Hofbrauhaus

On Sunday night, the group trekked to Hofbrauhaus to eat dinner, enjoy the culture and celebrate Amelia’s 20^th birthday. Thinking that most restaurants are calmer and emptier on Sunday nights in America, the Hofbrauhaus was anything but. Today (Monday) is a religious holiday, so it was packed with people enjoying their night and day off. We found out that the overcrowded atmosphere wasn’t even due to the holiday. This place is packed every day and every night with tourists and German people drinking, eating and singing to authentic German music played by a traditional German band. Women and men were up and dancing in open spaces between tables to the music. A little, old German woman grabbed Wesley and Anna, and dragged them to the dance floor. The cute lady spoke to us in German after we told her numerous times that we only spoke English. After a while, we just learned to smile and nod.

The Bayern Munich soccer team also won the Bavarian division Sunday to obtain the title for a league, so many people dining and drinking were decked out in soccer gear and happily drinking, eating and chanting. Every couple minutes the German band would play a tune and Germans would stand up in their booths with their beer mugs and chant a fight song. The team will now go on to play a different team in another division. It was a fun and exciting atmosphere to say the least.

            Now…onto the food. Traditional German food was served at the Hofbrauhaus like spaetzle, their famous ½ of roasted chicken, pretzels, potato and vegetable soup and traditional sausage dishes. Also, we can’t forget the beer. It was served in 1-liter mugs in constant flows to everyone of age in the room… The drinking age is 16-years-old, so it was almost everyone. You can even drink at 14-years-old if you are with your parents. Each restaurant in Germany typically sells one brand of beer, and the Hofbrauhaus serves its own brand in mugs that say “HB Munchen”.

            Women and men in traditional German clothing served the food. The men wore thick leather pants, high socks and a white shirt known as lederhosen. The women wore long, busty dresses known as dirndl. Women carried around baskets of pretzels and other bread to hand out to each table if people wanted to buy it, kind of like an appetizer. The atmosphere, food and good company attracts people from all over to come eat at the old brewery and now beer garden for a typical German meal and experience.

Zugspitze Mountain Means Snow in Germany

Today we woke up earlier than before in order to make the 2 1/2 hour trek to the Alps. Our final destination was to be the Zugspitze mountain summit, the tallest point in Germany and a part of the German Alps. We took two trains: the first to get us to the mountains, the second, called the "cog," to get us up the mountain. The "cog" ran almost vertical, and blew an old-timey whistle.

Once arriving at the base of the mountain, we saw a winter wonderland of snow (some of us Southerners for the first time!). It was almost difficult to remember that it was summer.

We had to take a gondola in order to reach the summit. Basically an enclosed, floating cart, we all were a little nervous about making it to the top. Visibility was near to none, so the views at the top were mere white backdrops. We stopped and ate lunch hoping it would clear up.

The snow clouds were blindingly bright, and the mountains were nowhere in sight.
Photo by Murphy

The way down the gondola was a much more spectacular view. We could see more of the mountain, and also the glacier lake that sat below.

Photo by Shuler

Photo by Shuler

Although the view from the peak proved dissappointing, we still got to experience some of the beautiful natural scenery Germany has to offer, and learned patience along the way.

German Surprises!

Even though we've only been in Germany for a few days, we have already made some incredible memories. So far, most of these memories have been created because of our group project on the city of Dachau. In just two short (but full) days, we met the mayor of Dachau (who happens to be the youngest lord mayor in Germany currently), went to some beautiful public places such as the English Garden, and last but most certainly not least, got really lost. Although we have not been here long, these past couple days have given us quite a bit of knowledge about German culture.

A few things in particular have really surprised us, like how Germany does not have water fountains. According to Professor Farrand, it's because they consider water fountains to be dirty and germ-infested, but we also found (after a little excursion on Google) that the word for tap water in German literally translated to "plumbing water," which they consider to be very rude to offer to guests. Ironically, however, their tap water is more filtered than their bottled water.

We were also excited about how much the Germans recycle and keep the city of Munich clean. About half of the beverages we sell in America in plastic bottles are sold in glass bottles here. Many buildings were lined with large windows and solar panels, and our tour guide the first day told us most of Munich uses renewable energy.

We were somewhat surprised by the amount bread consumed by Germans, especially considering how fit Germans seem to be. Each day we have been eating at least one small loaf of bread for part of our breakfast. 

I think one of the things that we have admired most about Germany is how Germans, overall, respect the law and each other. They don't jaywalk, they respect the bike lane, and there is a much lower theft rate so they're much more trusting with their belongings in public places. Chances that we'll return home willing are quickly decreasing.

We're not in Kansas Anymore

Well, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore. Stepping off the plane was a surreal experience. Flying through the clouds below we saw blocks of field, forest, and greens - a stark contrast to the expected metropolitan city-center. It was surprising how many things felt like home - the McDonalds at the end of the terminal, the crisp, modern design of the airport, even the weary eyes of fellow travelers felt comforting in a world so strange. However, stepping outside was a different story.

These are the top five things I noticed that were different between Munich, Germany and America:

1. The railway system.

Munich has an extensive railway system that covers the majority of the city. A whole day pass will cost you a grand total of €2,70 giving you access to not only the metro cars, but buses and rail cars as well. This makes the city easy and cheaply navigable.

2. Commitment to the old.

In America, we focus on cycling consumption. We cycle through comforters, clothes, cars, and appliances. Our motto used to be, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it;" now it seems to be "if it ain't broke, update it to the newest model anyway." This also applies to our architecture. We have few buildings a century old that remain standing, and typically if they do they are under specialized care. In Germany,

Photo by Murphy

3. Pharmaceuticals.

In America, walk into any grocery store, drug store, or even gas station and find aisles of non-regulated medication there for the taking. In Munich, most drugs are "behind-the-counter," and require a conversation in with a pharmacist in order to receive. Additionally, some drugs are less expensive - I picked up a 7-day pack of generic allergy medication that would've cost me roughly $15 in the states. While I was lucky to get a pharmacist who spoke English, getting medication as a foreigner is a near impossible task.

4. Genuine Kindness.

While navigating alone to find the rest of the group, I met many, many nice Germans. Perhaps it is because of their harsh sounding language, but my preconceived notion was that Germans were going to be standoffish and disdainful to Americans. Not only did the people from Munich themselves help me navigate my way through the metro system, but a man from Hamburg unfamiliar with the area even jumped in to help in whatever way he could. I got multiple smiles on my train ride, and one passenger even stood up to give me his seat! The people as a whole were patient with my immensely lacking German, and were forgiving when I eventually gave up and relucted to English.

5. Acceptance for all styles.

While traveling the rails, I observed business-aged men, high school girls, grandmothers, and middle school boys. The best part about German style was that anything goes. There were preppy girls wearing dresses and oxfords, middle aged woman without an ounce of make-up, and grandmothers with bleach-dyed and cut hair. No one once batted an eye, and people genuinely respected what each other chose to wear.

While Germany and America can be similar in landscape, city layout, food options, and disdain for long flights, there are subtle cultural differences to only be seen for oneself.

Mike's Bikes

A crazy, witty irishman who enjoys corny jokes and riding bikes led our group on our very first adventure through Germany. Morale was low at the beginning of the bike tour thanks to a nine hour plane ride and many miles of walking through the streets of Munich, but once we hopped on our bikes we were all happily reunited with our childhood selves! A few turns around the busy city streets, dodging BMW's and Mercedes as they zoomed passed, made for a hectic start and a difficult job for our jet-lagged legs to keep up. We pepped up for our tour guide after some of his jokes began to resonate with the group... we were functioning on about 3 hours of sleep, remember. On our bikes we explored the beautifully historic town of Munich, seeing city hall and the oldest baroque church in the city. "If it ain't baroque, don't fix it!" Thanks for the advice, Kevin. We also visited a restored palace, the old opera house, and the Izar River. The water was freezing cold because it runs down from the Alps, but that didn't stop the locals from going for a swim. People were "surfing" at the river on a manmade contraption that simulated a wave. You can find surfers there at any hour, including 4 a.m. with celebs like Ryan Gosling! That basically means we hung out, right? The group rounded out our bike tour at the Chinese Beer Garden where we cooled down with a couple liters of beer, giant pretzels, and a tasty pimento-cheese-like dip referred to as "angel's poo."

True exhaustion hit after only about two hours of sleep on the plane, biking for three hours, and walking 7.31 miles around Munich (thats an exact number, thanks MyFitnessPal). We were ready to sleep for days. While waiting to meet up with the rest of the group, we all laid flat in the center of the Marienplatz, one of the busiest spots in Munich, standing out like the true Americans that we are. We finally made it back to the hostel, skipped dinner, and got in our beds before 9:30 p.m. That's 3:30 in the morning back in the USA... can you blame us? As tired as we were, and still are (let's be honest), I already know that this bike tour will be one of the biggest highlights from this spontaneous, adventurous trip.

Five Things to Know When Traveling With A Group

1. Be on time and be prepared to wait.
• When you come with a group, something is bound to go wrong. From the overwhelmed gate agents to the angry TSA person, it is just going to take a long time to get everyone to the gate. This is something our group learned quickly when we arrived to the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. We all arrived early or on time, but it didn’t take long for things to slow down. Our overbooked flight and large group confused the check-in people, but we all made it to onboard safely.
2. Don't bring a pocket knife because you will lose ¾ of your things.     
• Our group learned very quickly to check your bags for any banned items. Sam E. forgot that he had accidently stowed a pocketknife in his backpack. The lady at the TSA checkpoint was not pleased, and she began to check all of his belongings. By the end of the search, Sam lost his toothpaste, hair gel, and possibly his pride. Hopefully we won’t run into any issues when we go through customs.
3. You have to take turns eating.
• When we got to Atlanta, we were all very hungry. Our hunger grew as we walked to the international terminal and past the multitude of dining choices. Being bogged down with our gear, we decided to take shifts getting food to help lighten the load. I personally got Qdoba because I will be craving Mexican food abroad, but there were a wide range of choices in our group from bagels and coffee to TGI Fridays.
4. Layovers can be boring
• When you land after your first flight, there is only so much you can do at the airport.  Sometimes an hour layover can be nice because it gives you time to grab a meal and relax for a short while.  However, our flight got in at 12:50 pm and our connecting flight does not take off until an estimated time of 5:40 pm.  This gave us a solid four hours at least to find a way to entertain ourselves.  After eating and drinking a couple cups of coffee, obvious activities become less and less visible.  What other wall can I stare at?  Did I catch up on my latest shows? Is it too early to grab another meal? Yes, you will get bored, but if you and your group put your heads together, then I am sure you can find something to entertain yourselves. 
5. Charing stations are a hot commodity. 
• When you have a nine and a half hour flight ahead of you, you better make sure that all your electronic devices are fully charged. Atlanta definitely has the hook-up when it comes to charging stations, but it didn’t take long for our group to snatch them all up. I guess that is one perk of having a long layover and getting there early. I’m even using one right now to help write this blog post. We don’t have too much longer until we leave, and you can tell the group is becoming more excited. It won’t be long now until we are in the air on and our way to Europe.