München Deutschland - Munich Germany

THE goal I had for my entire abroad experience was to go to Germany and I successfully accomplished my goal. I absolutely love Germany and it is now my favorite country out of all the many countries I have been to in Europe. For this trip, I traveled from Cork to Munich Germany to do a bit of sightseeing and experience Oktoberfest then we made a pit stop in Prague in the Czech Republic to see one of the oldest cities in Europe and then we ended our trip in the capital city of Berlin. I went with five other people on this trip including my two roommates Matt and Ryan, my old USD lab partner Brittney, Victoria who I went to Amsterdam with, and Bryan one of our friends we meet in Cork from California. Luckily I had taken a bit of German back at USD so I was the lucky person that got to speak with all of the Germans that we had encountered while on the trip. With that I must say that I can understand the Germans better than I can reply.

MUNICH

Munich is the capital of Bavaria and one of the states in Germany. Bavaria is a very picturesque region backed up against the. While in Munich we saw the Altstadt (English for old town), the Residenz, the former palace of the Kings and Queens of Bavaria, the BMW headquarters and experience the two week festival, Oktoberfest. We traveled around Munich using the U-bahn, which is a subway system. We stayed at the German equivalent of a Marriott at the Mercure München. Although our accommodations were fairly cheap since all six of us shared one room. I was told by a friend back at USD who lives in central Germany that there were two cool cities in Europe Berlin and Munich so I had to make sure I went to both. Munich is a quintessential German city and one of the cleanest and most efficient places I have ever been too. I loved Munich, I loved the Bavarian people and I loved the culture. When I read about Munich I found that Munich is Bavaria’s real heart and soul. It’s a stylish metropolis, a vortex of art and culture, yet a relaxed place that manages to combine Alpine air with a Mediterranean vibe. Wherever you go, be prepared for oceans of beer served with legendary, thigh-slapping hospitality, and I completely agree!

OKTOBERFEST

One of the main reasons we went to Germany was to go to and celebrate Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held during the last weeks of September and the first few weeks of October and it is the world’s biggest fair. Oktoberfest celebrates Bavarian culture and Bavaria as a whole. Oktoberfest is comparable to a state fair where they have rides, good food, and different things to see. Nevertheless, the main focal point of the fest is approximately 20 massive tents sponsored by a certain Bavarian beer where they serve beer and Bavarian food. Since about six million people attend this event every year we thought we should get there fairly early to make sure we got a spot. So we arrived at about 8 in the morning and got in line for the tent that was most lively. We ended up at Hacker and Pschorr, which is one of the biggest tents and is know as the heaven of the Bavarians or Himmel der Bayern in German. We sat at a table with some Germans students that were studying in Hamburg in Northern Germany. We were at that tent from about 10 in the morning to about 5 at night. So after several hours of drinking we drunkenly decided to go to the BMW headquarters and then we returned to the same tent until Oktoberfest closed at 11pm. Oktoberfest was one of the most fun experiences I have ever had in my life. It was fun to meet new people, brink Bavarian beer and experience Bavarian culture. I most definitely want to make it back to Munich for another Oktoberfest in the future.

A statue in the mittestadt or city centre of Munich that pays tribute to King Ludwig von Bayern, who is the first King and founder of Bavaria.

The Glockenspiel in Marienplatz, which is the focal point of Munich and is at the center of the city. All Bavarian cities have a Glockenspiel in the center of the city.

Me at the Hofbrau Haus where we went to dinner for our first night in Munich.

Me and Brittney toasting at dinner. German food tends to be very heavy consisting of meat and potatoes. I had a huge piece of pork and some käsespetzel or cheese pasta and it was very good.

As soon as we arrived in Munich we went to the Marienplatz and Maximillianstraße to see the Altstadt. This picture is off me on Maximillianstraße, one of the main streets in Munich with the Glockenspiel in the background.

The Glockenspiel in the Marienplatz

This picture is a bit out of order but it is off the altstadt in Nürnburg where we transferred from a train to a bus on our way to Prague.

Brian, Vicoria, and I having our first beer at about 9:30 in the morning. Each stein contains 1 liter of beer and was €8.60.

A picture of our tent and as the day went on the tent got more full.

Our four German friends that we sat with. While there everyone sings traditional German songs and they love to hum a specific white stripes song. We also learned how to toast in German. You can either say Prost or Hau weg die Scheiße.

A german guy chugging a liter of beer. This man was on his second liter. Most of the people that come to Oktoberfest wear the traditional lederhosen

Victoria and I with our two German friends Christian and Jon.

Me in die BMW Welt or BMW world sitting in a 5 series

The main BMW headquarters. Being that I am obsessed with BMW I really wanted to go to the main BMW headquarters and the BMW museum and I did both! Since BMW is made in Bavaria and Mercedes is made in Baden-Wittemburg, the state next to Bavaria, there is somewhat of a rivalry between BMW and Mercedes. I was glad to be in Bavaria where people love BMW and loathe Mercedes.

Me and Matt back at Oktoberfest

When we returned to Oktoberfest we lost two of our travellers Brian and Ryan who decided to go back to the hotel to sleep.

After Oktoberfest we left back to the Hotel got a couple hours of shut eye and went directly to the train station in the morning where we left for Prague in the Czech Republic.