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Published: November 9th 2009
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Lederhosen. Weiner sausages. Oompah Bands. Welcome to Deutschland!
Let’s start at the beginning: Elyse and I caught our first night train from Venice to Munich on Thursday night. We had our own beds, which were super comfortable as opposed to having to sit in a stiff seat for 7 hours! We arrived bright and early in Germany, where we met Samantha and grabbed some Starbucks (any European that has a Starbucks is automatically one of my favorites!) We headed out to explore the city…too bad the city didn’t open until practically 10! So we spent some time wandering around until things started to open. We started our day off with some shopping and then headed over to the Marienplatz, the main square in Munich, where we watched the 11am performance of the Glockenspiel. The Glockenspiel is a large clock dating back to the early 1900’s that reenacts stories from the 16th century, including a duel and a dance to celebrate the end of the plague. Pretty entertaining. Check out the video:
Afterwards we headed out to get our first German food, some wiener sausages and potato salad. Gotta say we weren’t the biggest fan of the German cuisine.
Elyse was exceptionally displeased being that she could barely eat anything, being vegetarian and all. After lunch we headed back to our hostel, Wombat’s, which was supposedly ranked one of the top 10 hostels worldwide and was the top hostel in Munich recommended by Elyse’s “MTV Europe” guidebook. The reviews did not lead us astray…the bar was hopping (always a plus to make new friends!), the beds were one of the most comfortable things ever, and it was right across the street from the train station! We pretty much loved it, although we were still partial to Palmer’s Lodge in London where we had our first hostel experience. After a power nap (it was necessary!), we grabbed some dinner and then hit up Happy Hour at our hostel. Hostel bars are pretty much our favorite things- we always have a great time and meet the best people. Wombat’s was no exception! After Happy Hour we headed out to the world famous beer hall, the Hofbrauhaus, with some new Aussie friends (we seriously meet Australians everywhere we go!). The Hofbrauhaus (which is HUGE!!!) has long wooden tables, 1 liter beers, an oompah band and lederhosen galore. The place was full of
drunken Germans and tourists dancing around, including a 70 year old man who clumsily joined the dancers on stage for a traditional Bavarian dance…..hilarious. When in Munich!
Check out my Hofbrauhaus videos! They're quality, I promise 😊
The next day we went to the Nuve Pinakothek, another modern art museum to add to our list! Afterwards we took a stroll through Englischer Garten and enjoyed the fall, which we’re convinced does not exist in Venice! It was beautiful! We then grabbed some dinner at the Hard Rock Café, which may make us seem like close minded tourists, but we didn’t even care! It had been way too long since we’d had any American food, and we were not in the mood for more German cuisine. Pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, hot fudge sundaes, french-fries, baked beans….we kind of went all out! It was delicious! We then headed back to the hostel for another Happy Hour at the bar, and ended up just hanging around the hostel all night. Surprisingly, at a hostel in Germany, we had the best pina coladas of our lives! We also met a huge group of Irish students from
Dublin that are going to take us out when we visit next month. They also hooked me up with the Irish slang and helped me work on my accent…haha! Overall, it was another fun night at the hostel!
So our weekend in Munich was a success! Fortunately, we didn’t get stuck in Austria like Samantha did because of the Italian train strike, which caused her train to randomly stop on her back to Milan and force everyone to get off in Austria, leaving her stranded! Don’t worry, she made it home…eventually!! We had some true German experiences, spent a few days in a beautiful city, and have an Irish passé to hang with in Dublin!
Things I learned in Germany:
1) I couldn’t understand German if I tried. It seriously seems like the hardest language ever! I have a huge respect for people that can speak it (like Elyse!)
2) Germans like dark, thick beer. And a lot of it! I couldn’t even finish my 1 liter beer, and old German couple next to us were on their 3rd!
3) The Munich metro system is the most confusing thing ever. I’ve traveled on many metros since being in Europe,
and I’ve never had such a hard time understanding what was even going on around me. One time looking for the metro we ended up in some random mall…how did that even happen?
4) I think there might have been a gang or movie crew hanging around on the street our hostel was on. One or the other.
5) “What’s the crack!!??” means “What’s happening?!” in Ireland. Not “Where’s the crack!?” I was told by my new Irish passé that that is when the shady guy in the hoodie motions you down the dark alley. Haha…I love the Irish!
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Mom
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Your German Education
Hi Steph! I was laughing so hard reading about the things that you learned in Germany!! .....Especially the difference between "What's the crack?" and "Where's the crack?" I knew that semester abroad would come in handy! Sounds like another great weekend full of new experiences. Also like your new, warm, cozy coat! I'm heading off now to watch the videos. Dad said that they were great. Love, Mom