2014 in Germany (Munich)

On August 21, 2014, the Europe bus tour took me to Munich (München), Bavaria (Bayern), Germany (Deutschland) ... Germany has a lot of local names that differ a tad from the way we call them in English! The bus crossed into Germany the day before when we explored Austria, for my 11th country:

This made it my:

• 5th European country
• 2nd German-speaking country
  • after Austria

Visit

Munich has a population of about 1.5 million, with its own subway (U-Bahn) system but also with the old small town feel.

Bavaria has its own culture-within-a-culture with its own language/dialect (“Boarisch”) that “other Germans” have to learn in order to understand. Actually, I hardly heard or saw the Bavarian dialect with the exception of this one thing:

That evening, our group visited the Hofbrauhaus (Brew house) famous for its Oktoberfest. Since it was August, I jokingly called it the Aug-toberfest. While the expected lederhosen-based entertainment roared on stage, the meal consisted of:

• Schweinshaxe (roasted pork knuckle)
• Sauerkraut (cabbage)
• Knödel (dumplings)

The next day, I would also visit the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, a distance away from the metropolitan area of Munich but still in Germany.