BWS Germanlingua Munich – Top tips for life outside of the classroom
Making the most of your time in Munich: First thing´s first, your top priority should be to check the activities board in your school. Every week there are fun activities and cultural excursions that you can sign up to join in with. I would highly recommend this as the best way to make friends and get to know the city! There are also weekend trips to other cities and places of interest. Why not post your own activity and see who wants to come along?
Next? Get yourself acquainted with muenchen.de! This is the official website (die offizielle Website) for everything that´s going on in München! You can find info on upcoming parties, events (check out the Filmfest München every June/July), films, and even the latest weather updates. Whether you´re looking for a one-off occasion or just wanting to read up on the best local sites, this website has been a great tool for me and could be for you. Check it out!
Clothes and other supplies (Kleidung und andere Dinge): Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, nur schlechte Kleidung! In Germany, the summer weather can be glorious and also remarkably unpredictable. Be prepared! You´ll be working on your tan one minute and in the next, you could be looking for shelter from the rain. To be prepared for all eventualities, I find that it is best to have comfortable shoes, a water bottle (die Wasserflasche, die Wasserflaschen) and a lightweight rain jacket (die Regenjacke, die Regenjacken) ready to stuff in my everyday bag. When you have these things, you can wander Munich freely come rain or shine.
As for school supplies; BWS provides everything that you need from textbooks to notepads and pens. The school is even equipped with computers for you to use at your leisure so you can save that space in your suitcase for sunglasses (die Sonnenbrille) and swimsuits (der Bikini/die Badeshorts)
Quick Note: I´ve also found that keeping an extra phone charger, travel adapter and some spare cash (in a separate pocket) in my bag has been really helpful for unexpected events.
Speaking of swimsuits: There are loads of great places to swim indoors and outside around Munich. You can even surf! Head over to the Englischer Garten and visit the famous spot for surfing in Munich: “the Eisbach Wave” (die Eisbach-Welle, see the link below). It is actually pretty advanced stuff and so only experienced surfers are allowed to catch these waves but it can also be a lot of fun just to sit and watch. If you´re keen to try out the surfing (surfen) in Munich, you can rent a board (das Surfbrett, die Surfbretter) and a wet suit (der Neoprenanzug, die Neoprenanzüge) at Santoloco in Marienplatz. Santoloco is a surf and skate shop, just a few minutes walk away from the school, that stocks everything that you could possibly need for surfing and even serves pretty great iced coffee (der Eiskaffee). On the other hand, if you just fancy hanging out with a few beers or an ice cream then wander on a bit further down the river and you can find plenty of quieter spots.
Just have a few hours? (nur ein paar Stunden): This is the perfect time to visit a museum! Munich has so many amazing museums (das Museum, die Museen), art galleries, and historical exhibits that you could visit a new one each day and it would literally take you months to see them all! So, unless you have months to spend, you might need to narrow down the list. Many museums and galleries in the city specialize in a particular time period, topic, or style and so take a look at the descriptions (I advise a TripAdvisor search) and see what takes your fancy. I particularly enjoyed the Museum of Hunting and Fishing (Deutsches Jagd- und Fischerei-Museum) and the BMW museum and I cannot wait to visit the Deutsches Museum (so many BWS students have recommended it!). Finally, don’t forget that many museums are available to visit for just €1 on Sundays.
Mini-Day Trips: If you have a bit more time then there are some great (but short) day-trip options in and around München. Some popular sites are; Lake Starnberg (Starnberg See) and Nymphenburg Palace (Schloss Nymphenburg). Schloss Nymphenburg was the main summer residence of the former rulers of Bavaria and is a must-see with impressive artwork and intriguing history. After you have seen the palace itself, save some time for a walk around the surrounding gardens and be sure to explore some of the pathways into the woodland (der Wald, die Wälder) just beyond the palace grounds.
Full-Day and Weekend Trips: If you have a full day free then pick up a Bayern Ticket from the train station (see the Part 3 post on Transport for more details on this)! With a Bayern Ticket, you will have the freedom to travel across Bavaria and into some parts of Austria. Some popular day trips are to Schloss Neuschwanstein (a truly iconic 19th-century castle), Rothenburg ob der Tauber (famous for its authentic medieval old town), and also to Berchtesgaden (an area of fascinating history and outstanding natural beauty).
A Final Word: As students at BWS, of course, we all want to practice and improve our German language skills as much as possible! But what we also have is the extraordinary opportunity to experience Munich and Bavaria and the memories that we make here will hopefully stay with us for many, many years. I wish you all the best with your studies and hope that you make some wonderful memories. 🙂
Viel Spaß! 😃
Some basic phrases for fun in Munich:
Gibt es hier heute eine Party? (Is there a party here today?)
Hast du schon Pläne für dieses Wochenende? (Do you already have plans for this weekend?)
Ich denke, wir müssen zuerst Tickets buchen. (First, I think we have to book tickets.)
Wohin sollen wir nach der Klasse gehen? / Was sollen wir nach der Klasse machen/tun? (Where should we go after class? / What should we do after class?)
Schau mer mal! (BAVARIAN!) / Mal schauen, was passiert / Mal sehen, was passiert. (We´ll see what happens / Let´s see)
*https://www.muenchen.de/freizeit/sport/surfen.html
Megan Herbert