Thursday, April 9, 2009

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

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Munich part one

We arrived in Munich at about 8 p.m. Walking out of the train station, I remember wanting to feel a kind of awe, anything that would say “Yes, Sara, this is going to be an awesome weekend in Bavaria.” Sadly, it was dark, cold and I had no such feelings. I trudged along behind the others and hoped that we would not get lost trying to find our hostel.

Richard was familiar with the city, having studied there for a semester, and we found it relatively easily. Next he wanted to visit the hostel that he had previously stayed in.

We walked to the Euro Youth Hostel and sat down at the bar. The place was full of young people conversing in all different languages, drinking and dancing. Everyone seemed so friendly and the atmosphere was very relaxed. I remember Tom saying that this was how he had always pictured a hostel to be like.

That night we met a Dutch man who was very impressed that Americans were speaking something other than English.

“When a person can speak three languages, they are trilingual. When a person can speak two languages they are bilingual. When a person only speaks one language, they are an American,” he said.

The next day I went on a tour of the concentration camp in Dachau with Tom. The concentration camp has been turned into a free memorial.

I did not know what to expect when visiting a concentration camp. Would I be upset by what I saw? Was this something I really wanted to experience? These were things I was mindful of as I walked through Dachau’s famous iron gates, the inscription “Arbeit mach frei” (work makes you free) looming above me.

Upon entering the gate, I was met by a harsh, barren landscape. I found myself standing in a square, surrounded by long, white buildings. Everything was still and before long, snow began falling out of the overcast sky. The crunching of gravel underfoot and the occasional explanation offered by a tour guide were the only sounds I heard for the next few hours.

The tour was in English, and the guide took our group through each of the white buildings explaining its previous uses and offering bits of history as well. Most of the tour was spent walking through barracks. I saw where prisoners slept, washed, ate, where some were tortured or experimented on, where their hair was cut and where names were exchanged for numbers and identities stolen.

I remember having this numb feeling for hours, walking silently and taking photos. How many people walked here before me? Worked here? Died here?

Near the end of the tour, I found myself outside of the gas chamber and crematorium. I was told that there was speculation as to if the gas chamber was ever actually used, but there was no doubt that the crematorium was.

I remember walking toward the gas chamber and seeing “Brausebad” (shower room) written above the door. The chamber was made of smooth concrete and had fake shower spigots on the ceiling.

Next I walked into another concrete room and instantly began to feel sick. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and panic gripped at my chest. After reading an inscription on the wall, I realized that I was standing in a room where bodies were housed before cremation. I quickly left the compound and the tour was finished shortly thereafter. A video of the compound is attached to this entry.

That night we met the rest of our traveling companions and went to the Hofbräuhaus. The Hofbräuhaus is a famous traditional Bavarian beer hall, which was a stark comparison to the concentration camp memorial. It was just what Tom and I needed.

According to Jeremy Gray, author of the Bavaria section of Lonely Planet's "Germany," says the Hofbräuhaus is “certainly the best-known and most celebrated beer hall in Bavaria, but apart from a few local yokels you’ll be in the company of tourists. A live band is condemned to play Bavarian folk music most of the day.”

This may have been true, but we enjoyed the Hofbräuhaus none the less. We were seated at a large wooden table with benches, and were served liters of beer by a waitress, dressed in a traditional dirndl (the female equivalent to lederhosen). I ate my weisswurst and thoroughly enjoyed the music played by the “condemned” band all night.

For more information about the Hofbräuhaus, please visit its official Web site at http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/index_en.html.

For more information about the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial site, please visit its official Web site at http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/english.html.

S.N.


Trip to Munich

One goal that I had for my studying abroad experience was to travel to Bavaria. On my previous trips to Germany, I had stayed mostly in the state of Niedersachsen, in the northern half of the country. Now I wanted to travel south and experience as much yodeling, weisswurst and lederhosen as I possibly could.

On Thursday, March 19, I got my wish when five of my peers (Amanda, Aaron, Megan, Richard and Tom) and I took a trip to Munich. We spent three days and three nights exploring the city and sleeping in a hostel. It was a great experience. The next two entries will be about this trip.

S.N.
Image: Five happy travelers. From left to right: Megan, Richard, Tom, myself and Amanda. Not pictured: Aaron

Die Mensa

After class, I go to die Mensa, or the cafeteria, to eat. There are two cafeterias in Marburg: Mensa Erlenring and Mensa Lahnberge, and students can choose to eat at either of them. Our group typically meets at Mensa Lahnberge to eat together.

To eat at either cafeteria one must have a U Card, which functions must like a Blugold Card. One loads money onto the card and uses it to pay the cashier when one has chosen a meal.

There are also cafes and bistros available for students; however they tend to be more expensive than the cafeteria, which in my opinion, is very cheap.

The cafeteria generally has four or five main courses for students to choose from, which range in price from about 2.70-4.00 euros. Depending on what course one chooses, one can pick up to three sides to go with a main course. One can also take additional sides and pay more for them. Sides usually consist of salads, vegetables, soup, fruit, yogurt or some type of desert. Milk and juice also count as sides; however I have noticed that many students bring their own drinks or just do not drink anything with their meals.

The main courses at the cafeteria are generally some type of meat, although one vegetarian entree is always offered. I do not think that I have ever consumed so much meat on a regular basis in my life! If I am not eating a steak of some sort it is a sausage, meatballs, etc. Potatoes are also an every day occurrence. Image: Ashley, another University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire student, about to enjoy her lunch of sausage, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut.



Our group has a saying when eating in the cafeteria, “Jeden Tag ist Schnitzel Tag!” or “Everyday is schnitzel day!” Schnitzel is, in fact, offered every day, and is a safe choice when one does not feel too adventurous. Schnitzel is a piece of pork that has been hammered until it is relatively thin and deep fried. Often times it is served with some sort of sauce and fries. Image: My plate of schnitzel.


As much as I like the cafeteria, I can only eat there once a day. It is only open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so I have to make supper for myself. Some people in our group have started cooking together to save money. Generally we decide what we want to eat, agree on a residence hall and time to meet at and then every one brings something to contribute. So far this system has worked well and I enjoy cooking with my friends.

S.N.