Munich

Tomorrow we leave Munich for Italy, where I most likely won't have a good internet connection for a while. I really enjoyed Munich, although it's really different from Paris. Paris has more things to see and do, while Munich is more about experiencing the Bavarian culture and hanging out in the city. We had good weather, and the people are very nice; almost everyone speaks some English. I tried a bunch of good German foods - schnitzel, pretzels, white sausage, brats. I also tried some of their beers at the biergartens such as Helles, Weisse, and Dunkel. The beer here is very pure as they say they brew it with water from the Alps, so it is more refreshing and better for you.

On the first day, we went to the BMW museum and learned a lot about that company. It was a really cool museum to learn about their cars, motorcycles, and planes, and we got to look around at all the new models afterward. Almost everyone here drives either a BMW, Volkswagen, or Porsche. The cars are so much nicer than France. After the museum, we went to a local biergarten (St. Augustine) where we met our friend Lisandro and he showed us around the town because he is studying in France. Later, we went to the famous Haufbras House in the center of Munich. It was completely packed and looked exactly how you would picture a German beer hall with a little band and massive mugs of beer. They go through about 10,000 litres of beer a day.We also saw St. Peters Cathedral and the main coocoo clock in the center of town too.

On the second day, we had 3 hours of class in a hot beer hall then visited Dachau concentration camp. We spent a few hours touring the grounds here, which was really interesting. It was the first and longest running camp; although it was more of a work camp than an execution. Over 41,000 people died there, and other camps were modeled after this one. It was also cool to follow the history of how Hitler came to power and how Germany became the regime that it was. After the tour, we went back and went to a local German bar with our entire group. Ryan ended up beating some Germans in a drinking contest and they weren't too happy about that. It seems like the whole culture here revolves around beer...every store closes at like 7pm except for the gartens that stay open late.

We visited three art museums the third day - sculptures, classic art, and modern art. Classic art was my favorite - almost better than the Louvre. I found my favorite painting ever called Battle of Issus by Albrecht Altdorfer. The modern art museum was terrible, none of us could understand anything. Most of it looked like something I could do. After the art museums, we went to another bier garten that is the second largest in the world and ate at a local German restaurant. Unlike France, everything is written in German so ordering here is pretty difficult. Later in the day, Ryan and I went on a beer tour with a tour guide in Munich. He took to some gartens and a brewery to show how the beer is made in Germany. It sounds a lot different and better than the US. Some things I learned:

• Was invented in Iraq around 1000 BC then moved to Egypt then Germany
• Germany has 1300 breweries. Munich only has 6 companies that are allowed to brew and sell beer
• Made of 3 parts - water, hops, and malt. This is the "pure" formula of Munich, although yeast was added later.
• Process: mix water with malts and heat it, then strain out the malts (used to make pretzels and Jagermeister), then add yeast to ferment and keep cool for a few months
• Straight from the tap, the beer is not filtered so it is cloudy with yeast enzymes and proteins.
• In Germany, you must announce Prost! and touch glasses every time you get a drink.
• To be considered a bier garten, you need chestnut trees and be able to bring your own food.
• Oktoberfest
• started as some guy's wedding reception with an open bar
• 8 million litres served each year to 7 million visitors.
• The alcohol content is increased to 7-8% and the city takes a 5% tax on alcohol sold
• Hofbras House
• Oldest beer hall in Munich. Floor is designed so you can pee under your table.
•  Hitler gave his first speeches here after he obtained power after buying free beer for the entire town.
• Weisse and ale beer is taken from the top of the tank, pilsner and lager from the bottom.
• Hops is a cousin to the marijuana plant, so this why beer makes you feel relaxed and often hungry later.

Some other Munich facts:

• beer capital of the world with the largest bier gartens
• most of the town, mainly churches, have been completely rebuilt because it was bombed out in WWII. Sinpers would hide in the church bell towers.
• Extremely technologically advanced city.
• Has one of the largest nude gardens where almost 200 people come every day, but I didn't go see this one.

Then on our last day today we drove a few hours to Salzberg, Austria to take a Sound of Music tour. I didn't like Salzerg too much - it was very touristy and the people weren't very nice. It was just a small German speaking town, although it's one of the last cities to retain its city wall from Medieval times. The tour was pretty good, but not as good as expected. It was a long bus ride and we just visited the scenes where the movie was shot, such as the lake, house, and gazebo. Our tour guide was enthusiastic and made us sing the songs. The best part was driving into the small town with the church and seeing the fantastic scenery of the alps and lakes surrounding us. We also tried apple strudel and ice cream in the town before leaving.
 
You know you're in Munich when:

• Your mug label matches your beer.
• Everyone owns a dog and they are all perfectly well behaved.
• The whole town rides bicycles everywhere.
• Bier garten around every corner.
• The town closes very early at night and opens late in the morning.
• Everyone assumes you are getting a beer with dinner.
• There are only 3 acceptable car brands to own.

Overall, I liked Munich a lot. I learned a good bit about the city and their culture. I liked it better here because the people were nicer, slower, and more laid back. Paris was a little too busy, and we didn't have enough time to do everything there. We are going to Italy tomorrow, which I'm sure will be very different from my first two experiences.