München

Well... it appears I haven't updated my blog in a month. I will blame this on all the exciting things I have been doing, and will do my best to try and remember/share the best moments. For starters I went to München (Munich) the last weekend in June. My friend David (fellow CDS participant) was kind enough to let me stay with him in his dorm room; granted the tile floor didn't make for the most comfortable bed, but it was free :-)

To prepare for my trip I naturally needed some kind of transportation to get down to München. I opted to travel with the Deutsch Bahn (Train), because not only is it cheaper than a flight but how often do you travel by train in the US... not very. I bought a German Rail Pass, which for 150 Euro allowed me to travel on unlimited trains for four days in the month following activation. So, after using two days for my trip to and from München I would still have 2 more days left to travel in the next month. The train ride from hamburg to München lasts ~6 hours, so I decided it would be in my best interests to take my first vacation day (I get 4 total) rather than arrive at midnight. I also used that friday morning to go to the "Anmeldungsamt" and officially become a resident of Hamburg, which I finally successfully completed after the third try lol. I got to Hamburg's central station and at 11am got on an ICE Train (Intercity-Express) headed toward München.

I arrived on-time and began the adventure of trying to find how to get to the dorm room where my friend lived. Luckily, by this time I was a professional at taking the regional trains (U-Bahn S-Bahn). I arrived at his station exactly when I planned, which was good since I had forgotten to load more money on my cell-phone. I unloaded all my stuff, then headed off into the heart of the city to get a look around. We looked at the Rathaus (city hall), and the town-square before grabbing some pizza, not exactly german food :-p, and heading to the Stadtpark to meet some other Americans/Brits/Canadians/Spaniards. We went to the Chinese Biergarten and watched Spain vs someone...Paraguay? on the big projector screen. Then we played some Frisbee, which was a highlight for me since I'm an avid ultimate player, but no one in Germany has ever heard of it. We just chilled for a while and then called it a relatively early night (1-2am), since we had a lot to see the next day.

On saturday we got up, had an early lunch, and then headed off to do some more sightseeing in München. The main attraction of the day was paying a visit to the olympic park. We visited the olympic pool and park area, where there was a large mountain bike race going on. We then went to the top of a tower, where you could see most of München including: Allianz Arena, the hotel of the Munich olympic catastrophe, BMW corporation/museum, and much more. We then went to Schloss Nymphenburg, which is a large 'castle' most notable for its sheer size and magnitude. Next we headed back to the touristy part of the city so I could do some souvenir shopping. For dinner I specifically requested the Hard Rock Cafe, since I like to collect the shirts as many of my friends know. It was great to have a nice American style meal in a German style atmosphere. We then headed to Studentstadt, which is a part of town with lots of students and dorms, to meet up with some other Americans to watch the USA vs. Ghana game. As you all know the result was less than spectacular, but we always have the next world cup. Afterwards we called it a night, because I was getting up early to go to Neuschwanstein (Disney world castle) with some of my friends.

We had all agreed to meet at the train station at 8:45 since the train left at 9:00 sharp to head to the alps and the castle. I was there safely in time, but one member of our group decided to cut it very close. It was the last call for the train and he was running down the platform to try and make the train. He would have made it safely at the last second, if not for a poor decision in footwear. As he turned to stop and leap onto the train his flip-flop slipped off and dropped in between the platform down onto the tracks. He also managed to fall onto the metal step and receive a rather large cut on his leg before the train attendant hoisted him into the train and we pulled away, minus a sandal and some blood :-p So we were successfully on out way to the castle, if not without a little excitement, and with a dire need for a shoe store and a wetwipe. Once we arrived in the small town at the base of the alps we found a store that was open (a rarity on sundays in Germany), although the only shoes the had were Crocs. He had no choice but to buy a pair, and embraced the awkwardness by purchasing a hot pink pair. Alas, after a short bus ride we had reached our destination. The alps were simply magnificent and the castle was stunning. We hiked up to the top and took the castle tour before heading to a small bridge through the alps that overlooked the castle. It was all truly spectacular.

Nevertheless all good things must come to an end. It was now time for me to head back to München, grab my bag, and then head back to Hamburg to go to work on Monday. Unfortunately, my trip back from Neuschwanstein to München coincided with the Germany vs. England thrashing, so I was unable to enjoy that. I got on my ICE train at 6:30pm and after a few delays, arrived in Hamburg at 1:30am. I headed toward the subway station that I normally use to get home, before realizing that the trains didn't run after midnight on sundays... This meant I had to figure out what Nachtbus (night bus) to take. It also meant I would inevitably run into many 'interesting' German characters running around celebrating the soccer victory. I eventually found the bus I needed to take, and after a short ride and a long walk I made it home. It was only 3:00am haha and I had to get up 7:00am for work. Needless to say, it was a struggle to stay awake that Monday. It was definitely a small price to pay however, for a great weekend in München!