So Im stuck here in Munich for 3 extra days due to the volcano. I actually got extremely lucky with everything. I really wanted a few extra days here to do more stuff in the area, and its the end of my spring break so I have the flexibility to do that. Plus my exams dont start for another month so Im completely able to stay here for a few more days (except that I'm completely out of money, but I have wonderful parents who are taking care of that...).
I was worried about finding a hostel for 3 more nights because this weekend is Springfest so the hostels are all booked, and when I asked at my hostel last night they said they didn't have any open rooms tonight. But when I asked this morning something had opened up, so I was able to book 3 more nights. Thank goodness. The next hurdle was rebooking my flight. I didn't have any problems doing that this morning (the next flight is on Monday). Luckily I rebooked early, because when my friend tried to do it later the flight was full.
It's funny because this entire spring break has had absolutely no problems. Nothing was stolen, I didnt get injured or anything, but then the last thing that could go wrong did. Im completely fine with it though. Like I said, I really wanted a few more days here!
After complete craziness this morning figuring everything out, I went on a tour to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. Dachau was the first concentration camp, and the model for all the other ones. It was really an intense experience, as could be expected. There's really not a whole lot that can be said about it, but here are some pictures that will hopefully give you an idea of the gravity of the place.
Entrance to Dachau:
Roll call yard:
Bunks:
The sculpture is of people electrocuted to death in the barbed wire fence:
The old crematorium:
The gas chambers and new crematorium:
Entrance to the gas chamber. Brausebad means shower:
The gas chamber with fake shower heads in the ceiling:
Crematorium:
As we left the gas chambers, the last stop of the tour, a memorial bell started ringing and it was a pretty powerful scene. Here's a video I took of walking from the gas chambers back to the main camp. The big rectangles on the ground that look like building foundations are where the barracks were:
Yesterday: Here are some pictures from yesterday. We took a free walking tour that covered all the main sites, like Marienplatz, the Residenz, the Glockenspiel, and more. There is some incredible history that has taken place here.
Marienplatz:
Viktualienmarkt, where we've been getting lunch:
The building where Kristalnacht was authorized:
The famous Hofbrauhaus beer hall:
View of Marienplatz from St. Peter's Church:
View from St. Peter's:
After the tour the weather got really nice so Emily and I went to the Englischer Garden, which was very lovely.
Surfer in Englischer Garden:
Englischer Garden:
I dont feel like fixing the orientation of this but a nice river:
There are a lot of beautiful buildings and gardens here:
We wandered around there for a while then went back to Marienplatz, where we saw a really great group of street performers (complete with a grand piano!). We bought a snack and wandered around the city, where we saw another group of street performers. These guys were really, really good. Plus they had an adorable little girl who was dancing around and interacting with the musicians and the crowd and stuff. Very entertaining.
After that we got dinner, then went to Starbucks to read for a while until that night, when we went to check out Hofbrahaus, the most famous beer house in Munich. We didn't have enough money to buy a beer (we were trying to use up our euro before we left and we only had enough left for breakfast), but we checked it out.
As we couldn't stay at Hofbrahaus without buying a drink, we wandered aroudn the city at night, enjoying the great atmosphere. We watched that second group of street performers for a while- they were so good! We went back to the hostel after that.
Going back to today: After Dachau we wandered around the city (the weather was nice and lots of people were out) and got dinner. Emily had to do laundry tonight so we're waiting for that to finish now, then we're going to check out Spring Fest which is basically Oktoberfest but in the spring... so that should be interesting...
Tomorrow: Garmisch! Im going to do some hiking and get some awesome pictures.
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