Trip to Schwangau & Munich - Part 2

It's New Year's Eve, and we get up early for our first full day in Munich.

Although, the bed at the Mövenpick was so comfortable, I didn't want to wake up. I'm not much of a morning person. Both Josh & my parents can attest to that.

I had one of those hop-on/hop-off tours planned for the day. Well, actually, I had three bus tours planned for the day. I didn't really make the most of our time on this day, unfortunately. The City Sightseeing bus had three different routes, going to three different parts of the city. I thought that would be the best starting point to explore Munich. Boy, was I wrong.

I will note, that Munich is the EASIEST city to navigate by car or by foot. It was at least the easiest city that Josh and I have ever explored. Yes, we have GPS, but everyone knows those things don't necessarily create a problem-free driving experience. There were directional signs everywhere, and clearly painted lanes on all the roads - not true with many cities in Europe. In some cities, you just have to say a couple Hail Marys, and try not to die of a heart attack from the sheer fear of it all. Not the case with Munich.

We found parking in the train station lot, which was unfortunately very expensive. But, we DID get to go into a car elevator. Scary as hell, but freaking cool.

And now on to the bus tours.

First off, it was snowing (which turned to rain in the afternoon). So, the double decker bus, which normally has an open top, now had a cover on it. Also, each trip was about an hour, with maybe a 30 minute wait to get in. This was just toooooooo much time wasted sitting in a bus. It got pretty boring. For future reference, just do one bus tour - the main one. Anything else, just plan to go on your own.

So we did the first two bus tours...

After the first two bus rides, we decided we needed a break. So, a quick trip back to the car for lunch, and then we explored the train station for a little while.

A quick note about public restrooms. Most of the time, if you're in a public restroom in Europe, it's a pay toilet. You pay anywhere from 30 euro cents to a whole euro to use the bathroom. You're essentially paying for an attendant to be in the restroom, keeping it clean & stocked. Let me tell ya - I don't mind paying to use the restroom ONE BIT. 1 euro is pretty high, and I complained to Josh about having to pay a whole freaking euro to go to the restroom in the train station. Until the next day, when we were by the train station again, and I really needed to pee. No pay toilet in sight, but there were free toilets available.

:|

I will never again complain about paying a whole euro to use the toilets in the train stations. Blechchhhhh.

Anywho, it was time to hurry up and use our last bus ticket, for the "main" city center tour. Unfortunately, at this point, we were bored, tired, cranky, and cold. I swear my butt cheeks froze at some point. So, we didn't really make the most out of our bus tour.

At this point, it's mid afternoon, and we're FINALLY done with the stupid buses. Off to explore Munich on foot, right?

Oy.....I don't know if it was because it was New Year's Eve, or what, but apparently everything started shutting down at 3pm. Crapballs...

We did hang out and watch the ice skaters. I don't know why we didn't take pictures of this, because it was the best part of the day. Watching all the people flail about on the roughest looking rink I've ever seen was awesome. They had these little polar bear-shaped carts that the less experienced skaters could hang on to & push around. Seeing the frat daddies have to use them was priceless. Oh, and then there was the kid that didn't so much as skate around with the push cart, as he did stand in one place and suck on the bear's ear. It was frackin' hilarious. I need a video camera. Someone out there on the interwebs - buy me a video camera, please. I'll post all future videos of kid-on-polar-bear suckage if you do! How can you pass that up?

Anyway, it was starting to get dark (it starts getting dark at 4pm during the winter around here) and my cheeks are still frozen, and we're frustrated that everything is closed. Well, except the Jesuit church (which was nice). The Aycocks really like going into churches. Which is weird, because I would have figured we'd burst into flames upon entrance....

Even though it was NYE, I didn't have anything planned. Our hotel was 25 minutes away from the city. I'm not so good with crowds. We would have had to take public transportation to and from the hotel after partying during NYE. Partying in downtown Munich just didn't work out. I promised Josh that next NYE, we would actually plan to stay in a hotel somewhere, in the middle of downtown, so we could actually enjoy the festivities.

But, we did have a good time at the hotel. We weren't the only sad losers staying there, with no plans. After a dinner of a sandwich for me, and cold canned spaghettios for Josh (he is SO WEIRD sometimes!!!) we hung out in the bar and shared a bottle of wine. Apparently it's a custom for everyone to bring their own fireworks to the party, because at LEAST two groups of guests came out with backpacks full of 'em. We went outside after the stroke of midnight, and the light show started. Fireworks were going off EVERYWHERE!!!!! Every house around the hotel (plus the hotel guests) had a major arsenal of fireworks. It was awesome. I can't imagine what downtown Munich must have been like (if we go next year, I'm taking a hard hat & protective goggles).

You know the one thing I always forget to do at the stroke of midnight?

Wish Josh a happy birthday.

Yes, New Year's Day is the Mister's birthday. No one with him ever remembers it's his birthday until 15 minutes AFTER saying "Happy New Year!!!". Poor guy.

Anywho, then it was off to bed to get prepared for the next day. Which neither of us were looking forward to.

Dachau.

Now, those of you that know me, know I'm a weird hippy with lots of weird ideas and beliefs. Scientifically, I consider myself an absolute agnost, bordering on atheist.

But then I also do weirdo hippy things like tarot cards, past life regression, ghost "whispering" if you will. So, please forgive me for all the weirdness that's about to be transcribed.

I've had several past life "specialists" tell me that I was a nazi in a former life. Not only that, but so was Josh, and we were a nazi couple back in the day. Whether or not I believe that, I don't know. But I do totally believe in past lives, so.....who knows.

We spent about two hours there - an hour and a half walking through the main part, then a half hour in the "crematorium" section.

It was cold, cloudy, and relatively empty of people, which made it all the more eerie. Then, it was onto the crematorium/gas chamber section. FYI, there was no evidence that the gas chambers were ever used for mass killings (but that doesn't mean it was never used at all).

This section was so strange. It was like a beautiful wooded park, with a canal running along the edge. We're walking thru the trees, squirrels are playing in the brush, and then we come up on this...

Execution range & blood ditch.

Then, we walk around and come to the buildings. There was an old crematorium, with just the "ovens" but the newer one was built with several rooms. First, the disinfecting room.

From there, it was off to the gas chamber. The gas chamber was disguised as a big shower, so as not to panic any prisoners forced into the chamber.

It's at this point that my mind/body is inundated with psychic and karmic bad juujuu. I had to get out of this room. Josh was somewhere else, taking photos, so I was by myself in this building. And, I had to get out of this room. So, I pretty much sprint through it, where I end up in the "death" room. This is the room where the bodies were stacked, waiting to be burned in the next room (the crematorium). Well, I didn't really want to be in this room either, but at least I didn't feel like I was being chased.

But then I try to walk thru the crematorium to get out of the building.

Nope, nu-unh, wasn't gonna happen. I had about a thousand eyes on me, daring me to walk thru the next room. Eeeesh, even writing about it is giving me major goose bumps. Excuse me while I go do a sage smudging....

Anyway, I'm stuck in the death room, not wanting to go back thru the gas chamber, but DEFINITELY not about to walk thru the crematorium by myself.

Josh is FINALLY done taking pictures of whatever he was taking pictures of, and is now in the gas room. All I can say is "I can't walk through the crematorium by myself. Hurry up." He says, "ok." But he continues to take pictures. So I'm still in the "death room" limbo. Finally, he's done, and he comes with me to the crematorium. Then I realize that him being there doesn't really help. A thousand eyes are still focused on me, he's taking pictures, and I'm trying my damndest to NOT LOOK TOO CLOSELY inside the room. I just know I'll be able to see the eyes that I can feel.

Finally, I bust through the door, out to the open. It helps a little, but eyes are still looking. I rush Josh through, because all I want to do is leave the area. Finally, we do. On our way back outside, back away from the eyes and the weight that is now balancing on our shoulders, we stop at the camp prison.

Oy, this is almost as bad. Most of the doors to the prison are closed, but you can see inside through little cutouts in the doors (imagine insane asylums that you see in movies - you know the solid door, with a cutout for the tray of food, and the little window that you can see through). I only made it about a quarter of the way through before I left the prison as well. I just knew I was going to look in one of the windows, and see a prisoner looking back at me.

We were done. I was ready to Get. Out.

All in all, I'm glad we went. I do feel like it's really important for everyone to visit concentration camps. And I'm sure we'll go to more while we are in Europe. But, I'm not looking forward to it.

After our time at Dachau, we needed a drink. So, we went downtown to Munich, to go to the famous Hofbräuhaus.

It was crazy packed, mainly because it was the only biergarten open on New Year's Day. Basically, it was just long rows of tables & chairs. If you find an open seat, you better hurry up and park it, because the next person who sees it will. It seemed like it took us forever to find an empty spot. Finally, we got one. We ordered some beer & a pretzel basket. Oh, it was the best thing ever.

Then I realize there is a sign hanging over the table were sitting at. I assumed correctly that this was one of the many tables that were reserved for the regulars. As long as the regulars aren't there (and don't make you move) you can use the table...I assume, anyway. But, wouldn't you know it, the "owner" of this table sat down as soon as we were served. It must happen all the time, and he said it was absolutely no problem to share the table with us.

Good, cuz I wasn't movin'. :)

He was a nice, English-speaking German. He said he had been coming to the Hofbräuhaus for 35 years, three (sometimes four) times a week. Then he asked us our opinion of Obama. Then we talked about work or something, I don't know. Tip of the day - try to hang out and talk to the locals. It's fun, and you both work on your second language communication skills.

After our bellies were full of bread & beer (ha! I love alliteration) we went on to explore the Marienplatz. This is basically the walking district in downtown Munich. There were piles of broken glass and firework carcasses EVERYWHERE. That must have been one fun celebration, and I was kind of sorry we missed it. Oh, and going on family walks on NYD to pick up bottle rocket sticks must be "the thing" to do. Tons of families were out, smiling, picking up firework trash.

Other than Munich being a really easily navigable city is that there were no...down-on-their-luck people (for lack of a more polite word than "beggar"). In Paris, we couldn't go more than ten steps without someone stepping in front of us asking for us to buy something, or give them change. We saw one homeless person in Munich, and there was this "troupe" of guys playing pranks on tourists (it was pretty cute & harmless) but that was it.

More walking, more sightseeing, more picture taking. Josh got a new lens, flash, and camera strap for Christmas, so he was taking a TON of pictures.

We wanted to go relax a little bit, so we went back to the Hofbräuhaus. Unfortunately, it was way busier than it was just an hour or two earlier. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on who you ask) there was a Hard Rock across the way. So...(ick) we went to Hard Rock for a drink.

We were pretty tired, and emotionally drained, so we headed back to the hotel for the evening.

The next day, we slept in a little (8am is sleeping in for us during vacation) then packed up and left! The drive was 4 hours long, but Josh had work the next day (after 11 days off) so we wanted to get back home in enough time for him to decompress & relax a little bit. We've never been on a truly "relaxing" vacation. I think it'd be boring, anyway.

All in all, we had a great trip. Every trip we go on gets a little easier than the trip before. We become better planners, better packers. On this trip, we ate two dinners out, and had three snacks out, and one breakfast was included in our hotel. Everything else that we ate, we brought ourselves. I think that's pretty good, but it could get better. Next time, only ONE bus tour. And, next time we're in a big city for NYE, I'll splurge and get a hotel room close to the action.

Next time we go to Munich (and we'll definitely go again) we're going to do the BMW museum, the Olympic tower, the Bavarian palace, and the Erdinger tour.

Also, Josh is going to learn how to use a bidet correctly.