First Steps in Germany
My first steps on German soil were accompanied by simultaneous feelings of excitement and utter exhaustion. We arrived in Munich at 10 in the morning, but it felt like the 4 a.m. it was back home. This began what felt like the longest day of my life; somehow we managed to pack a whole day’s worth of orientation and sightseeing into a single afternoon. We began orienting ourselves with German life and culture by having a traditional Bavarian breakfast at airbräu, the famous airport brewery. That was my first German meal of sausage and pretzels and since then I’ve had the same at least once a day. After brunch, we traveled by train to the center of Munich, where we are staying. During the train ride, I was shocked to see field after field of corn and wheat pass by, with quaint little farmhouses in between. I hadn’t expected anything so rural and it reminded me a lot of my hometown in upstate New York. It was truly beautiful to see the Bavarian countryside pass by as we approached the third largest city in Germany; the contrast made Munich all the more stunning.
We arrived in Munich at Hauptbahnhof, or Central Station; our hotel is only a few blocks away which means we are very conveniently located within a short distance of most of the city’s notable and exciting areas. This makes navigating a lot easier, which in turn means it’s easier to enjoy all the sights and attractions the city has to offer without having to stress to much about getting very lost. After settling into our rooms, we met back up for a short walking tour of the city. This was as close to a formal orientation as we had, which we were glad for because the casual atmosphere made it easier to adjust to our new surroundings. We saw several of Munich’s highlights and for the first time I got to experience being somewhere truly old and feeling the history of it right there in the street.
Some of my favorite things we saw were the old churches, the city hall, and the English Garden. The strangest thing was that it seemed so familiar and yet so different at the same time. In some ways, it reminded me of Boston with the odd contrast of new stores put in old buildings; everything modern looks out of place among architecture that’s centuries old. It’s also a very populous city, but it’s busy without seeming overly crowded. This is one of my favorite things about Boston and now Munich; I hate the feeling of being stuck in a crowd as I walk around.
One place that stood out the most was the English Garden, which is basically the equivalent to Central Park or Boston Commons but much larger. It is such a beautiful place and a great place to observe and experience the culture. At the center is found one of Munich’s most famous beer gardens, which is something we don’t have in the U.S. A beer garden is basically an outdoor pub, with vendors you can walk up to and buy food and drinks from and then go out and sit in the garden to eat. They’re probably one of my favorite things I’ve seen in Germany so far. It was a really fun experience to be able to casually sit and eat with my professors and talk to them outside of the classroom setting. That’s something that can be hard to do on campus and one of the things I like most about Dialogue. I think being able to bond with the other students and the professors is really beneficial to learning and to the abroad experience. It is now my third day here and the charm has only increased. Germany has treated me well so far and I’m excited for all we have planned for our last few days here in Munich and for what’s coming up in Berlin!
