Munich, Germany

First of all, the language barrier was a serious problem today. With the exception of the tour I was on which was given in German and Germenglish, no one spoke English. So many people walked up to me and started speaking German, and I just give them my most sincere apologetic smile and say, "English." My first regret about this trip was not cutting my hair before I came. My second, and bigger, regret is not learning the languages.

Anyway, I got off my train and got a chocolate croissant (1.95 euros) at the train station. I also got a banana!! Halelujah!! Fruit exists on this side of the world. It was one euro which, if you think about it, is extremely expensive. But it was worth it. I enjoyed my breakfast while I waited for the tourist information place to open. I also bought a huge bottled water for 1.70 euros which is the most decent price I've seen thus far.

I decided to pay 13 euros for a hop on hop off bus tour of Munich. It was a double decker bus, and I enjoyed the first half from the top floor. I saw "Our Lady's Cathedral," one of Hitler's Administration Buildings, a million museums, a huge monument of King Ludwig, the Bavarian Ministry building, the Angel of Peace, and lots and lots of designer stores. Unfortunately, EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays in Germany.

I got off at the fourth stop to see the designer stores window displays (Chanel, Jimmy Choo, D&G, Louis Vuitton, etc.), the Residenz Museum, and the Opera House.

This is where I found a Starbucks with wi fi and got the messages from my dad threatening to come to Europe if I did not answer soon. Haha. Apparently I'm not allowed to go 24 hours without contacting them. I'm glad someone cares, but I laughed.

I "hopped" back on the next bus and "hopped" off at Marienplatz, Munich's main square. Here I saw the Glockenspiel/City Hall, the Old City Hsll with Toy Museum, a Cathedral, and St Peter's Church. Oh and the Mariensaule which is a religious monument built for Mary in 1638 to celebrate the end of the Swedish occupation during the Thirty Years War. It is topped with a golden statue of the Virgin Mary standing on a crescent moon. At each corner of the column's pedestal, there is a statue of a boy. Each depicts a different beast symbolizing the city's overcoming of adversities: war (lion), pestilence (cockatrice), hunger/famine (dragon), and heresy (serpent).

I went into the cathedral and looked around. That was cool. Then I didn't know what else to do so I headed back to the bus stop. It hit noon and all of a sudden bells were ringing all over the place. That was a special treat!! Munich was very quiet and reverent...mostly because it was so empty and all I did was go to a church, but still.

I "hopped" back on the bus and rode back to the train station. I found a train leaving to Wurzberg in five minutes so i hurried to the platform and got on there. I fell asleep sprawled out on the table in front of me, but so what? I was exhausted!!

I woke up every time we stopped, but I never heard nor saw "Wurzburg" anywhere. We arrived in Nuremberg where many people got off and in. Then, the train headed back in the direction we came so now I was really freaking out (in my mind) because I had no idea where I was or where I was headed.

The views out the window were pretty...lots of tall skinny trees and fields covered in snow. I realized that we were not actually going the way
we came, and I was indeed headed in the right direction.

I read some more of my book on the train, but I mostly just looked out the window. I am amazed that I stay entertained for the long hours on the trains just by looking out the window. Even the every day architecture of this place is so different from America. At the same time, there are many beautiful places on my home land that I take for granted. I have been thinking about what a tourist would want to see if they came to Kaysville. There's nothing TOO historical, but every place has a story...including little old K town.