journal of a journey: Munich
Debby Reis, Features Editor
It's raining when I arrive in Munich. The city is soggy. The few people that are in the hostel when I check in seem distant. They pass me in the halls and lounge with lowered eyes. No one is in my room. Hoping to ignore or forget my isolation, I turn to mass consumerism and head out to the BMW Museum.
The museum has visitors start out on the bottom floor and leads them up a spiraling ramp that illustrates BMW's history via various vintage vehicles. The final section of the museum is an interactive display where you can design your own car, learn how crash test dummies work, and, of course, drive a BMW.
It's still raining when I leave the museum. I run from awning to awning until I reach the U-Bahn. On the train, a couple sits together, holding hands and speaking in hushed voices. Their traditional Bavarian clothing gets my attention. I wonder if they're off to a folk dance festival?
I spend the rest of my day hiding from the rain. I make dinner at the hostel and attempt to make friends with various people. A group of Korean girls give me some spices, but otherwise keep to themselves. I go to bed early.
At 4 a.m. I wake up to the sound of snoring. The worst snoring ever. I climb out of my top bunk and get my Walkman in the hopes that music will drown out the horrendous noise. As I climb back up, I notice the stench coming from the snorer and gag. I open a window and stick my head out. Well, at least the rain has stopped.
Despite waking up in a bitchy mood, I decide to make the best of the gray, but rainless, day and take a day trip to Fssen, home to two castles, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. According to Lonely Planet, Neuschwanstein was the inspiration for Disney's Fantasyland castle, and if you're willing to wait in the hours-long line, you can see for yourself why. King Ludwig II designed the castle to look medieval, yet it was only built in the late 1800s. The king was fixated on Wagner's operas so there are murals detailing the opera's plots, especially those that include swans and knights, on all the walls. During the guided tour, you can learn about the king's other eccentricities and visit his artificial cave, located on the third floor.
On my last day in Munich, I start off a bit grouchy because the stinky snorer has kept me up again. But it's sunny outside! I walk through the Marienplatz, Munich's centre, and listen to street performers playing classical music. I take photos of the Glockenspiel's dancing characters at the old town hall. I eat sausage for lunch at the Viktualienmarkt, where I also see more people in traditional garb. I pass by a store window selling the overall-shorts of years gone by right next to modern garments. I guess those people weren't headed to a folk festival after all.
I spend my afternoon at Englischer Garten watching young German men playing soccer until I tire of seeing their young German girlfriends cheering. I then head to one of the large beer gardens for dinner. After some beer by the litre and more sausage, I bound back to the train station just in time to catch my night train to Venice.