Munchen

Brolst!!! In a word, the perfect summary of our 2 ½ day stay in the capital and cultural center of Bavaria. It means “cheers’ in German…and represents one of the three words that I‘ve come to learn - the other two? Danka (Thank you) and Milst (Milk). After about a 6 hour travel from Interlaken, Jay and I pulled into Munich at about 2pm on Wed afternoon. We soon checked into and settled down at the next hostel. We waited for fresh legs from the states. Matty Boy pulled into town about an hour or two later and we took to the streets for a self guided tour. The hostel was not far from the train station and the walk to Marienplatz (public square at the center of the city) was only about 20 minutes...what to do…what to do…hmmm, well, we might as well go see what the Hofbrauhaus looks like, right? So this is the Hofbrauhaus, huh? Giant square beer hall with big ol’ wooden tables everywhere over which men and women throughout were clinking and spilling their liters of the royal brew. We sat out at the beer garden in the center and enjoyed our first afternoon in Munich the way it was meant to be enjoyed…with a liter of the dark and a giant pretzel. The self guided tour didn’t get very far but hey, it was time for a real beer…

That evening, on a tip from our hostel’s bartender, we visited the Augustiner Brew House for an authentic German meal of brat, kraut, potatoes and pig knuckle. Pig knuckle - who knew? A German delicacy. Excellent meal. Good Value. Finally, a satisfying authentic meal that didn’t drain the wallet. I think I could get used to life in Germany…

The next day we met at city center and welcomed Team Openlander to the trip. Mike and Chrissy met us down in the city center and together, as a group of 5, we embarked on our bike tour of Munich. Mike’s Famous Bike Tour. As Will, our Texan tour guide, proudly proclaimed, “The best thing going in Munich for 17 years now”…big personality. If he weren’t form Texas, you might think he was on drugs. Nice way to see the city and some interesting stuff on the tour. Roughly 70% of the city was in total ruins following the War but there has been much time and effort expended to restore the city to it’s pre-war state. It is a beautiful city with lots of character and reasonably manageable. About 1.4 million people and 140k police officers. 10-1 ratio. The second safest city (Bern, Swtiz) in all of Europe.

That night, after many failed attempts were made to find a less touristy restaurant, we were back at the Hofbrauhaus for dinner and a liter. After dinner it was off to the Landhaus - a corner bar right across from the Mike’s Bike Tour…not far. Interesting interior décor. The room was a long and narrow one with a bar stretching out almost two thirds of the full distance before opening in the back to a circular room suitable for not more than just a handful of tables. But the most distinctive feature (and the coolest) was the living tree growing on the end of the bar closest to the door. It’s trunk served to anchor the bar on one side while it’s branches and vines stretched up along the low ceiling throughout the bar area with Bavarian hops hanging down to tickle the brows of its thirsty patrons. Cool place. Having already walked the same route back to the hostel 4 or 5 times in just a day and a half, Mattyboy determined (with a little encouragement from his roommates) that it was time to change it up a little. Instead of following the cobblestone path that led arrrround the fountain welcoming visitors to the square of Marienplatz, he takes the more direct and refreshing path through the fountain. Good photo-op.

The following day, Friday, the three of us boarded a train for the town of Dachau and walked a tour of the concentration camp that afternoon. A sobering experience to say the least. Dachau was around for 12 years spanning the full reign of the Third Reich’s rule. Important to see the grounds - the barracks, the bunker, the crematory, the gas chambers - and hear the stories but impossible to ever really truly understand it... Our tour guide, Ricky, was a dude from Canada who spoke with a British accent. He was living in Munich studying to be a professor and possessed a well researched expertise in Nazi propaganda. A smart and knowledgeable guy, Ricky and his tour made for an educational afternoon. On the train back to Munich Ricky sold us (well, ok, sold me) on a pub crawl for that afternoon that he owns and runs. I, in turn, sold the rest of the group…a group that now included the three of us, Mike and Chrissy, as well as Sean and Lauren (from earlier in Nice) and my man Chase Gill (an ND classmate who will be us for the next week).

The pub crawl begins with our boy Ricky ringing a bell, standing atop the bar, and giving the speech of a man who’s been drinking all afternoon...and off we go…at the first stop Ricky welcomes all challengers to a liter chugging contest (which he loses but finishes). Before we leave bar #1, it’s clear that the same guy that was leading us around Munich’s first concentration camp just a couple of hours ago….the same guy that riddled us Americans with guilt for knowing about the Holocaust long before we admitted to it….the same guy that demanded the utmost respect and reverence on the grounds of Dachau…is… a…total freakin drunk. Mixed reviews on the pub crawl and some questions about its leadership but by the end of it, I think it’s safe to say that everyone drank plenty of beer and had a good time . Following the last stop on the crawl we found ourselves at the same hostel bar from which we started - Euro Youth Hostel - and it just so happened to be karaoke night. Opes got up and sang “Sweet Child of Mine” with his wife providing backup signing and air guitar support….Mike Oopenlader - not surprisingly, the unanimous MVP of the evening. Late night. 9am train. Eh, no prob….we’ll just sleep on the train…Brolst to Munchen!!!