Go Your Own Way: Stop This Train

Sorry in advance for the length of the next two blog posts, but I have just finished ten days split between Munich and Barcelona and this will be a well deserved recap of one crazy week and a half. I'm currently writing this on my train ride from Munich back to Zurich and if it weren't for the scenery outside of my window, I would be fast asleep due to Barcelona exhaustion. I'm getting too old for this.

I traveled to Munich to visit one of my good friends from UGA, the best of the best alma maters, and we spent the week reliving college Munich style. I showed up on Brittany's door step last Friday and we didn't waste anytime celebrating our reunion. She is a fun-loving person so I'm not surprised to feel like I just survived spring break in Europe at the end of my trip. Luckily, my new friend from Dusseldorf (reference past blog post) was also in Munich visiting her boyfriend, so we were all able to spend some quality time together in Bavaria. Highlights of Munich include (but are not limited to): massive bier gartens, a rich history, cheesy obazda, Mike's Bike tour, and men clad in lederhosen. My personal favorites, however, were days spent at the Englischer Garten and Dachau.

The Englischer Garten is something else. It's bigger than Central Park and it is chock-full germans and tourists alike- all bicyclers, sunbathers, day boozers, and nudists (and lots of them). I owe one of the most comical sights I have ever witnessed to the Englischer Garten on my first full day in Munich: a man, probably in his 50s, with hair down to his waist walking through the masses of sunbathers while eating an ice cream cone and wearing nothing but flip flops. If ever there was a moot point, it is surely a nudist wearing shoes. People's reactions to the unabashed nudists here clearly differentiate tourists from local Germans- especially the modest Americans. Public indecency aside, the Englischer Garten is beautiful and it's the perfect place to spend those sparse sunny days in Germany with good friends and lukewarm bottles of Helles.

On a more somber note, the other treasured part of my München excursion was visiting Dachau. You spend your schooling days constantly learning about World War II via textbooks, but there is no other feeling like visiting a concentration camp, and there are certainly no words to describe it. It took roughly two hours to get through and I had overwhelming chills the entire time. Knowing that you are standing on the grounds where hundreds of thousands of innocent people lost their lives is, most simply put, the most humbling experience in the world. It's impossible to wrap your head around the fact that one vile person could be the cause of such devastation and, even more shocking, that so many people could fall under a command so inhumane. If you ever get the chance to visit a concentration camp, make the effort. One visit will teach you more than any textbook ever could. Life changing kind of stuff that, if nothing else, will teach you to be thankful for just being alive. And rightfully living at that.

Though I have already been living in Germany for a couple of months, visiting Munich was a different experience. Bavaria is such a culture rich place and the Bavarians are very proud of their heritage, it makes for a great combination. I really loved Munich and who knows, I may be back sooner than I originally thought as I have just quit my current au pair job. Talk about a change in plans- but that story is for a different day. Stay tuned for a Barcelona post. Missing you all and a big thanks to BHop for being my German hostess with the mostess. xx.