Day 14, 15, and 16: Germany!

I should be in a food coma. I am actually very surprised that I am not, Germany has amazing food. But more on that later. 

On Thursday morning we took a high speed train down to Munich, which took about 6 hours. There were only 13 of us that went, including three life long learners and the ship nurse practitioner, Laurie. We were all exhausted and ready to sleep on the train. So much for that. There were a group of middle aged Austrian soccer fans sitting right behind us who were drinking at 9 in the morning and were singing and chanting and hooting and hollering and just making a general really loud ruckus. This went on for six hours. The entire train ride. It was obnoxious. We didn't even know that someone could be that loud for that long. It was exhausting just having that much going on around you at once. We were all so incredibly excited to just be in the quiet of the bus. Worst. Train. Ride. Ever. 

We thought we were rid of them but it turned out that there was a Germany vs. Austria soccer match that evening so the chanting and singing drunk people were everywhere.

Right after we got off the train we met our tour guide, Jeff, and went on a three hour tour of the city. It was beautiful, the perfect mix of rural and modern. I was a little upset that I wasn't doing more things in relation to World War Two. I mean, I'm in Germany, the exact place to learn about it. But it turned out that I did learn a little because Munich was the place where Hitler got his start, it was a sort of stepping stone for him coming to power. His headquarters were there until the mid 1930s. There was a book burring in 1933, by Nazi students, of non-German authors. Now, every year on the burnings anniversary there are readings of the books by those authors. 

We saw a building that had been partially destroyed by bombs during the war. The building was rebuilt with different color bricks to show where the damage was as a reminder. One third of the population of Munich lost their homes to bombing in the war. 

We also learned about the breweries in Munich, there are 6 major ones. It is said that Munich is the home of the best beer in Germany because of the purity law. It says that malt, hoppes, and water are the only three ingredients allowed in beer. This was put in place because different things were used as preservatives and they would poison people. Now, of course, yeast is included as well. 

Each year, in October, they hold the annual and infamous Oktoberfest. It is basically a giant fair, kind of like the Big E or the Florida State Fair. We drove by the set up for it and that is exactly what it looked like. There were huge tents and carnival rides and roller coasters set up everywhere. It lasts for 16 days and they go through 7.5 million liters of beer, which is brewed specially for the festival at 6% alcohol content. They also consume .25 million chickens. Only 15% of visitors are from other countries. 

We had the evening free so we found a place for dinner that was recommended by Jeff. We had the longest dinner ever that was absolutely delicious. I had dark beer, which I actually liked better then the light beer I have tried in the past. Dark beer in German is Dunkel. I ate steak with potatoes and those crispy onion things on the top. We had apple strudel for dessert. Apple strudel is big thing in Germany, it's a favorite dessert. We also got froyo after dinner. Like I said, I should have been in a food coma. 

After dinner we went to a famous beer garden (Biere Garten) called the Haufbrahaus. It was basically a giant pub. And when I say giant I mean absolutely huge. And they only serve liter beers and they have live music and the atmosphere is incredibly joyous. People would clap and pound on the tables and chant. They actually wear lederhosen. 

At one point, on the way back from the bathroom this random drunk guy doe-see-doed with me a lot, then high fived me way too many times, then grabbed me and kissed me on the cheek. Oh liter beers. 

We were definitely experiencing Germany at its finest. 

The next morning we got bright and early and drove to Zugspitze, Germany's tallest mountain at 2962 meters. It is part of the Alps. We took a train to the top of it, the trip lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes and was beautiful. There was this gorgeous lake and it was the greenest landscape I have ever seen. 

We got to walk around and explore the top. There was snow up there! Just a little bit, it was actually really warm but there is a glacier that is almost always there. 

We had lunch on the top of the mountain and then got to ride a cable car back down. That ride only lasted about 10 minutes and was completely surreal. We stood all crammed in a tiny car that was only supported by a few cable. And we were completely surrounded by green and trees and beautiful things. 

After the mountain we went to Linderhof Palace. It was built and owned by Kind Ludwig II. He became king at the age of  18 and was a little weird. Later in life he was taken away because they thought he was going mad. He was basically made a prisoner in his own palace. One night he went for a walk with his doctor and the next morning they were both found dead in waist deep water. No one knows what happened and the autopsy results were never released. 

Pretty crazy story, and his palace was pretty crazy too. It was small for a palace but it had an absurd amount of gold all over the inside of it and the gardens were gorgeous. The dining room has a hole in the floor where the dining room table could be lowered down and his food set up on it and then raised back up. 

Our visit to the palace was short and we had the evening free again. 

We found another place to eat where I had schnitzel. We then went back to the hotel and played Cards Against Humanity and other card games for the rest of the night. We met a family from Isreal who were on vacation to Munich and we spoke to them for a long while on the balcony of the hotel. Their son, Ofek, played cards and hung out with us for the majority of the night. We had a lot of fun. 

The next morning we took another six hour train ride back to Hamburg. Thankfully this time there weren't any rambunctious soccer fans keeping us all awake. 

Overall the trip was spectacular. I continue to be pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoy the SAS sponsored trips. Especially because they have been with such a small amount of people and we bond and have a lot of fun together. I also learn a lot about the culture and the history of the places we are. It's fascinating. 

I was content with my time is Russia but I do wish we were spending more time in Germany so that I could go to a concentration camp and learn a little more about World War II. Guess I am just going to have to go back!

Next is Belgium where I will be going to Paris! But first three days of class.