München

So I survived my 9 hour bus ride from Berlin to Munich. That's WAY too long to be sitting down. We had stopped in Nuremberg for a few minutes when all of a sudden two Polizei approached David and me on the bus. They asked to see our passports. Scared the buhjeezus out of me. I was trying to figure out why they would just make a beeline to us and demand our passports. As the incident got further away it started to make some sense. We couldn't speak German so the attendant kept looking at as funny as we tried to tell her what was going on. Didn't realize I could be a suspect just for travelling. They gave us the whole nine yards: asking us why were in Germany, where we were from, when we would be leaving Germany (rude!), and how we had gotten to be on the bus. It ended up being nothing, but it gave us a little bit of a what the hell? moment amidst the 9 hours of suck.

The bus passed through Nuremberg and Dresden. It was weird to think about all of the crap that has happened to Germany throughout their history. I kept thinking about the bombings in Dresden, the forests that covered this beautiful land, and what it must have been like to be a combatant in WWII. Luckily I am not old enough to remember or have seen those horrors. As we rode into Munich, we saw the Olympic Park. Oh. My. God. Unbelievable. This thing was freaking massive and was one of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen.

Of course, David and I lost our way to the hostel. The directions seemed so simple. Streets in Europe are anything but simple. You know how I said last night's hostel was the best I've stayed? Well, Euro Youth Hotel is even better. This hostel is alive with young people. And Happy Hour every day from 6-9. I love how hostels in Germany all have bars in them...

We planned out the rest of our trip as soon as we were settled in to our new home. We're going to leave Thursday morning for Salzburg and then on to Vienna to finish out our trip. Tomorrow we're going to do the Dachau tour. I'm really excited. Kind of odd to be excited to go somewhere that there was so much inhumanity, but it's one of those things that I feel will be completely humbling and incredible. A greater appreciation for what I have the opportunity of doing with my life. This is through the same company who did the free tour in Berlin, but this one sadly has a charge.

When we were adequately rested, we went out on the town to see what Mardi Gras in Munich was like. There was smashed glass EVERYWHERE and people were roaming all over the place. I'm sure the city will be much more appealing tomorrow when everything is cleaned up. I've done nothing in Munich and I already like the feel the city possesses.

I think that's it for today, guys. Tomorrow is going to be a rough day, I think, just because of the strain it will put on my emotions. I'm prepared for it, but I'm not sure you can ever be ready for that type of experience.

Until next time, my friends.

God bless!