Munich, Germany

Regulars at the Hofbrauhaus

    Munich was by far my favourite German city. It was probably a mix of the Bavarian culture and the large amount of good food and spirits that made it take the number one seat.  Munich was a longer train ride considering it is in the southwest side of Germany opposite of Munster. Upon arrival my friends and I checked in to EuroYouth Hostel. The staff were incredibly friendly, the rooms were clean and there was a bar downstairs- score. After we checked in we all went to the English gardens to watch the outside viewing of Germany Versus Spain  soccer game where Germany lost. But on the Bright side there were outdoor bars where they served German beer called Radler (which is  mixed with lemonade) in traditional large one liter beer mugs along with large pretzels and bratwurst.  After a night of pretzels and beer we all went back to the hostel.

The next morning we woke up early to see the nearby concentration camp Dachau. This was a really sad experience but it was something everyone should see at one point in their life.  You never realize how bad the Holocaust was until you see the concentration camp for yourself.  

Huge Pretzel!

After the concentration camp we set out to see the Hofbrauhaus. At the Hofbrauhaus there were servers  dressed in traditional Bulvarian garments serving beer and traditional Bavarian food. I got a liter of Radler and cheese spetzel with fried onion on top.. Yumm. Aside from the good food and beer it was interesting to see staff play traditional beer garden music and watch locals come in for their daily beer.  We learned that if you are a regular and a Hofbrauhaus member they keep your personal stein in the back and allow you to fill up your beer in the back kegs.  It was really funny because we saw old men dressed up in traditional garments  all come to the Hofbrauhaus fill up their personal steins and chat – quite hilarious. After  we finished eating we all brought  beer glasses and steins at the giftshop then headed over to the Oktoberfest museum across the street where we learned a little more about the history of the Oktoberfest and then got beer in their downstairs bar.  The beer and heavy food really got to us so we all took naps and then headed out to bars near our hostel.

Neuschwanstein

The next day me and a few of my other friends really wanted to go see the German Castle Neuschwanstein, which is the elaborate castle which Walt Disney used as his model for the infamous Disney World Castle and logo.  However, It was a pretty miserable ride there. We were in an overpacked  unairconditioned train for two hours in 95 degree weather… so basically we were all sweating like pigs.

Friends outside Neuschwanstein

  When we got to this small Bavarian town we had a great traditional lunch. I got pork in a savoury gravy with potatoes, fried onion and bacon on top…. Great breakfast after you had a few beers the night before.  We  then took a carriage ride to the top of the hill  where Neuschwanstein was. We got a few great pictures then returned down to catch  the train back to Munich. When we returned to Munich we showered and then went to dinner at a local pizza place.  After we went to the Hard Rock Café and got drinks and then went to a local bar/ disco called Salsadios which had a latin vibe to it.  After a fun day we retired at our hostel.

 Before we left out train for home my friends and I checked out the English gardens which is a central hangout location for locals. There are people swimming  tanning and having picnics riverside- so the atmosphere was very quaint. Overall I really enjoyed Munich ...I feel I got the most German culture from this weekend.