Next stop: München

Unfortunately, the weather stopped being amazing when we got to Munich. The moment Nikki and I got to our hostel from the train station, it started pouring rain and it was significantly colder. However, we didn't let that stop us! We had umbrellas!

Highlights of Munich:

-Wombats Hostel: It was very clean, had private bathrooms, and was especially helpful for young people like us. The map they gave us had lots of recommendations of where to go (although all the bars we tried to find on there were epic fails). We shared our room with 4 other Americans, coincidentally--two girls were from Columbus, OH, going to grad school at OSU, and and two guys were from Wisconsin--small world! There was a bar at the hostel which was great for making friends, and we usually ended up there because of our failed attempts to find other places to go.

Lounge to hang out in the hostel

-Kaufingerstraße: The main shopping street leading to Marienplatz was fun to walk along and we kept getting distracted by stores that were far too expensive for us. (Although I did find a pair of boots for €15 that I succumbed to buying.) Also, I think we went into Crabtree & Evelyn about 4 times just to put on lotion. And we got disoriented in the largest department store I have ever seen. (We suspect that it was a time portal of some sort because we came out of it in an entirely different location.)

The beginning of Kaufingerstraße

-Dachau concentration camp: Originally, we weren't planning on going here but I'm glad so we did. We paid a little extra to have an actual tour guide instead of just an audio guide, which was definitely worth it. Dachau was the first Nazi camp established, in 1933. It was especially interesting to go to in the context of the Holocaust and Genocide class that I'm taking. It was a very thoughtful and moving experience. The original gas chamber and crematorium are still standing--it was really hard to walk through them, and my heart just felt so heavy. The contrast of the camp and all that it held compared to the beautiful spring trees was very jarring. Just as Neuengamme did, it made me realized how blessed I am to have amazing family and friends, out of harm's way. Seriously, don't ever under-appreciate what you have.

Memorial at Dachau

-Bike tour: We held out until Thursday to go on the bike tour, hoping that the weather would improve--and it did! The afternoon cleared up and it was actually sunny! There was a hunt for gloves in the fear that our hands would be too cold, but it ended up being fine and we didn't need gloves (which was a relief--the cheapest pair we could find was €20!). We ended up getting a private tour because no one else showed up--which would normally be way more expensive! The tour guide was from Australia and he was very cool, although sometimes he was a bit hard to understand with his accent. It was SO nice to get on a bike because my feet were so tired of walking. And it let us see so much more of the city, so much faster! We got to learn about all the history I had been dying to know about (of course) and we had a beer in a cute little place in the Englischer Garten. I loved biking through the park--by far my favorite place in Munich! If you ever go to Munich, I would definitely recommend Mike's Bike Tours.

Nikki in the Englischer Garten

-Beer halls/beer gardens: Such a fun atmosphere! We went to Hofbrauhaus, which is one of the most famous beer halls, and also found some other ones. Unfortunately, a lot of the outdoor beer gardens weren't open because it was cold and rainy the majority of the time, but it was still fun to see them. Also, they have delicious (and very large) pretzels everywhere. Munich is as good a place as any to start appreciating beer (which I did)! And radler, of course.

Beer hall staples

All in all, it was a great three days in Munich and, even with some mishaps, it made me fall in love with Germany even more. Add that to places I would like to live!

Next post: Salzburg and the Alps