Lift off with Lufthansa: Day 2

My god did jet lag get the best of me on day two. You know when you fall asleep and wake up in the same position? Yeah, that happened. And, I was wide awake at 5:30 in the morning… aka 11:30PM my time. Instead of falling back asleep, I worked from my window seat at the Ruby Lilly hotel. Yes, worked (#entrepreneurship). My room was on the top floor, so I got the best view of the sunrise over the city and the snow coming down. Yes, you read that correctly, snow. Being from Boston, I’m used to all sorts of crazy antics from Mother Nature, so naturally I came prepared on my trip with a winter coat and waterproof shoes. This is an affirmation to always, always, always check the weather before you hop on a plane.

Luckily, most of our day would be spent inside, and the parts that were outside were totally worth being a little chilly. First stop (after copious amounts of breakfast down in the lobby) was Magic City – a formal ode to street art in Olympic Park. As someone who was there on the first day that the Jeff Koons exhibit opened at The Whitney in New York, I knew this exhibit would be right up my alley. I like art that pushes the boundaries and invades our life a bit. This exhibit highlighted everything from graffiti on subway cars in NYC to fun optical illusions, and even had a few Banksy pieces thrown in for good measure.

After a substantial amount of time goofing around and checking out the artwork, it was time for lunch! Right around the corner from the Magic City exhibit is the city’s highest restaurant – Restaurant 181. And yes, it rotates. Because of it’s location in Olympic park, you get a unique point of view on the different arenas, forward thinking architecture, and some must-see structures in the city. For those looking for a little more of an upscale lunch experience, I would definitely recommending heading here mid-day. It was asparagus season, so I started with the asparagus soup. Lunch was meatballs, and, oh boy, were they tasty. I was actually way too full for dessert, but luckily, our lunch date for the day, a team member from the City of Munich, ordered the three-course lunch, and got the most beautiful dessert. I, of course, stole it and took many pictures before he could enjoy it himself. NO SHAME!

After lunch, we made our way to The Eisbach, which in English translates to “ice brook.” For those of you who don’t know, it is a man-made tributary of the Isar River which flows through the city of Munich and the English Garden (which is a must-visit as well). While the river alone isn’t special, what residents of the city have done with it is. It’s a surf spot! As someone who has been to many a surf spot in my day, I was super stoked to learn about this unique “wave” in the heart of the city. While I’m comfortable paddling in on a wave in Hawaii, or even my home state, Maine (yes, they have waves there), I don’t know how successful I would be on this particular “swell”. Side note: I particularly liked the camaraderie between everyone whether they are a spectator or surfer. Lots of good vibes in this spot.

After a quick reprieve back at the hotel – who am I kidding? I did more work – we got dressed up to head out to one of the premier vegetarian restaurants in Germany. Now, I am no vegetarian, but if veggies were like this everyday, I absolutely could be. We ended up enjoying an 8-course dinner at TIAN; this restaurant is included in the Michelin guide, so you know it’s going to knock your socks off. You literally had to roll me out of the restaurant at the end of the meal, but it was such a nice evening surrounded by good company, filled with really tasty food, and topped off with an excellent selection of cocktails and wine. Robbin made fun of me for being picky about the wine list, rightfully so. How can one not sound snobby AF while trying to ask about the particular region in Germany that this bottle of wine came from? You can’t , you just can’t. BUT! You didn’t hear anyone complaining about the wine at the dinner table, so, small victories. We ended up getting back to our hotel a little after midnight. I immediately crashed because the next morning we were going to take advantage of the good weather and shoot all around the city. Keep your eyes peeled for the next post with all of my fave shots from that early morning in Munich!