Spindle: After arriving in Munich, Parcly trotted so much that she developed a severe cramp in her rear right hoof, which took a good night's sleep in her flask to recover from (exacerbated by the effects of jet lag). Still, it wasn't quite long enough – by the time she emerged as a svelte, graceful wisp of blue mist at 7am, said hoof offered some resistance to being pulled out.

Parcly Taxel: Much of Europe functions like one big country with respect to culture. With a common (but not universal) currency, the euro, no border checks within the Schengen Area and cross-border programmes, it's common to see European tourists visit churches, palaces, monuments and the like outside their own country, with corresponding-language signs to boot. Germany is no exception.

We had our breakfast of sandwiches and cappuccino at a Backspielhaus café-bakery very close to Schloss Nymphenburg, the summer residence of many Bavarian rulers and their families. We entered its grounds without hesitation afterwards.

Rarity: If you thought the Baroque is bland and boring, this palace will prove you wrong. It's all about the ornamentation, flowing and flowery wherever you look – ceilings painted so real, they look alive, framed by gilded leaves and berries. Dozens of paintings of nobles, commoners and landscapes detailing the history of this wondrous palace hang from most walls.

And that's only the façade, the main building, of the Nymphenburg complex. The admission ticket also covers some auxiliary pavilions dotting the expansive park behind, a popular spot for school trips as Parcly and Spindle noted. They provide further examples of Baroque, Classical and even Romantic architecture and design; one building (Pagodenburg) is decked out with chinoiserie and another (Magdalenenklause) was intentionally built like a ruined abbey.

Parcly: Some ducks and swans were flittering around in the pools in front of the main palace. I preened myself in imitation, and one duck followed me out until it was scared back by passing cars and trams.

We hydrated ourselves with bottles of sparkling water and juice at the aforementioned Backspielhaus, then took a tram back to Marienplatz. There, after spending a little time in St. Michael's Church we had our actual lunch at another Rischart, consisting of Weißwürste (white sausages) and salad with apple strudel for "dessert".

Spindle: Previously we had been taking the S-Bahn to get around, but for the next attraction on our list we ventured a little deeper, into the sprawling U-Bahn. Whereas the former is centred on a long trunk line used by multiple services, the latter functions more like the Canterlot metro Parcly and I know.

Explicit fare control for public transport is almost non-existent in continental Europe, as compared to (say) the United Kingdom. There are no hard barriers between exits and tracks; having a valid ticket/card is instead expected of you, and random checks punish those who violate this honour system with a fixed fine on top of the trip's fare. That fine was €60 in Germany as of the time of my actual holiday.

We got off at Olympiazentrum, not only (as its name indicates) the main access point for Munich's Olympic Park, focal point of the Summer Olympics held there 50 years prior, but also for the BMW complex which includes their world headquarters (the "four cylinders"), a vehicle plant, a combined showroom/exhibition centre and a museum, the last one of which we entered. The electric cars were the biggest draw.

Trixie: What happened to the alicorn and her windigo for the rest of the day, I can best describe as a magic-induced horn headache. To cool off her hooves after walking all around Nymphenburg and the BMW Museum, Parcly set out for the Eisbachwelle, an artificial wave popular with surfers created in an artificial tributary of the River Isar which flows through Munich.

However, they chose the wrong bus and found themselves walking very long distances beside the road arteries serving Munich. On the way back inwards they encountered many odd sights, from a forested park to a Croatian consulate to a bunch of ponies in swimsuits signalling that the Eisbachwelle was near. Once there she saw that last group take dunks in downstream water, despite signs telling them not to, alongside the surfers.

Parcly: I was getting tired with cramps in both my hind hooves, but l had done some research on Munich's landmarks beforehand and was determined to visit one more of them: Platz der Opfer des Nationalsozialismus, the local memorial to the victims of Nazi Germany. Its design and context are far more sombre compared to the other landmarks we visited – just a square granite column capped with a cubical cage, inside of which lies an eternal flame.

Spindle: Munich was where many of the first supporters of the Nazi Party gathered, and also the setting for the Beer Hall Putsch which ended at the Feldherrnhalle, itself later converted into a "memorial" to the 16 dead Nazis of said putsch when the Party was in power. Later on the first of their numerous concentration camps, Dachau, was built at the city's outskirts.

The memorial stands alone in its little square, looming over benches on one side. Parcly got her much-needed leg rest here, staring almost hypnotised at the flame for half an hour until I flash-froze her back into lucidity.

Parcly: Finding my stomach gurgling from emptiness, I remembered seeing a McDonald's in München Hbf when I got there, and after a little searching found it in its basement. I ordered and downed my meal there as fast as I could, keener on tasting the culinary heritage of wherever I was going than something like this, then scurried back to the hotel to wash up and sleep. I knew the train taking me across the border tomorrow would leave very early.