From the Science Museum to the Hofbrauhaus to Dachau

April 11th-13th I was in Munich with my UMASS friends here in Germany (ironic right- but I swear we all met in Europe!). We arrived and decided to go on our own walking tour of the city. Our hostel was really close to the train station, so once we oriented ourselves we trekked towards the altstadt. On our walk over we stepped into every church we could possibly find! They were all beautiful- each for their own reason. The Catholic ones were decked with trills, gold, carvings, and impressive altars. The Protestant one (the south of Germany is mostly Catholic while the North is more Protestant historically) was a stark contrast. It was white and pink and green while being simple in its clean lines and lack of dare I say 'overdone' beauty.

See the difference?!

WOW!

Yeah that is a dead body

After getting to know the city through walking, we decided to visit the Science museum since the weather was a little bit iffy. All of us were expecting something similar to the Boston Museum of Science with interactive, fun learning. Unfortunately, that was not what we got. Luckily though the langweilig science museum only set us back three euro. We were all tired from walking, so decided to take a dinner break at a local beer hall. The restaurant had very few free seats, so we decided to sit at a bench with two older men. Luckily for us, one of them was a native from Munich who was willing to chat! He suggested what beer we should try and told us what was a traditional Munich dish (which G ordered!). It was really nice to know that we found a place where locals hang out, and got to hear some of his insights into the city. He suggested the beer museum (surprise surprise!), but we unfortunately ran out of time.

Astronomical clock outside the museum

The next day we were determined to see the Glockenspiel! It is the most known tourist attraction in Munich, and may have been the best... some time ago. Even though it was a bit disappointing- still something that needed to be seen! After watching the 15 minute show we went to Nymphenburg Palace! The palace was gorgeous inside and had beautiful gardens surrounding it as well. It was about a 25 minute S-bahn ride outside of the city. S-Bahns are pretty common here in Germany. They are subway trains that are above ground and run on tracks throughout the town. Most smaller cities do not even have underground systems, but Munich did. We got lucky in that Munich has a two day deal- 10 euro for up to five people! That means for our round trip to Nymphenburg and Dachau we each only payed 2 euro... SCORE!

Neu Rathaus

Nymphenburg

The main entry way to the palace rooms

That evening we got Mexican food and some much needed fajitas! It had been a over a month of eating at only German restaurants- so this was a welcome change for all of us! After the fajitas we decided to hit up the Hofbrauhaus. This is the main brewery in Munich, consisting of two floors of beer halls. The downstairs has the gift shop (yeah- a gift shop for a beer hall!) and a long corridor like room filled with family style picnic benches. Walking in there was overwhelming- it was packed, noisy, and cheery. We thought we were going to have to leave since there were no seats, but luckily we found a staircase to a second floor! The second floor had a stage in the front of the beer hall where traditional Bavarian dance and whip music was being performed! The age of the dancers ranged from 12 to 40 and was a mix of men and women. Only young men performed the whip songs. We decided to settle up there for 2 liters of glorious Hofbrauhaus original beer. A group of older German (like OLDER) kept trying to talk to us and staring, so we decided to move back downstairs. We found that it had cleared out a bit and were able to find a seat. We met some friends who invited us to a club close by- all in all an excellent evening!

First drink of the evening!

The next day we walked to the Hof and English gardens- they were gigantic! So big that people were surfing in the river running through the garden- something I did not expect to see while in Germany! Unfortunately we did not have much time to spend there, and will definitely be one of the first places I go back to in munich if I get the chance! Next we took a half hour S-Bahn to Dachau, a concentration camp set just outside of Munich. Almost as if by fate- as soon as we walked through the gate it started to rain. Dachau was very plain, and inside all of the old barracks and prisons had excellent exhibits. It was probably one of the best historical museums I have ever been to- spanning World War 1 to the present day. It was well organized (unlike a lot of European museums- I have noticed they are more into cramming in information rather than making it visually appealing and accessible) and had a mix of fact, personal story, and photographs. It is amazing how much a site like that can move you. The most startling part of it all was just how close residential homes were to the iron gates. 

English Gardens

Work makes you free

After Dachau, we all returned by train to Heidelberg (not without a last minute purchase of a DELICIOUS train station sweet, sugar waffle-YUM!) in order to prepare for our excursion the next day!