A weekend full of German beer, dirndls, and pretzels the size of my face. Going abroad in the spring means you miss out on Oktoberfest, but thankfully Germans are always up to party so we were able to make our way to Munich for Fruhlingsfest. Thursday night my friends and I rode through the night to arrive in Munich Friday morning. Germany wasn't exactly one of my must see places, but after this weekend I am glad I squeezed it into the last few weeks of my semester.
Friday morning we took a guided fur of Munich by bike with guides that were some of the funniest people I have met. We all got pretty blue bikes and strolled throughout Munich for almost 4 hours. The weather ended up being perfect for the weekend, so thankfully the bike ride was extremely enjoyable. Unfortunately I do not have a ton of pictures because I wasn't able to stop and pictures, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of Munich. It had its medieval and historic parts, yet at the same time it was very modern. We stopped by a church, a few large historical sites, parks, and more. The main park we rode through was Munich's famous English Garden, that covers 900 acres. To our surprise we were slightly taken back by the nude people we rode right past, but besides that it was a beautiful park with bright green grass and millions of wild flowers. In the park we made a stop at Chinesischer Turm, Munich's 2nd largest beer garden, for a lunch break. My friends and I filled our plates with bratwurst, pretzels, beer, and more! After being very stuffed we hopped back on our bikes and made our way through the city. We made a pit stop at Munich's famous river where people surf. I was confused when our guide said we would take a break to watch people surf, but let me tell you it was so awesome to see. There were around 10 people with surfboards on the side of the river waiting their turn for a chance to jump into the current and stay steady for as long as possible. With the river not being too wide, the surfers turn back and forth before jumping into the wave and giving the next person a chance. I recommend going to watch if you are ever in town!
Friday morning we took a guided fur of Munich by bike with guides that were some of the funniest people I have met. We all got pretty blue bikes and strolled throughout Munich for almost 4 hours. The weather ended up being perfect for the weekend, so thankfully the bike ride was extremely enjoyable. Unfortunately I do not have a ton of pictures because I wasn't able to stop and pictures, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of Munich. It had its medieval and historic parts, yet at the same time it was very modern. We stopped by a church, a few large historical sites, parks, and more. The main park we rode through was Munich's famous English Garden, that covers 900 acres. To our surprise we were slightly taken back by the nude people we rode right past, but besides that it was a beautiful park with bright green grass and millions of wild flowers. In the park we made a stop at Chinesischer Turm, Munich's 2nd largest beer garden, for a lunch break. My friends and I filled our plates with bratwurst, pretzels, beer, and more! After being very stuffed we hopped back on our bikes and made our way through the city. We made a pit stop at Munich's famous river where people surf. I was confused when our guide said we would take a break to watch people surf, but let me tell you it was so awesome to see. There were around 10 people with surfboards on the side of the river waiting their turn for a chance to jump into the current and stay steady for as long as possible. With the river not being too wide, the surfers turn back and forth before jumping into the wave and giving the next person a chance. I recommend going to watch if you are ever in town!
After watching, we made our way back to city center where we dropped off our bikes and went on a mission to find our dirndls. The store consisted of hundreds of people trying on german clothing very frantically to make sure we made it the festival with enough time. The looks we got walking through the main square in our dresses were priceless. We finally entered Fruhlingsfest and it was a dream. Ferris wheels, swings, carnival games, tents full of food and beer, and people from all over the world. We walked around at first deciding on where to settle before finding a table and within seconds an older lady slamming steins filled to the brim with German beer in front of us. That night we ate pretzels, drank yummy beer mixed with lemonade and rode every ride we could afford. Saturday was pretty much a repeat of Friday night. We got up early dressed in our dirndls, took the metro to Fruhlingsfest, found our friends in one of the tents and ate food and drank yummy beer. It was fun to be able to meet so many people in such a short span of time from so many different places.
Sunday morning we woke up at 7 am and took the metro to Dachau, Germany. We were able to tour Dachau Concentration Camp before heading out Sunday afternoon. I have always been interested in the Holocaust since I was younger so it was an experience I will remember forever. As we arrived at the camp, I was taken back by how beautiful the surrounding area was. The small pastel stacked houses circling the camp gave off a warm and welcoming feeling that wasn't expecting. Entering through the main gate I felt a bit strange being in a place where such horrible things took place. I first went through the museum where I read about what I was going to be seeing and got to see pictures and articles of clothing, etc. that had been saved from the camp. The museum is found in what used to be the office of the officials and some of the living quarters. From there I walked down camp road, which is located down the middle of the camp with spaces on either side where the living barracks used to be found. There are 2 left standing which you could go into and view the beds, bathrooms, and living spaces. At the end we were able to walk through Barrack X, which was also the crematorium. I found it a bit unsettling to be standing in a room where thousands of people lost their lives, but still an experience I will remember and I am glad I was able to do. ( I will upload a few pictures later, or you can find them on my Facebook.)
After returning to Munich we boarded our bus for long drive back to Florence. The drives home to Italy have become some of my favorite times. The scenery change from January until now is amazing. The grass is bright green, the mountains still capped with snow, and the changes in the buildings as we pass through each country. Each time we have passed through Austria I have fell in love. Being a bit of a Sound of Music fan I have always wanted to run through the hills of Austria like they do in the movie. Cliche I know, but wait until you see Austria in person. We arrived back in Florence around 10 and went straight to bed.
We have a few days of school this week before leaving Thursday for our trip to the Amalfi Coast. I will be visiting Positano, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, and more! I see this trip as sun, sand, and ocean water for miles and I couldn't be more excited! Ciao for now!!
Always,
Sam
After returning to Munich we boarded our bus for long drive back to Florence. The drives home to Italy have become some of my favorite times. The scenery change from January until now is amazing. The grass is bright green, the mountains still capped with snow, and the changes in the buildings as we pass through each country. Each time we have passed through Austria I have fell in love. Being a bit of a Sound of Music fan I have always wanted to run through the hills of Austria like they do in the movie. Cliche I know, but wait until you see Austria in person. We arrived back in Florence around 10 and went straight to bed.
We have a few days of school this week before leaving Thursday for our trip to the Amalfi Coast. I will be visiting Positano, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, and more! I see this trip as sun, sand, and ocean water for miles and I couldn't be more excited! Ciao for now!!
Always,
Sam