Munich Germany, Best Sauerkraut and Schnitzel in the World...

September 16, 2007

Munich:

Germany is beautiful. It is green, lush and clean. The people are very proud of their beautiful country. The way they talk about and take care of it.

I could not believe how many people wearing the traditional Lederhosen and Bavarian wear as a normal day on the town. One guy at the famous Hoffbrau house had a ploom on his hat that was bigger then his hat. I wish I had my camera with me. Even the kids wear the traditional wear with pride.

Another interesting item about the people: They are very health conscious in what they eat. They all want to eat Bio (in German it is pronounced: Bee Ohh) It is our term for Organic. At the Hostel, in the City, wherever, it is a big deal. They will pay more. I had a great talk with “Lilly”. She owns a shoe store where we bought some Birkenstock's. She is a German lady in her late 50’s. She asked me why all of the American women were so fat! She wondered how they flew over in the small seats of the airplane. I told her that they bought two seats. She thinks Americans are fat because we drink milk from cows that are injected with Hormones. I think there are too many McDonald's. She agreed on that as well.

We spent the first day in Munich at the outdoor public mall. It is classic Germany. The famous Glockenspiel (town clock) is there where every hour Hansel and Gretel go out to play. It was under repair. They were also getting things together for the famous “Oktoberfest” which stars in a week and lasts three weeks. They expect 6 million people and will consume 6 million liters of beer. In Germany beer is cheaper then water. Even the old ladies have a beer with their meal.

We ate lunch at the famous “Hoffbrau haus” which is the public beer hall. This is where Adolph Hitler had started the Nazi movement. It is in the center of town and is an important landmark for Bavaria. Not because of Hitler but because it represents all that is good about Bavaria. It has been serving food and drink for over 400 years. At any given part of the day you can eat the best Pork Knuckle, a good stein of their own brand of beer and finish it off with some delicious “Apple Strudel” All of the food was so good I had to go eat there the next day as well. Good thing I don’t live in Germany. I might become a fat German… and not because of hormones in the Apple Strudel. J

Later that day we went to the infamous “Dachau” concentration camp. It is now a national memorial and museum. It is very well preserved and is a sober trip back to the past. On the front gate entering the concentration camp there is an inscription in the gate that says: “Work will set you free”. What a joke. The Nazi’s knew they never wanted people to leave and the only that set people free was from too much work, too little food and death. There is too much human tragedy to talk about it. Click the link if you want to see more info about it. But it is important to remember. The Germans are very embarrassed about it but are willing to embrace the mistakes of following a mad man.

One of the Hostels we stayed at is called “The Tent”. It is open in the summer time and closes after Oktoberfest. It is in a park and you sleep in tents. There was people from all over the globe there. At night we sat around a big bonfire and asked where everyone was going and what they have seen while in Europe. It’s funny. You go to these hostels and talk to everyone and realize Europe is this large school and everyone is on a grand field trip. At night everyone comes together and does their “Show and Tell” time. For 3 euro the hostel cook made some great schnitzel and German potato salad.

We are on our way by train to the beautiful town of Dresden, Germany. See Link. If you remember your history, Dresden was the city that in 1945 the Allied Forces (US) leveled to prepare the way for the Russians to invade. The whole city was one giant inferno. Since then and as recently as last year (2006) they have completely restored the city. It is the capital city of the region of Saxony and has a long history dating back to the first recordings of European civilization. They just finished the famous church (forgot the name) with a 200 million restoration project. Hopefully I will take some good pictures of it.

We stay here for a day and then head to Berlin, Germany. I’m having a great time with my son who is a good traveling partner, but I’m also looking forward to getting home and seeing my family.

But for now… Bis Spater