That means hello—you have a nice ass in bavarian/german. obviously i’m learning the key phrases because German/bavarian men are so sexxyyyy teehee..
ANYWHOSE.. i’m in Munich! I finally decided to give couchsurfing a try after finding hostels at RIDICULOUS prices.. its like 3xs more than what i was use to paying coming from Colombia & Morocco and I lucked out with an incredible host with a beauuuuutiful place right in the city center. I mean, seriously… it’s one of the nicest apartments I’ve ever seen and i even have my own room. my expectations have now been set to high and it’s sure going to be a shock when i end up on a couch at some sketchy looking frat house...
But let me actually talk about the city itself..
So when I initially got here, I was in a bad mood. I hadn’t slept all night, the weather was shi,t and the hostel i was staying in was full of college kids and frat stars who were being loud and obnoxious (#gettingold).. and to top it all off, a zipper from my bag broke, my padlock fell apart, and i dropped my camera… so basically i had to run around, doing errands, on very little sleep, and spent a lot more money than i wanted to.. but everything got fixed and life goes on… and i ate sushi at Sushi Sano for the first time and had a radler, which was basically sex in my mouth (that's what she said...)
The next day, the weather was sososososo much better and i decided to take a walking tour of the city center… i typically enjoy wandering off and exploring a place myself, but given its significant history in relation to WWII, i wanted to make sure that I was aware of what went on. There definitely mentioned some heavy stuff, like how Hitler was in Munich the night he gave the command to carry out what the world would later refer to as Kristallnact-the night of the broken glass.
Over 1,000 synagogues were burned, more than 7,000 Jewish owned businesses destroyed, and over 30,000 Jews arrested and shipped off to concentration camps during that time, including 11,000 Jews living in Munich who were sent off to Dachau. There’s been a bit of controversy in Munich because unlike other places in Germany, the city has refused to allow Stolpersteins, individual Holocaust memorial plaques, to be embedded in sidewalks in front of victims homes. Placed on the streets in the former addresses where the holocaust victims lived, they are lauded by some as strong reminders that integrate into daily life. We did see a few outside of some building, and I thought the most moving tribute was a painted cobblestone pathway in an alleyway which was nicknamed “Avoiders Alley.”
Following Hitler’s occupation of the city, a Nazi Memorial was placed on a street with two guards posted 24 hours a day. Anyone passing this point was required to give the one-arm Nazi salute. People who did not agree with Hitler instead avoided this by turning into an alley and walking past the street on the other side. Obviously Hitler caught wind of this and posted another Nazi guard in the alley. Those who refused to salute were sent to concentration camps. It made me think of the quote, “The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
There are still so many atrocities occurring in this day and age and while we’re hyperaware of what occurs thanks to advanced technologies that can even bring us live video from a war zone, I feel like we’re desensitized to these horrors because of how frequently we’re seeing these things…. remember in the 60s when images of police officers beating up African Americans on TV exposed the brutality and shocked the nation into action? Nowadays, it’s all noise and I feel so disempowered and helpless because i’m not sure how to do more (which is not an excuse..i’m just saying.) There’s so much showmanship nowadays— as if signing an online petition or sharing an article will really help or change a situation (slactivism). Really, it’s just a pat on your own back for being informed but really.. not taking any real action or empowering any change. Not that we shouldn’t be aware and participate in these things.. I just feel like it’s not enough.
WHEW okay.. serious stuff over. While WWII was a very significant time in Munich’s history, it’s also a very small amount of time in the whole grand scheme of things… there’s also fun, lighthearted events that actually center around beer… the people in Munich LOOOOOOVEEEE their beer. HELLO Oktoberfest, which actually started out as a huge wedding party for the King Ludwig of Bavaria, that all the citizens of the city were invited too (there will be a WANGSANATAfest in the future when/if i get married…) Of course, as a person who takes cultural immersion verrryyyyy seriously… i have been partaking in lots of beer drinking. Oh and boob rubbing (for luck in love!!!)
Killian, the incredible German doctor who is hosting me (not to be confused with the other German who I hiked up Mount Toukbal with ) and his friends, Romina and Martin, invited me to meet them at the English Gardens where they were picnicking and lounging in the sun. I, of course, accepted the offer, and brought a few beers and a bottle of wine (for ummm.. the cultural experience…. you can’t have Brautwurst and Schnitzels without them!! Gotta love those German sausages.. the food is good too…. HAHAHA okay i’ll stop with the sexual jokes)
There are six breweries in Munich, and I have enjoyed a couple of them including the Augustinerbrau and Tegrnseer, as recommended by my lovely German friends, and the Radler, which is beer and lemonade and so delicious (but not very strong, unfortunately!) I drank them all, since i’ve been saving all my calories for Munich. And apparently there’s a saying that 5 beers=one meal, so I’m on a liquid diet right now…
At night we went back to the park to do a little more drinking (I switched over to Presseco) and enjoy KulturStrand, which is a weekly summer event at the park. Since it was the opening weekend, it was a lot more mellow and chilled, which was nice. I decided to stay out a little later and went to Hofbrauhaus,which was an amazing experience as well. AND I SPILT a half a stein on my Samsung Galaxy S 5.. and it still works (that’s my plug for my former client HAIII!!)
Anywhose, i'll be updating a bit more in the next few days. I visited a castle with my lovely friend Svenja (who I also know thru Albert!) and I'll be staying with her for the weekend so it should be loads of fun & there will be loads of piccss!!