Munich

Wednesday afternoon has rolled around and I have NO IDEA what I am going to do this weekend... Ron is going to Greece, Erik, Mike, Spencer, and Aaron are going to Norway to go to Sensation once again, and Ben is going up north with the girls from up the street....  I started to look online at distance from Munich to Germany and found out that they were actually really close to each other!  I went to the train station to book the next overnight train from Rome to Munich!  I left the Rome train station with about two hours to get home, pack for five days of traveling and print off all my boarding passes.  My plan was to leave Rome at 7:30 PM Wednesday night, and arrive at Munich's train station around 6:30 AM.

I get to the Rome train station with about five minuets to spare before the train left without me, problem was that the over-night train isn't market what cart you are suppose to get into.  I asked one of the train conductors and he spoke 0 English once so ever, but I was able to catch a few words here and there to lead me into the right direction.  As I jumped off the cart a almost homeless looking man came up to me and asked if I needed help.  I looked at this BO drenched man that was overdue for a shower, a scruffy beard, gross leather tanned skin, and his eyes were blood shot.  My guess was that he probably hadn't Used whatever he was tweaking on for awhile.  But as I tried to ignore him he grabbed my bag and told me to follow him.  I kept trying to grab it back but he refused to give it back until we found my cart.  Once we found my cart and I tried to hurry and shuffle myself in my room and lock the door but the guy stopped me half way and said "tip please". I handed him a two euro coin and told him to go (permesso) and he wouldn't get out of my bunk, so I stood up and he raised his hand and said cinque (five) and shook his hand in my face.  Why I didn't knock his hand out of my face and scatter his pity money everywhere I still don't know, but I told him to leave now and he took a step towards me, thats when another guy heard us and told the pity fool to leave also.  The guy then turned to shut my door with us two in the bunk and I gave him a good shove and told him to get off the train. I thanked the guy for his help and turned back to my bunk.  I was in a 6 person bunk and at this point and time I was the only person in the room.  I could only wish it would stay this way!

My bunk is the bottom right for 10 hours.

I finally arrive in Munich around 6:30 AM.  I get off the train and follow the directions to my Hostel.  If anyone reads this and is planning on going to Munich, please I urge you DO NOT STAY AT A&O HOSTEL!  They moved locations two years ago and still haven't updated their address, also their phone only works when their receptionist isn't on the computer.  Within the three hours of trying to find this hostel the sky was getting darker and darker, the clouds were black as night, then out of no where snow started to fall... I haven't seen snow since Switzerland, I haven't worn a warm jacket since early March.... I was wearing lacrosse shorts and a light black sweat shirt (I'm wearing it in one of my pictures holding a beer, thank you Connor for leaving that for me).  Finally I see a sign that is advertising the hostel that I'm staying in.  I walk in after being in the freezing snow/rain for almost an hour, soaking wet and ready to unless hell.  I try with all my might to keep my cool as I asked the receptionist why their phone doesn't work.  She explains to me that they only have one phone line in the building and if they are on the internet it takes the phone line away.  The girl with mangled teeth, an ugly tone of voice, hair pulled back in a bun, and a blue collard t-shirt that said A&O Hostel checked me into my room and explained the check out process etc.  As I receive my room key I get around the corner of the desk and shoot a look back to see what her computer screen would show that was so important they couldn't free up the telephone lines.  With a white background, followed by a blue trim read the headline FACEBOOK.  This girl was to busy sitting on facebook while other people that had the same problem as me trying to find this hostel were stranded.  I digress.  At this point this trip has started terribly and doesn't help that I'm on my own.  I get in my room (a single room, if I had to share a room with anyone at that point hell would have broken loose) and I take a quick nap and get ready to explore Munich.

At this point I come down stairs to a new face behind the desk and change my attitude, this employee was not on facebook and bragged about keeping phone lines open all the time.  I quickly ask her how I can get to Dachau, one of the biggest reaming Concentration Camps still around.  She gives me directions there and a route to get me to the Third Reich (The infamous streets where some of the darkest stories of human history took root and grew into Hitlers dictatorship).  She told me I was lucky that I was doing this on a Thursday because these two sights are only opened a few days of the week, to my luck they were both opened today.  At this point I'm starting to think this day might turn around... I was soon mistaken.  Long story short, she gave me directions that lead me two hours the wrong direction, and when I finally was able to travel back two hours and make it to Dachau the day was almost half wasted.  I didn't rush myself but being alone this tour didn't take as long as it normal would have.  I spent a good three hours in Dachau.  Here are a few pictures I took, I have about 60 pictures from here, but I will not post them!  This place made me sick, I almost threw up when I walked through the gas chambers (even though they claim never using them) and the burning room). 

entrance to Dachau

the gate that all the prisoners walked through

as you enter, you see a wide...Square yard you could say?

This was done three years after the camp was torn down, this resembles all the different live styles that were going on at the camp.  There are three monuments such like this one.  This is also placed right by the museum and away from the houses because they said "No matter dead or alive they want all surviving memories away from the places they once laid."

This is the second monument.  You see it read "Never Again" also in front of this; there is a small box that has writing on it (there wasn't any English, but audio guide said it was ashes from the first camp member killed here).

this is the overflow room, the camp was designed for 6 thousand people.  Within two years it was up to 40 thousand people....  They had to sleep facing the opposite way from each other in these bunks...

This gray area rocky area is where housing and buildings once sat.... When they started to tear down a lot of the camp they left this to show everyone how long and narrow their houses were where they were being kept.  See the next picture for a better idea.

This is a picture that was posted by house number 22.  So you can imagine that every one of these houses were on one of those gray blacks above....

After a emotional few hours I return my audio guide and ask the short scruffy beaded man behind desk where I could find the Third Reich... This guy looked at me like I was stupid.  he had no idea what I was talking about.  I gave him a gross look and walked away.  On the bus I asked the bus driver and he had a "some-what" idea of where it was.  And then I asked a TOUR GUIDE, and he said wasn't exactly sure. Ok I'm just going to put my foot down real quick... How stupid do you have to be people from Munich... All the travel guides say that the main two attractions in MUNICH are the two places I wanted to go.... And yet, no one knew where it was.  As I was looking over the map and travel guide I had to give up, the time had passed and I had to admit defeat and head back to the hostel once again.  

I get back to my hostel around 5:00 PM.  I hadn't ate all day (the concentration camp kind of killed my appetite).  But I didn't want to miss this beer tour at 6 PM.  I hurried to my room, jumped in the shower, and ran down stairs to ask the same lady a good place to eat near by.  She gave me a confused look and said "I don't know, umm yah maybe down the street?"  When you work at a hostel or even a hotel you need to know things around you!  When I worked at the double tree in Boise they made us memorize all surrounding restaurants and tourist attractions in the area (I usually just sent them back to BODO because Garden City... there's nothing in Garden City).  Once again I gave her a angry look and headed to the train station, it worked out because the meeting point for the beer tour was in the train station anyways.  I can't remember if I've raved about this enough or not, but in Rome we have a Kabob by our apartment.  It's seriously amazing, we eat there at least three times a week, and the guys who work there love us.  I start to wonder around the train station when I see this...

this is hands down the best Kabob I've ever had in my life... Sorry, Roma you just can't hang with this one!

The beer tour gets started and everything goes smoothly, I soon forget how mad I am at my hostel, and everything else that follows behind that.  The tour kicked off with a free beer and then we followed our guide to our first pub.  There is one really cool thing about Munich I really liked was that when you are done with your beer you don't throw it away (if it's glass) you lay it by the trash can because the homeless people pick them up, take it to the train station, and put it in a machine that recycles the bottle and gives you .80 euro... thats almost a $1.10 american for one glass bottle... That's insane!!  

The beer tour starts and here is my first beer

it says hell because in Germany, "hell" means beer

This is a church I passed on the tour that resembles one of Disney's buildings as well.

This church reminded me of Brussels... A lot detail and is placed in a massive square.

This is my first Liter of the night, it's from HB

It's a dark beer, but it's actually really light and quite sweet as well.  Like dark beer it's a stronger alcohol content but still a great tasting beer.  That's coming from someone who doesn't care much for dark beer.  

 This is really cool!  Here they have a club, if you come to this building three times a week and order at least two beers at a time for 5 YEARS, you get a mug.  This mug gives you free beers and is locked away in shelf like this.  When one of the members come to the building they give a token a key, the token keeps track of how much they drink and at the end of the year they have a prize and a celebration.

    here's another shelf full of mugs.  Pretty much you have to rich and an alcoholic to be in here, the drinks were not cheap at all...

HB

after two other pubs we went to, this one still sits best in my mind.  This building holds the Pope's favorite beer.  He personally has it delivered to his room at the Vatican.  

Here's the beer hall leading to the cellar where they make and store the Pope's favorite beer.  As you can see this place is always packed and full of Americans, Germans, Italians. etc.

Here's another Liter of the Pope's favorite beer.

This is "the beer cellar where the Pope's beer is made and stored.  The only beer from this wall that is drunk is by the Pope himself.

We stopped at two other famous pubs on our adventure before we made our way to our final stop.  It was actually at a hostel that I was trying to book instead of where I was staying (I really screwed up).  And there the Australian tour guide Adam, announced that there had to be a dance off because this kid Matt and I both drank the same amount of beer during the tour.  We both had no idea they were keeping track of the beer count, but we both were the only ones who were somewhat with it still too.  A lot of people had to drop out and head home early.  

The dance off started with Matt and ended with Matt, the whole hostel was watching us, and neither one of us knew anyone surrounding us as we thought of our next dance moves.  Before Adam could say dance, Matt was already in the middle of the circle picking out the hottest girl he could see.  When he found her; he ripped his shirt off and threw it to her, from there he slowly gave a strip-tease to the audience by taking down his pants.  At this time Matt is dancing in his underwear, at the same time I'm clenching my stomach because I'm laughing so hard.  Then out of nowhere as the song that is playing starts to pick up pace, Matt drops trow and exposes himself to the whole crowd.  He lifts his hands in the air as if he was an angle looking up to God.  Half of the crowd went nuts laughing, the rest (including me) turned away, also still laughing so hard.  The dance off was ended there, how could you not give this dude the winning prize! 

But to make it fair Matt and I both received two prizes for finishing the beer challenge.

Matt got this.  It's a free pass to tour, building, etc that charges admission.  It worked out great because Matt was staying another two nights and he really wanted to see the castle in Munich, but he didn't want to pay 30 euro.  Well, Matt you got it free homie!

I got this, a senseless piece of paper, but it's full of memories and great beer!

After everyone left, Matt and I stayed at the hostel and continued to have a few beers.  We were talking sports when I finally asked him what sparked the idea of him to get buck naked?  He told me that he use to pose for nude modeling and didn't care about being naked in front of people.  I almost spit out my beer in laughter and we kept drinking.  We later ran into a few girls from Nevada.  Now both these girls were very cute, but loved to brag about their football team. I didn't get a chance to speak before they asked where we went to school and Matt had answered Boise State for me.  They shot me looks that no words could describe.  To my surprise the girls knew a lot about football and actually told me that they root for BSU when they aren't playing Nevada.  We swapped college stories and before I knew it, it was almost 5 AM.  I had planned on getting up around 8 AM...  I headed back to my hostel and kept my promised to myself, my alarm when off at 7:45, I showered, changed, and was down stairs by 8:00 AM...  I couldn't be happier than getting out of Munich.  Next stop. PRAGUE!