26th January 2013
As I mentioned previously, I did not plan anything for the remainder of my trip in Europe so locations, attractions and everything of that nature is basically unknown to me.
On our second day in Munich, the skies were blue which was incredible although it was still quite chilly. We strolled through the main square and past the city hall. We stumbled upon an outdoor market and Sunbear ordered some sort of assorted nuts for us. It honestly tasted like these weird walnuts that my highschool friend used to bring to school; I am sure that they tasted incredible as they were probably coated in MSG.
When I was in the States, I gained weight near the halfway mark. I blamed, and still do, on Sunbear. He ate a lot and all the time which resulted in me to overeat too. So it wasn't too surprising when he found a square filled with tiny establishments and tables outside. Everyone was drinking a beer stein and it was only 10am in the morning! Sunbear ordered (so glad that he knew German) and he got us mulled wine (glühwein), mulled cider (glühmost), horse meat sausage and hot chips with mayo. Fun fact, he believed that thick cut chips were European and it was something that I needed to try. Hmm. Mayo with hot chips is apparently quite a big deal in the Netherlands. I am actually not quite a big fan of thick cut chips; unless the potato and crisy-ness ratio is just right, I would rather not eat them.
For dinner we found some random restaurant (actually, he was interested in visiting a sushi place originally. I don't quite understand people's obsession with sushi, especially Europeans. I guess you like the things that aren't as readily available?).
First time trying blood sausage. It was alright, just a little too salty for my liking.
27th January 2013
Today we headed to Dachau Concentration Camp. Sunbear was the driver and I was meant to be the navigator. I am not terrible at reading maps and I did have plenty of experience in the States, but is something else when I couldn't even read the names of the roads. Turn left onto
Thierschstraße and then turn onto
Widenmayerstraße before turning right to
Ifflandstraße. Nope. It just wasn't happening. I would just look at the word and I didn't even know where to start.
Gas chamber, although it was never used.
Arbeit macht frei - work will set you free
We wandered around the grounds. All of the barracks except one (though not the original, it was re built to house the memorial/ museum part) were demolished however concrete foundations were laid down to illustrate the location of the barracks. The special barracks (the one with the aqua walls) was where they housed the special prisoners such as clergy. It's just chilling as to be expected. Just a really weird feeling and we didn't finish going through the museum since Sunbear found it a little too overwhelming. It was also very weird walking through the gas chambers (which apparently were never used as there was a lack of evidence; the gas is meant to leave a residue on all the walls) and past the crematorium. Reading that they had to build a larger and second one because the first couldn't cope with the workload. Ugh. I don't know if I want to visit any other concentration camps in the future. I just don't know. Part of me find it incredibly eerie (the same feeling that I get at cemeteries but multiplied by 1000 times) and I just end up feeling quite detached (on purpose).
We hopped back into the car and Sunbear wanted to drive around the area. We stumbled upon a barn full of cows and I never knew that cows were so affectionate! Once I started petting one, 4 others joined and they all wanted me to pet them! It was really weird and funny since there was this one cow who wanted all the attention and at one point actually shoved the other cows aside.
Lunch at this "town" or "village", wait apparently there is this thing called a "hamlet".
For dinner, we stumbled upon another quaint village and we just got stared at by the owner. Not sure if it was because we were tourists or if it was me.
French onion soup. Also note the owner staring in the background.
My Overall Thoughts
Munich was a much larger city than Hamburg although it is a little odd because when I associate "big city" I think of a city similar to Sydney or London whereas Munich is a big city but in a different way. I guess it is just that I am too used to one type. Munich was a lovely city and it did illustrate the difference between the northern and southern parts of Germany. Aside from the terribly rude people at Neuschwanstein Castle, everyone was incredibly friendly even to me when I was always just standing next to Sunbear and smiling awkwardly as he spoke in German. I guess it is somewhat similar to the US where it is perceived that Southerners are warmer.
Would I re-visit?
Not in the near future. No ill feelings towards the city, but sort of "too much to see and not enough time".
Next stop: the Netherlands!
