City Break – Middle Age Fanclub

Top 10 Washington DC: The best bits of our Easter break.

In April we took the chance to take a long haul ‘trip of a lifetime’ with our children. It was a window of opportunity that was too good to miss, given that our kids are either taking big exams next year or starting a vital stage of their education. So, off we went.

You might have read about our trip to Toronto, which was the first leg of our holiday. It’s on the link below, if not.

Top 10 Toronto: Some highlights of our trip.

For the second leg we decided to do some sightseeing in Washington DC. So, here’s our Top Ten of the American capital in no particular order.

Pi Pizza Pi Pizza seems to mostly be available as a takeaway option, but we went to their restaurant twice for several different reasons. It’s at 910 F Street NW, if you’re ever nearby and it’s well worth a visit. The pizza was amazing and they had a gluten free base available too. The staff were great, getting us seated really quickly without a reservation on our first night in town and there was an great choice of beers. I guess it’s a long way to travel for a pizza, but the whole family enjoyed it so, so much that it was easily one of my favourite things about the trip!
We saw the President! Probably. Possibly. One morning, we were sitting in the window seats of our favourite breakfast place when I noticed a motorbike cop pull into the middle of the road. Within seconds he was off the bike and redirecting traffic, which really piqued our interest. Moments later another bike appeared to help out. Then, within seconds outrider after outrider sped down the street, eventually followed by some very chunky black Cadillacs. This was someone important. And then it happened; three huge black Cadillac Escalades with blacked out windows and flags on the front swept by followed by even more cars and even more bikes. When they passed, life returned to normal very quickly and it was only on as we made our way to Dulles airport days later that we were offered an explanation. According to our taxi driver – and who knows better than those fellas? – what we described was very likely to be the president, due to the amount of cars and the type of flags! Nice seeing you, Mr. President!
Crossings. If you read my Top 10 of Toronto you might think I’m slightly obsessed with everything crossing related, but I can assure you, I’m not. However, I did notice something about crossings in Washington! What struck us all is the timer above the crossing, telling you how long you have to get across a road. They’re hilarious in how varied they are. You might have a huge road of four lanes to cross and the timer will give you a random short amount of time to cross like 17 seconds. However, it’ll allow you a sumptuous 50 seconds to cross a street that is about five big strides wide! It made us laugh every day of the trip!
The White House. The first time we visited – around 18 years ago – we felt a little bit underwhelmed by the president’s house. It felt quite small and we had no hope of getting to look round. I suppose we were a little bit naïve, but it was certainly no Buckingham Palace. This time around, we visited on a beautifully hot Spring day and it looked magnificent. The kids were suitably impressed too. Initially, it looked like they’d stopped tourists getting anywhere near but after a few minutes of being there a policeman came over, did rock, paper scissors with a little boy and when the boy won, he moved the barriers to one side. I’m guessing they do it all the time, but it was a lovely moment and it allowed us to get right up to the fence. I could have stared at it for hours!

DC is fit! One of the things that struck me as refreshing about Washington was the amount of people exercising. Runners, walkers, cyclists, exercise junkies seemed to be everywhere. The weather was fantastic when we were there in late April and the amount of people getting out was fantastic. I like to have a look out of the hotel window every morning, just to watch the world go by a bit and gather my thoughts. Every morning, there would be people cycling to work, people out running and others in sportswear, clearly walking to work with their work gear in a bag. Even late on at night you’d still see people out exercising. And whenever we went down to the National Mall there would be people running along it and up past the Capitol Building. As I was on an enforced break from running, it made me a little jealous As I’d have loved to join them. Mostly though, it made me smile.
Tatte Bakery and afternoon coffee. When we first visited Washington 17 or 18 years ago, we discovered Starbucks and spent far too much of our time sat outside various branches in drinking frappuccinos and eating cake in the sun. We vowed not to fall into the same trap this time around and while we definitely cut down on such frivolity, we still indulged! One of our favourite haunts was Tatte Bakery where we went for breakfast a couple of times as well as afternoon coffee. Not only did it do a great selection of cakes, muffins, pastries and snacks, but the coffee was great too. The staff were really friendly and accommodating, which helped when it came to whether we should revisit or not. Sometimes, even though there’s lots to see elsewhere, there’s nothing better to do in a big city than just sit outside sipping coffee and watch the world go by! DC and Tatte was brilliant for that!

Georgetown. Georgetown is a historic district of Washington that has buildings that date back as far as the 17th century. We didn’t find time to visit Georgetown when we first visited Dc some years ago. So we were determined to get there this time. And we were so glad we did. We started out by the Potomac river by the amazing House of Sweden which contains both the Swedish and Icelandic embassies and made our way further into Georgetown from there, crossing the now dried up canal, which I believe usually has water in and sometimes features boat trips. My wife then casually mentioned the fact that Georgetown is the sight of The Exorcist Steps, so we made our way there. After climbing them – and a bit of a rest – we spent the rest of the morning enjoying the sun, wandering the streets and shopping. It was so relaxed and I’d definitely recommend a visit to Georgetown. Oh, and when you climb the Exorcist steps, make sure you take a left in order to pay a visit to Bumblebee and Optimus Prime, two Transformers sculptures installed outside of a local house!

The bus. Bare with me on this one. I’m not normally a fan of buses. However, this one was a little different. The DC Circulator operates on three routes with a bus every ten minutes. So, it’s really helpful in getting across the city and really efficient. The best bit is that it only costs $1. Even better for us was that on our first three rides, we didn’t pay. It wasn’t for the want of trying; once, the machine wasn’t working and on the other two occasions we didn’t have the right change so the driver just let us on for free! Bonus!
Presidents. Or rather, their monuments. Time constraints meant that we didn’t manage to see some of the sights on our first visit, so this time we made sure to tour the monuments dedicated to some of the past presidents. If you’re a history fan, you’re sure to enjoy them. They’re all pretty inspiring and we even made a second visit to the Lincoln Memorial which was probably my favourite just because of the sheer scale. However, I’d recommend making time to see the Roosevelt Memorial which is quite poignant because of the references to the Great Depression and World War II. And while you’re there, try heading for the Martin Luther King memorial, which is nearby and again is awe inspiring.

It’s Washington DC, for crying out loud! In essence, there’s no real need to be too specific about visiting Washington DC. Just about everywhere you look there’s something important or eye-catching. My kids weren’t particularly excited about the prospect of visiting as they didn’t like the thought of hours of sightseeing. And then we went to The White House. I mean, it’s literally a big white house, but the place is completely iconic. Their faces lit up and their excitement was immediately tangible. Now, every time they see The White House, The Capitol Building, the Washington Monument or any of the shed loads of historic places on TV, they can say, ‘I’ve been there’.

A couple of things didn’t make the list, but are worth a mention. The first was going to a really posh restaurant – I’m not really the classy type, so it was quite the treat – and getting talking to our lovely waiter about Premier League football. He was a Tottenham fan, I had a right old laugh about that, but it’s amazing how we can be so different, so far apart and find common ground quite easily. The other thing was the Albert Einstein memorial, which is a huge bronze sculpture dedicated to the great man. His pose – let’s call it ‘relaxed’ – just made me smile and also told me that me and Albert have at least one thing in common too – we both love a nice sit down!

So, there you have it. My take on Washington DC. I’ve tried not to be too ‘touristy’, but that’s difficult when you’re a tourist. It’s just a great city though. Even if you were to stick to the National Mall and just visit the sights in and around there, you’d fill a good few days. But there are loads of ways of getting round, meaning you can visit all manner of sights and places around the city.

If you ever get the chance, just go!

A tour round a brewery, lovely free beer and cracking company. What’s not to like?

There have been a fair few downsides to turning 50. Not least the idea of being 50. Seeing the number 50 on so many birthday cards was also pretty unpleasant. And people’s enthusiasm for pointing my age out has been not only kind of weird, but really annoying too. But, there’s nothing I can do about it, apart from adopt a showbiz age and I’m afraid I’m far too male and northern to start doing things like that.

With downsides often come upsides though. There’s been a veritable outpouring of love and affection from family and friends and even as someone who doesn’t like a fuss, it’s been wonderful to be on the receiving end of.

My wonderful wife has ensured that the celebration of turning 50 can be stretched out by buying me gifts that keep on giving. In short, as well as lots of other presents, she got me tickets for lots of gigs, plays and experiences, meaning that for once I have an extraordinary social life and will be kept busy for most of the year!

The first of my experiences came on Saturday gone as my wife had booked me and a friend on a tour of the Brinkburn Street Brewery in Byker, Newcastle. To say that I was excited would be an enormous understatement. So, let me tell you all about it.

My day started off at 10.15am on the Quayside in Newcastle, meeting my friend David. We were booked on the tour at 11am and thought, as we didn’t exactly know where the brewery was, we’d give ourselves plenty of time to get there and find it! Predictably though, we found it really easily, leaving ourselves 20 minutes to sit by the river in the winter sunshine; a brilliant start to any winter day.

Having walked straight into the wrong room at Brinkburn Street, we were shown downstairs to the bar and kitchen, where our tour would begin and end. Owner Lee was quick to head over for a chat and put us at our ease with a warm welcome to his brewery, involving telling us the first of many stories that he’d keep us busy with for our time at Brinkburn Street! A fantastic host! We were also joined by two other fellow Geordies who would be taking the tour and thankfully, we got along famously as like us, they were Newcastle fans.

Soon, we headed through to the brewery where one of the brewers talked us through the process of how our pint goes from being just oats and water to a wonderful glass of the stuff we love. He also made me feel incredibly old given that he looked to have discovered the elixir of youth someone between the hops and the water! Imagine my envy at one so young – just finished a Master degree, so mid-twenties at the most – being lucky enough to have this job!

As someone who really hadn’t the first idea of how to brew beer, I was fascinated by the process and the dedication that goes into making something I love so much. Every angle was covered and all questions were answered in real detail. And boy, when you’re nursing a thirst and waiting to go through to the bar and sample some beers, even a couple of questions can feel like a hell of lot!

We were treated like kings in the bar. This wasn’t just a list of beers that you had to try; we were given a choice of something like 12 beers and encouraged to vary our choices all afternoon. Our tour and tasting session was due to end at 1pm, but we were still being asked what we’d like at 2pm! It’s safe to say that we had a fantastic time!

The bar itself is a really eclectically decorated place. There are prints and posters everywhere you look that nod to all manner of music and film as well as plenty of local heroes, many of the black and white (footballing) variety, so there’s loads for you to see. I think – I forgot to enquire – that there are local prints available to but as well. You can also buy Brinkburn T-shirts too. Even the glasses were stylish and I kept meaning to ask if I could buy some, but ultimately the beer and the chat meant that this was another thing I forgot. Definitely next time though!

The furniture and decor veers between modern and bohemian and it really is a fantastic setting for an afternoon or evening relaxing with friends or family. If other exciting plans hadn’t have been on the horizon, I think we’d have stayed there a lot longer.

Brinkburn Street is a creative and imaginative brewery that seems very much forward thinking in its approach. Lee and his team are clearly passionate about what they do and it showed in the beers that we tasted. Depending on the beer we chose, we’d get either a third or a half pint, which obviously encourages you to take your time and consider your choices. My choices were as follows,

Cushty, Cushy – an IPA session beer
Byker Brown – a hoppy brown ale
Wrong Side of The Pennines – an American IPA
Ford Street – an American IPA
Afternoon Tea – a spiced, herbed beer infused with Earl Grey tea
Helter Skelter – a double hopped IPA

I remarked a few times on the fact that I hadn’t had a bad beer all day. This was the drink talking in every sense of the phrase. Firstly because every sample was delicious and different, but also because having had a decent amount to drink I was at that stage where you just keep repeating yourself for something to say! But it was wholly true too. And the other three members of our touring party said much the same. We all remarked on the fact that a lot of breweries brew beer that as ultimately pretty much the same thing, so that once you get beyond the interesting label and the alcohol strength, it’s just bland. But not Brinkburn Street. We found that each beer had something decidedly different about it, be it in the taste or the finish and as a result, it made for a cracking couple of hours of just sitting round, sampling wonderfully drinkable beers and putting the world to rights! Strikes me that’s what middle age was made for!

I’m not usually a brown ale drinker, simply because it’s not very tasty (and I know that might seem sacrilegious coming from someone from the home of Newcastle Brown Ale), but when one of our party recommended the Byker Brown, we all had one and it was an absolute revelation! I also loved the Helter Skelter, which at 9.2% was a bit of a scary prospect and although the strength was evident, it certainly didn’t take away from the fact that it was just really tasty! My favourite was the Wrong Side of The Pennines, which was just a tasty and very drinkable American IPA.

Just as good as the beer was the atmosphere. We were made to feel really welcome, with owner Lee occasionally popping over for a chat and serving us our beer too. The brewer that had initially shown us round – please forgive me for forgetting his name – also popped back on several occasions to tell us about what we were drinking and just check on how we were doing, making it a genuinely positive experience.

Brinkburn Street also do food, but as we were on a tight schedule we were unable to partake, but the choice looked great and some of the aromas were just lovely!

At the end of our time at Brinkburn, we stepped out – a little unsteadily, it has to be said – into the sunny afternoon air having both enjoyed ourselves immensely. As the headline suggests, a tour of the place, great beer and great company – you couldn’t fail to have the time of your life! I would highly recommend a visit to Brinkburn Street if you’re in Newcastle or if you’re planning a visit. Take a short walk along the Tyne towards the Ouseburn where a warm welcome and a cracking selection of beers awaits!

Huge thanks to Lee and his team, who as I’ve mentioned, were perfect hosts. We’ll definitely be back! Apologies, dear readers, for the lack of photos. I meant to take loads, but somehow got sidetracked by the fabulous beer…

Discovering Munich.

October in our family is fast establishing itself as another holiday time. Never before had we travelled in this month, preferring for three of us at least, to spend the time lazing about pretending to be recovering from what had been a tough first half term back at work or school. We might attempt to go and buy a few things or to have a clear-out of junk so that we could replace it with the things we’d bought, but hopping on a plane for a few days away was never even close to the agenda.

And then, last year, we booked a trip to Berlin and spent what was a revelatory few days in the German capital. Armed with a wary view of Germans, gleaned from watching too much Dad’s Army & Stan Boardman as a kid, I never imagined that I’d actually visit the place. These were a humourless race. Hadn’t they divided it up with a massive wall? Wasn’t it all imposing tower blocks and enormous sausages? Well no. And no. And no again, just for good measure.

Berlin blew my mind and in doing so opened up the possibility that Germany might just be somewhere we should explore. The family enjoyed it too and none of us were ready to leave when the time came. And so, come the half term just gone, we found ourselves on a plane heading to Munich, getting all excited about once again using the U-Bahn, the S-Bahn and for the first time, the tram. Don’t get me wrong, we loved being in Germany for a lot more than just the transport, but those trains were particularly exciting!

We land in Munich early in the afternoon and after a few wrong turns locate the desk where we can buy our Munich cards and head out to find the train. As expected we only have to wait a few minutes – our train is actually on the platform, but we have to wait so it sets off exactly on schedule – before our S-Bahn train is heading towards Munich.

Within half an hour or so we’re getting off again – did I mention Germany’s uber-effiecient railways? – and making our way into the Autumn sunshine for what proves to be a short walk to our hotel. We’ll be staying at the Novotel Munich Arnulfpark – could it sound anymore German? – which we’ve purposely chosen, partly because it means we have to get the tram into Munich; another new transport experience! It turns out though that it’s also just a lovely hotel with friendly staff and a cracking breakfast, so we’re on a winner from day one! Our room is great and the hotel itself turns out to be everything we’re going to need for our stay in the city.

We check in and then quickly unpack our gear before setting off in search of a supermarket so that we can buy in some snacks and drinks. You never know when you’ll get peckish on holiday. It’s almost immediately evident that this is a relaxed and peaceful city. We first wander through the largely business district where we’re staying, passing the Google building and a massive kids’ park along the way. People are out and about enjoying the late afternoon sunshine and the unseasonably warm weather and it makes for a lovely atmosphere about the place. Welcome to Munich!

As we get closer to the centre of Munich the atmosphere remains cool and calm and we finally locate an Aldi where we buy our traditional tube of fake Pringles, some water and a big bag of crisps for me that will, in time-honoured holiday fashion, never actually get opened and eventually just be left in the room for the maid. I know, generous tipper, right? Don’t worry, we always leave some cash as well. And what’s left of the fake Pringles, of course.

After an early tea in a local Italian restaurant we head back to the hotel and have an early night. We’ve been up since 6am and it’s been a long day. Both children are asleep extremely quickly and we’re not far behind. We’re going to need a lot of energy for exploring Munich properly tomorrow.

Next day – a Sunday – after a buffet breakfast and some time to organise a rucksack we’re out early in order to discover as much of the city as we can. We take the tram to Haltbahnhoff Nord before heading to Haltbahnhoff to catch the S-Bahn to the Alte Pinakothek, one of many art galleries in the city. The Alte Pinakothek contains over 700 artworks, with paintings by artists such as Rubens, Degas, Van Gogh, Turner, Goya, Manet and Monet. As you might expect, it is absolutely amazing. The building itself is enormous – probably around the same sort of scale as Buckingham Palace, if you’re looking for a comparison – and it was purpose built to house some of the art collected by the Bavarian royal family. So you’ll see a helluva lot of art!

On a Sunday Munich’s galleries only charge 1 Euro for entry. Our kids went in for free. So for a lot less than the price of a decent Sunday paper we were able to see some of the most stunning works of art on the planet. Wandering round the ground floor we’re treated to room after room of stunning art. Without any fanfare or over-bearing signage you can turn a corner to be faced by a Degas or a Monet and so suddenly, without any real warning, being able to cast our collective gaze on Sunflowers by Van Gogh makes for an experience that I think I’ll treasure for the rest of my days. Even then, it’s left in the shade by Monet’s ‘Bridge over The Seine’ and ‘Woman Ironing’ by Degas, both of which light up my day.

Even our kids are interested and my daughter is particularly pleased to find some paintings by Arcimboldo, someone she’s studied at school. We’re all taken by the sheer scale of some of the work, especially the stuff by Rubens. Some of it stretches from floor to ceiling in what are vast rooms and It’s fairly humbling to imagine the amount of work that went into those paintings taking shape.

We spend a good couple of hours wandering around the Alte Pinakotech, but sensing the kids’ growing boredom after a while we head out in search of some dinner. Before we arrived we found it kind of quaint that Munich’s shops stayed shut on a Sunday, but then once you’re there and you realise that lots of the cafes are shut too, it’s not so quaint after all. Suffice to say, it’s a good hour later that we’re queuing up in a café for some food and even then there’s an unexpected setback as it turns out that because it’s Sunday, the chef’s off and so food is limited. In the end we settle for some tomato soup and it turns out to be an inspired choice.

After dinner we head out to find the Englische Garten. Now you’d imagine that given this particular park is bigger than Central Park in New York, it wouldn’t take much finding. Well think again. In looking for it we realise that, as great as we think Munich is, it seems to have a distinct lack of signposts. It’s a theme we’ll keep returning to as the trip goes on. It’s a tiny criticism, but no distinct signs to tell you where things are puts Munich at a distinct disadvantage. The streets are signposted, but the attractions are rarely given a passing thought, which would make things a lot easier to find. Both of our phones are dying and we’ve had to rule out the usually reliable Google Maps. And for some reason we just can’t seem to follow the paper map. Eventually we spot some trees in the distance and head for them and indeed it’s the Englische Garten!

We proceed to spend the next couple of hours before the sun goes down, wandering around the place. It’s enormous and we’re in no doubt that we’ll have to come back again, as we probably don’t manage to see even a quarter of it. We manage to see lots of landmarks, although the surfers can’t surf as their machine doesn’t seem to be working, but in all it’s a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. There are thousands of people here and not even a hint of trouble or ill feeling. It’s a lovely, harmonious atmosphere. Families are out strolling, groups of adults socialise, there are numerous people playing volleyball and football and lots of cyclists and runners. We end the afternoon by sitting in the enormous beer garden with a stein of cold beer and some chips, watching the sun go down. It’s all so brilliantly German. Or Bavarian, if that’s what you’d prefer.

We head out for some tea in an optimistic frame of mind. We’ve identified the place we wish to go and even have a couple of back ups in case of an emergency – thanks Trip Advisor! However, our Sunday curse pays another visit as we pitch up at not one, not two, but three of our favoured restaurants to find them all closed! This is our German adventure though and we’re determined not to head back to the hotel so we keep looking. And it’s then that we stumble upon the magnificent Hamburgerei where the endlessly enthusiastic waiter helps us make our choices and makes sure we’re perfectly comfortable. I think what we eat may be some kind of recipe for a heart attack, but boy is it good! We head back to the hotel late and tired, but with full stomachs and happy hearts. Munich is proving to be everything that we’d hoped for.

On Monday Munich resembles home. It’s cold and raining, but we wrap up and take the tram down to Sendlinger Tor and bumble our way down towards Marienplatz. On the way we stumble across an amazing building that will most likely live long in all of our memories. Asamkirche is a church that is almost hidden among a street full of designer shops. We noticed it because we looked up from underneath our umbrellas into the rain. It’s on quite a grand street and you could easily slip past without even noticing. But we’re wowed by the exterior and stop to work out what it is. Eventually, after someone pops out of the door, we decide we can go in and it’s breath-taking. It seems like every inch of the interior is decorated painstakingly and elaborately. It’s tiny inside and we only spend around ten minutes silently staring at the place, but it’s time well spent. And we so easily could have wandered past.

Next we head to St. Peter’s church – anyone sensing a theme – where there’s a tower to be climbed in order to take in stunning views of the city. I opt out as I’m not at my best at heights, and while my wife and children climb I head inside the church where as I’m looking around at more architectural splendour, an actual service breaks out. I’m not at all religious, but I hang around at the back, unaware of what’s really happening due to the language barrier, but enjoying the lovely feeling of calm that spreads throughout the church. I stay for around 15 minutes, but eventually decide to leave for fear of my children barging in and shattering the peace.

When we meet up again outside it’s almost midday and so we quickly make our way to the Marienplatz where, in time honoured fashion, the bells will chime for the hour at the town hall and the figures that decorate the clock tower perform, for want of a better expression, a bit of a dance. Very Bavarian and despite the rain, entertainment enough to keep the kids enthralled and the adults happy for the ten or so minutes that it all takes.

After lunch – a much calmer affair than Sunday’s – we head for the train in order to get to the Allianz Arena, home of the mighty Bayern Munich, where we’ve booked on the 2.45 stadium tour and museum visit. Unfortunately, but predictably where our family is concerned, we’re late meaning that we have to run from the U-Bahn station to the stadium. Even then, the Munich signpost curse strikes again and we end up climbing to Level 3 of the stadium to get to what it turns out is the wrong bar. We’re directed back down the stairs and round the stadium where a friendly guide takes us to join our tour.

After years trying Graham still hadn’t mastered the art of the selfie.

As a football fan, this is one of the highlights of my trip. The Allianz arena is an incredible stadium – although obviously it’s no St. James’ Park! As we join the tour we’re sat in the posh seats having everything explained to us while on the pitch the LED grow lighting is helping the pitch recover on what is an increasingly dull day. It’s an impressive place and once the talking’s finished we’re given some time to take photos before we head off to the dressing room. More photos are taken and then it’s down into the tunnel where we line up in ‘teams’ ready to walk down the tunnel. The guide flicks a switch and we’re heading down the steps to the Champions’ League music. Suddenly I’m a kid again! Unfortunately though we’re not actually allowed near the pitch, which in these days of mega money pitches, is not all that surprising. It’s still a shame though.

We end the day by watching the lights on the outside of the stadium come on. The arena is lit bright red at night and it’s a dramatic sight. We get some photographs before heading for the U-Bahn for a short trip back into town and some tea. Tonight we try out 60 Secondi Pizza and while it isn’t quite as quick as the name suggests – obviously, I know – our pizzas are on the table very quickly and having come out of a brick oven, they’re delicious. Between the fantastic waiter’s smattering of English and my wife’s long ago learned German we get everything we need and I have to see it’s a lovely meal in quite a leafy area. Certainly, if you’re ever in Munich I’d recommend it.

Tuesday is our final day and after another hearty breakfast we check out of the hotel and drop our bags and cases there to pick up later. We’re determined to make the most of our final hours and as we don’t fly out until after 10pm we’ve got plenty of time for more adventure.

We head for the Munich Residenz, which used to be the main residence of the Bavarian royal family. It’s raining quite heavily today so we’re looking forward to getting inside. But Munich, we have a problem. We can’t find the door! We walk all the way round the building and what should be obvious isn’t too obvious. Where is the door? Our problem is solved when we ask some policemen if the residence is actually open and are told not today! The presence of lots of official looking black limos in the courtyard as well as TV trucks seems to explain why. In fact, on second glance there are lots of police around the place! Something far more important than us is happening, but we never find out what.

With the residence closed we head to the NK Documentation centre, a museum that concerns the rise of the Nazis in Munich. Having visited Berlin last year we were under the impression that it was the centre of everything at that time, so it’s intriguing to find out how important Munich was. The museum is fascinating and incredibly detailed and it’s interesting and saddening to see just how swiftly Hitler rose to power.

Afterwards, we head out into the late afternoon drizzle and take in some of the nearby sights, most of which are buildings and monuments that are linked to Hitler. The scale of some of these is staggering and it’s hard not to be impressed, despite knowing exactly what they once stood for.

With our impending night flight in mind we go for some tea. Tonight we eat at Jones’s American Diner where we all chow down on huge burgers in order to keep our strength up as we near the time to leave. We won’t get back to Leeds until the early hours and so we’ll need to fill up, which is exactly what we do. Once again, the food is delicious and in true German – and sort of American – style the service is excellent, with the waiter happy to leave us be despite the fact that it’s time for them to close!

All too soon though the day is closing in on us and it’s time to catch the train and the tram back to our hotel, pick up our bags and head to the airport.

Munich has been amazing and I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone who asked. There’s lots to do for families and I imagine that the presence of the many bierkellers, beer gardens, bars and restaurants, as well as some pretty high-end shops, would make it a great destination for people not accompanied by their mini-humans too.

We bid Munich farewell with heavy hearts, but all safe in the knowledge that we’re sure to be back again in the near future. It’s been a fantastic few days and we’ve discovered an absolutely amazing city. Munich exceeded all of our expectations and if you’re looking for a city break, you should definitely give it a go!

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