After months and months of planning, Mike, his family, and I were ready to kick off our big Maystadliahn vacation!

Part 1: June 9-14: Munich, Germany
Part 2: June 14-20: Skyros, Greece & Athens, Greece
Part 3: June 20-24: Corfu, Greece

Friday, June 9, 2023

What better way to kick off a 2 week family vacation than by stretching yourself thin by participating in my company’s Impact Day the day before your trip? One day I will learn not to over commit myself. One day. Impact Day was mostly fun, though. I went to the Houston Food Bank and spent the morning sorting food donations. It was a bit chaotic, but I made friends with the people next to me, both of who had volunteered there before, and that helped. They gave the pro-tip to leave a little early so you do not get stuck in traffic, and that was genius.

I ran errands afterward: got my eyebrows done, dropped Elliott off at my dad’s, made a quick Target run for a new strapless bra (and a new dress, not on my to-buy list). Despite having THOUGHT about packing for weeks, I had not packed a single item yet, so I spent the afternoon packing. It was traumatic. It was so difficult to pack for 2 weeks, especially when considering all the formal events we had to consider. I was overwhelmed and texting Mandy, Mike’s sister, the whole time. I was also hungry. So. Yeah. I took a break from packing to set up our new driveway cat camera because my feral cat, Layla, decided to bring us her new kittens just a few days prior. That was both exciting and incredibly annoying, but I wanted to be able to monitor their whereabouts while we were away.

Mike and I took a break for dinner at Down the Street. I had already cleaned the house and did not want to get it messy for dinner. We finalized our packing afterward and fell asleep pretty quickly. Kristy and Patrick, Mike’s mom and stepdad, were already on their way overseas.

Saturday, June 10, 2023

We woke up about 45 minutes later than I wanted to, but it was not a big deal. We got ready and finished packing, hoping that our suitcases were going to be under 50lbs. I realized a few weeks ago that I did not have a large suitcase so I bought a new Beis one. It was very light and spacious, so I was hoping that would keep the weight down. Mike’s was likely going to be over, with his older and bulkier suitcase. Our plan was to be out the door by 7am and we hit that goal with no issue. We could have spent forever going through checklists and making sure we had everything, but at some point you have to trust your gut that you accounted for everything during the planning process and hope for the best.

Our first stop was FastPark. Did you know you collect points every time you park there and can get free days? I did not! We reserved our space ahead of time because I had so many points to get a full week’s worth of parking for free. Amazing. We parked in spot 139, and Mike wrote his first song of the trip: “3, 6, 9, 1, 3, 9, let’s hope we get to Munich on time.”

Mike’s bag was overweight by a few pounds and the ticket agents HIGHLY suggested we spend a few minutes to re-distribute our bags to not pay the $100 fee. I was 3lbs under, so we moved some stuff around. Mike’s bag was then underweight and mine was 1lb over, but the lady said she “didn’t see that” and let us go anyway without charging us, since she had been the one to encourage us to edit. We greatly appreciated her kind gesture.

Our next stop was security. Our good luck ended because I had not attached Mike’s TSA Pre-Check to his ticket and he had to stay back to get it fixed. I felt awful, but thankfully he was able to add it with no problem. I had already gone through, so we agreed to meet at the gate. A lady complimented my Bies carry-on bag! Whoo hoo. I went to buy a Sudoku book and the most amazing thing happened: I got to give a book recommendation! There was a lady looking at books and another lady was helping her choose. I chimed in because I was familiar with some of the recommendations. She asked me what they were about and I gave her quick summaries. She chose The Midnight Library, but it was a tough call. For those unaware, I am participating in the GoodReads book challenge this year with a goal to read 50 books and had already read 30ish books… so I had some opinions! I hope she enjoyed the book.

I made it to the gate and filled up the roll-up water bottle my sister bought me for a Peru trip that never got to be (damn Covid). Hydration is important. I also could not remember if I had put deodorant on, so I did a quick re-apply. Mike was taking extra long through security and it turned out his bag got searched. He had our travel safe and our case of external batteries in his bag and it looked sketchy on the security belt. We learned to pull those out of his backpack ahead of time for all future screenings.

The gate agent called Mike to the desk and we were both very confused. I was annoyed thinking that I had messed something else up, which is unlike me when it comes to travel things. Luckily, they only wanted to see if he wanted to move seats so they could put a family together. I guess they assumed we were not traveling together because of our last names. Only a few months until we have the same last name!

Our first flight was to North Carolina. I had a window seat, but there was not a window. Odd. Mike’s next song: “10a, 10b, you’re sitting next to me!” Gotta love him. The flight was about 3 hours or so. I fell asleep, read, ate Mike’s pretzels, had a diet coke. I started book 1 of 5 of a series Makayla recommended to me: A Court of Thorns and Roses. Mike played his smart calculus/sudoku game that makes my brain hurt. The flight went by quickly. The lady in our row was VERY intense de-boarding and made a point to not let anyone pass her. There was an order and method on how to deplane and she was not going to let anyone not follow it. Part of me respected it, part of me needed her to chill.

We had a short layover with enough time for lunch at the Rum Grill. We ordered chicken tenders, a burger, and a few drinks. We did not board for another hour after our meal, so we hung out at the gate. There was a lady near us who would not stop coughing and we moved seats in an effort to not catch whatever she had. The next flight was going to be 8-9 hours long… good luck to anyone who had to sit next to her.

We splurged for Premium Economy for our 2 long flights (overseas there, overseas home) and it was definitely the right call. The airline provided each of us a blanket, pillow, over-ear sound-cancelling headphones, freshen up packs, etc. Mike did not want his blanket or pillow so I made myself comfortable with both of ours. We had so much space, too. Being a short person, my favorite part is always the foot rest. We both had flown premium before but we could not help but act like little kids and explore everything around us and on our touch-screen in-seat TV. Not surprisingly, we both liked the flight tracking content the most.

As everyone else boarded, we got settled. I bought compression socks ahead of time since my legs and feet always hurt (thanks, small fiber neuropathy) and was hoping they would help. I used Mike’s pillow as lumbar support in an effort to get ahead of any potential back pains lingering from my surgery. Spoiler alert: the socks were incredible and my legs felt great the whole time, and my hip/back felt great. If I ever needed confirmation the surgery worked, I definitely got it.

We passed the time in different ways. Mike listened to podcasts and played his game and I read book 1. Dinner came around about an hour and a half after takeoff and neither of us were hungry, but we both ate. The past and chicken meals were okay, nothing special. Premium Economy came with free drinks so we enjoyed wine, laughed, and socialized before going back to our own things. We watched the sun set on the plane and then they dimmed the lights to signal it was probably attempt a nap.

Sunday, June 11, 2023

I did eventually sleep for about 2.5 hours. I woke up with about an hour and a half left in the flight and felt very disoriented because the plane lights were now orange and red, presumably to signal a sunrise and time to wake up. Breakfast came around shortly after: fruit, yogurt, a little cinnamon roll with no icing, and some jelly.

Mike was watching The Irish of Banshee and I did not feel like reading so I started the Selena Gomez documentary. We were both cut off for landing, him with only 1 minute left in the movie. Yikes!

Overall, it was an 8 hour and 15 minute flight and went fairly quickly. Premium Economy was wonderful and helped make it comfortable. We checked in with the family: his parents were at the hotel but leaving soon for their mini-trip and his sister and BIL were on their long flight.

We landed 7am local time in Munich, Germany. Passport control was quick and easy. It was Mike’s second stamp, so that was exciting. We took a bus to baggage claim and thankfully, my bag was the first to come out and Mike’s the 3rd. I always get worried about bags not making it when they have to change planes. Luckily, that flight was the only one of the trip where our bags changed planes without us.

I mapped out the route from the airport to the hotel prior to the trip and knew where to go. It was a long walk from baggage claim to the S Train, with no moving sidewalks. Mike’s suitcase was… loud. I was happy to have my suitcase because my carry-on strapped nicely to it and gave my shoulder a break.

It was not clear if we really *needed* train tickets since there was no where to swipe them for entry, but we bought them just in case. Our S8 train arrived a few minutes later and we boarded to head into the city. They did come by and ask for tickets at some point, too. 38 minutes later, we arrived at the Marienplatz! The escalators were not working (or, were not on yet) to get to street level. My parents taught me to never pack more than I could carry, and I could definitely carry my suitcase, but my height made it difficult for me to lift the suitcase high enough to clear the many stairs. Mike hulked out and carried both of our bags up at once! Swoon.

The weather and air was exactly as I remembered from my trip in 2016. Tough to describe, but it gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings. It was beautiful and the square was still relatively empty which allowed us to get a good look around and soak up the moment. It took a minute to orient ourselves and figure out which direction the hotel was, but we made it. It was a short walk, and we timed it perfectly because just as we arrived, Kristy and Patrick were leaving to visit Patrick’s French cousins in another city for the evening. We said hellos, exchanged hugs, and took their room key so we could rest in their room until ours was ready.

The goal was to stay awake. If you stay awake, you beat jet lag and win the travel game. However, Mike did not sleep on the plane AT ALL and my nap was fairly short. It was 9am, so we showered to try and wake up. Mandy and Brian’s flight was supposed to land around 11am meaning they would get to the hotel between 12:30-1pm. I set an alarm for 12:30pm just in case we fell asleep. Sure enough, Mike was out in a matter of seconds, and I read and dozed on and off. When the alarm went off, I forced Mike to get up. I hated waking him because I knew how tired he had to be, but it needed to be done. Mandy and Brian spent extra time at the airport getting her name changed on a later flight, so Mike and I decided to get up and get going. I refused to let us fall back asleep!

Our hotel, the Platzl, was close to anything and everything you would want to do and see in the main area of Munich. Mike overcame the language barrier and ordered a coffee. Coffee was an easy translation. Asking for it to be a black coffee was a minor hurdle. We started walking around and it was crazy to me how much I remembered it. I remembered it.. all too well. The air, the vibes, where things were, everything.

There were a lot of people walking around in Rammstein t-shirts and gothic get-ups. Turned out, there were Rammstein concerts that weekend. I had never heard of them but Mike got a kick out of everyone wearing the merch.

We walked through the square to Fraunkirche and rested on the steps out front so Mike could have his coffee. Once fueled up, we went inside. I remembered it correctly as the church with the “devil’s footprint”. A few of the stain glass panels were under constructions but the ones we could see were as gorgeous as you would expect. There was an area to light candles for people and Mike suggested we light a candle for Rose, Patrick’s mom who grew up in Germany and recently passed away. It was a sweet gesture! We toured the rest of the church, then made our way to St. Peter’s.

St. Peter‘s has an overlook with the most amazing view of the city. We anticipated the weather to be prefect every day, but I suggested we climb it while we knew it was nice out and not risk clouds another day. I could never forget the view but I definitely forgot how many narrow stairs there were to the top. It was a climb and we were sweating, but the weather and breeze were too nice to keep us down. The view made it worth it. It was a tight squeeze at the top so we made a lap, snapped some pictures, and headed down to give others room to experience it, too.

We trekked back down and toured the inside of the church afterward. St. Peter’s was more… extravagant… than Fraunkirche. A lot of gold.

Mandy and Brian were on the train, but still had time so we wandered down different streets and alleys just people watching and enjoying the weather. We passed a quesadilla restaurant which gave us the giggles. Being the only person in our group who had been to Munich before, I created a flexible itinerary. Given that everything was so close and quick, Mike and I had knocked half the items off the list already!

We met Mandy and Brian at the train exit around 3pm and helped them to the hotel. Our room was ready so while they settled into theirs, we moved our bags into ours. We all rested for an hour and came up with a game plan for the rest of the day. Instead of sightseeing, we would have a “regroup” day: find a restaurant and eat and drink all night. Easy mode. It was either that or “walknsnackin;” one of our many made up words of the trip.

There was a Bavarian (not Bulgarian…) place, Ayinger am Platzl, around the corner from the hotel we all agreed would be perfect. The waitress looked disappointed to not be able to seat us outside but the spot she gave us inside might have well as been outside. It was kind that she cared. She was very friendly and definitely gave us her “American joke” routine until she realized she could mess with us, and we would mess back, then she ditched the “bit” and was more natural with us.

We ate, drank, and hung out for several hours. It was a great way to relax and unwind from traveling! Kristy sent us pictures from their visit with Patrick’s family and the emotional process it was. We were looking forward to the full story when we were all together. Our waitress’ shift ended and they told us they had reservations (or, they wanted us to leave since we already paid the bill), so we left. We took a quick bathroom break at the hotel then decided to roam the streets and explore. We walked through the Marienplatz, past Fraunkirche, down to the fountain, then back up to the hotel via a side street so we could scope out where our Michelin dinner would be in a few nights. Places were closing and there was not a whole lot to do, but walking around more and simply enjoying the weather was perfect for the first day. I hyped Munich up a LOT leading in to the trip so I felt very responsible for everyone’s time there and was glad everyone enjoyed it so far.

We had one more round of drinks at the hotel. I liked where our spirit was, but our brains and bodies were exhausted and we did not need that last round. It was 9:30pm and we called it a night. Mike and I both fell asleep very easily but were both awake around 2am for a few hours. Neither of us understood as we were clearly tired. Houston was awake so we texted with friends and I read. I finished book 1 of the series! I eventually fell asleep around 4:30am, but I think Mike was up even later. Damn jet lag.

Monday, June 12, 2023
I woke up just before my 8am alarm with my allergies going crazy. My eyes were killing me and I was tired, but thankfully did not feel hungover. Being tired sucked. We got ready for the day in our small bathroom and met up with Mandy and Brian a little after 9am. Sleeping in any longer would have only messed up our jet lag even more.

Our first step was the Viktualienmarkt for breakfast. The internet suggested eating breakfast there but most places were still closed and/or setting up. We found an open café, Nymphenburg Sket, and had a nice meal. The food was great. We all raved about the practical portion sizes and quality ingredients. The weather was cooler out, but in a good way. We planned out the day’s activities then set out.

Mandy and Brian went to St. Peter’s to climb the overlook and Mike and I went on a search for his company’s Munich office. The map took us in circles but we were smart and found it inside a fairly bougie indoor/outdoor mall not too far away. If we ever move to Munich, we know where his office is!

The 4 of us reconvened outside of the Glockenspiel to listen to the chimes. I was 100% sure the figurines moved and was getting nervous that my brain misled me. A few minutes in, they started moving. It is cool to see but it is such a long show that we got bored and decided to go inside the Neues Rathaus, the building the Glockenspiel sits on. I did not visit that place last trip so we were flying blind there. The access was free and there was not much to see minus the very impressive architecture. I did some Googling and the only noteworthy things to see there could only be seen if you paid to go on a tour. Onward.

We revisited the Fraunkirche so Mandy and Brian could tour it, then headed back to the hotel to drop jackets off and change into cooler clothes. After a quick rest, we made our way to the Residenz. I also did not tour this last time I was there. It was a very long museum showcasing the royal residences (furniture, art, jewelry, etc.) of the time. It was cool, but slightly repetitive. We bought the all access ticket to see the jewels, palace, and theater. The theater was tough to find but probably my favorite part. The whole self-paced tour probably took around 2 hours my little legs were ready to sit for a minute and enjoy a snack and drink.

We shared some apps at a restaurant across the street: Spatenhaus an der Oper. The sausage salad sounded and looked disgusting but was so delicious. The roast beef and accompanying sauce were also incredible. Every meal was meat, cheese, bread. No complaints here!

Our next stop was the Englischer Garten. I loved the English Garden last trip and was excited to visit it again. My allergies, however, were not as excited, despite there being little-to-no flowers anywhere. I wanted to show them the surfers but when we arrived, it was not how I remembered. My mind was playing tricks on me again. It was still cool to see and we watched them surf for a little bit. We wandered through the garden to our next stop: the Monopteros, a replica Greek temple with views overlooking the garden. The internet also suggested we find the Chinese tower, which was a little less exciting. I could have walked around the garden for hours. If we had a full week in Munich, I could easily imagine us grabbing a blanket, making a picnic, and hanging out there all day.

We grabbed some ice cream and headed back to the hotel. I thought I was getting chocolate, but it ended up being caramel. It was fine, but y’all know I like chocolate.

Mike led the way back and took us a different route which allowed us to see different things. Guess what we saw… the surfer area that I remembered! That surfing area was more intense and off a bridge. I felt so validated. We stayed there for a minute watching the pros before continuing on. Mandy’s foot was hurting really badly which sucks to happen in a walking city.

Quick hotel stop to change shoes then decided to go for a drink around the corner at Augustiner am Platzl while we waited for Kristy and Patrick to return. There were no tables available outside, but there was a woman sitting by herself at a 4-top. The waiter asked her if we could sit with her. She said yes, but we were hesitant. The waiter told us she did not bite and then we felt obligated to sit down. It was so awkward. Thankfully, she finished her drink fairly quickly and we had the table to ourselves. I knew dinner at the Hofbrauhaus would be like that (sitting with strangers), but you do not expect it at a random café. We had a nice time relaxing, resting from all the walking. Kristy and Patrick arrived shortly after and we all caught up. Patrick was not ready to share about the experience with his cousins yet, so we told them about our day over another round of drinks.

One very vivid memory from my last trip was the Hofbrauhaus. It was overwhelming and chaotic for me, but I appreciated the experience for what it was and wanted them to experience it, too. We were starving and ready to eat. Thankfully, the restaurant was caddy corner to the cafe we were at and it was a short walk. Sure enough, it was crowded, loud, and crazy. We all walked around trying to find a spot for 6 or a table to join. Kristy spotted a big table with only 2 people at it and asked them if we could join and they happily agreed. They were a nice couple from the UK and we enjoyed sitting with them. I was glad I was not responsible for entertaining them since I was farthest away. Introvert, ya know.

During my trip, I carved my name into one of the tables (it is a thing there). Kristy carved our vacation name, Maystadliahn, into the table to commemorate! Note: “Maystadliahn” is a combination of all our last names. Soon, we will have to go by “Maystadli!”

Each couple shared a pretzel and we kept the drinks flowing. I did not order schnitzel on my last visit because our tour guide kept telling me to wait until Austria so of course I ordered the schnitzel this time. It was delicious! The potato salad was incredible, too. Everyone enjoyed their food. The couple eventually left and we all shared another, unnecessary round of drinks. I did not finish the last glass because I knew it would be the one that sent me over and there was not enough water to balance me out. Patrick found a table for us outside but we were all ready to go.

Once again, I was grateful for how close our hotel was to everything because it was a short walk back and I crawled into bed by 10pm. We slept with the windows open to let the cool air in, so I took a Benadryl so I could breathe.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Tuesday was our final day in Munich. Kristy arranged a private car to take us to Dachau and a private guide to show us around. Patrick’s grandfather was imprisoned at Dachau in his 20s, twice. It was important that we visited and it was kind of Kristy to get a private guide so the moment could be more intimate. I had been before, but this time would be different given Patrick’s family’s history.

Kristy and Patrick grabbed McDonald’s coffee and snacks for the breakfast eaters to start the day. The driver picked us up at 8am and on the way, the tour guide, Petra, started her tour by giving us context of what led up to the war, Hitler’s rise in power, the creation of concentration camps, and more. It was a little eerie because the parallels to the MAGA movement felt similar. The whole point in learning about history is so that we do not repeat it, but if books get banned and schools cannot talk about it accurately and people deny the Holocaust as a whole, how are we to avoid repeating it? I may be dramatic but it scares me to think about what has happened and could happen in the US.

We arrived at Dachau just before 9am. Petra gave us an incredible tour and was so great at answering everyone’s questions. It was a solemn experience, of course, but especially for Patrick. I did not want to be disrespectful but I snapped some pictures of him walking in the same places his grandfather had walked, looking at the same trees his grandfather had seen. I felt for him. We had shared with Petra about the family significance, but I think she realized the seriousness of it when we told her Patrick’s mother grew up in a kinderheim as a child because her father was at Dachau. I will never forget the horrified look on Petra’s face. She told us all about kinderheims and how they were just as bad as the work and concentration camps. Kristy told her about their side trip to visit Patrick’s cousins (more on that later) on the way back to the hotel a few hours later. I had reached out to Dachau ahead of the trip because we heard that family members could get private tours and they offered us a free tour in a regular group. At the time, I thought that would be fine. Given the closeness to the subject and how large the regular tour groups were, we were all grateful for the private tour.

After a heavy morning, we wanted a relaxing afternoon. We walked over to Do & Co Bistro in an effort to have a non-traditional Bavarian meal and shared a few small plates and drinks. It was cold in the shade and very windy outside. The food was great!

Afterward, we all split up. Kristy and Patrick went to the hotel and Mike, Mandy, Brian, and I walked around the shopping area, Kaufingerstabe. We stopped by the Lego store and they had a bin to make custom personalized Legos, something Mike and I had been wanting to do for awhile since we enjoy building Legos together. It was a struggled to create ourselves but we got creative with it and made something cute. You bought them in a pack of 3 so Mandy and Brian created a very interesting character for us. Germany also had so many more Lego sets that are not offered in the US. Boo.

We strolled around and found ourselves at the Samsonite store. Mike was in the market for a lighter, more modern suitcase if he was going to get through the remaining 1.5 weeks of the trip without potential overweight charges across our many flights. He picked out a nice blue one and dropped it off at the hotel before meeting back up with us for a kebab at Alis Superfood. We had all spotted the kebabs throughout the trip and there was always a long line, so we had to try it! Y’all, it was incredible. We each shared one, which would not have been enough if we did not have a big dinner planned a few hours later.

Mandy and Brian went to the hotel and Mike and I carried on to visit the FC Bayern Munich store and get some gear. Ted Lasso made us all soccer fútbol fans. We strolled around more and eventually found ourselves back at Ayinger am Plaztl, our restaurant from the first night, for a single round of drinks. There was still plenty of time before our big dinner later, so we went to the hotel so Mike could move into his new suitcase and we could rest. I ended up taking a short nap. Oops.

Our big dinner was at a 2 star Michelin restaurant, Atelier. It was just the 4 of us “kids” going and we were all really looking forward to it! We got dressed up, snapped some photos because of how great we all looked, and walked to the restaurant. The restaurant was in a hotel, behind a sort of “hidden” door. It was all very fancy. We originally reserved 2 tables because the website would not let us get a 4-top, but Mandy called ahead of time and they were able to seat us together. Apparently, that meant getting the entire back room at a table that could have easily sat 10. Wild.

We ordered the tasting menu, of course, with the wine pairing, of course. The service was incredible and each course was delicious. We had a lot of fun talking, laughing, and feeling out of place. The meal lasted a long 4.5 hours, but it went by so quickly because we were enjoying ourselves. I had never been to a Michelin star restaurant and it was nice to experience it, but for the cost… I am not sure I necessarily need to do it again, despite how great the food was.

Blame the long day, the big dinner, or the amount of wine we had… but we both fell asleep very quickly! Our flight to Athens, then Skyros, Greece, was early and we needed to be in the lobby by 5:30am to get going.

The whole vacation originated around a wedding (Mike’s mom’s best friend’s son) in Skyros. If we were going to go overseas, we figured we might as well make a trip around it. Munich happened to be a perfect first stop not only for Patrick’s family matters, but also because of it being such a perfect city to visit. I was glad to get to go back and even happier that everyone enjoyed it, too.

Until next time,

Jillian

Next stop: Skyros, Greece (and Athens)