Danka for the Bier

Its that time again. Chelsea and I left Lucerne and traveled to Munich. One of the main reason I was so excited to be there was because I was going to get some time with my UncleJonny. I rarely see him as we live on opposite sides of the Atlantic and both lead busy lives. Anyway, he works in Munich during the week. We got there, dropped our luggage off at his hotel and settled down for a drink at his local haunt.

The waitress greeted us with a hug, excited that she could me Jonny's niece and then introduced us to everyone that entered the place from then on. Apparently my uncle is friends with the whole of Munich! We had planned to go out to dinner after a few drinks so Chelsea and I didn't eat beforehand. This proved to be a mistake. We ended up drinking uncle midnight and then heading to an amazing restaurant. We got there to find out that the kitchen was closed! So, of course, we sat down for more drinks. The waitresses were awesome and brought us some sausage and cheese but we were too far gone for it to make any difference.

My uncle put us up in a neighboring hotel for the night and we, once again, savored the little things. Having a bathtub (we took long, soaking bath...and washed our clothes in it), having a kitchen (we cooked a meal with fresh veggies and chicken), and having a gorgeous comfy bed (we slept for HOURS). We were very hungover the next day so we just stayed in. That night we realized there was a sauna and spa room in the hotel so we spent a couple hours in there and then went to bed. Chelsea and I are finding that we are either old or crazy. One night we can stay out until 4am and the next we need to go to bed by 8pm. I'm just thankful that Chelsea and my sleep patterns are relatively similar.

We worked out in the hotel gym the next morning and enjoyed the amazing, and free, buffet breakfast at the hotel. We then checked out and headed to a hostel called The Tent just outside the city. On our walk to the hostel, we caught our first glimpse of Munich. We had been so comsumed by savoring hotel life that we didn't leave the building! So finally we walked through Marienplatz on the way to the tram. Its the main shopping street so Chelsea and I were doing some serious temptation fighting.

We had planned to stay one night at The Tent but extended our stay a night as soon as we got there. The Tent is unlike any other hostel I've ever stayed at. It is set up like a campsite. With campgrounds, a bathroom and shower building, a reception building, and a cafeteria. As well as the personal tents, there is one HUGE tent that sleeps 100 people. Its about 100feet by 50feet with high ceilings and packed to the brim with bunkbeds and lockers. There are no walls in the tent so you literally feeling like you're rooming with 99 other people. It can be a problem to fall asleep if you don't have earplugs but it presents amazing opportunities to meet people. Within 3 hours of arriving at The Tent, we had made friends with a couple of Americans that had been there a few days.

We had plans to meet Annabelle, someone we had met while having drinks with my Uncle, at the English beer gardens. Our new friends came along and invited some more American friends of theirs. Little did we know what a night it would be. As soon as we got off the tram at the garden, it started to rain. We went to get a beer anyway but then it started to downpour. Annabelle amayingly invited all 6 of us back to her apartment for drinks and pizza. We ordered both from the midnight delivery system in Munich and proceeded to get drunk. Two of the younger guys were sick and headed home around midnight. At that point, Annabelle decided that we should go to a bar. We got a short taxi ride to her local joint and started drinking and dancing more. The place was underground and tiny but it was full of locals. They stared at us in amazment, wondering how we had found the place.

By 2am Chelsea and I were ready to go home. I pulled out my map and asked the bartender where the nearest tram stop was. It was nowhere close and a dangerous walk for a woman at night. We were stuck there until someone else wanted to leave. I settled in for the longhaul. Finally, the others decided they were ready to go home. At 5AM. We started the long trek back to The Tent, in daylight. We passed a huge fountain in Marienplatz and my friend, Kyle, and I decided to run through it. I don't know if you've ever gotten the urge to run through a fountain but I get it all the time and figured it was the perfect time to quench my thirst. It was really awesome but then we had a soaking wet, 40 minute tram ride back to the tent. We finally got to our beds at 6am, exhuasted and still drunk.

Chelsea and I were determined to do something productive the next day because we still hadn't seen any of the city. I woke her up at noon and we stumbled, tired and hungover, to the concentration camp (Dachau) even further outside the city. I think our state of mind and past few weeks made us even more sympathetic to the plight of the prisoners and we left with a much better apreciation for the simplicity and quality of our lives.

That night we stayed in and cooked dinner with an early bedtime. We caught up on sleep that night and when we woke the next morning, two of our friends invited us down the river. We put on our bathing suits and bought some alcohol. We then spent the day ont the river. Drinking, playing in the freezing water, soaking up the sun and the sights. I got completely burnt but it was worth it for the fun day we had.

Chelsea and I left for Vienna that night. We took the 6 hour overnight train. Now we are staying in another hostel just outside the city. Its a big dissappointment compared to The Tent but we're trying to make the best of it.

Tune in next time to hear of our experience in Vienna. Hope you're all healthy and happy,
Ash