, but luckily it was not crowded when I went, probably because it was a working day and tourism had not opened up fully. The food was simple - dough fritters and doughnuts. The dough fritters are similar to those found in Singapore, but they were of good quality. I passed by Marienplatz for the nth time to take tram 17 to the Nymphenburg Palace. The tram stops right in front of the palace, although there's a long stretch of canal to walk along before arriving at the palace entrance. While queuing for the tickets, I allowed two people behind me to pass because they were part of a group in front. A man was gesturing them to go join them which I thought was rather rude because he could have alerted me beforehand. Shortly after, a caucasian couple shamelessly sneaked in front of me. I blurted a rhetorical question, "Erm, I'm in the queue?", to which the blonde lady replied, "We were behind them (the 2 people I gave way to) and the rest of the queue is behind us". They must have been blind not to see my kind act or they genuinely wanted to cut my queue. If the latter was the case, and if they derived great pleasure from cutting the queue of one, single, lone Asian, sure. Anyway, ugly people are everywhere, not just China.
The above incident drenched my mood completely. I just wanted to quickly explore the palace, snap a couple photos, and get it over and done with because I did not want to be near such disgusting Neanderthals. Besides, despite being a large complex, only a few rooms are open to visitors so the visit could be done rather quickly. Don't miss the back garden if you have time, and the swans in front of the palace make a good backdrop for photos as well. I boarded tram 17 again to head back to the city centre, heaving a sigh of relief that the repulsive couple was not on board. The handle of my luggage could not retract the moment I reached the hotel on day 1, so I was looking for a new luggage near the square. Got a Samsonite which was more than a hundred SGD cheaper than what's offered on SG's online store. However, the tax refund process was really inefficient.
I returned to the hotel to deposit the luggage before heading out to have pig's trotters at Haxnbauer. It was once again a huge serving but I managed to finish it. Many people around were having beer but I chose to have orange juice instead, partly because I get Asian flush really easily. I ordered a panna cotta too and it was delicious. Thereafter, I walked to the Residenz, which housed the royalties in the past and has now become a museum. It is grand and opulent as expected, with many more rooms open to public compared to the Nymphenburg. Next I just traipsed around rather aimlessly to Odeonsplatz and the streets nearby.
My flight back to Singapore the next day was 1:15pm and I had wanted to just lounge in the hotel till I depart for the airport. However, a voice kept telling me to get weisswurst and pretzels for breakfast since I have not had them yet. So, I got up and traveled 10 train stations just to eat. There were only 2 other groups of customers, thank God. There was no English menu but I already knew what I wanted so it was easy. The pretzels were kind of hard, and salty. Good, but not mind-blowing. The two sausages were soaked in hot water, served in a thick glass bowl. Much respect being treated to this dish? I have already read that the "correct" way to eat weisswurst is to first remove the coat so that was exactly what I did, using utensils. Felt like a sophisticated Bavarian there and then. They were really delicious - the other sausages that come close was a chili coated sausage I ate in Suzhou, and the grilled ones in Taiwan.
I decided to reach the airport close to 3 hours earlier after that scare in Frankfurt, despite this being a direct flight back. Indeed, the line was long and slow-moving, as the officers needed to ask some mandatory questions and check the PCR test results. Time for some closing thoughts. I think the trip was fulfilling in the sense that I managed to hit my objectives and solve problems on my own. I did not feel that empty after a while as I enjoyed the freedom and peace of being alone. Unlucky incidents were minor, and I was largely fortunate, especially with the weather for the castle/palace visits. Maybe some people frown upon the idea of VTL, but some of my friends were very well fine with it and even encouraged me to post more as they experienced vicariously through my posts. In fact, returning Singaporeans need to take 2 PCR tests, surely that is safer than an untested, asymptomatic individual over here who could be unknowingly infecting people while outside? Lastly, life is short. If you can, I say just do it.
Even though I had taken a solo trip to China in 2019, I disliked this idea. Nevertheless, the eagerness to travel surpassed any sense of apprehension I had, and after this trip I feel like I would probably go on more solo ones in the future. I personally think that this trip was not much of a hassle - the only additions were some administrative matters, costs associated with PCR tests, and a more expensive travel insurance. If you prepare all your documents well, clearing customs is a breeze. I have seen some people ready with a file of all their paper documents, like a portfolio. Very meticulous, but this is not necessary as you can show soft copies.
The flight to Munich included a short layover in Frankfurt. I missed my connecting flight due to a delay at Changi, and was automatically rebooked on the next flight which was an hour later. Passing through passport check was relatively quick but the horror was the luggage check. I saw long, snaking lines leading to the hall I was supposed to go and joining a queue from the tail was bound to make me miss my flight again, so I talked to a staff, who let me through a "fast lane". Little did I know that passing through a "fast lane" gantry did not lead to a proper queue; those people who did so had to merge into one of the mainstream queues and those disgruntled passengers will not let you in easily.
After some time, they decided to open a new counter. Immediately a mob swarmed to it, disregarding the order of arrival. I asked some people if they could allow me to cut, and luckily they agreed. Later, some people who were running late further cut to the front of me. What was more frustrating was the zero sense of urgency in their actions as they were mindlessly unprepared to remove their jackets and other belongings, and leisurely doing so instead of swift motions. Frankfurt's airport gave me a nightmare but I managed to be on time for my flight eventually.
I'll rate my accommodation in Munich a 9 out of 10. The only complaints for Pullman Munich were the dirty curtains and some slight design flaws. There is a supermarket right below and the surroundings are quiet as it is away from the old town. It is only 6 train stations from Marienplatz on the same line, and not far away from the Lufthansa Express Bus stop, which I strongly recommend as a mode of transport between the city and the airport.
The plan on the first day was just to visit Marienplatz (although I would later pass by here every day) and 4 churches. But before anything else, lunch. I made my way to Andy's Krablergarten for schnitzel, a slice of meat pounded thin. However, the server told me they were full of customers who had made reservations. This was a bad start. I did not bother waiting because I expected the customers to take their own sweet time to chat and chill. With the help of Google, I found an alternative nearby, and it did not disappoint.
Marienplatz is an old square with the imposing city hall building, and is one of the locations I had to take selfies at, since it is so strikingly and memorably Munich. I spent a while trying to overcome my awkwardness and self-awareness although deep down I knew that nobody will give a hoot and it was only a fleeting moment of embarrassment, if any. Also, the selfies I took would surely be less "instaworthy" as compared to someone relatively pro to help me with it. The 4 churches I went to, are uniquely different in their own ways. You should definitely pay to head up the tower of St. Peter's Church to get panoramic views of the city. I was glad it was a clear day. Asamkirche is the other church I would recommend because it is so interestingly and overly ornate. Dinner was käsespätzle, a pasta dish with cheese and onions. I was served beer without being asked, and decided to go along with it since I had to get one sometime. The pasta came with a bowl of salad, and I started realising that the food portions there were really huge. The beer made me realise why it is so highly raved, because it was so smooth with a scent of wheat and no overpowering alcoholic taste. I feel that some people there aren't friendly towards you initially, but they warm up especially if you just wait patiently or start a small talk with them.
Day 2 was the day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle. I had breakfast at a lovely cafe, before making a slightly rushed journey to the Central Station to catch my train to Füssen, the nearest train station to the castle. Do buy the Bayern ticket which will grant you access to unlimited trips within Bavaria in a day, including the train to Füssen and the bus you need to take to get to the castle/other palaces like Linderhorf. The weather was splendid, and I was once again very thankful for that. I started on a trek up the hill which was very manageable, taking about 20 minutes. I chose not to buy the entry ticket to the castle as I read it is underwhelming - in fact it is not completed since the king who ordered the construction passed away before its completion.
Marienbrücke, which is a bridge that offers vantage viewing points of the castle, was closed due to maintenance. I read someone's blog which provided a guide on how to get to a "secret spot" for photo-taking, and the spot would not pale in comparison to the bridge. I was excited while searching for it, and when I found it, I realised it was really an open secret and there were other routes taken by other travelers to get there. I sought help from someone to take photos of me but they turned out really bad. Consider yourself lucky if you manage to chance upon a stranger who takes nice shots for you because most are really amateurish or do not really care about the quality for you. Fortunately, they looked better after some edits on my part.
So I skipped lunch, but was going to eat something nice back in Munich. I ordered suckling pig, and kaiserschmarrn, which is a pancake they listed under "desserts" on the menu. The suckling pig came with a potato dumpling, a springy and chewy ball of potato at the side. The Germans at the same table as me (table sharing is common) looked on as I took my first bite of the potato ball. They were impressed when I finished it as I reckon not many would do so since it did taste somewhat exotic. This potato dumpling is a common accompaniment to many mains so it might be an acquired taste for you. When the pancake was served, I was appalled because it looked like it could serve 3. I was a bit concerned that it would not look good if I did not finish it, but the Germans assured it will be fine as they agreed the portion was too large. Some places would classify it as a main dish instead.
The next day was cloudy, and it drizzled for more than 12 hours starting from around 11am. It was also a public holiday - All Saint's Day. I was shocked to see almost everything closed, including supermarkets (don't remember seeing a similar sight in Barcelona on the same day) and settled for Macdonald's for breakfast. It was fortunate it did not disrupt my itinerary greatly, as I planned to go to Englischer Garten, the Olympic park, and the BMW Welt on this day, which were all open. I soon discovered a big plus point for the empty streets - it was so peaceful and I could take more photos without the fear of being judged or disturbed - even stood in the middle of Maximilianstraße to take a picture. I was thinking about my dinner plan already, and since I passed by Hotel Kempinski, I walked in to inquire for dinner reservation as I read that the ceiling of the restaurant is beautiful. To my dismay, the concierge called back later to inform they were fully booked but luckily, I got dinner settled at my hotel's restaurant, which wasn't too bad!
The garden is extremely big. I heard from a friend you could even row a boat there. The garden is to Munich what Central Park is to New York and what Hyde Park is to London. It was late autumn and the trees were of hues of green, yellow, orange, and red. It looked very apt for a sad scene in a k-drama, and I was somewhat stirred with melancholy. I did not explore the entire park of course, but touched on some photogenic spots. I entered from the south and exited after reaching the Chinese tower. It was already rainy by now. A bus stop was conveniently located not far from the tower and I boarded it using the the day ticket I bought. The day ticket allows you on the U and S bahns, as well as buses and trams! If you are taking 3 or more trips in a single day, it is a no-brainer to get this over single trip tickets. I still do not know what the strip ticket offers though (yes there are a lot of options).
I took a break at my hotel and had biscuits for lunch. Then, I headed out for my PCR test, which was a lot cheaper if you did it in the city rather than at the airport. Next up was the Olympic Park and BMW Welt. I do not have much to say, except that the park is notable for the iconic curved roof structure of gyms and sports halls and was the venue of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games. I was walking around with an umbrella in hand, but it was not much of a trouble as the rain was not heavy. Some people were even walking with just the hood of their jacket/hoodie over their heads or nothing at all. I do not know much about cars, so the trip to the BMW Welt was simply to admire. There is an area for Rolls-Royce bespoke, where you can pick the type of leather for the car seat, the colour of the car's body... It is a luxury lifestyle I would not experience this lifetime. Interestingly at that moment, someone whom I recently met came into my mind. I could imagine him in one of those flashy cars one day. Perhaps in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, driven by a chauffeur.
The last full day in Munich was of museums. It was breakfast at Cafe Frishchhut to start the day. This cafe is an extremely popular spot, but luckily it was not crowded when I went, probably because it was a working day and tourism had not opened up fully. The food was simple - dough fritters and doughnuts. The dough fritters are similar to those found in Singapore, but they were of good quality. I passed by Marienplatz for the nth time to take tram 17 to the Nymphenburg Palace. The tram stops right in front of the palace, although there's a long stretch of canal to walk along before arriving at the palace entrance. While queuing for the tickets, I allowed two people behind me to pass because they were part of a group in front. A man was gesturing them to go join them which I thought was rather rude because he could have alerted me beforehand. Shortly after, a caucasian couple shamelessly sneaked in front of me. I blurted a rhetorical question, "Erm, I'm in the queue?", to which the blonde lady replied, "We were behind them (the 2 people I gave way to) and the rest of the queue is behind us". They must have been blind not to see my kind act or they genuinely wanted to cut my queue. If the latter was the case, and if they derived great pleasure from cutting the queue of one, single, lone Asian, sure. Anyway, ugly people are everywhere, not just China.
The above incident drenched my mood completely. I just wanted to quickly explore the palace, snap a couple photos, and get it over and done with because I did not want to be near such disgusting Neanderthals. Besides, despite being a large complex, only a few rooms are open to visitors so the visit could be done rather quickly. Don't miss the back garden if you have time, and the swans in front of the palace make a good backdrop for photos as well. I boarded tram 17 again to head back to the city centre, heaving a sigh of relief that the repulsive couple was not on board. The handle of my luggage could not retract the moment I reached the hotel on day 1, so I was looking for a new luggage near the square. Got a Samsonite which was more than a hundred SGD cheaper than what's offered on SG's online store. However, the tax refund process was really inefficient.
I returned to the hotel to deposit the luggage before heading out to have pig's trotters at Haxnbauer. It was once again a huge serving but I managed to finish it. Many people around were having beer but I chose to have orange juice instead, partly because I get Asian flush really easily. I ordered a panna cotta too and it was delicious. Thereafter, I walked to the Residenz, which housed the royalties in the past and has now become a museum. It is grand and opulent as expected, with many more rooms open to public compared to the Nymphenburg. Next I just traipsed around rather aimlessly to Odeonsplatz and the streets nearby.
My flight back to Singapore the next day was 1:15pm and I had wanted to just lounge in the hotel till I depart for the airport. However, a voice kept telling me to get weisswurst and pretzels for breakfast since I have not had them yet. So, I got up and traveled 10 train stations just to eat. There were only 2 other groups of customers, thank God. There was no English menu but I already knew what I wanted so it was easy. The pretzels were kind of hard, and salty. Good, but not mind-blowing. The two sausages were soaked in hot water, served in a thick glass bowl. Much respect being treated to this dish? I have already read that the "correct" way to eat weisswurst is to first remove the coat so that was exactly what I did, using utensils. Felt like a sophisticated Bavarian there and then. They were really delicious - the other sausages that come close was a chili coated sausage I ate in Suzhou, and the grilled ones in Taiwan.
I decided to reach the airport close to 3 hours earlier after that scare in Frankfurt, despite this being a direct flight back. Indeed, the line was long and slow-moving, as the officers needed to ask some mandatory questions and check the PCR test results. Time for some closing thoughts. I think the trip was fulfilling in the sense that I managed to hit my objectives and solve problems on my own. I did not feel that empty after a while as I enjoyed the freedom and peace of being alone. Unlucky incidents were minor, and I was largely fortunate, especially with the weather for the castle/palace visits. Maybe some people frown upon the idea of VTL, but some of my friends were very well fine with it and even encouraged me to post more as they experienced vicariously through my posts. In fact, returning Singaporeans need to take 2 PCR tests, surely that is safer than an untested, asymptomatic individual over here who could be unknowingly infecting people while outside? Lastly, life is short. If you can, I say just do it.
😍 thanks for sharing your adventures! to more travels ahead!
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