Munich: no expectations.

Munich is quirky, standard, Bavarian, snowing and beer-soaked.

Munich from the top of Alte Peter.

A lot of cities in Europe suffer from expectations, you’ve seen them in film, and about them in books, heard about them from endless bouts of travel talk, sometimes  the city rises to the occasion, sometimes it does not. So how lovely to come to a large European city where I had no expectations about what to do, see or even what it is like beyond some knowledge of a little beer festival that runs every late September and early October. This was a really great thing. I wandered the streets, hung out in the beer halls and gardens, ate at the market, went to galleries, visited churches, I went window shopping, ate a lot of pork, watched the underwhelming glockenspiel show, I even debated the existence of God with a local. I didn’t feel rushed, I didn’t feel obliged to see everything, I just existed. I don’t think I have super-strong feelings either way about Munich, but I did have a nice time.

The city gates.

Beer halls can be found packed out at all times of the day and night in Munich, complete with raucous men in lederhosen who offer themselves for photos with tourists. The Viktualienmarkt is filled to bursting. People crowd here on their lunch-break to enjoy Bavarian food (pork, pork and bretzels), fresh produce and a very peculiar tasting honey wine (if they don’t feel like another beer). It would be remiss of me not to mention how much the people of Munich love their beer. The beer purity law of 1516 is still taken very seriously and the 6 best breweries in Munich uphold the rules from the 16th century. Restaurants and Beer Halls bear the name of the 6 (it sounds like a secret society doesn’t it?), I went to at least 3 places named Augustiner and walked past a dozen more. After a rigorous testing process, I have to say the Augunstiner was my favourite. I went to the famous Hofbrauhaus which was insanely busy, but the beer wasn’t as good. Some say that the lack of preservatives in this beer means you don’t get hung-over from Munich beer, I would beg to differ.

Inside the Hofbrauhaus.

All throughout this trip I have aimed to improve my skills in languages other than English. Something that is quite difficult in a place like Europe where the vast majority of people I have encountered speak beautiful English. It’s a shame, in many places I haven’t even had to try. Which makes me feel both incredibly lucky and guilty at the same time. Nevertheless, I have had an aim to have a whole conversation with someone in their native tongue. I have the most vocabulary in Italian, French and Spanish, and even then it’s not that much. I failed in Italy because many people would hear my accent and speak back to me in English, In Spain and France it was the same story, although more of the French were willing to hear me out. My German has been improving. One day I almost got through a whole order of a bretzel and a bratwurst before coming undone on the numbers in the price. So close, yet so far. I also went to order breakfast from a bakery. The guy behind the counter complimented my order and asked if I spoke German. He was lovely, but it foiled me! He then very kindly gave me a quick pronunciation lesson on some of the wares in his bakery, much to the annoyance of the man in the queue behind me. Unfortunately, not all of the people I encountered were so obliging. The abrupt and forward nature of many people I met was a bit of a culture shock. I don’t know if I’m just used to Australian politeness, but there were a fair few Munich residents I encountered who were down-right rude. One girl scoffed and rolled her eyes at me when I asked if she spoke English in German, as if my attempts to be polite were a waste of her time. A man found my walking too slow and shoved me out of his way, huffing and puffing loudly as he stormed off into the distance.

Dog parking.

Munich has beautiful parks and gardens, I spent a whole afternoon wandering through the English Garden. Munich’s biggest green space. Everyone is happy to tell you that it is double the size of New York’s central park. In one section of the garden I saw a man playing the cello in the gazebo. He played songs from musical theatre and people were enraptured by his performance. Even on my last few Euros I made sure I left him some money. He was amazing; if I had any troubles, he would make me forget them. A little up from the cellist was one of the strangest things I have seen in a while. Germany has a coast, but it’s not anywhere near Munich and in addition to that, the port of Hamburg is not really a surf beach; but no matter. Munich’s surfing community has decided it will hit the waves of the stream that runs through the park. We saw a group of about 8 taking turns to ride the wave created by the overflow under a tunnel . There was an old master there, teaching a new protege a few tricks, a couple of women showing some amazing strength to surf against the torrent of water that spills out from under the bridge. We stood there for ages watching them take turns, wipe out and get up to do it all again. So wacky. A walk further into the park revealed beautiful scenery, walkers, runners, lovers and of course, a beer garden to enjoy a radler (beer and lemonade) under an Asian inspired pagoda. I was told a few locals like to nude up in this park, luckily, I didn’t encounter any. Maybe it was a bit too cold for them.

Hanging 10 on the river.

I had 4 days in Munich, which meant I was able to take the 2 hour train ride out to visit Neuschwanstein Castle. The castle is allegedly Walt Disney’s inspiration for Cinderella’s castle and the famous Disney logo. Although I have to say, I think there are 3 or 4 castles around Europe who lay claim to this. The place looks utterly romantic. It’s perched on top of a mountain with even more snow-capped mountains towering all around it. Unfortunately, the guy who built it, King Ludwig II was a recluse who had an obsession with Wagner and swans and was declared insane on 3 separate occasions. So not even remotely romantic. After jumping of the train and climbing up the bike path, the most wonderful thing happened. It started to snow. It wasn’t cold enough for it to stay snow for long, but when it fell from the sky I felt like Winona Rider in Edward Scissorhands. It was magic. Being an Australian, snow doesn’t really happen that often. Even our ski fields have to be topped up with artificial snow, but here, in beautiful Bavaria at the end of October, the snow was falling. After the hike up we walked to a bridge that stretches over a 90 meter gorge, some of the wood shifted under my feet, so I didn’t spend too long. It offered an intense game of dodge the umbrella and a more impressive and beautiful view of the castle. The tour of the castle was short, but we saw ballrooms, bedrooms and even a grotto that was created to look like an actual cave in the middle of the house. Ludwig decorated the place with murals of myths, legends and Wagner operas. I loved the inside, it’s not very big because Ludwig died (under very mysterious circumstances) while the castle was being completed. The paintings and the decorations were elegant and beautiful. The decorations in this castle were probably my favourite (although I do hate to play favourites) in Europe as I found palaces like Versailles very over-the-top. After the walk down I was soaked in melted snow. But this was not a problem because I had actually been in the snow while it was falling, I let snowflakes fall on my tongue, I threw a snowball (well, a clump of ice) and I loved every minute of it.

Neuschwanstein Castle from Mary’s bridge.

Munich is the last real stop on my Eurotour (I only get one night in Paris on my way out), so I made sure my last day as a tourist was the most touristy of all the days. I created my own, ultimate European day. It started with a walk down the main street Nuehauserstrasse to people watch and look at fashion I couldn’t afford, I went to eat lunch in the park where I encountered two guys implementing a survey, which is classic Europe. I have done so many surveys on this trip, most of them are about tourism. When they asked me the first question I knew what I was in for “Do you believe in God?”. From there we had a 1 and half hour debate about God’s existence, atheism, Christianity, sin, marriage equality, mental health, chlorophyll and many other topics. The best part is I think it only cemented our own beliefs and when we both walked away we were probably feeling the other was a bit of a poor fool. The conversation was mostly respectful, but all interesting. I have Catholic and Christian friends, but we never discuss their beliefs, much like we don’t discuss who we vote for (although I guess we all know). I loved talking to him, I certainly didn’t agree with the dogma, but I respect his right to think what he wants. But I digress, after my theological discussion, I met a friend at the Neue Pinokothek gallery; because what would an ultimate European day be without a visit to a gallery. There are 3 Pinakotheks, an old, a new and a modern. I went to the new, which house art from Monet, Degas, Renoit, Pissaro and many others from the late 18th to early 20th century, including one of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. It was a great collection. In a wonderful serendipitous moment, the temporary exhibition was about artistic interpretations of Venice, which for those of you playing along at home, was my very first stop. Looking at all of those photos and paintings of the city made me think about how far I have come on this trip and all the amazing things I have seen. I am very lucky. From there it was a stop for coffee and cake (of course) and then off to climb the bell tower ‘Alter Peter’. I cannot tell you how many bell-towers I have climbed in the last 7 months, but even on this grey, miserable day, I really enjoyed the view. When we climbed, down below the Glockenspiel (a clock with chimes, jousting soldiers and dancing Coopers) was going off to the adoring crowd and then when we started to ascend, the bells started to go off. I could see them through a small window on the stairs. Then I finished it off with some beers and pork knuckle with lovely folk I met in Prague. So European.

Marienplatz.

Having no plans and no expectations was the best plan I could have had in Munich. As I said, I don’t think I loved the place, but it certainly kept me entertained with its quirkiness.

Berlin: Hipsters’ paradise.

Berlin is youthful, cheap, alternative, artsy and a mish-mash of styles.

East Side Gallery.

My trip to Berlin has been a varied one, I did a total of 10 days in the city. 5 of them before my partner in crime went back to Australia, 3 were on my lonesome after some time in Hamburg and 2 were a part of my tour to Russia, Scandinavia and the Baltic states. So i guess by now, I feel like I know the city pretty well. It’s a sprawling city and walking is not always an option, luckily (as expected) it has a great transit system. In my post about Amsterdam I mentioned that it was a place I could see myself living in. I have a similar feeling about Berlin, except that Berlin feels like a much more accesible city. One that anyone would find acceptance and their niche in. After Berlin was obliterated in WWII and then carved up by the Allies, the place needed to be rebuilt. What was created is a literal concrete jungle. Much of Berlin is still being built too. The city is a construction site with cranes poking out across all areas of the landscape. Most of my time here has been spent in the old ‘East’ Berlin, where most of the buildings are those concrete apartment blocks, they are not the prettiest to look at. Tall, imposing, square and often grey. But Berlin is not about looks, it has much more substance than style. Like any good romance, Berlin becomes more attractive the more you get to know it. The underground culture pulsates day and night. It’s a mass of cafes, restaurants, bars, theatres, craft markets and designer clothing shops. They all have an artsy edge and are filled with über fashionable Berliners sipping a latte, downing a beer or shopping for their quirky outfits. Most of the walls are covered in amazing street art, tags and posters for gigs that ended long ago. It’s dirty and grimey, but it’s so hip that it hurts. A mayor of the city described it as “poor but sexy”. Which is probably not the way you want to be described, but that’s OK because it means it is an inexpensive city to stay in and with cheap food and drink to sustain you.

Graffiti (Little Lucy top left).

Speaking of drinks, beer is cheaper than water here and as we discovered on a night out with some locals, can be drunk on the street. So when we didn’t like the band that was playing, we went to the bottle shop, got a beer for 80 cents and sat out the front of the bar and drank it before going back in to see the band we were interested in. Unheard of in Australia.  Another aspect of the alternative side to the city that appealed to me is that Berlin is a punk rock paradise. Shows are on all nights of the week for, you guessed it, really cheap. We were able to see Kris Rowe play an acoustic set at a bar called ‘Wild at Heart’ and White Lung tear ‘Magnet’ a new one. Also, I now have a lifetime entrance to The Ramones Museum. The exhibition was awesome and it only cost me 5 Euro with a beer. It had everything from their old jeans to rare t shirts, albums and photographs taken by their manager. The walls of the museum are covered with modern day musicians and bands paying their respects with everyone from Tegan and Sarah to Brody Dalle tagging the wall. This was a cool moment for me as The Ramones are most certainly one of my favourite bands.

The Ramones museum.

But it’s not all hipsters and punk shows. The amazing Brandenburg gate, which is a symbol of so much stands proudly in one of the city’s centres. The Reichstag was rebuilt with a modern twist and an amazing glass dome. The old museums are so grand that they rival many of the finer ones we’ve seen on our trip so far. The Tiergarden is a massive sanctuary for the city that covers a massive distance. Walking through here was like walking through a forest dotted with statues, fountains and people riding bikes. One of my favourite spots to relax was the Charlottenburg Schloss (palace) and its beautiful gardens. The Palace is gorgeous, but the gardens are something else. This place is like Berlin’s smaller scale Versailles. I visited the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, a church that was bombed during WWII which now, half destroyed, stands as a monument to how much Berlin was demolished. Scaffolding for works that covered a large chunk of the facade took away from the experience for me and left me feeling a bit disappointed.

Berlin is a city with a checkered past. The thing I like best is that it never shies away from what has happened there. We visited several sights around the city that deal with the Nazi party and the split of East and West Berlin. The city of Berlin should be commended for the way it faces up to what happened during these times, no matter how shameful it may be. It is not proud; it is factual and honest about what happened during these times. In addition to this, admission to sights, exhibitions and memorials that cover this time are mostly free, so there will not be any profits from the memories of victims of the regimes. Although there was nothing but respect shown for victims of the Nazis, I did notice the years of the DDR are taken a little less seriously, with men dressed as American soldiers at Checkpoint Charlie posing for pictures and an array of Soviet styled hats to buy on many street corners.

Checkpoint Charlie.

No discussion of Berlin or visit to it can avoid the topic of the rise of Nazism and the implementation of the so-called ‘Final Solution’ which systematically murdered 6 million Jewish people and over 5 million Roma and Sinti people, homosexuals, people with disabilities and Nazi’s political opponents. I had studied this era extensively in my own schooling and to teach it in my work, but, like most things, reading a whole lot of books doesn’t prepare you for the reality of what happened. The excellent Topography of Terror museum is located in the old SS headquarters is an example of this. It had outdoor and indoor exhibitions. The outdoor exhibition was an overview of Berlin from 1933 when the Third Reich came to power to the end of the party and the end of the war in 1945. The indoor exhibition concentrated on the SS and their role in the regime, including executions, ‘euthanasia programs’ and stand-over tactics. Obviously the whole thing was devastating. I think what really struck a chord for me was the story of the Roma and Sinti people, or Gypsies, as they were called at the time. Reading amazing biographies like Elie Weisel’s ‘Night’ or Livina Bitton-Jackson’s ‘Elli’, or seeing documentaries and films I know a lot about what the Jewish people went through at this time. However, I don’t think I have heard the story of the traveller people who went through these horrors too. I guess they just didn’t have a voice and still don’t to tell their tales. Across the city, there are a range of memorials dedicated to the victims of war. The Soviet monument and the mother and child one are interesting tributes, but the stunning ‘memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe’ is one of the most amazing monuments I’ve ever seen. it is a sea of stone blocks of varying heights, it doesn’t sound like much but it is strange and wonderful to look at. I walked thorough it for longer than I expected. During our visit we also went on a day trip to Orienburg to visit the Sachsenhausen Concentration camp. This was quite an experience; not one I enjoyed, but one that in many ways was necessary. Sachsenhausen began as a concentration camp for political prisoners but as the war began and progressed it was filled with all of the ‘enemies’ of the Nazis that I mentioned. We went around with a man named Nickolai; a great, learned guide who clearly had a passion for telling the stories of the prisoners of the camp. I think it will be a impossible for me to explain how this affected me. Graphic descriptions of gas chambers, mass graves and horrible conditions have all been given to you before. I think you have to see it to understand the gravity of the situation. I think I just walked away wondering how anyone could let something like this happen. Being the big sook I am I struggled to hold back tears for the victims, but I know how lucky I am to not be personally affected by it.

A memorial at Sachsenhausen.

The Berlin Wall is gone and the concrete that once divided the city is now only around in dribs and drabs across the city, including on postcards. One place is in Potsdamer Platz where out of the ashes of the so called ‘dead zone’ in between The East and West has risen a park and a huge shopping centre, outdoor pavillion and many other commercial enterprises (including a classy ‘Australian bar’). Here there is a small portion of the wall, strangely covered in globs of chewing gum and some information about the area. One of my favourite places is the East Side Gallery, where a larger portion of the Berlin wall still stands and has been turned into a gallery. I feel like it’s a symbol for how Berliners handle themselves. “You put up a wall designed to repress me? Well, I’m going to cover it in amazing art that questions you and society!”. Just over a kilometre of wall space is now splashed with bright colours and works from a variety of artists of many nationalities. The range of styles was phenomenal. Most pieces have a comment to make on the wall, its fall and what it meant to the people here, but some are just for fun. Street art pops up all over the city in many different ways. The scourge of tagging can be found from the ground to as high as arms can reach on the outside of many buildings, especially in Suburbs like Kruezerburg and where we stayed in Mitte. But there is also amazing art by very talented people. Murals that take up entire walls of 5 storey apartment blocks, life-like portraits and it’s not just paint, it’s stencils and papering too. One of the quirkier ones was we saw was a series about a little girl called Lucy who in each series is finding a new and exciting way to murder her cat. Cue that poor cat in a blender, little Lucy with a gun calling for “kitty” and more. Disturbing and hilarious. On our search for great street art we stumbled across an amazing portrait of Anne Frank which was commissioned by the Anne Frank museum. Down this same alleyway was some brilliant art. we were lucky enough to see the artist in the process of painting it. She used giant rollers and layered on the 3 colours she was working with, white, purple and black (I even got to come back and see the finished product on my return trip). As we snaked our way further down the lane we found The Monster Kabinet, an animatronics performance art show. We were escorted underground and encountered a wild array of monsters who sang, danced and tried to attack us all to pumping techno beats. It sounds kitsch (and it was) but it was so creative and interesting. Going to this performance art piece was one of my stranger travelling experiences, but I wouldn’t have missed it.

The finished product.

In case you can’t tell in what is possibly my longest entry yet, I loved Berlin. It is a great city. A spirited and youthful place that delivers on arts and culture, lifestyle and on budget.

Hamburg: sitting on the dock of the bay (and the couch).

Hamburg is quiet, industrial, eclectic, wealthy and just a little bit dull.

Landungsbrucken.

Our visit to Hamburg was an interesting one on many levels, however most of them were personal and not to do with the city itself. This was the first city were we got to stay with a friend in a real house, not in a hostel. For me, this was a great opportunity to see a city as a local sees it, which gave a real insight into what makes the city tick. In addition to this, Hamburg was were I said goodbye to my partner in crime. So the last few days have been more about being around each other than being around Hamburg. So forgive me if this entry is a bit thin on the ground. We arrived on the ridiculously expensive train in the afternoon and headed to the Hamburg suburb of Sternschanze for a few drinks and some pho. For me, there was a lot in this inner-city suburb that reminded me of the north side of Melbourne, eclectic boutiques, hip cafes and eateries – it is a German Fitzroy. Interestingly, most of it was closed. Germany has some very strict laws regarding businesses operating on a Sunday. Eateries can be open, but shops and the vast majority of supermarkets must remain closed. The small percentage of supermarkets that are open have to adhere to guidelines that say they can’t sell certain products on Sundays, like meat. This rule means even the most interesting suburb, like Sternschanze, can lose much of its vibrancy. With the mighty power of hindsight, it’s probably one of the reasons we were so bored so quickly on our Sunday morning in Wolfsburg. It was no matter, Sternschanzen park was filled with people playing games, barbequing and drinking beers on this Sunday. It was a great place to spend some time. Actually, I think just hanging out was a favourite past time in Hamburg. Whether it was in an artificial beach bar (a trend across Germany I have noticed), or on the banks of the river Alster, or in the inner-city suburb of Altona, we have really excelled at just sitting down and taking it all in.

Altona.

We did have time for those usual tourist spots though. We visited Hamburg’s famous red light district, the Reeperbahn. Which, I must say did not have the charm of it’s Dutch equivalent. My favourite part of the Reeperbahn was Beatles Platz, It wasn’t much, just a set of 5 statues on a turntable dedicated to the Beatles and the start they got playing in bars in the area. John Lennon said “I was born in Liverpool, but I came of age in Hamburg”. I can see why, the road is wall to wall sex shows, strippers and bars. We went to see a band at the famous fishmarkt. We did a cruise around the source of Hamburg’s wealth, its shipping yards. We even got in a trip to the partly amazing, partly peculiar miniature world, which featured miniature models of German, European and American towns complete with working lights, trains, cars and tiny people getting up to crazy things. I guess this is where I should confess, there isn’t too much to do in Hamburg. Just wandering around is OK, but in terms of the sights and activities the rest of Europe has offered, there hasn’t been as much here.

Beatles-Platz

As i mentioned before, having a local with you on a trip is an invaluable thing, especially when it comes to the inside word on my favourite thing – FOOD! We have been treated to delicious multi-cultural cuisine while in Hamburg and we owe it all to our trusty guide. As well as the pho, We ate at an Indian cafe that served platters with curry, rice, dhal, naan, salad and yogurt all for about 5 Euro. We had traditional food too, Currywurst is famous in Germany; basically, for the uninitiated, it is a sausage, usually sliced up, covered in a mixture of tomato sauce and curry powder. I can’t say it was my favourite, but I’m glad I tried it. And of course, we had a hamburger in Hamburg at an American-styled diner called ‘The Bird’. According to our trusty guide, these awesome eateries are a product of great research and the food in Hamburg is not as varied, tasty or even as cheap as in Berlin.

Currywurst.

I think it was the warmth of a friend’s home that was my favourite part of Hamburg. It was great to stay somewhere where we could sit on the couch, watch some TV, eat some food we prepared and just take a break from the travelling lifestyle. But, as always, the rest does not last for long. After a bus back to Berlin I’m ready to finish my experience in the German capital before heading north to Scandinavia, the Baltic states and Russia.

Day tripping: Wolfsburg

In between our trip from Berlin to Hamburg we stopped by a town in Lower Saxony called Wolfsburg. We did this so my partner in crime could see one of his favourite bands (who he’s not sure would make it to Australia), Iron Chic. I had not heard of Wolfsburg before this trip and to be honest, there was less than a day trip’s worth of stuff to do there. Our exploration that we envisioned would take a couple of hours, took just half of one. Although I must say the older part of town looked gorgeous. Wolfsburg is famous for manufacturing VW cars. The buildings around the plant on the river are modern and sleek, to the west of the train station there are some charming classic German houses, parks, playgrounds and quiet streets. In many ways, away from the train station (and near where we stayed) it created a village-like atmosphere where as closer to the station Wolfsburg looks more like a modern up and coming town. a interesting contrast just a few kilometres apart.

Town Hall.

We arrived in the afternoon from Berlin and after a relax (read: nap), had dinner at the hotel. In Berlin we had not had too much in the way of traditional German fare, the cuisine is very international there. Here we were faced with gigantic traditional dishes on giant plates, full of delicious carby goodness that filled you up til you were fit to bursting. I ate an amazing schnitzel that has probably changed my life for the better. The ‘welcoming’ shot of schnapps, however, did not have the same glorious taste. I have never had anything so strong. it gave me a shiver when i sniffed it, let alone when I downed it. When he offered us the second one, I tried to opt out, but was told in a very matter of fact tone that: “the first one is strong, the second one clears your mind”. How could I say no? For the record it was just as strong and horrible. In the morning as we left at check out time, there were 3 older men having a 10am schnapps. I was equal parts impressed and horrified. Our waiter, bar man and hotel owner was a very kind man, and not just for his penchant for giving us free booze. He discussed travel, work and life with us and laughed heartily at our jokes. He made us feel at home, which is a nice feeling.

 

The streets of Wolfsburg.

The whole point of being there of course was to see the band and they did not disappoint. The show was played in a squat; an old, abandoned house covered in graffiti inside and out, getting through to the front door there was a mass of overgrown plants to contend with. Iron Chic played to around 170 people crammed in a tiny room that was probably the house’s old living room. It was hot, and with good reason. Everyone was dancing, moshing, stage diving, crowd surfing and yelling along to the music. This was one of the more interesting gig going experiences I have had. The band played well, the sound was good and the crowd had a great time singing, jumping and enjoying the show. There was probably some alarm bells ringing for a couple of you (Mum and Nanna) when I said was seeing music in a squat, but there were lots of different types of people enjoying the same thing, so there was no trouble from anywhere. Music unified everyone from the hardcore punk with blue hair to the 10 year old girl who had come to the show and stood side of stage so she wouldn’t be caught in the crowd.

Iron Chic

A fun detour an interesting to see a real town, not a tourist centre.