Munich part 2

The next morning I was rudely awakened by the other six occupants of our 12 person room leaving for their next destination. It was bad enough that they were other Americans (we had been hoping to meet some fun Europeans) but they did not even speak German or really talk to us at all. I was disappointed.

After breakfast, Megan and I made our way to Marienplatz, the square where a free walking tour was supposed to convene and begin. Marienplatz was teaming with people and a group of German vegan demonstrators were inconveniently situated where the tour groups met. They were entertaining to watch though. Most of them were dressed in animal costumes and would intermittently begin to sing and do the chicken dance. We grabbed some pamphlets in hopes of deciphering them later.

Though it was probably the most “touristy” thing that I could have done, I am glad that I went on the walking tour, which took us around the inner city. The guide was a quirky but knowledgeable American college student, who made the tour enjoyable with a myriad of jokes, facts and history about the sites we were seeing. Through the tour we saw the imposing and very gothic Frauenkirche, which houses the infamous Devil’s Footprint, the National Theater/Opera House, the Memorial to the German Resistance, the Church of St. Peter, both the Old and New Town Halls and much more.

The next day was our last day in Munich. I did not get up early enough to go to a service at the Frauenkirche with Tom and Richard and instead accompanied Megan to the Church of St Peter. There, you could pay a euro and climb 297 steps of the tower to see a spectacular view of Munich. We had been told by our tour guide that on a clear day, one could see the Alps from the tower. Sadly, it was not clear enough that Sunday, though the view was still worth the small, winding staircase.

At 3:05 p.m. we caught our train and started the seven hour journey home. We had to switch trains four times, but it was actually relatively easy and I suppose it was good practice for us as well. We got into Marburg at 10:20 that night.

My trip to Munich was a great time and I would love to go again and explore the city more. As of April 1, my student ticket has been activated, meaning that I can travel by train around Hessen for free. I plan to take advantage of this and I am going to plan more day/weekend trips around the state.

S.N.

Images: Me standing inside the Frauenkirche next to the Devil's Footprint

The view from St. Peter's