Travelling With the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 in Munich, Germany

Check Prices for the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 Lens | Check Prices for Stays in Munich (Expedia) | Body used: Sony A7C

Introduction

I was booked for a 2-week trip to Germany, the main purpose there: a BMW Sales & Marketing Conference in Munich, courtesy of my company at the time. It’d be my first time in Europe, let alone Germany.

A few short Google searches, and ChatGPT suggestions on day trips, and I was off to the races. Munich would be my central leg in Germany, with a few day trips to Augsburg, Regensburg, Nuremberg, and Salzburg. A lot of ‘burgs’. Alright, Salzburg is in Austria, but it’s close enough for this purpose.

I wanted to travel lightly, as I’d be moving hotels multiple times in Munich depending on the itinerary of that block of time. Central Marienplatz would be the initial stay location, given its prime location, and vicinity to most of the major things I was told to visit in Munich. I’d move to another location to be closer to the Munich Main Train Station (Hbf.), so I could cut down the transit times to the day trip locations. I’d move again to Olympiapark for the conference, and finally once more back to the Marienplatz area to revisit my initial trip roots (I was already planning on being nostalgic). Keeping my camera pack as light as possible would be key, as my itinerary (as they usually are) was full of spots to visit, and getting there by foot or transit was the common denominator.

The Roots 73 Camera Bag was my chosen bag for this trip, as I planned to only bring my Sony 35mm f1.8, and Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 with me. I recently purchased the Sigma and wasn’t sure how often I’d use it on the trip given its size and weight, but it turned out that it hardly ever left my A7C once attached.

Markets, Marienplatz, Men

To set the time, it was early January when I touched down in Munich. The Christmas Markets had just wrapped up their December, and some of the market stragglers remained a few days open into January. It was still snowing regularly in January, so I had assumed that Christmas Markets would still be kicking when I arrived. It was a naive assumption, and indicative of a certain lack of depth of research going into this trip.

I was surprised, however, when a Christmas Market did indeed greet me right outside the airport. The snow was falling, gliding down without care. The market would have the typical fare available, gluhwein stalls, bratwurst, souvenir stores, and handmade trinkets, all wrapped around a skating rink, with a lit-up tree. It was a magnificent first sight, and I was sure a taste of the markets sure to come. I was naive. This would be the only market left upon my arrival. I left after a quick walkaround, aching to get to Munich city centre as soon as possible to visit all of their museums immediately. It was Sunday, and museums were only 1 euro entry. I cover my top museums in Munich in another post here.

My first hotel was located conveniently close to Marienplatz, the main city square. Looking back, if there was only 1 day I could spend in Munich, I’d choose to stay here in this area again. It’s a very typical tourist suggestion, but to me: the sheer amount of sights to see, beers to drink, food to eat, and places to shop, all within a few minutes’ walk between each other – there was no better proposition in the city. The Glockenspiel is a typical suggestion to a visitor, albeit always with the caveat that it’s very ‘touristy’ – but as a tourist, that’s perfectly alright.

The Glockenspiel is a feature of the main city hall, where a musical show (akin to a music box) plays above the clock tower, depicting the story of a royal wedding held many, many, generations ago. The show happens at 11 am every day, and also at 5 pm between March and October. It’s cheesy, but I liked it. You’d probably like it too. Standing there in the square, with the 30-something-foot Christmas tree next to me, snow falling, watching a 100+ yr old clock tower play its musical story for the 1000th+ time, was magical. Grab a coffee and pretzel (brezen) at the nearby Rischart, and enjoy it.

Speaking of the hotel: I stayed in a handful of them on this trip, and the Hotel Deutsche Eiche is one I’d certainly recommend. It’s affordable, located in a great location, and is, apparently, quite a world-renowned gay hotel. This final point is one I had not known about when I booked via Expedia and was news to me (and my wife). It was one of the first saunas in Europe to be only for male clientele. Freddy Mercury frequented the hotel and sauna fairly often whenever he was in Munich. Naturally, the staff were very friendly to me here.

Checking in, the staff would hand me a bunch of vouchers for a free dinner, and champagne, and let me know of the free alcohol they’d restock nightly. I’d be filling out my passport information when I noticed an older gentleman staring at me in my peripheral. He’d see me fill out ‘Burnaby’ as my city of residence, and ask me if that was in South America while eyeing me down and not listening to the answer. I took those vouchers and ran. The food was good, not meant for a single person like me. Perhaps I was meant to share with the gentleman.

Bratwurst, Beers, BMWs, in Bavaria

After spending a day in Munich, visiting all the churches, cathedrals, museums, and a sauna (not the one at the hotel), I’d move locations to stay near the main station (Hbf) to make use of Germany’s amazing train systems. I’d go on to visit:

• Augsburg (read about my travels in Augsburg here)
• Regensburg (read about my travels in Regensburg here)
• Salzburg (read my top 10 things to do in Salzburg)
• Nuremberg (read my 1-day itinerary in Nuremberg)

Each round-trip costs roughly about 20-30€, and I’d highly recommend any travellers to plan and book their route via the Deutsche Bahn official website, versus paying for tickets in-person with the vending machines or booth people (is this the right job title), as it saves you quite a bit of money taking the non-ICE trains. Main tip: book the local trains if your travel time one-way is less than 90 minutes or so, these are tickets that can be used the whole day, versus just one-way (AKA the Bayern Ticket).

After roaming around everywhere but Munich, I’d return to my German home, and move to the Olympiapark area. The business part of my business trip had arrived. On the docket: more eating, more beer, a driving academy (not after the beer), with the meat of this sandwich being workshops and lectures. It was a good time with good people. Can’t complain.

I’d wrap up my time in Munich by strolling through Olympiapark, stopping by to see a few sobering landmarks of a terrorist attack from the Munich Olympics. I’d watch Munich (2005) the night before, hated it, and decided to watch the documentary/news coverage instead. It was odd to walk through the residential area, having a few abandoned-looking landmarks, but relieving to see that life had long moved on with families living and enjoying their time in the old Olympic village.

The lake nearby would be iced over, and people would be walking from one end to the other, some with skates, most with just shoes. I walked across it and only caused two terrifyingly large cracks in the ice. A family approached me to request photos of them, not from their cameras, but from my own. I’d email this to him afterwards, doing a whole Photoshop AI bit of work to it (this used up 1GB of my travel data, thank you very much), without receiving thanks. Still a bit bitter about that one. C’est la vie. I grabbed a beer, and a bratwurst at the Olympiapark München a short hike up the hill by the park, and washed that small bit of stress away.

It was always cold, often snowing when I was here in Munich. It was also my first time travelling so far away on my own, but with good people, good food, and good beer, it was all good (alles gut).

Check Prices for the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 Lens | Check Prices for Stays in Munich (Expedia) | Body used: Sony A7C

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