Masskrug in München
You can’t go to Germany without visiting München for a glimpse of Bavaria and the endless numbers of Biergarten. Originally, I planned to stay in Giessen for the weekend so I could show Lana around. However, plans were changed when Harry invited us to Munich the prior weekend in Berlin!
Saturday, August 4, 2018
I took an early morning train from Giessen and arrived in Munich at 11 am. For the night, Lana and I decided to stay at The Tent, a summer hostel that is exactly what it sounds like. With a few different sized tents (and they were HUGE), there were over 50 bunk beds. It sounds awful and zero privacy, but the set up was pretty cool and I had a comfortable stay. AND, most importantly, it was cheap.
All settled in, we took off to meet up with Harry at Coffee Fellows. With Coffee Fellows being a chain found all over Germany, we continuously circled around until we found the correct shop with Harry sitting outside on the patio with a drip coffee in hand. We had 36 hours in Munich and immediately took on the day. Huge shout out to Lana and Harry for tolerating me, my many first world problems, and my indecisiveness as they constantly give me advice. #youknowifyouknow
First stop: Marienplatz
You’ve most likely seen a photo of Marienplatz, the iconic city square shown in most postcards and what not. At the city square, I met Joe from Florida, another RISE intern working in the same lab as Harry. He became our unofficial personal tour guide of the city. For the past weeks, I had been “traveling” or more like, I walk aimlessly around the city and hang out with my friends without understanding the context of what I’m looking at. I’m a broke college student who’s too cheap to pay for tours and anything that isn’t free. SO, it felt good to walk around town and understand the significance of the sights around me, even if it was just a few facts here and there. and he became our personal tour guide of the city.
36 hours in München with Harry from Montreal and Joe from Florida
For a view of the city, we made our way up to the top of St. Peter’s Church. The ceilings were low. The stairs were narrow. And, it was definitely a trek to get to the viewpoint of the beautiful red rooftops. It only cost a few euros as well.
After our long morning journeys, food was a priority. Close to Marienplatz and St. Peter’s Church is a courtyard, where you could buy all the German wurst and beer that your heart desires. Huge groups of families and friends were out and about on this sunny day. After a month in Germany, I still hadn’t tried currywurst, and the opportunity finally came up. Quality wurst in Bavariaaaa.
As a bunch of STEM students, we visited Deutsches Museum, the world’s largest museum of science and technology. The nerd in us definitely came out as Lana squealed about microbiology and I got excited learning about drug development and biochemistry. We were definitely making the most of our time, while completely avoiding being outside where it was scorching hot. A few fun facts: Harry eats cucumbers by biting off the entire thing and Joe is always curious to know what you’re into.
Along the way, we met up with Jason, Jessie, and a few other interns as we decided to biergarten “hop” if that even exists. When in Germany, you learn that beer is equivalent to water. We had our first rounds of Maßkrug at Hofbräuhaus. The full-on German experience is when you’re sitting outside with a Brezn (soft pretzel) in one hand and a Maßkrug of Helles beer in the other. I apologize for being basic, but the liter of beer was as large as my face and I couldn’t help myself to take a photo or two. For our second round, we went to Augustiner Keller, where we met up with more friends and what not. I would definitely recommend Hofbräuhaus and Augustiner Keller in Munich!!
After a roam around town and a visit to Burger King with the late night munchies, we aimlessly went about to see the Englischer Gardens. It’s hard to describe the garden itself because it was past 11 and pitch black. But, I was able to enjoy GOOD company and quality late night talks.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
We started off the day with brunch. Bouncing back from the mediocre pho in Berlin, Harry found a dope American (lol) pancake house. I guess we all wanted comfort food and honestly, the pancakes were some of the best I’ve ever had.
We parted ways with Lana as she made her way to an early flight. Harry and I decided to check out Dachau, the first concentration camp to open in Germany. It was just a short trip outside of Munich.
It’s hard to describe the experience of visiting a concentration camp. You can’t say that it went well, but it is something that should be done as it definitely gives you a grander perspective and understanding of history.
Pro-tip: Always buy the correct metro ticket, even though you can take any metro, bus, or train in Germany without purchasing a ticket.
I (knowingly) made the mistake of buying the incorrect metro pass and I got caught by a Deutsch Bahn representative, where I was fined 60 euros. The Dachau station was one stop outside of the inner city ring. As I was about to step outside the train cart, a man, who looked sketchy, went about checking for tickets. The “I am a lost tourist” card did not work and he had no sympathy for me. Shoutout to Chris, who called the Deutsch Bahn and made up lies to help me get out of paying the fine. But, I decided to take the L, and it was probably karma.
Summer in Germany is no joke, and it was HOT. Heat exhaustion means lazy times. Everything is typically closed on Sundays, and we managed to kill time by walking around Marienplatz, ate dope gelato, and had burritos before our train ride home.
With a four-hour train ride to Giessen, I made conversation with the man sitting next to me, and it was very pleasant!! As I responded with my limited vocabulary of German, I met a man named Martin, and thankfully, he spoke English well.
Somehow, we came across the topic of family. Briefly, I shared about my parents as “boat people”, who immigrated to the states from Vietnam due to the war. Along the process, they had lost everything. Then, Martin shared with me what his grandparents and father had endured due to WWII. After the war, his family was forced to move from East to West Germany, and they had lost their farm and a majority of their belongings. It was an interesting conversation, especially after my visit to Dachau, because I was able to gain different perspectives on how people were directly impacted. We also talked about how our parents endured significant parts of history, yet their stories shared parallels. On another note, I asked him for advice about the fine I received from DB, and he empathized me and gave me chocolate to boost my mood. I appreciated his kindness.
And that was my adventure in Munich. Quality time with quality people, both old and new friends.