Travel review: In silence, lies all the answers
How a trip out of Singapore into Germany, was healing and transformative
Text: Puja Bharwani
They say being on vacation is a feeling and that’s what I was telling myself everytime I took some time off these past 21 months and went as far as the cruise to nowhere with Royal Caribbean. I almost convinced myself that these ‘fakations’ as I like to call them were doing the trick and giving me the required change, break and breath of fresh air in a world of limited travel choices. How wrong was I!
Three weeks ago, my stars aligned and everything came together for me to take a solo trip. My destination was Munich and the stunning Bavarian alps, which is also home to Germany’s highest point of the 9,700-foot-high Zugspitze, which sits on the Austrian border. Germany has a relatively high vaccination rate of about 70 percent, which mentally, made it safer to travel to in my mind. That, and the fact that we finally could!
My head couldn’t get around the fact that I was going to be in an actual plane flying to another continent! The ingredients for successful travel out of Singapore in a post-pandemic world are a vaccinated green lane track, which means no quarantine/isolation for longer than 6-hours upon arrival after receiving a negative PCR test result, and a valid visa or residential status to ensure you can go and return on fixed dates without applying to return. Here are some important sites and things to note when planning for VTL (Vaccinated Travel Lane) travel to Germany out of Singapore.
You don’t need to take a PCR test before leaving
You can leave Singapore on any flight
For your return, you need to book a designated VTL flight which only flies twice a week at the moment on Singapore Airlines
You need to download and print a copy of your notarised vaccination record through Notarise.sg. You are asked for your vaccination certificate when you dine in restaurants. Keep a hard copy handy.
Book your pre-boarding PCR test for your trip back 48 hours before your departure flight to Singapore through here- https://muc.airport-lab.com/en/
Book your arrival test and health declaration for Singapore through here- https://safetravel.changiairport.com
Coming to terms with leaving after so long
The trip to the airport was so exciting and I have never been so happy to see the Changi Airport Control Tower. Once we reached the departure point drop off, I started feeling a little apprehensive as this nerve of uneasiness crept up on me, given the reported rising numbers of cases and the fact that I had not left my home for such a long time. As I said goodbye to my family and entered the doors of the airport, I was still a bit uneasy. It was only after I cleared immigration and walked through that barricade that I felt absolutely psyched, had a sense of familiarity and felt ready to get on the plane. It was like riding a bike. It all came back to me so easily - except that the airport was far from crowded and some shops had “out of business” signs and shutters on. It was great to see Singapore Airlines and their friendly staff after so long, looking slightly futuristic in their face shields and masks. I settled into my seat and had access to wi-fi throughout the flight - for some reason, an immensely satisfying service. There are no physical menus or magazines, so all information for food and entertainment are checked online.
Sunshine at touchdown
Greeted by the brightest sunshine as we approached Munich, a smooth and efficient immigration experience and quickly collecting my bags, I was ready for my Bavarian adventure. In Germany, masks, which must be surgical or N95s are mandatory - but only indoors. The feeling of removing your mask to breathe in the fresh air was just priceless!
I was picked up by a car and whisked off to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Mittenwald sanctuary of the Bavarian Alps. Green hills, pastures, cows, quaint country houses and villages dotted my view as we approached what felt like the peak of the mountain - Schloss Elmau. Built by the philosopher and theologian Johannes Muller between 1914-1916, the main hotel is a four-storey national monument with a castle-like roof and feel, tower and porch- it is about 90 minutes from Munich. It lies at the foot of the Wetterstein mountains in a nature reserve, with a breathtaking mountain overlooking most of the hotel area. Once I checked into my room, I didn’t want to leave. What did I do there? I immersed myself with nature and after a long time felt grounded, while having the rare opportunity to not rush, do anything for anyone else and just take my time to do things and get through the day.
To experience the silence of the majestic mountain range and rushing streams brought me some peace and made me feel quite at home. The property laced with red carpets indoors is classily designed and definitely has a royal aura to it. The stay comes in a package with breakfast and gourmet buffet style meals in specific restaurants; it also includes hiking tours, yoga and bicycles (regular and electric) to explore the region. In the evenings, pick any of the outdoor sitting areas to have a drink from while you bask at the views, which you can see from almost anywhere on the property. The meals are wholesome and there are many options for those with restrictions and allergies. There is also a fine dining option if you are on an adult only trip. The bar has lively jazz music in the evenings and there is a library filled with mostly German books and some English ones if you want to get lost in reading in your own little nook. This is a very family friendly hotel with a part of the property called The Retreat that is recommended for groups with young children.
The hotel has 4 pools, all of which are heated and two are salted spa pools. There are deck chairs all over the estate to relax and each room comes with the most brightly coloured bathrobes for you to use throughout your stay. Get used to seeing people skinny dip in pools, this is Europe after all.
The hike I chose to take was through the breathtaking Partnach Gorge (Partnachklamm) - a deep gorge that has been etched by a mountain stream, the Partnach, in the Reintal valley near the south German town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, about 20 minutes from the hotel I was staying at. The gorge is 702 metres (2,303 ft) long and, in places, over 80 metres (260 ft) deep. It was designated a natural monument in 1912.
Munich in 2 days
After three days of soaking in nature and trying very hard to hold that grounded feeling in me, I took a train back to Munich - a city I have been to before and have grown to enjoy. Most parts of it feel like a suburb more than a major city and it is one of the easiest and safest places to navigate around either on foot or the subway. The area spanning downtown and Marienplatz Square is dotted with great restaurants, shops and some great live entertainment in the evenings. It is very old and architecturally beautiful - just walking around the downtown area could take up to half a day and you can watch the famous Glockenspiel (bell ringing), which was originally performed in the 14th century at the Marienplatz to commemorate the end of the plague.
Munich has a ‘central park’ called the “English Garden”, a huge park with a lot of attractions but the one worth visiting it for is the upmarket Biergarden called “Seehaus”. It is both a high-end restaurant and a Beer Garden overlooking a lake within the park. If the weather is nice, there aren’t many more enjoyable ways to spend an afternoon in Munich.
For a classy steakhouse meets bistro feel, Brenner Grill is amazing for dinner with great food, service and the right Friday night vibe. It has a cool bar area at the entrance and an in-house grill for the carnivores. The restaurant is on Maximilianstrasse (much like Manhattan’s 5th Avenue), a stone’s throw from the Munich Opera house - bookings are a must.
(Other restaurants: Theresa Grill, fabulous Italian options include – Seerose, Osteria Veneta.)
If you are a history buff, there are fantastic themed Airbnb city tours. For example, there are tours that take you to the key locations of the “3rd Reich”, as Munich is where Hitler started his rise to power. There are also numerous art exhibitions adjacent to the Opera House.
Back to Nature
After experiencing the city for a couple of days, I was aching to get back to nature. A girlfriend and I drove up to the picturesque Tegernsee region, which is just about an hour out of Munich (if there is no traffic), and is very popular with the locals.
We stayed at the top of the hilly area at Das Tegernsee- describing itself quite accurately, as a place between heaven and earth. The area is stunning and has panoramic views, a multi-floor spa and areas to tan with killer views to soak in the sun and watch the clouds pass by. There is also a heated pool, with jacuzzis and multiple saunas.
The quiet, luxury hotel is built above the Tegernsee valley, with a view of the lake and the surrounding mountains from almost every room. The service here was impeccable right from the start. From giving us prosecco on the open air arrival area, an extremely humorous bellboy who insisted on us relaxing while he took our bags in, to ensuring we were given the best view for each meal, while being kept warm, it was another unforgettable experience. You can walk to the lake to sail or just stroll around the area to get a sense of the town. If you have the stomach for it, take a dip in the cold water Tegernsee lake.
Overall, I am Felin Danke (immensely thankful) for a breath of fresh air, breathtaking views and the freedom and silence to just be in what’s probably now my number two favourite European destination (Italy will always have my heart). Germany definitely feels like it has moved on and is treating COVID as an endemic.
The people are relaxed, logically careful and human in the way they are living life. It was refreshing to see this and to me highlighted the importance of getting comfortable with travel again, largely to get a different perspective. The transformative power of travel and experiencing life and exploration in a whole new way, despite the extra hurdles, costs and tests was very worth it to me. While policy makers still have control over the processes, we need to take charge and make it work safely for each of our circumstances as it is essential for us and our children to grow and move forward from the pandemic standstill.
