After London, we headed to Munich to fulfill my other half’s mission to see an exhibit about bicycle design at the Pinakothek der Moderne. I also have a friend who lives about an hour away by car, and she and her other half came to meet us and whisk us off to Andechs for an authentic monastery brewery experience. It was here that I discovered how delicious the German style of potato salad (Kartoffelsalat) is.

We had essentially only one and a half days in Munich, so our activities were few and select. Our hotel was at Marienplatz near the Rathaus or new town hall, an amazingly intricate Gothic Revival building, and we managed to catch the Glockenspiel, a mechanical clock with life-sized figures that plays three times a day and shows scenes from a royal wedding, jousting, and dancing.

The Frauenkirche cathedral is about a 5-minute walk from the Rathaus, and we went up a combination of stairs and elevator to the top of the South Tower to enjoy a panoramic view of Munich.

Adjacent to the Rathaus is Ludwig Beck, an upscale department store with a whole floor dedicated to (very expensive versions of) traditional Bavarian garments. Perfumery was on the ground floor, with the usual suspects. Diptyque was promoting their new Papier and Encre candles, and I fell in strong like at first sniff with Encre, emanating its cool, dark, yet comforting inky scent.

Penhaligon’s was well represented in the exterior window displays, as were other British perfume brands. The Portraits series is having a very long moment.

Parfümerie Brückner was on my list, but I ended up only passing it while it was closed. Again, Penhaligon’s had a prominent presence.

The museum exhibit at Pinakothek der Moderne that was my other half’s top priority for our time in Munich was THE BICYCLE – CULT OBJECT – DESIGN OBJECT. It detailed the evolution of bicycle designs since the invention of the first “running machine” in 1817 with over 70 prototypes, the most recent being a 3D-printed frame from 2022.

Other exhibits included Bauhaus and other design objects—I was pleasantly surprised to see some perfume bottles showcased as such, under the theme of “Packaging.”

The Jil Sander Bath and Beauty eau de toilette bottle from 1981 was a case study in creating an iconic, memorable design—simple, rectangular, and pure white. Also notable was that although it looked like plastic, it was made of glass, and thus heavier than one might expect.

I should note that there are a couple of other perfume destinations in Munich that I did not get to visit: Parfums Uniques Eva Bogner, a niche perfumery, and the boutique of Lengling, a Munich-based brand. Next time, perhaps!