Munich

The train trip to Munich was quite beautiful. The countryside of Germany is very green, even this late in the summer. I was very surprised about the transition from France to Germany, in terms of city design and architecture. There are solar panels on a large amount of the buildings, and often a large wind turbines could be seen in the distance. Germany appears to be very heavy on alternative energy, and it is interesting to see how commonplace it is being applied.

The hostel was called Wombat's, a hostel chain that caters to Australians. It was very clean, friendly, and definitely made me feel comfortable and safe.

Munich is a rich, beautiful city. It was surprising to learn that the city is only sixty years old. It was heavily bombed during World War II - in part due to the fact that it was the birthplace and headquarters of the Nazi movement. Germans kept the city meticulously documented so that it could be rebuilt after the war for the satisfaction of Hitler, and that documentation was used to restore the town after Nazi Germany lost. Even though most buildings have a hidden feeling of newness, much effort was done to make new buildings appear older.

One of the highlights of the trip was going to Fussen, and from there to a castle nearby called Neuschwanstein. I joined a British guy I had met in my hostel dorm, along with an Austrialian named Jared. There were both very interesting guys, and despite the horribly-difficult train ride we had a great time. Facing hardship while traveling is always easier in a group.

On the second day, I went on a "free tour" of Munich. I learned quite a bit of history about the city, most of which I would have never learned due to Munich's attempt to forget its past Nazi identity. Ozzie, the tour guide, spend four hours with us and I ended up giving him $20 Euros at the end, partly because I did not have the change and partly because he deserved it.

I was really hoping to visit the largest beer garden in the world, located in Munich, but in my last day I did not have the time to go check it out. Oh well.

One thing that I have to mention is that despite my train trouble going to Fussen, the train system in Germany is outstanding. Unlike France, where I had to reserve and pay extra to get tickets on trains using my Eurail pass, in Germany I would just show up and easily find a nice spot on the train. I had no problems whatsoever getting between major cities, and the train stations were easy to navigate.