prosting around ze germany

Surprisingly, our second week of classes flew by and before we knew it it was time to head back to the train station and make our way to Munich. We could barely contain our excitement as we rushed from class to the Montarina to grab our ginormous, overstuffed backpacks. This time around, everyone remembered their Eurail passes and we got on the train with plenty of time to spare.

We had to switch trains three times during our trip, with one layover lasting about an hour. During that hour, we decided to stop at this small sports bar and grab a beer (when in Germany...) while we waited for our next train to arrive. The bar was pretty crammed with all 20-some of us trying to squeeze and in and we definitely got some weird looks but we got by by using manners and trying to keep the volume down.

Our train arrived in Munich around 10pm and luckily our hostel was only about a block away. Our 6 person female room was catered to us perfectly, with the exception of the lone mirror that all 6 of us had to share. 

We made our way down to the hostel bar with our free drink coupons and talked with some other the other people staying there. These conversations often end up being some of my favorite because everyone has a different story and through talking with them you can learn so much about the world. We even met a kid from Munich who grew up in Blacksburg! Talk about a small world!

When we realized we still hadn't had dinner, we decided to venture out to find doner kebabs and other german snacks. Once again, all 20-something of us crammed into a little restaurant and ordered. The service was fast and the guys working there loved us (maybe because there wasn't a single person in there when we walked in). From there, we journeyed to a small bar/club thing another block over. The music and the people were a little weird, so we kept to ourselves, dancing awkwardly in one big american circle until it was time to head home. There were also tons of professional photographers walking around snapping pictures, making us feel like celebrities, and today Megan and I found ourselves on one of the websites! 

The next morning, we woke up, had breakfast down in the hostel bar and then met in the lobby for our free walking tour. Our expectations were far exceeded once we met Ozzy, our tour guide. He did a great job of relating the city's history to life events rather than just throwing important dates and figures at us. We started at our hostel and walked to the first of many landmarks: the Frauenkirche church, aka the Pope Benedict XVI's home church where he was a bishop before moving on to bigger and bietter things. It was the first ornate church that I have stepped foot in since being in Europe and I was astonished by its beauty. I know I will be seeing plenty more throughout the next few months, which is definitely something I could get used to.

Then we moved on and walked to the main square just in time to see the bells chime and the figurines move around, telling stories of Munich's past. We took videos and pictures and marveled at the Glockenspiel for a little while before moving on to an area filled with small vendors and markets. Ozzy took us through all of the various sites and smells to a bratwurst stand where we could choose between red and white sausages. Upon his recommendation, I got a red sausage and a Mezza Mix (a half coke-half orange juice soda that is apparently very popular in Germany-- HAD to try it!) all for less than 3 euros! Both were delicious and everyone was very satisfied (Ozzy definitely knew how to please american college students!) From there, we went to another stand to get pickles. I sat out on this one but watched everyone line up to choose from 8 different pickle varitites. Walking, eating, and observing the market area was definitely a highlight of the tour. 

We then headed to a cozy little bar so that we could all have a chance to try a shot of the raspberry schnapps. We had to take turns going in with small groups, because as Ozzy explained, these little pubs were originally made small with one room so that the room could heat up quickly. We must be doing something wrong back in the states because the schnapps was delicious, despite it being made with 40% alcohol. 

After warming up a little, we walked to the Hofbrauhaus to see the famous beer hall where Hitler's beer hall putsch of 1923 occured. Ozzy was very knowledgable and explained everything from how to how a beer stein, how to order like a local and how to cheers (or prost!) to the reasons for the markings on the walls and ceilings (flags strategically painted to cover every centimeter of what were once swastikas). This part of the tour was also where we met back up with Bailey, who had disappeared about an hour earlier upon stopping to put toe warmers in her boots. We were relieved to see her hanging out with new friends drinking a half liter of hofbrau. Apparently she wasn't as worried as we were! 

The tour then took us to a few more iconic sites (St. Michaels Church, The National Theatre, Maximilianstrasse) and ended with a group pictures on the steps of Odeonsplatz, leaving us the time left in the afternoon to walk around the pedestrian district and explore some of the shops and grab yet another german snack. 

We headed back to the hostel and made reservations for dinner for 20 at the Augustiner beer hall (again, the hostel staff was extremely helpful and made the reservation for us), showered and got ready for the night. We met everyone down at happy hour in the Wombat's bar and then headed to dinner. Our meal at Augustiner was filled with laughter and delight, perhaps thanks to our liters of beer that we just HAD to order. My meal, entitled "The Barvarian Special" was absolutely amazing. 

And I couldn't let my chance to cheers (or prost!) in a German beer hall escape me, now could I? 

After dinner, we decided to explore one of the biggest local clubs. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like the club we went to. Dance music was blaring in this enormous underground room and I wasn't sketched out in the least (which I was not expecting). Multiple stages and bars were strewn about and the lights were flashing in every which way to the beat. Eventually we had to tear ourselves away in order to get home and get some sleep for the next day, but we still talk about how badly we wish we could go back. 

Sunday morning we got up and met downstairs for breakfast before boarding a train to Dachau to tour the world's first concentration camp. After getting off the train we had to get on a bus, where we found the second half of our group on the very same ride! We all waited in line for our audio tour handhelds and walked silently to the entrance gates. 

I wasn't sure what to expect of the visit to this haunting and cruel place, but I can say now that it really helps to put things in perspective. I was sure to read every plague and poster in the museum and on the grounds of the camp, but even after all of the information was presented, I had a difficult time fathoming the events that took place right under my own two feet. Needless to say, I left with ten times more knowledge than I had going in, but also feeling sick to my stomach. 

We got back to Munich to grab our bags, but not before half of the group got stuck on the train due to the doors closing before they could get off. We were a little scared seeing them pull away considering our train back to Lugano was leaving in less than an hour, but luckily they just got off at the next stop and were back at our hostel with us grabbing our backpacks from the luggage room in no time. 

We hurried to the train station and grabbed one last doner kebab before boarding our chariot home. The train was pretty crowded, forcing Kerry and I to sit next to two loud German optical frame designers who were very interested in our trip abroad. Sleeping was out of the question, so we just smiled and eavesdropped on their conversation (of course, all we got out of it was a string of odd sounds and frantic gestures). 

We arrived back in Lugano around 11:30pm and walked up to the Montarina ready to crash in our own beds. We were greeted at the door by our scary security guard Palo and the unique aroma of the Montarina lobby and I realized in that moment how much this place has already become our home.

Overall, Munich was an amazing place that I would love to visit again one day. Rich in history and culture, it had everything I could have wanted in a nice weekend trip with 20 of my closest new friends. Next weekend, we head to Venice for it's famous carnivale- which means right now it's time to get some reading done and rest. 

"Ok see ya byyyee!" (our new favorite phrase used by local swiss-italians)

Linds

p.s. shout out to ma gurl julzzzzz