Hi everyone! Well, this post is long, long overdue. To give you a little back story….. we decided to take one last family trip on the way to meeting Google in Thailand. We started our journey out of Charlotte and had a red eye flight to Munich, Germany. We landed in Munich and had 12 hours to spare till our next flight. I have done this before with Charles, and we loved doing it so much that we decided to do it again.
It was surreal leaving our house as a family of three knowing that we would be coming home with our son. I will add that Little Miss is an excellent traveler. She sleeps on the flights and doesn’t have many issues with the jet lag. She also really makes the most of where we are visiting. We have learned it is fun to have card games on hand for downtime at the airport. I am not big on her using the tablet except during a flight. She can play a mean game of princess go fish!
I have learned to make sure she is comfortable while flying so that means she has an eye mask to block the light. It really makes sleeping better for her and more comfortable.
Once we landed in Munich, we dropped our bags in storage at the airport and took the subway into the center of town. I used my Baggallini carryon bag as my purse. Can I say I love traveling with this bag? It was able to hold coats if we needed them. Plus. it gets bigger with the unzip of a zipper.
We landed in town right in time to see the Glockenspiel do its thing. I was most excited about this because the last time we were in Munich and had a long layover, it was Good Friday. The Glockenspiel was not operating that day. Everyone was in the square, and it was fun to watch. I also have to note that the weather was perfect. We packed some warm layers for this layover, but we didn’t need them. When we were coming home and had a layover in Munich, it was overcast and cold. At least on that layover, it wasn’t as long, and we didn’t leave the airport.
After the Glockenspiel ,we enjoyed walking around and looking at the shops and churches. I don’t know why, but when I travel, I love seeing churches. I love the small and big ones. Charles even proposed to me at the small chapel on Cumberland Island in Georgia knowing how much I love seeing different churches. (It’s the one where John Kennedy, Jr. was married.)
After walking around, we decided to grab lunch at the famous Hofbrauhaus. I am one to never turn down a soft pretzel, and I think I ate three in the 12 hours we were there. Little Miss loves sauerkraut, so she was in heaven with that and the brats. They had some live music we all enjoyed.
I have said it before, but one of my favorite things to do when traveling with little ones is visit the local parks and playgrounds. After lunch we found a local playground, and Little Miss had a ball playing. Another benefit is that being in the sun helps with jet lag. She was playing with another child who was speaking German to her, and while she didn’t understand a thing, the two of them played and had a ball. Really, all we need in the world is some play, and all would be right.
Playing makes you hungry for ice cream, so we walked around and found a nice ice cream spot. By this point, we were all starting to feel the time difference and decided we would head back to the airport. The subway took us back, and we picked up our bags. We showered and changed our clothes. I ate another pretzel and got ready to board our next red-eye flight to Singapore. We were one step closer to meeting our son.
Cheers!
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Beth25 says
What a great trip
Karen says
How did you shower in the airport? Am I missing out on an opportunity when traveling overnight? Sounds like a perfect trip!
Jordan says
Karen,
We have a credit card that gives us lounge access and the lounges had showers and resting areas. However in the Munich airport along with others, there are places you can pay and take a shower. It is usually under $20 and you get towels, shower gel, shampoo, etc. On long flights and travel days I feel it is so worth it because you end up feeling like a new person. You can also buy a daily pass to a lounge as another option but it would cost a little more.
Jordan says
Karen, Janette here. I can vouch that you can take showers in Paris (CDG) and London’s Heathrow. Been there, done that. I just pack fresh clothes in my carry-on. They usually have towels,shampoo, soap, lotion, etc. available in the shower areas. Last year when I had a long layover at Heathrow enroute to Croatia, I paid $60. for a five hour pass to a lounge, and that included a complete meal, snacks and beverages, shower access, wifi, etc. It was so worth it.