Hattysattic
VFG Member
Seeing as I never leave the county without a four year old clamped to my arm my little sister paid for me to have a short trip away with her as a birthday gift. So I have returned from a weekend in Munich, via Salzburg and thought I'd report in on the vintage!
Flew to Salzburg with my sister (sounds like a song lyric!) at some ungodly hour on Friday morning from East Midlands, then caught a local bus to the train station, where we dumped our luggage in a locker and wandered over the river to the old part of town where Mozart's house and the cathedral etc. are. All very gorgeous with snowy mountain backdrops and fantastic architecture.
Shopping wise, this may be on my whistlestop tour when I win the lottery - or get a new sickeningly rich husband who is prepared to indulge me. Sadly I think the likelihood of either option pretty slim, and this time had to be content with pressing my nose on very expensive windows to check out the antique jewellery (of which there was much, all very fine - vintage tiffany etc.). I only saw one antique shop with a clothes rail inside but it was mainly fur and the prices of the things in the window led me to believe it was best not to look! Lots of nice boutiques selling modern designer wear, but I think the fact that it's super touristy just means the prices are unrealistic - in the area I was looking anyway.
So I tucked my little wad of Euro's back in my pocket untouched - save for a quick lunch with large Bavarian beer - and we headed back to collect our things and find the train we needed to get over the border into Germany and on to Munich.
2 hours and some shaky German later (my sister mistakenly told the conductor we were a couple, rather than just sharing a train ticket.. but he didn't seem to mind) we arrived in Munich. I was really glad we took the roundabout route rather than flying direct to Munich as (besides being far cheaper) we got to see much snowy Bavarian countyside which was cool. Although the beer and 4am start did have some effect on me and I may have missed a few mountains along the way. Anyway, Munich was sunny and cold and we got there safely!
Being Germany it was clean and efficient and everyone was helpful. We found our way on the underground and met up with my sister's friend who we were to be staying with about 10 minutes ride from the centre. I love it, so different to the tube! The industrial design was fantastic - luckily my sister was looking out for our stop as I was trying to take pictures of slip glazed tiles and stuff. I am not a good travelling companion if you are concerned about getting lost..
(**Sorry, as ever with me a brief description has turned into a work evading essay.. sorry about that. I'll get on with the shopping part!**)
On Saturday our lovely German hostess had very kindly researched and written a tour of all the vintage shops in central Munich, of which there were quite a few. Lots of 20c 'retro' furniture and interior shops too that I spotted from the tram but I didn't want to push my luck with two non vinties in tow, so didn't ask to go in to them too!
General opinion? It's not cheap, but there is a fair amount of vintage available. The ones in the very centre had some nice things but nothing that was really worth buying for resale. Velvet Pucci maxi skirt was 500 euros (you know the wrapover designed ones), a Furstenburg cotton jersey tshirt thing (early) was 145 euros. Not outrageous and if you were selling at the high end yourself you could probably add a little bit more on for your trouble but overall I would say it is a good place to go if you are simply buying for yourself, and have some birthday money to spend! The majority of shops in town were priced similarly.
I did buy a couple of things for myself in a boutique nearer to the university, a pretty 60s silk dress for 50 euros (so about £35/$70?) and a few other small bits, but to be honest the lugging of luggage on and off trains had left me not wishing for extra bags to carry back to Salzburg on Monday morning!
There was a flea market but it was also on Saturday, and seeing as the shops don't open on Sunday the girls said they'd rather shop. Which was fair enough, but I am still having visions of bauhaus wardrobes for 50 cents that I missed out on, lol!
Munich is beautiful, and I think one of the few major towns that escaped during WWII with it's original architecture intact, (just unfortunate for me that as with England the wartime has affected the price of 40s dresses!) I totally recommend it and could happily have spent a few weeks there. The food was great, and culture wise loads to see and do - went to the museum of modern art and design on Sunday and it was really cool. Plus I rode on a double decker train back to Salzburg on Monday morning which pleased my inner child! I will definitely return for a longer stay next time.
But am glad to be back!
Flew to Salzburg with my sister (sounds like a song lyric!) at some ungodly hour on Friday morning from East Midlands, then caught a local bus to the train station, where we dumped our luggage in a locker and wandered over the river to the old part of town where Mozart's house and the cathedral etc. are. All very gorgeous with snowy mountain backdrops and fantastic architecture.
Shopping wise, this may be on my whistlestop tour when I win the lottery - or get a new sickeningly rich husband who is prepared to indulge me. Sadly I think the likelihood of either option pretty slim, and this time had to be content with pressing my nose on very expensive windows to check out the antique jewellery (of which there was much, all very fine - vintage tiffany etc.). I only saw one antique shop with a clothes rail inside but it was mainly fur and the prices of the things in the window led me to believe it was best not to look! Lots of nice boutiques selling modern designer wear, but I think the fact that it's super touristy just means the prices are unrealistic - in the area I was looking anyway.
So I tucked my little wad of Euro's back in my pocket untouched - save for a quick lunch with large Bavarian beer - and we headed back to collect our things and find the train we needed to get over the border into Germany and on to Munich.
2 hours and some shaky German later (my sister mistakenly told the conductor we were a couple, rather than just sharing a train ticket.. but he didn't seem to mind) we arrived in Munich. I was really glad we took the roundabout route rather than flying direct to Munich as (besides being far cheaper) we got to see much snowy Bavarian countyside which was cool. Although the beer and 4am start did have some effect on me and I may have missed a few mountains along the way. Anyway, Munich was sunny and cold and we got there safely!
Being Germany it was clean and efficient and everyone was helpful. We found our way on the underground and met up with my sister's friend who we were to be staying with about 10 minutes ride from the centre. I love it, so different to the tube! The industrial design was fantastic - luckily my sister was looking out for our stop as I was trying to take pictures of slip glazed tiles and stuff. I am not a good travelling companion if you are concerned about getting lost..
(**Sorry, as ever with me a brief description has turned into a work evading essay.. sorry about that. I'll get on with the shopping part!**)
On Saturday our lovely German hostess had very kindly researched and written a tour of all the vintage shops in central Munich, of which there were quite a few. Lots of 20c 'retro' furniture and interior shops too that I spotted from the tram but I didn't want to push my luck with two non vinties in tow, so didn't ask to go in to them too!
General opinion? It's not cheap, but there is a fair amount of vintage available. The ones in the very centre had some nice things but nothing that was really worth buying for resale. Velvet Pucci maxi skirt was 500 euros (you know the wrapover designed ones), a Furstenburg cotton jersey tshirt thing (early) was 145 euros. Not outrageous and if you were selling at the high end yourself you could probably add a little bit more on for your trouble but overall I would say it is a good place to go if you are simply buying for yourself, and have some birthday money to spend! The majority of shops in town were priced similarly.
I did buy a couple of things for myself in a boutique nearer to the university, a pretty 60s silk dress for 50 euros (so about £35/$70?) and a few other small bits, but to be honest the lugging of luggage on and off trains had left me not wishing for extra bags to carry back to Salzburg on Monday morning!
There was a flea market but it was also on Saturday, and seeing as the shops don't open on Sunday the girls said they'd rather shop. Which was fair enough, but I am still having visions of bauhaus wardrobes for 50 cents that I missed out on, lol!
Munich is beautiful, and I think one of the few major towns that escaped during WWII with it's original architecture intact, (just unfortunate for me that as with England the wartime has affected the price of 40s dresses!) I totally recommend it and could happily have spent a few weeks there. The food was great, and culture wise loads to see and do - went to the museum of modern art and design on Sunday and it was really cool. Plus I rode on a double decker train back to Salzburg on Monday morning which pleased my inner child! I will definitely return for a longer stay next time.
But am glad to be back!
