First off, happy new year!
I have to apologize for my delay in
blogging; I have been keeping busy the past few weeks, and just the thought of
trying to summarize my 2 weeks traveling though Eastern Europe has been
overwhelming.
I guess the best place to begin is with
some adjectives. Exhausting, enlightening, and extraordinary; these are just a
few words that come to mind when I reflect upon my winter break excursion as a
whole.
We began our trip flying from Sevilla
to Munich, Germany on Christmas Eve. I had only one idea on my mind for Munich;
beer halls, beer gardens and pretzels. Unexpectedly I was blown away with all
the history and beauty the Bavarian region of Germany has to offer; friendly
people, fairytale castles, the foothills of the Alps, lush greenery, beautiful
architecture, and flavorful food.
I should mention that when it comes to
hostels I am very apprehensive about staying in them. My uneasiness is largely
due to prior experiences as well as a fear of bed bugs, thus I was hesitant
to spend 13 nights hostel hopping. Fully prepared this time around I packed a
body bag, eye mask, quick drying towel, pillow and blanket (thank you Air
Berlin,) but unfortunately nothing could have prepared me for the hostel
experiences that we endured.
We arrived at our hostel around
midnight, and upon entering our room we were welcomed by a naked French man
named Mousse, coming off a high of some sort, and Elvis, his drug dealer from Kingston,
Jamaica.
Like clockwork every half hour, Elvis
(aka Kingston,) jumped in and out of our shared bunk bed all night
long, turning on the lights, aggressively scratching his body, and threatening
Mousse to a beat down multiple times.
Unable to sleep at all Brie, Becca and
I left the hostel at the crack of dawn to start our self-guided walking tour of
the city. With the streets empty and all the stores closed we were able to walk
free of crowds in Munich’s pedestrian and busiest shopping area, allowing us to
see the magnificent buildings and cathedrals up close.
We walked to Marienplatz, the largest
public square in Munich. We saw Neues Rathaus, the New City Hall and its
clocktower called the Glockenspiele, which chimes twice a day and reveals a short
performance with dancing medieval figurines.
We walked all through town, and
eventually ended at the old English Gardens, a very large urban park spanning
over 3 miles long. There is even a stream that runs through the park, creating
a perpetual wave where locals surf. We were told that usually the park is lined
with newd sunbathers, but being the middle of January no one was braving the
cold.
We ate crepes, sampled mugs of gluhwein
(spiced hot wine,) munched on roasted nuts at the Christmas market, and of
course went to the famous beer hall called the Hofbräuhaus. In a large hall,
sitting at a picnic table underneath an elaborate mural ceiling, we ate asiago
cheese pretzels, drank radlers (a bitter beer mixed with lemonade,) and
listened to men dressed in the traditional lederhosen playing horned instruments.
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| "prost" (cheers) |
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| Hofbräuhaus |
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| Crepes with banana, nutella, almonds, and kinder bar |
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| gluhwein |
After another sleepless night (this
time due to snoring roommates,) we woke up early and headed on a 10.5 hour tour
to see the infamous castles constructed by “Mad” King Ludwig II in the Bavarian
country side, ultimately replicated by Disney. We first toured the Linderhof
castle. There was a fresh coat of snow on the ground and the beginnings of the
foothills of the Alps, scenery I was elated to see. Next we stopped in a
typical Bavarian town to see the onion-domed churches and of course for the
essential midmorning pastry and coffee. From there we went to the town of
Hohenschwangau to see the infamous Neuschwanstein castle nestled away in the
mountaintops.
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| Neuschwanstein |
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| Onion dome |
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| Snow fight! |
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| Linderhof gate |
For our final day in Munich we went to
tour the Dachau concentration camp. Our tour guide Mucin was incredibly
knowledgeable and passionate, entrancing me for 5 hours straight, despite
standing in the pouring rain and high winds.
Although a somber and intense day it gave the rest of the trip a sense of
meaning. There is a lot of information that I have learned throughout life, but nothing compares to seeing the camp firsthand. I went through a
whole range of unsettling emotions from disbelief and sadness to feelings of
relief and hope. I won’t go into more details, because it was truly an eye
opening and humbling experience, one that I believe everyone should have for
themselves and in their own manner.
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| Gates of Dachau"Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Makes You
Free) |
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| Entrance to Dachau |
On an unrelated note if you ever have the chance to go to Munich reserve some time to wander around the central train station, Hauptbahnhof. There is a dazzling array of cuisines from all around the world and more types of pretzels than you could ever dreamed possible. Also I recommend eating at the Augustiner Brewery, a lively restaurant that offers simple dishes and large portions (including the beer) that are unbelievably flavorful. The basic meat and potato dishes really highlighted how rich and fragrant German cuisine is.
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| Bread dumpling in a mushroom cream sauce |
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| Potato dumpling and pork knuckle |
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| Pretzels with various seeds |
