Berlin or Bust Pindara Private Hospital’s Business Development and Marketing Manager, Robbie Falconer, shares her recent travel experience to Berlin with us. TRAVEL We Australians tend to have a certain version of Europe. As our excited pre-holiday fingers trace over the European map, we envision the ideal experience typified by Lonely Planet travel guides and National Geographic programs. And our expectations of following a similar script run high. On my recent Deutschland adventure, I explored two of Germany’s major cities, Berlin and Munich, and I found expectations can potentially distract us from fully enjoying the real experience of a place. So I have come to the conclusion, sometimes it is best to put our expectations on hold, simply follow the map and let the country, or in this case, the cities do the talking. I was really excited to be visiting Berlin. Everything I had heard and read about this famous city was articulated by words like “cool”, “hip” and “high art,” so my expectations were high. My expectations of Munich, on the other hand, were different. I had visited Germany’s third largest city years ago, but could not recall anything about Munich other than the substantial hangover I had back then. My real plan was to spend my few days in this part of Germany travelling the Alpine area, as the city is around 50 kilometres north of the cragging borders of the Alps, before then travelling onto Berlin. Perhaps the overindulgence in German beer all those years ago was to blame - or perhaps my age and life experience have refined my interpretative lens - whichever the case, these days Munich is a much more memorable city than I had credited. While not the most bustling, electric city I have visited, it certainly has a lot of personality and charm. As the capital city of the state of Bavaria, Munich showcases the best of Bavaria. The city was named in reference to the region’s Benedictine monastry, and has a long and significant history. Sightseeing includes interesting (old and more recent) historical sites and buildings, beautiful gardens and of course the delightful Isar River that cuts through the middle of the city. City streets are picture postcard pretty, with many Pindara Magazine 81
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Three
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