Exploring Munich

Today was a full day. I got up at 7, and was in the lobby ready to eat my toast and jam at 7:45. The internet was working (finally!) and I got to talk to Eddie for awhile, which was such a good thing. I left the hostel around 9:30 and headed to the museums I had planned for the day. The nice thing about Europe so far is that in general things don't really open until around 10 so my mornings are super relaxed and laid back.

I visited three museums today, the National Gallery (German, Bavarian, and European art from all periods), the Alte Pinakthek (Medieval and Rococo style paintings), and the Glyptothec (Greek and Roman statues). Each museum was only 1 Euro because it was Sunday. I did have to check my bag at two places, but only spent 4.40 Euro total - which I think is pretty good for three museums. I walked by the English Garden which is the biggest metropolitan park in Europe. There is a part where the river funnels into it and people ride surf boards on the small wake that is created. It was kind of fun to watch for awhile.

I visited a few churches as well and took lots of pictures! At 4pm I went to an English speaking church service in the south part of the city. I met a girl there named Lisa who just finished military duty and is now beginning a school program here in the city. She is from New York and we chatted for quite awhile. After church we walked through the Oktoberfest grounds (the festival doesn't start until Thursday or Friday, but they were setting up things) and out to the Bavaria statue.

First of all, I didn't realize that Oktoberfest was a fair with rides and stuff. It's like an amusement park with giant beer tents. Second - I felt like I was walking around on the Puyallup Fairgrounds. I'm pretty sure that if I showed up at the Puyallup Fair, had a beer, and everyone around me started speaking German, it'd be Oktoberfest. Also - the Bavarian statue is HUGE! Seriously gigantic.

On my way back to the hostel I was going to stop at the grocery store and pick up some items for dinner since I hadn't eaten much all day. I quickly discovered that they are not open on Sundays. So, I found a fun little restaurant and had a Bavarian meal and a native beer. The restaurant had free wifi so I got to get some stuff taken care of regarding my plans for tomorrow as well. The waitress was friendly but I think she was a little annoyed with dealing with English speaking tourists. I won her over with my charm though. :)

Once I got back to the hostel I took a shower and have been making plans for tomorrow. I am headed to the consulate first thing in the morning to apply for the Russian Visa. My fingers are crossed that everything goes smoothly. I have to get passport photos taken in the morning and then I'm hoping that they have applications available there to fill out, otherwise I need to find a printer to print it out. It's going to be a busy morning! Good thing that only real plan I have for the day is to do a free walking tour at 3. Lisa (my new friend from church) is going to meet me there. It should be a fun afternoon and hopefully not too stressful of a day!

I'm kind of indifferent to Munich. I feel like it's just another city - nothing too special about it. We'll see how I feel at the end of my stay here. Maybe it'll grow on me a little more.