My Friend Munich.

I've been so busy lately that this will be the second-to-last "travel-journal" post. Tomorrow, I'll cover Austria and then it's back to normal blogging topics. :) Until then, next stop is Munich!

The new town hall in Marienplatz (city center)

We got to Munich around 5pm so we just walked around for a bit. It was a little overwhelming to be in a city this size after being in such tiny towns. We eventually headed to Hofbrauhaus downtown for a little pre-Oktoberfest preparation. We drank a few liters of beer while chatting up our table-neighbors. Sidenote: That is the one thing I highly enjoyed about Germany, they are very into the shared seating thing... it's a great way to meet new people and spark conversation. Hofbrauhaus was definitely good times but who cares about all that, let's get to the real thing!

Two are ours; two were the couples next to us. I swear. No really... 

The next morning, Jerry and I got up early and headed to Oktoberfest. We decided upon the Lowenbrau tent since Gwen and Mary had gone there 2 years ago. We ended up sitting at a table with two guys from Australia, Tim and Dominic, who really ended up make the day so much fun. I hope we'll get to see them again. Overall the day was insanity and such a blast. We had a lot (A LOT) of beer and had a terrific time meeting all sorts of folks (Spaniards, Italian Swiss guys, more Aussies...) and singing and dancing on the tables. For some reason, I also thought it'd be a good idea to purchase a Boar Hat or as I like to call him "Boarat." We seriously cannot wait to head back. It's impossible to capture the full day here - it's best to check out the pictures and videos on my flickr.

Me with new friend #1 Dominic

My fellow "Boarhat" friend, Ben. 

Me with new friend #2, Tim

Double fisting is where it all started going downhill :)

The end to a great day. 

Talk about opposites...the next day Jer and I headed to Dachau Concentration Camp. There was really nothing else that I wanted to do more. I think Jer was a little skeptical but I talked him into it and he told me later that he was glad I insisted. It was such an incredibly haunting but moving experience. Dachau was pretty much leveled after the war so there isn't many original structures there. Regardless, you definitely can feel the horror that took place...especially when you walk through the gas chambers and crematorium at "Barrack X". That was probably the most horrific part of the experience since you are literally standing in rooms where people were murdered. As emotional as it can be, if anyone gets a chance to go to a concentration camp, I highly recommend it because I feel its important to let yourself experience how horrible it was so that we as a society never let this happen again.

"Work will set you free"

After that experience, we needed to lift our spirits. Once we got back to downtown Munich, we had a really great dinner with new friends, Tim and Dominic, and then spent the evening just walking around Marienplatz. Munich was a great time and I think we'll be seeing her next year for Oktoberfest 2k12 - hopefully.

Next blog stop: Salzburg and Austria!

Boarat is strapped to my bag, ready to board the train to Salzburg.