Tuesday, December the 1st, I had an expensive decision to make because I had to get to Munich, around 600km from Cologne. The fast train would get me there in four hours, and cost €97; a whole day pass for all of Germany’s regional trains would cost me €34 and get me there in 10 hours. The other option is always hitchhiking. I spoke to a fellow traveller in Cologne who had just come from Munich by hitchhiking, and he made it in around three and a half hours, doing an average of 180km/hr the whole way. That’s the thing about Germany’s Autobahn, cars can legally go whatever speed they want (or can) on many of the major sections of highway. Making the economical decision, I psyched myself up to hitchhike the whole distance, and after checking out, went back to the smoky bar to find a good place to hitchhike out of the city from. As always, hitching is easy once you leave the city as long as you stick to the rest stops. But that initial journey out of the city can be an absolute pain if you can’t find a good spot. I was joined by a Romanian fellow I had talked with the night before, and after explaining my plans, he lit up with a big smile and offered to take me out of the city himself. I was overjoyed, as he offered to take me to a major rest stop fully out of the city limits, 20km down the Autobahn. Walking a few blocks to his car, I was expecting a jalopy in which I was going to trust the next 30 minutes of my life on some of Germany’s fastest highway. Pulling out an Audi key, my jaw hit
the ground as a shiny Audi TT Quattro unlocked in front of me – this thing was fully loaded. How do you know it’s a nice car? Because my backpack didn’t fit in the trunk, that’s how. Doing a speedy 160km/hr once on the autobahn, we covered the 20km quickly and he dropped me off at the agreed upon rest stop before jetting off in his own personal rocket ship. From here I waited around half an hour, walking up and down the rows of cars – parked or filling their tanks – waiting for someone going the same way as me. I wrote on my sign “Munich”, but no one seemed willing to take me any distance at all. Finally, I thought what the hell and I walked down the line up of trucks. Wouldn’t you know it; I was almost immediately motioned over by a short, scruffy man. We established he didn’t speak much English, but that he was going 300km in the same direction as me. I gladly climbed in. He was a friendly man and I quickly established he was another Romanian! A day of firsts, for the first time I met a guy named Zoltan, I rode in an 18 wheeler, and I actually regretted taking an offered ride. Not that Zoltan’s driving was bad, or that he was rude or awkward, it was because the truck couldn’t make it past 80km/hr. While I wouldn’t expect to go 160 the whole way to Munich, it’s bad when literally every vehicle on the road is passing you. We made light conversation for the 5 hours it took, the only excitement being a truck which had rolled over going the other way, another trucking smashing into it and causing a 22km traffic jam behind it. I nervously tightened my seatbelt a little bit, and the ride went on. Zoltan dropped me off at a rest stop we had agreed on beforehand, and continued his journey. I took out my sign once again, and waited for around 40 minutes, getting little in the way of a response. I finally took the initiative, and started seeking registration plates from Munich. German registration plates start with the letters of the city in which the vehicle is registered – I was searching for 
plates starting with “M”. I approached a man in a suit who had previously ignored me, and asked him “Sprechen Sie Englisch?” He replied with a yes that was sort of ‘duhh’. I told him I was trying to get to Munich and asked if he was going that way and he happily replied, “sure, hop in!” And here is another lesson learned. The Germans are very upfront people, and are not embarrassed to be asked such questions. If stuck for a ride, just ask people! I was ignored when holding a sign, and welcomed openly when I simply asked. His was another nice Audi, and he flexed the engine’s muscles because he was in a hurry to get to a meeting in Munich. I enjoyed passing most everybody on the highway, doing an average of 160 the whole way, which I felt made up for the slowness of the truck. He dropped me off at München Hauptbahnhof (Munich Central Station), and took off for his meeting. Hitchhiking: free, eight hours; beating budget mass transport by €34 and two hours...score! I easily found and settled in to the well appointed Euro Youth Hotel (really just a hostel), enjoying a €2 litre of beer from the bar and updating my family on the events of the day.
the ground as a shiny Audi TT Quattro unlocked in front of me – this thing was fully loaded. How do you know it’s a nice car? Because my backpack didn’t fit in the trunk, that’s how. Doing a speedy 160km/hr once on the autobahn, we covered the 20km quickly and he dropped me off at the agreed upon rest stop before jetting off in his own personal rocket ship. From here I waited around half an hour, walking up and down the rows of cars – parked or filling their tanks – waiting for someone going the same way as me. I wrote on my sign “Munich”, but no one seemed willing to take me any distance at all. Finally, I thought what the hell and I walked down the line up of trucks. Wouldn’t you know it; I was almost immediately motioned over by a short, scruffy man. We established he didn’t speak much English, but that he was going 300km in the same direction as me. I gladly climbed in. He was a friendly man and I quickly established he was another Romanian! A day of firsts, for the first time I met a guy named Zoltan, I rode in an 18 wheeler, and I actually regretted taking an offered ride. Not that Zoltan’s driving was bad, or that he was rude or awkward, it was because the truck couldn’t make it past 80km/hr. While I wouldn’t expect to go 160 the whole way to Munich, it’s bad when literally every vehicle on the road is passing you. We made light conversation for the 5 hours it took, the only excitement being a truck which had rolled over going the other way, another trucking smashing into it and causing a 22km traffic jam behind it. I nervously tightened my seatbelt a little bit, and the ride went on. Zoltan dropped me off at a rest stop we had agreed on beforehand, and continued his journey. I took out my sign once again, and waited for around 40 minutes, getting little in the way of a response. I finally took the initiative, and started seeking registration plates from Munich. German registration plates start with the letters of the city in which the vehicle is registered – I was searching for 
plates starting with “M”. I approached a man in a suit who had previously ignored me, and asked him “Sprechen Sie Englisch?” He replied with a yes that was sort of ‘duhh’. I told him I was trying to get to Munich and asked if he was going that way and he happily replied, “sure, hop in!” And here is another lesson learned. The Germans are very upfront people, and are not embarrassed to be asked such questions. If stuck for a ride, just ask people! I was ignored when holding a sign, and welcomed openly when I simply asked. His was another nice Audi, and he flexed the engine’s muscles because he was in a hurry to get to a meeting in Munich. I enjoyed passing most everybody on the highway, doing an average of 160 the whole way, which I felt made up for the slowness of the truck. He dropped me off at München Hauptbahnhof (Munich Central Station), and took off for his meeting. Hitchhiking: free, eight hours; beating budget mass transport by €34 and two hours...score! I easily found and settled in to the well appointed Euro Youth Hotel (really just a hostel), enjoying a €2 litre of beer from the bar and updating my family on the events of the day.The hostel market in Munich is highly competitive, driven by the annual Oktoberfest. No, I was not in time for the yearly drunkfest, but Munich is a city that never stops partying and the hostels are there to provide accommodation for the youth who wish to participate. Most cities have one or two good hostels along with any number of dumps. Munich however, has five or six excellent hostels, a smattering of good hostels, and the usual dumps (most of these only in operation during Oktoberfest). While citywide hostel insurance prohibits guest use of kitchen facilities, all other amenities are provided from free WiFi in room, to breakfast and cheap on site bars. This hostel didn’t provide free breakfast, but was extremely highly rated and guaranteed WiFi in the rooms; and thus a no brainer for me (it didn’t hurt that they also had the city’s cheapest litre of beer).
I started my sightseeing around noon on Wednesday with the NewEurope free tour of Munich, starting in the heart of the Christmas market, in front of the City hall. The familiar aromas of a German Christmas wafted around me, but the Bavarians have their own flare demonstrated by the occasional lady or gentleman in traditional Bavarian dress. Hats with feathers in the side were common, and if you looked carefully, you could pick out men in lederhosen in the crowds. As the tour left the markets, I knew I would be back here more than once during my three day stay. The guide took us through a quick recap of Bavaria’s history, up until the beginning of the 20th century, where the story takes a darker turn. As it turns out, an Austrian solder in WWI took a liking to Munich, and as his political ambitions grew in the post war years, he found his new home in Munich. Founding the National Socialist party, Adolf Hitler based himself in Munich, and in
November of 1923, he attempted to overthrow the German government in Munich. It was here in the 1930’s and early ‘40s that Hitler’s SA, SS, and major political offices were located. The allies made sure that such an important city to Nazi leadership was good and destroyed, levelling up to 80% of the city. The Munichers knew what was coming and a comprehensive collection of photographs was taken of the entire city. Residing in the American occupation zone after WWII, Munich benefited heavily from the Marshall Plan and was rebuilt to its pre-war splendour. As usual, the New Europe tour was informative, humorous, and well organised. After the tour broke off, I wandered the Christmas market by night, taking in over a half kilometre of streets lined with stalls and street performers. I made my way back to the hostel and enjoyed the fun atmosphere in the smoke free bar.
November of 1923, he attempted to overthrow the German government in Munich. It was here in the 1930’s and early ‘40s that Hitler’s SA, SS, and major political offices were located. The allies made sure that such an important city to Nazi leadership was good and destroyed, levelling up to 80% of the city. The Munichers knew what was coming and a comprehensive collection of photographs was taken of the entire city. Residing in the American occupation zone after WWII, Munich benefited heavily from the Marshall Plan and was rebuilt to its pre-war splendour. As usual, the New Europe tour was informative, humorous, and well organised. After the tour broke off, I wandered the Christmas market by night, taking in over a half kilometre of streets lined with stalls and street performers. I made my way back to the hostel and enjoyed the fun atmosphere in the smoke free bar.On Thursday, I played the proper tourist again, revisiting many of the sights we glanced at during the tour. I climbed to the top of St. Peters Church for the view of the city, and was shocked at the view in the other direction of the Alps. Looming hazily in the distance, they marked a waypoint on the next leg of my trip. I savoured my first candy apple in what must be years and sampled the local donner kebap. I took some time in the Englischen Garten, admiring the natural beauty, and meandered down 
some of the smaller side streets before returning to the Christmas market for a mug of thick and rich hot chocolate and a bag of freshly caramelized pistachios to munch on while I headed back to the hostel. This was my night to experience Munich the way millions of youth have seen it before me – drunk. Joining the New Europe Beer Challenge, I was looking forward to an excellent evening of sampling the local brews, seeing the local brew houses, and meeting some fellow travellers. As opposed to a pub crawl which is mainly focused on getting drunk as fast as possible and dancing with as many random people as you can, the beer challenge is more my style; all about sampling local traditions and having some good times with like minded people. The challenge? I suppose the challenge is probably to see who can still stand at the end of the night! Of course, my faithful readers are now thinking, ‘oh dear, David is going to punish his liver some more’, and I know for a fact my mom will ‘tut tut’ as she reads this, but oh well. I had behaved myself recently, so this night seemed as good a night as any to let loose. The tour guide took us from venue to venue, some small pubs, some large underground beer houses, until finally we ended up at the famous Haufbräuhaus. Literally “state court-brewery”, it has had a long history of beer drinking and politics and was once a favourite hangout of Adolf Hitler; you want to bet they don’t brag about that! The large main hall with capacity for at least 500 features live Bavarian entertainment including Bavarian dancing and music, and is tended to by women in traditional Bavarian dresses. I indulged in a pretzel here, and enjoyed the ambiance of the legendary beer house. Lucky for me, the last stop for the group was my hostel where the 17 of us hung out for a while before disbanding. I took my leave and went straight to my room, falling asleep still fully dressed, for a good night of peaceful sleep.
some of the smaller side streets before returning to the Christmas market for a mug of thick and rich hot chocolate and a bag of freshly caramelized pistachios to munch on while I headed back to the hostel. This was my night to experience Munich the way millions of youth have seen it before me – drunk. Joining the New Europe Beer Challenge, I was looking forward to an excellent evening of sampling the local brews, seeing the local brew houses, and meeting some fellow travellers. As opposed to a pub crawl which is mainly focused on getting drunk as fast as possible and dancing with as many random people as you can, the beer challenge is more my style; all about sampling local traditions and having some good times with like minded people. The challenge? I suppose the challenge is probably to see who can still stand at the end of the night! Of course, my faithful readers are now thinking, ‘oh dear, David is going to punish his liver some more’, and I know for a fact my mom will ‘tut tut’ as she reads this, but oh well. I had behaved myself recently, so this night seemed as good a night as any to let loose. The tour guide took us from venue to venue, some small pubs, some large underground beer houses, until finally we ended up at the famous Haufbräuhaus. Literally “state court-brewery”, it has had a long history of beer drinking and politics and was once a favourite hangout of Adolf Hitler; you want to bet they don’t brag about that! The large main hall with capacity for at least 500 features live Bavarian entertainment including Bavarian dancing and music, and is tended to by women in traditional Bavarian dresses. I indulged in a pretzel here, and enjoyed the ambiance of the legendary beer house. Lucky for me, the last stop for the group was my hostel where the 17 of us hung out for a while before disbanding. I took my leave and went straight to my room, falling asleep still fully dressed, for a good night of peaceful sleep.Traditional Bavarian music and dance to keep people happy at the Haufbräuhaus
Waking the next morning feeling somewhat hyper but not at all hung over (I’m not lying here, it’s all about the Bavarian beer), I decided to take the New Europe tour to Dachau. I met the guide at the train station, and a small group of 10 of us headed off by train to the memorial. Opened in March of 1933, Konzentrationslager Dachau (Dachau Concentration Camp) would spend the next 12 years of its operation as a hard labour camp for political prisoners, and would be the final resting place for some 35,000 human beings. The trip was a sobering change from the night before, and as the guide gave us background information on the 20 minute train ride to Dachau, everyone felt an indescribable sense of apprehension as we neared the camp. Stepping through the gate which – like many other concentration camps –
reads “ARBEIT MACH FREI” (work makes free), like thousands have done before, I wondered what it would feel like to pass through these gates and know you may never pass through them again. I knew that I could never know that feeling and was amazed at the sobering effect of simply walking through a cast iron gate. The camp is now set up as a memorial; two of the original 32 barracks blocks remain and are maintained as they were during different periods of the camp’s operation and the large processing building remains and now serves as a museum. The museum houses exhibits on the people in the camp, running the camp, and the conditions suffered while staying there. While a gas chamber was built in Dachau, the camp was never meant as a death camp but as a forced labour camp, where through hard labour, the enemies of the Nazi regime could redeem themselves in the eyes of the party. Many inmates did leave the camp alive, but as WWII started, the need for labour increased and the work demands rose. Fewer and fewer prisoners left the camp alive until the end stages of the war when internment at Dachau was a literal death sentence by hard labour. Visiting the bunks where thousands of men (it was a camp for men only) were forced to live in close quarters, 
and standing in the crematoriums where tens of thousands of bodies were burned, I was overwhelmed by the evil that was once at work here. As I left the camp, it felt as if a weight were being lifted from my shoulders; an uncomfortable, heavy and dispiriting weight. As I passed back through those gates as thousands before never got the chance to do, I hoped that no one should ever truly understand what it was to enter through gates such as these, and not know if they would ever return. The tour was well conducted by our New Europe guide, trained and certified by the same people who run the memorial as all guides of the site must be. While there were some exhibits in the museum I would have liked to have had more with, our guide provided us with all the information we needed to get a true sense of the horrors that took place in Dachau. As the grey skies which accompanied my visit turned to rain on the way back in to the city, I quickly made my way to the hostel for a quiet night to myself.The next day I took some time to prepare for my trip to Italy the following day; buying some food for the train ride and getting 
a new book at Germany’s impressive Hugendubbel bookstore. Mid afternoon I headed out of the city centre to the Olympiapark München (Munich Olympia Park) by U-Bahn, especially to catch the sunset on the city from Olympiaturm (Olympic Tower). The tower elevator cost €4 to climb to the 190m observation deck, and for anyone visiting Munich with a bit of extra time, is definitely worth it on a clear day for the views of the city to the north and of the Alps to the south. The vista was spectacular as the sun set over the Alps, and while I had waited an hour for the sun to get there (good thing I brought my book!) it was well worth it. The Olympiapark itself has plenty of impressive architecture but was hard to enjoy in the off season, as the whole complex has been reengineered to operate as a park in the summer months.
a new book at Germany’s impressive Hugendubbel bookstore. Mid afternoon I headed out of the city centre to the Olympiapark München (Munich Olympia Park) by U-Bahn, especially to catch the sunset on the city from Olympiaturm (Olympic Tower). The tower elevator cost €4 to climb to the 190m observation deck, and for anyone visiting Munich with a bit of extra time, is definitely worth it on a clear day for the views of the city to the north and of the Alps to the south. The vista was spectacular as the sun set over the Alps, and while I had waited an hour for the sun to get there (good thing I brought my book!) it was well worth it. The Olympiapark itself has plenty of impressive architecture but was hard to enjoy in the off season, as the whole complex has been reengineered to operate as a park in the summer months.As the sun had set on the Alps, so too did my time in Munich. Gawd that was corny, I can’t believe I thought it, but I did, and I type what I think, so there it is; go ahead and make fun of me now. Munich is a wonderful city I thoroughly enjoyed visiting. From the world renowned partying, to the spectacular parks and exciting history, you can spend day after day sightseeing and never feel like you are seeing the same thing twice. Addressing the darker history it cannot avoid, the city has set up no obvious memorials, but has opted instead for subtle, unmarked memorials which one must seek out and research in order to appreciate. The fine
balance the city has struck ensures that the tourist never feels like memorials are being shoved in their face, but leaves an appropriate impression of remembrance in a city so important to the Nazi leadership. I wish to come back to Munich at some point during summer to take in the sights when everyone isn’t bundled in winter gear, and to see some of what the city has to offer when it isn’t in the middle of its Christmas celebrations. I finish by saying to anyone considering a visit, don’t necessarily come during Oktoberfest. After speaking with many people who have experienced the world’s biggest party, I get varying opinions between ‘it was fun’ to ‘it was a nightmare’. Hostels are overbooked, prices soar, and petty crime is hard even for the German police to control. Munich is permanently stuck in party mode, so even if you don’t get here during that special time of the year, a good time is guaranteed.
balance the city has struck ensures that the tourist never feels like memorials are being shoved in their face, but leaves an appropriate impression of remembrance in a city so important to the Nazi leadership. I wish to come back to Munich at some point during summer to take in the sights when everyone isn’t bundled in winter gear, and to see some of what the city has to offer when it isn’t in the middle of its Christmas celebrations. I finish by saying to anyone considering a visit, don’t necessarily come during Oktoberfest. After speaking with many people who have experienced the world’s biggest party, I get varying opinions between ‘it was fun’ to ‘it was a nightmare’. Hostels are overbooked, prices soar, and petty crime is hard even for the German police to control. Munich is permanently stuck in party mode, so even if you don’t get here during that special time of the year, a good time is guaranteed.
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