Just 2 weeks ago a really good friend from Hamburg came over to visit me here in Munich. It was great to see her again as we haven’t met for a whole year. She’s been in New Zealand a few months longer than me so it was a great reunion.

But as it was February two weeks ago, the weather was at its best. Arctic wind, rain sometimes a few rays of sunlight, but that was not enough to make us go outside for longer than half an hour.

So the question arose, what to do in Munich when the weather is so uninviting.

During summer time there are so many opportunities, like the English garden, the Hofgarten, going on a guided tour, strolling through Schwabing, having a nice chill out at the Isar and so on.

So we decided to do all the “inside stuff” you normally don’t feel like in summer when the weather is hot.

At first we checked out the museums.

The one I personally really like, because I’m a huge art fan, is the “Hypo-Kulturstiftung”. You can find it on your way from the Marienplatz to the Odeonsplatz in the Theatinerstr. 8. The exhibitions there vary a lot. Over a month ago there was one covering the whole life and works of Walt Disney, which was just fantastic. At the moment there is one about the Dutch painter Frans Hals who lived in the 17^th century. If you want to check out the homepage, that’s the address: http://www.hypo-kunsthalle.de/

Really worth a visit is the “Villa Stuck” in the Prinzregentenstr 60. This museum is a luxurious production of the artist Franz von Stuck. The whole building resembles his taste and his art and it gorgeously unites private living and the studio of an artist. Even if you are not a fan of Art Nouveau you should really go there. The painting I like the most is “the sin”. It shows a white skinned, dark haired woman totally naked with a huge snake around her neck. It is fantastic. ( http://www.villastuck.de/ )

Also an insider’s tip is the “Metropol Theater” in Freimann. It is a very small theatre with probably…I guess 50 seats. They show productions you don’t see on any other stage and the actors are fabulous. They also run productions for children. At the moment they show “The tree lives of Lucie Cabrol” which we definitely enjoyed. The staff there is so nice. The last time I’ve been there the zipper of my boots broke. I asked the lady at the bar if they’ve got some safety pins because it was impossible to get home like that. She neglected the bar for a few minutes to get me some although it was really crowded. That was so kind. You get there with the underground U6 direction Garching-Forschungszentrum Sadly they just have productions in German. ( http://www.metropoltheater.com/v960/home960.html )

When you feel like a break there are plenty of nice cafes, restaurants and bars in Munich. The “Guglhupf” next to the Kaufhof on the way from the Marienplatz to the Stachus is a beautiful place to relax and inhale a bit of Bavarian culture. The waitresses there wear dirndls, our traditional Bavarian dresses and the furnishing is also more traditional. By the way “Guglhupf” is the Southern German expression for ring cake. The “Ratskeller” directly on the Marienplatz is also well known for its good food. It is in the basement of our town hall and when you enter, you find yourself in a really nice cosy place. There are little niches which give you the feeling of privacy where you can relax and have a good glass of wine.

My friend had a really good time here in Munich, despite the bad weather. I hope I gave you a few ideas to enjoy Munich the same as you would during summer time.

Lots of greetings and have a nice stay.

Yours Franziska