Guten tag my friends!
Trip Start
Apr 24, 2007
1
9
38
Trip End
Nov 16, 2008
Munich, Germany
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Living here for over 3 years in my youth :) you would have thought that I would know the language, the lay of the land and every other little thing about Germany right?? Hmm... can I get John BS for 300$ Alex? I don't remember a single useful thing about this place except for hello and number counting so.. unless i'm chatting it up with a three year old I'm about as useful as a spoon in a sausage eating contest!
Berlin, Munich - a history you can't run away from
The Germans are in a very delicate political position. Hide your history and the world screams you're trying to forget, but make a monument and it looks like you're celebrating a genocide.. so what do you do??? Well, you place small plaques that explain what happened here- nothing fancy, so if you were not paying attention you would miss it. I think it's a good idea and sets the right mood. Both cities have a free walking tour to explain the history behind them (well, you tip the guide, but essentially free). Let me tell you , they're fun, you learn a bunch and you get a better sense of where everything is. Especially when the tour DOESN'T finish at your hostel and you have to adventure race your way back.. but hey I said it was free what can you expect ! :)
During the Munich tour I saw the coolest thing ever in a downtown city:
River Surfing... Yes I said that right, it's not a typo. People surf in a river. It would appear to be quite the sport in Germany, The spot we saw was discovered after the Americans blew up a dam. It formed a natural perpetual wave. So what do you do when you are behind German lines? You grab your board and catch some waves dude!!, aaah you got to love the Americans for that one!
Well the next day we set off to see candidate 6 of 21 for the new Wonders of the world- The Newschwanstein castle. This is where Walt Disney got the idea for his Disney Castle. Now this is a castle, wow is it ever a sight to see. I understand now why people thought that the creator Ludwig II was totally off his gourd! Even if the guy was a nut and they ended up arresting the man to send him to the loony bin, this castle set the bar for every other that came after so if he is crazy how crazy are everybody else for following him!?!?!.
Inside each room there is a painted story on the walls about a german legend. Sadly when he mysteriously died the castle was only 1/3 finished and was never completed. It was four hours on a train to go and come back, but we both feel that the city and the castle are worth the visit!
Well today was our rest day which basically boils down to, waking up late, swimming in a very cold but "refreshing" river and having a few last german sausages before our trip to Czech Republic tomorrow!!
