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Friday, May 23
We go into Metz to get some food and let the girls (Laura and Erin) shop…why shop BEFORE going on a weekend trip?Anyways we then decide to go to this fondue restaurant that one of the masters students told us about…all you can eat fondue for 15 euros.We get there, don't get put away upstairs away from the locals and don't see a server for five minutes.After realizing we don't have THAT much time, we decide to abandon ship and very awkwardly walk out the restaurant.
Getting to Munich was relatively easy…a few train changes, none too long of a wait, and we end up in Munich around 7 am on Saturday.Right away we get some SAUSAGE, yummy!We check into our hostel, and then head toward Marienplatz-the main square and home of the famous Glockenspiel (huge clock that has moving figures), for our free walking tour.We see some Germans in lederhosen…and my German experience is almost complete (still need to get a liter of beer).
Our tour ends up being very informational, even though we hear the same stories about the inflation that Germany experienced after WWI and so forth.But one cool thing that we learn is that Munich was Hitler's model city.He loved the city, and hoped to model Berlin and other German cities like it.Our tour guide is a student from Canada, who is at a university in Munich getting his masters in political science, I think.He makes up some stupid stories to go along with the history, but still very enthusiastic.After hearing him promote the Dachau Concentration Camp memorial over and over, we decide to take that not free tour the next day.Towards the end of the tour we end up at the Hofbrauhaus…Munich's infamous beer garden and the most popular brewery.We don't go in and hope that we will return that night on our beer garden tour.
After the tour we are exhausted from not sleeping much on the trains so we take a short nap at the hostel before the beer garden tour.The tour ends up being not what it was advertised…hoping to learn traditional beer drinking games and songs and 2 free beers, we end up not learning only this one way to twirl the beer over your head and drink it after approaching the guide with complaints of not getting anything out of the tour (I was kinda pissed after we went to a hostel for our first free beer, that was just a bottle…not a liter mug, and warm).We had already been to 2 other beer gardens by this time and we had downed our first Liter, and then another half liter…and not really drunk at this point.Anyways the guide rattles off some facts about the OLDEST BREWERY we are standing across the street from, she never mentioned this.The next night we decide to check out the beer gardens and Hofbrauhaus-which we didn't even go to, on our own.
Our tour guide for Dachau ends up being the same girl from the night before, ahhh.But she actually knew her stuff and did a good job of informing us about he camp, even though she had to hurry us along to make the 3 hour tour only 3 hours.The camp was not an extermination camp, however it was the longest running camp (I think) opening a day after Hitler came to power and shutting down a day before he died.Therefore it was a model camp and prototype for most of the other camps.
Quick facts:
·Over 200,000 prisoners from 30 countries were here
·2/3 were political prisoners
·1/3 were Jews
·25,613 died, and another 10,000 died in subcamps, mainly from disease, malnutrition, and suicide - they would turn the heat in their barracks and shut the windows in the Summer and open the windows in the Winter
There was a very good museum with testimonials and descriptions of life in the camp.Even though it wasn't an extermination camp they still had a crematorium b/c so many of them were dying, and then had to build a second crematorium to keep up with the numbers of dead.We heard several horrible ways they were treated including hanging them from their arms tied behind their backs until they fatigued and shoulder muscles ripped.The guards would also take their hats and throw them into the grass near the boundary walls, an area they were not allowed to step.Then they'd tell them to retrieve their hats.If they grab their hat they get shot for "attempting to escape", if they don't get their hat they are disobeying orders and will be punished.I could go on with stories we heard like these.
After getting back, I really wanted to go check out the World Cup stadium and the Olympic park.We head out to the World Cup stadium and walk around it.It looks cool during the day, but we saw pics of what it looks like at night and it looks even cooler.The panels that cover the stadium, light up in a bright blue color.After walking through the stadium to the parts that weren't fenced off, we head over to the Olympic Park.By the way, the city underground system here rocks b/c for a day pass for one person it's 5 euros…for a day pass for up to 5 people it's only 9 euros, what a deal.Right outside the Olympic park is a brand new BMW museum that is by the BMW headquarters.The museum is very futuristic looking, and inside it has a lot of interactive things that show off how BMW is optimizing energy and looking to the future of Hydrogen cars.After exploring here for a while we walk over to the Olympic park.The park is not even comparable to Atlanta...all the buildings have a Spiderman-web look to them, it has it's own beer garden (although I don't think it's an official one b/c I didn't see any chestnut trees).Behind the stadium lies a lake and a terraced grassy area where people were lounging and picnicking.By far this is the best Olympic park I've seen, and it was made 30 years ago.
To change paces, we go to the English Garden when we get back-the first place we went the night before, get a Liter and food.Then we head to Hofbrauhaus.It's pretty much amazing.Two stories filled w/ long tables inside, Liters everywhere, and a traditional German band in Lederhosen.After 2 liters here and perfecting the over the head twisting-twisting mug-drink, and learning from some Australian guy how to balance a dollar bill, long ways, on your nose-no joke, he could actually do it, we decide to call it a night.
The next day we wake up, get some souvenir shopping done, eat some gelato-it's only 1 euro here, and we climb the tower of the oldest church in Munich.It's located directly across from the Glockenspiel in Marienplatz, and we get some great photos.Then it's back to school…another great weekend.
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