One summer Sunday morning, my girlfriend and I woke up. Unusually, we hadn’t decided what to do with the day yet. I want to say it was around 10 AM, so not exactly early. But the weather looked splendid. Still lounging around in bed, we thought out loud.
“Should we go out? Try to spend some time in nature, maybe?” “Hmm…” “What if we go to one of the lakes?” “Won’t that take too long?” “Let’s check. Hm. Starnberg. Train says 40 minutes.” “Alright, why not? Let’s try it!”
We got up, got dressed, and left the house. We took the tram to the main station, then boarded the train. We chatted, read on the train, had some snacks. Around 40 minutes later, we got off and strolled around the lakeside town. “Oh, they have boats here! Should we rent one?” “Hm, I’ve never done that before, but sure!”
An elderly lady explained the mechanics to us. It was a small, red boat that comfortably fit two people plus some baggage. It was electrically powered, so it was quiet. Slowly and smoothly, we glided into the lake. Within 20 minutes, we sat smack dab in the middle of a massive body of water. In the distance, we could see shorelines on multiple sides. Some gave way to small piers downhill of big villas. Others were trailed by small towns not far behind.
At one point, we looked at each other with our shades on, my girlfriend steering the boat, me having just taken in the scenery. “Wow,” I said. “This is crazy! Within two hours of waking up, we can be out on this lake, James Bond–style, cruising in a boat! How cool is that? We should do that more often!”
If you live in Munich, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to cool places to visit in a not-so-distant radius. But even if you don’t, chances are, within two hours, you, too, can be in a place that makes your mouth drop in amazement.
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m only half-living in London because I know it’s not where I’ll stay forever. But that’s not good. You should live wherever you are.” Don’t wait. Life surrounds you at all times. Drive in one direction for a bit, and see where that gets you. Who knows? From the moment you wake up, you could be only two hours away from feeling like James Bond.
