MUNICH - GERMANY

After hearing word that my good mate Pope Benedict XIV (or something along those lines) was going to be in Munich for a few beers and a Sunday morningnd mass I decided to continue from Dresden to the far south of Germany, Bavaria. Getting to Munich proved quite an easy proposition and I was able to travel very cheaply using the internet based ride-sharing service, 'mitfahrtzentralen'. Not only was travelling in this manner considerably cheaper but also it provided an opportunity for me to meet and interact with some more German people (along the way I also learnt alot about estimating the value of forest assets from the rather excited driver who seemed to really enjoy having someone to speak in english with). The scenery in the south east of the country was quite beautiful and we passed through many kilometres of rolling forest hills and later on through plantations of Hopps used for the brewing of Germany's finest beers.

Despite being warned by a number of people that I would find it difficult to find accommodation in Munich as a result of the Papal visit, I checked into a hostel adjacent to the railway station without any hassle and then enjoyed a few free beers with other travellers from a multitude of countries. It was great to socialise with a large group of people given that I had been staying in peoples' houses for the previous week or so and I had a great time until the small hours of the morning.

The following day I managed to drag myself (quite by accident really) onto a free tour of the city. This however proved to be quite dull on 2 accounts, firstly because of the Pope being in town, many of the important streets, churches and other buildings were closed meaning there wasn't a lot that we could see or do. Secondly, our Australian (go figure ??) tour guide was slightly too enthusiastic for my somewhat hungover frame of mind. Still, I did have a good chat with various people also on the tour and after its completion, spent the remainder of the day hanging out with Kate (Newcastle), having a brief look around other parts of the city but mostly sampling some of the local Bavarian beers.

In all honesty I didn't really see an awful lot of the city and there are definitely a number of museums along with the Neuenstein castle that I would like to visit sometime in the future. However, getting around the city proved almost impossible because of the crowds hoping to get a glimpse of the pope and as such, Kate and I decided to check out some of the beer gardens (and also the bar at my hostel for an evening nightcap) around different parts of the city (of course, en-route to these establishments we did pause briefly to take photos of more notable buildings and so on !!) Along the way we ran into a number of interesting groups of people, including:

1) 'Team-America': This family from the US were actually nothing like the 'typical American stereotype' and over a number of days, both Kate and I enjoyed chatting with them about a range of topics such as politics (of course), geography(apparently there are 54 countries in Africa !), our professions and of course travelling. Despite the age difference between ourselves and the family, we got on really well and all of them treated us only with the utmost kindness. They were definitely some of the nicest people (and coolest 'oldies') I have met during all of my travels.

2) 'Norweigan strippers': Whilst drinking at the most famous beer garden in Munich (The Hofbrauhaus), Kate and I couldn't help but begin chatting with a bunch of rowdy Norweigans sitting at the table adjacent to us. All of them were in Munich making the most of the comparatively cheap beer although one of them in particular (Monica) had consumed more than her fare share and was subsequently up for a few shenanigans. After a few discrete 'peep shows' whilst sitting at the table, she and one of her mates embarked on a money making excercise and managed to raise almost 50 Euros by flashing various patrons at different tables in the beer garden. Unfortunately, this did not go unnoticed by the staff and after a number of warnings she was asked to leave. Not to be outdone by the powers at be, Monica and the rest of them proceeded to strip off not only in the street outside the beer garden, but also in the nearby Hard Rock Cafe. This 'show' was met by a much warmer reception from the cafe management and Monica was presented with a free icecream for her efforts. After all of this excitement, Kate and I decided that we were probably best (and safer) to continue on without our new made friends however hanging out with them certainly did provide more than a few laughs.

3) 'German Stags': Whilst drinking at another of the city beer gardens, Kate and I were bailed up by a bunch of German guys enjoying a 'stag night'. This proved to be most different to anything typical in Australia or the UK and after introducing themselves and giving us an overview of what was going on, Kate was required to sign the shirt of the stag (Simon), cut a hole from his pants and lastly provide the label from her underwear, all of which certainly did not go without incident and provided me with a great deal of amusement.

Along the way, we also ran into a number of other randoms and needless to say had a great time. I really enjoyed being able to chat so freely with someone about so many things and it was also nice to have some company, having travelled fairly solo for the preceeding 7 or so months. For the record, we did manage to see the Pope (or Kate did at least whilst sitting on my shoulders) although I wouldn't say the experience exactly enriched either of our lives. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the weekend; the company, the location and the activities (mainly drinking beer) and hope to return to Munich sometime in the future.

It is worth noting that almost every German to whom I introduced myself as an Australian, proceeded with the response "Oh, so you must be here for the Oktoberfest celebrations next week" (unfortunately they were quite dissapointed by my response). It seems that the Australians have quite a reputation for causing mischief in Munich for the last 2 weeks in September, so much so that the Australia government has created a 'temporary embassy' in Munich (in addition to the permanent one in Berlin) for these 2 weeks, just to cater for all the Aussies that have misplaced their passports or found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Quite incredible I thought !

Photos 1-3: Munich city skyline.
Photos 4-8: Various locations around the city.
Photo 9: View of the 'popemobile' (zoom in).
Photo 10: Kate and I enjoying a quiet beer at the hostel bar.
Photo 11: Kate enjoying a 'Pope cookie'.
Photos 12&13: Monica and the crazy Norweigans (PG 13+ rating on photo 13 !!!)
Photos 14&15: Randoms met at one of the beer gardens.
Photos 16-18: Simon enjoying (perhaps a little too much) his stag night activities.
Photos 19&20: The American family.

DRESDEN - GERMANY

BERLIN - GERMANY