Hotel Max Munich

In Europe, there is a holiday called Saint Martin's. The story is that Martin was a monk and during a snowstorm he cut his coat in half and gave part of it to a beggar. So the holiday is about sharing. To celebrate, kids decorate lanterns then march around (we marched around a small lake in Munich) and they sing lantern songs then finish by receiving a pastry goose that they break apart and share with their ...

... it was time to say goodbye, went and joined the rest of the group, and left the balcony (not without saying goodbye to Sebastian first).

At that point we split up (3 of the guys were going to Amsterdam) and started to head back to the train station. I grabbed a yummy Starbucks before getting on the train, and we were lucky enough to find 2 compartments next to each other. At one point all the girls ended up in one compartment while the 2 ...

... we ended up hanging out at the beer garden for four hours. Four hours of drinking big glassed beers. Clearly, damage was going to be done. To hell with it, we’re in Munich and drinking unreasonable amounts of beer was a goal. There was some food involved – Marisa got a spit roasted half chicken that had been basted in butter and parsley and was a greasy, great tasting mess. I had a meat called meat loaf, but it isn’t like at home. It’s a mystery meat ...

... a picture of us. After that, we went back to the hotel and went to bed.

The people in Munich seemed like a much younger crowd and were very hip. Their shoe shops were fantastic and had excellent prices. Unfortunately, I didn't have any space in my pack for new shoes. :( Munich is rated as one of the best places to live in Europe and we could understand why.

The next morning we checked out and headed to Cochem on the Mosel River.

... we found a restaurant nearby right at the Marienplatz - more beer and schnitzel of course. Claudia had some Apfelstrudel (which is apple strudel for you non-German speakers . . . like me) and that was really good! That night, we went to dinner at the Hofbraeuhaus. We were upstairs, and we enjoyed some great Bavarian beer and food. I tried the Urbock (which is a stronger, seasonal beer at 8% alcohol content ...

... Well this went on for a good 20 minutes. Finally one of the managers began laughing and told me to just go. I looked at him and figured it out that it was all a joke. Not sure though, I made him walk me out to make sure I did not really get arrested. As I left all of the managers and security guards stood at the door laughing hysterically. As I left I told them this was not funny, but began laughing as well. All I have to say is Julie really did ...

... an extra 2 euros for the English audio translation radios and they were invaluable in following the displays which were in German. It ended going through the bunkers which were in original condition as they were never tested by the allies. We also had lunch here. After this we then went by another bus at a cost of 16 euros each from the bottom of Kehlstein Mountain up the 6017ft ( 1834mtrs) to the elevator below the Eagles Nest. Eagles Nest came about by Martin ...

... seen myself navigating through the train station doing all that stuff, I bet it would have been hilarious. I have no clue how I did it, I seriously remember nothing of it. No clue what happened in the time in between either. I'm glad I'm not a complete idiot and that I can still function when I am hammered and blacked out (not sure if its the best trait to have, but I will take it any day). The first half of the train ride was a bit fuzzy too. I don't remember the ...

Sitting in my 2nd-level bunk on an overnight train to Venice from Munich. It was such a crazy day in Munich. We started off on the S-bahn (subway) down to Marienplatz to check out the sights, the New Town Hall and the Residenz, which is basically the Bavarian white house that was bombed in dubya dubya two. Ray and I stopped for coffee at teh New Town Hall to avoid the rain and then hopped on the S-bahn again to see the ...

... player but the car actually turns the CD off and the traffic report on. It's pretty annoying but at least it lets you know that another hour has passed. Since we cruised along at between 150 and 180 KM/hr. (roughly 96 - 115 MPH), we made it to Munich in real good time. However, we couldn't find the hotel. Eventually, after weaving around for about 30 minutes, we stumbled upon the train station, which meant we were close to the hotel (Mercure Hotel for EUR 122/night). It was now ...