I learned to ride the Subway in Munich

I learned to ride the Subway in Munich

by David McGuffin

I learned to ride the subway in  Munich.  Thirty years ago, I was teaching band at the local junior high school, and one summer, I gathered up six students and headed off to Europe.  That was not my first trip to Europe, but Bavaria and Munich were new destinations for me.  Previously, I’d traveled to rural destinations in the Swiss Alps, French villages, and the big three Italian destinations of Venice, Florence, and Rome.  None of which required me to use public transportation to get around.

Arriving in Munich, our group did the usual tourist sightseeing activities.   Our guide took us to see the historic town center, the Glockenspiel, Residence, and Nymphenburg Palace. Then, we were left to explore on our own for a few hours.  I decided to buy a public transit day pass, which provided access to city buses, trams, and subways.  In Munich, the U-Bahn and S-Bahn are primarily underground trains that run through the city center and into the suburbs.  Being from a small town in Florida, I’d never had the opportunity to venture down into the depths of the underground tunnels and zip from one neighborhood to the other.  It was fascinating to me to think about all the work that went into digging the tunnels, laying the track, and mapping out the underground routes.

First, I had to learn how the underground system worked.  With the help of a map of the underground system, I determined my final destination and the direction of travel.  Each train was color-coded and numbered, such as Blue U4.  With this knowledge and an overground city map, I’d decided where I wanted to go and how to get there underground.  I made a good many mistakes, sometimes riding the right train in the wrong direction or riding the wrong train in the right direction. 

I recalled reading about the September 1972 Munich Summer Olympics and the terrorist massacre.  And although we were now 20 years beyond the event, the massacre and the unique Olympic pavilions still drew sightseers.   So, off I went on the U-Bahn to Olympic Park.  As I emerged from the underground, I found myself not in the busy city center but in an urban park, lush and green, with the acrylic glass-paneled Olympic stadium gleaming in the distance.  Although I didn’t have time for a proper tour, I did manage to wander into both the large track and field stadium and the swimming pavilion.  While exploring, I came across a group of German public works employees, apparently on their lunch break, sitting under the trees, eating sausages and bread, and drinking lots of Hofbräu beer. To this day, I still don’t know how one can go back to work after a beer or two during lunch.

Back on the underground, I headed toward the city but decided to hop off at the Theresienwiese, the site of the famed Octoberfest.  I was disappointed when I emerged from the underground only to find an empty 100-acre limestone parking lot with not a beer festival tent in sight.  Later, I found out the place was empty except during the spring fair, the Christmas fair, and the Octoberfest celebration in September and early October.  Disappointed, I headed back to the U-Bahn entrance but was distracted by the beautiful St. Paul’s Church, its red steeple, and bells tolling the noon hour.   

While returning to the town center of Marienplatz, I decided to exit the underground and try my luck on the tram.  These streetcar-like trams run on tracks, primarily in the streets, throughout Munich’s neighborhoods.  I headed in the direction of the University and English Gardens. 

Somewhere, I’d read about a swiftly running stream where surfers gathered to ride the one wave created by a waterfall in the river.  I decided to rent a bike and take in some of this 900-acre city park.  It didn’t take long to find it! There was a big crowd of onlookers cheering on a slew of “surfers.” There was a system; the surfers qued on the riverbank. When one surfer fell or dipped out of the wave, the next hopped in, making an endless surfing show.

Soon, I was pedaling through the park on an easy path between the forest and the stream.  All of a sudden, I was stunned and almost ran into a tree!  There, right in front of me, was a man and his son (I assume) playing Frisbee.  They were both completely naked, running and flopping around with vigor, leaping and dashing to catch the Frisbee.  Looking around, I noticed I was the only one around who was clothed.  Men, women, boys, and girls, all in their birthday suits, were perfectly happy to soak up the sun, picnic, play, and enjoy life on that grass meadow by the stream.  Later, I learned that many Germans, including those from Munich, are not shy about their bodies. Although one is required to wear clothing on the trams, it’s perfectly fine to bare it all in the English Gardens! 

Since I wasn’t prepared to join them and take a dip in the stream, I turned in my bike and took the U-Bahn one last trip to Marienplatz, the center of the old town.  From there, I wandered a few blocks over to the Hofbraühaüs, the world-famous beer hall.  Walking in the front door, I was immediately enveloped by oom-pap music, thousands of voices, and a sauna-like damp heat, all mixed with the underlying, slightly pleasant smell of yeast and hops. 

This place was huge! There were several hundred long plank tables, each about 30 feet in length, filled, thigh to thigh, with people eating and drinking.  There are no saved seats here… find a space and settle in!  Soon, a waiter came by to take my order and bring me a liter-sized mug filled with frothy Hofbraü beer.  Bratwurst and sauerkraut followed, accompanied by a big dollop of spicy brown mustard. 

In Munich that day, I learned to make the most of what I had and turn it into an adventure.   A subway pass, bike rental, and curiosity taught me a lot about exploring Europe.  Now, even after scores of visits to Munich, I always seek out a new adventure, but none will ever top that first thirty-something years ago.

1977 Lunch in Rome on flight layover to Athens

Munich Frauenkirche

Munich Oylmpic Stadium

OctoberFest fun

English Gardens?

Prost from the Hofbraühaus

Beer Hall band
Why Italy is my Favorite Country

Why Italy is my Favorite Country

by David McGuffin

I often get asked, “What is your favorite destination?” Years ago, that question was difficult, but after almost 50 years on the road, I’ve got my answer.  Paris is my favorite city, and Italy is my favorite country.  

Since we are focusing on Italy this month, let me tell you why I love Italy. In 1977, I went on my first international trip. Although Italy was a destination on that three-week tour, I thought Greece was our first destination. Back then, I was along for the ride with the rest of my friends, and a detailed study of the itinerary did not happen. As it turned out, our flight went overnight from New York JFK to Rome, and we had a long layover at the Rome airport. Back in those days, before 9/11, security checks and leaving the airport were not a problem. So, we left the airport, got on a bus, and went to a countryside restaurant for lunch.      

I only had a Kodak 110mm Instamatic camera and a limited number of rolls of film, but some of my first pictures from the tour were of me and my friends sitting at a table, eating pasta and drinking Coke. That was the best pasta I’d ever eaten! Later that day, we returned to the airport, flew to Greece for a week, and then to Israel for a week, before returning to Italy for our final week. That countryside ristorante lunch experience set the “tone” for my upcoming travel adventures. If only I had liked wine back then!

In the years since, I’ve visited Rome and Italy a hundred times, and it never gets old or redundant. What keeps me coming back? It’s the combination of the people, culture, places, food, wine, history, art, and local friends. Italy, like its history melds varied cultures into one, so is my love for the country and its people.

After college, with my music education degree in hand, I landed a job teaching band and choir at a middle school in my community. Little did I know I would spend thirty years at the school teaching middle, junior, and high school students. After a few years, I was ready to take my band “show on the road,” so like my college choir director, I gathered a few students and took them to Europe. And guess what? Italy was the first country I wanted to share with them.

On that first trip, I chose a noted student tour company to make all the arrangements, and we basically came along for the ride, without any input on the experiences. My group consisted of maybe eight students and several adult chaperones, and me and Charlotte, my wife. We were loaded on a 50-seater bus along with a few other student groups and teachers. I think we began in Zurich, but most of the tour visited Italy from Venice, to Florence, to Rome.

Being a newbie European tour sponsor teacher, I was happy to let our tour escort and a few other student tour “veteran” teachers lead the way and set the daily plans. It wasn’t until we got to Venice, Florence, and Rome, destinations I’d visited a decade before, that I felt a little more comfortable. I enjoyed sharing Italy and my experiences with my students and Charlotte. They were all first-time international travelers, and I had at least one tour experience under my belt. So, I felt confident showing them the Piazza San Marco, the canals of Venice, Florence’s Duomo, the Colosseum, and Saint Peter’s Square in Rome.

Now, forty-eight years and a hundred journeys later, I don’t even need to think or worry about my travels in Italy. The history is unchanged, the culture changes with the passing decades, the food and wine are as good as ever, and the friendships I’ve made continue to grow. All this blends together and helps me offer my travel buddies an authentic and enjoyable peek behind Italy’s “tourist” curtain. Yes, one must see Venice, Florence, and Rome, but for my groups, the small hill towns, the off-the-beaten-path destinations, intimate restaurants, and visits with my Italian friends make a McGuffin tour group a cut above all the rest!

Want to read more about why I quit letting another tour company arrange my travels? Read about it here. “Why I Always Came Home Hungry.”

1977 Lunch in Rome on flight layover to Athens

1977 Lunch in Rome on flight layover to Athens

Volterra -Happy Steak Diners 2025

Rome - Piazza Navona 2025

Volterra - La Vena di Vino Wine Tasting 2025

Monterosso - Spaghetti Ristorante Ciak 2025