What brings you most joy?
‘What brings you most joy?’ is a question I wrote and reflected on recently as I soaked tired and sore legs in a much-needed Epsom salt bath.
Why that question? Well, I’m keen to get the most out of my life!
I want to live life and live it abundantly (John 10:10 NKJV)…and I hope you have that same wish for yourself, too.
If you do, keep reading…
That which brings you the most joy will bring you the most.
Iris Van Ooyen
Because as I reflected on previous joyous moments, I saw a familiar trio: travel, sunshine, quality time spent with friends.
So, I thought sharing my last travel experience abroad to Munich, Germany would perfectly capture the picture of joy and happiness I want to feel myself right now and I’d love to bring you along for the journey.
It also serves a dual purpose of becoming a blog post on a site that hasn’t been updated for a couple of weeks and providing travel lovers with a bit of a where-to-go travel guide of Munich, Germany. As you can see, I’m all about ‘feeding two birds with one scone’ (the PETA friendly version of the common saying, kill two birds with one stone)!
So, here are my four recommendations for you, simply inspired by the photos I found in my phone camera gallery…
[1] Schloss Nymphenburg aka Nymphenburg Palace
This palace is magnificent. Oh my goodness. I can’t even imagine the privilege of being able to live here. Pay the 3 or 4 euro fee for a tour guide and explore the grounds and the various mini palaces (where the young princes and princesses would reside) within the acres and acres of gardens and forests attached to the main large palace.
You’ll learn about why the palace was built, who it was built for, how it changed over the years and a whole load of other fun facts and history that, if you’re like me, you won’t remember or be able to reiterate very much of, but it all sounds really fascinating in the moment as you take a walk through history that’s centuries’ old…
[2] Munich olympic Stadium (olympiastadion)
I find it funny that I travelled to Munich as a competing athlete, yet after a ridiculously rubbish competition, decided to make the most of my time there.
A friend and mentor tells me this attitude is a rare one, and I honestly have to say it’s truly representative of the growth that I’ve experienced over the last several years.
Rather than be overcome by disappointment and rush home, as other athletes did following their poor performances, I made the most of a bad situation. (Obviously, after a bit of a sob in the shower.)
What’s that saying?
Every cloud… silver lining.
Well, my silver lining became five days of relaxation and exploration in a city (Munich) filled with history, good coffee shops and fascinating architecture and culture.
There were a couple of decent food and shopping spots too!
[3] Platzwirt Grill and Bar
I loved exploring Munich on these electric scooters. I’d hurt my MCL a week earlier at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, so riding around the city on one of these was a great way to explore without exacerbating the injury.
Here’s the address for the Platzwirt Grill and Bar, by the way –
Hans-Denzinger-Straße 2, 80807 München, Germany
I’d recommend trying the Platzwirt burger!
[4] Alte Pinakothek – an Art Gallery
The painting above – The Great Last Judgement by Peter Paul Rubens – was gripping. I ended up visiting Alte Pinakothek quite late in the day so had to rush through the gallery unfortunately. However, once I reached this painting, this was the end of my walk around the gallery. I just stood here and paced forward and back, side to side, to see and feel this piece from different angles – to soak it all up. It left me speechless.
And it’s suddenly reminded me that I haven’t visited a gallery in the UK for a long while, so I’m adding that to my list of to-dos for this week ahead. I’m excited to experience some more bursts of joy and awe like I did when I faced The Great Last Judgement.
Other thoughts on Munich
One friend who lives in another part of Germany told me he thought Munich was ‘perhaps a bit too posh‘ and then back-tracked a little with ‘well not super-posh but a bit clean if you see what I mean.‘ He was right when he said, ‘it’s a matter of taste’ because I personally am a fan of Munich and would certainly return to explore more parts of the beautiful city.
How about you? Are you inspired to travel to Munich? Have you already been? What’s your opinion of the city?
~ Abs x
Want to travel for less? Check out this post for my cost-saving travel tips!
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