Passing through the countryside at sunset made me feel so lucky to be given the opportunity to travel. An opportunity we both keep saying is once in a lifetime. Nate will most likely quit his job the moment he finds a better one and will no longer be racking up Hilton and United points like a pro. And without those points, we probably won't be able to ever afford a trip this extravagant, which is both exciting and super depressing.
It also got me thinking about the value off travel. I'd like to think traveling makes us more compassionate people. I also find that now I'll definitely have a little more understanding of "rude tourists" visiting my own country because more often than not, I haven't said "excuse me" simply because I didn't know how. Not knowing what is polite or acceptable in that specific country has left me feeling rude and awkward with only the best intentions.
Seeing the way others live both affirms how I live and makes me want to change in certain ways. I know we'd love to adopt a more "european lifestyle" at home. Seeing the way people live here makes me realize what huge consumers Americans are. We buy big. Tvs. Costco. Walmart. The Netherlands and the Czech Republic seem to live much more simply- either by choice (the Netherlands) or by necessity (the Czech Republic). I think this simpler way of living, whether by choice or necessity leads to an overall increase in well-being and happiness. Sometimes too much is not a good thing. At least this is what I've observed. It makes me want to trade in my Ford focus for a bike with a wooden cart to ride my kids to school. It makes me want just enough, no more.
This trip has also helped me learn the value of traveling. Our experiences in Europe aren't something you can buy in America. The opportunity to see a different way of living, even if only from a tourist's perspective, is pretty awesome. It makes me want to sell my things and travel. Travel presents a richness in experiences. And although I can't hold it or touch it like I could a kitchen appliance, these experiences will hopefully infuse my life at home with a richer, broader, more compassionate perspective.
When we got to Munich we were greeted by a giant McDonald's sign that read "ich liebe es" which translates to "I'm lovin' in" in English. It made me laugh. We carted our suitcases, one of which was missing a wheel by now, down to the subway. German was everywhere and we didn't hear a lick of english. A nice man helped us with our bags and directed us towards our train. He proved to be an exception as almost everyone we met spoke only German. Standing at the subway platform, we saw other young people. College students, young professionals. They were in small groups, they were dressed just like Americans, they looked American. Except they spoke German.
Munich is completely modern. It felt like New York or Washington DC. In fact, walking to dinner, I felt like we could have been in almost any American city. It was clean, bustling, and the quality of life seemed high - people had money. I think the reason no one spoke English is because they didn't have to. Germany is prospering and doesn't need to rely on English-speaking tourists to survive (like Prague does). We got to the hotel, connect to wifi, and discovered that my friend Lisal had her baby 3 weeks early! Naturally we celebrated by going to a beirgarten. No one spoke English. Nate tried speaking German, from the years in high school he lived in Germany, but failed miserably. It was embarrassing. Then I called french fries frites and the waiter looked at me like I had 4 eyes. Apparently that's just a Belgium thing.
The food at the beirgarten was a cardiologist's nightmare. Meat, meat, meat, potatoes and cheese. That's about it. I order 1 of the 2 veg options which was basically cheese pasta covered in melted cheese and fried onion rings with a side of fries. It was both disgusting and sinfully good. Nate assured me this wasn't how Germans ate on a daily basis, that it was celebratory food. Like going out to TGI Fridays after the game in America. It was pretty bad nonetheless. Where were all the vegetables?!
We went to sleep, pretty exhausted from the last couple days. The next day, we woke up late and missed the train to Salzburg Austria, where we planned to spend the day. Due to weekend construction, the train ended up being two trains and a bus. The houses along the countryside had traditional German architecture with wooden paneling. They looked like cheesy German style restaurants in the states but were the real thing. All they were missing where people in Lederhosen and wooden clogs. It almost felt like it was making fun of itself.
We searched for someplace to eat only to realize there was pretty much just 1 restaurant open. When there is only 1 restaurant and dozens of wealthy tourists it's never a good sign. This was about the time in our trip where my vegetarian troubles peaked, and I literally starved that day. The only thing on the menu I could order was a cheese plate. Not just any cheese plate. A cheese plate covered in provolone cheese (which I later discovered had mold) chunks of butter, and raw walnuts. Yum yum! Not. It was disgusting. And I was seriously so hungry, I think I lost weight on this section of the trip. Nate ate a bratworst.
We were wet, cold, and so ready to say goodbye to this day. Our train ride back was filled with young people like us. Nate thinks the young population of Europe travels much more than we do in the US. We played candy crush and brushed off the day.
The next day we explored Munich. Everything felt super modern. We walked around Marienplatz, went up in some tall buildings, and wandered through Alois Dallmayr, a luxury delicatessen I'd seen on Rick Steve's Europe. It was like the Prada of supermarkets with out-of-this-world prices which included a 150 euro piece of fruit from somewhere far away. Not really our cup of tea and not very economical.
We loved the Englischer Garten, which was bathed in sunlight and resembled New York's Central Park, but is so much bigger. We people and dog watched and it was lovely. We ate sandwiches, apple strudel and drank beer at a little cafe along the garden. It was beautiful, low-key, and felt like us.
It became a trend that we find the greatest places right as we are moving on to our next city, and Munich was no different. Just as we were heading back to the hotel to grab our bags we discovered the Viktualienmarket- this incredible open air market with food vendors, grocery vendors, floral stands, and shops filled with perfectly unique german decor and christmas ornaments. I was in heaven. There were piles of fruit, nuts, winter squash, cheese carts, and juices stands. It was a mecca of all things yet to be discovered. It was awesome. We bought a pretzel christmas ornament and a vintage bronze heart to hang in our china cabinet.
We rushed back to our hotel, then rushed to the airport, and barely caught out plane to Florence. A city I already knew and loved so much. I was still a little hungry and scarred from the previous day in Salzburg and could not wait to eat my heart out.
