Munchen:The Real German Experience

Gotta catch up on all of these bad boys before life really gets crazy.  Went to Munich two weekends ago and had a really good ole Bavarian time.  There is something different about Bavaria that makes an experience in that region so much more different than the rest of Germany.  Our journey started out a little rough.  We left on a 7 am train out of Reutlingen and when we reached our first stop on the line the train come to a complete stop and turned off.  We sat there in confusion for a long time not understanding any of the announcements on the speakers.  Finally out of pure frustration I turned to a German version of a Guido sitting next to me and asked what was going on.  He told that there was a body on the tracks and the rail was shut down until the police cleared the route.  This was a major problem for us because we were going to miss our connecting train with reservations that we had already paid for and we would miss our reservations for a tour at Neuschwanstein (Cinderella Castle) later that afternoon.  We got of the train and managed to call the castle and get our tour switched to Sunday.  We then chilled at a coffee shop until we could get on another train to take us to Stuttgart and then Munich.  The kicker of this whole ordeal is that we realized later on that it was Friday the 13th.

When we arrived at our hostel later that day we settled a little and then went exploring into the main city center.  Munich is gorgeous and the best part about it is that everything is so centrally located.  For dinner we went to the Augustine Kellar.  That night we just explored Munich and got familiar with the city.

On Saturday we visited the Residence which was the Bavarian Palace for multiple royal families.  Not only are there 130 rooms to see, but the treasury also contains the crown jewels.  I think I want this for Christmas.

After a morning in such a grand palace we were ready for Mike's Bike tour.  We dressed in coats and scarves and running shoes because it was so cold and raining.  We had a great tour guide named Tony who spent 4 hours that afternoon showing us everything that Munich had to offer we even stopped at the Chinese Pagoda beer garden for lunch and listened to a live brass band.



 

 

I don't know if you can really grasp how great "Tony the Tiger" was, so maybe this will help.  He stole my camera......

 



 

 

We ended the tour tired from laughing and so full of sights.  We saw the surfing bridge, the English Gardens, the square where Hitler first tried to overtake Munich, and so much more plus the rain for the most part held off.  That night we went to the infamous Hoffbrauhaus and I experienced a real beer hall and even had my first full liter of beer. 

 

 

We even met a new friend.  One of our roommates at the hostel was by herself and came out to dinner with us.  Zara was from Australia and she was so sweet.  Time seems to stand still in beer halls and who knew over three hours we would emerge completely stuffed from good Bavarian food and hoarse from singing with the brass band.  There is such a camaraderie in halls like this.  You sit next to complete strangers and end up meeting some amazing people who are from all over the world and are experiencing the same thing you are and singing the same drinking sings in German.

 

 

On Sunday we visited Neuschwanstein and even though I have been there before it never ceases to amaze me how crazy Ludwig helped create such an ionic piece of architecture.  I was hoping for a sunny day but we had some clouds, but that did not dampen the beauty of the castle.

 

 

Even though there was little issue bad luck on a very unlucky day, we had an amazing time and a very real German experience in Munchen.  Sometimes in Reutlingen I wish I was studying in Bavaria, which just has a different atmosphere than Baden-Wurttemberg but, than it would the magic out it.  Bavaria is just that: pure German magic.

 

Auf Wiedersehen,

Chels