Munich

Germany. The sleeper country of our trip, but after two wine countries that eat like rabbits we were looking forward to a frosty mug of brew and a big plate of meat and potatoes.

It was raining steadily when we got into Munich, but the hostel was visible from the train station, a convenience that I greatly appreciated after some of the walks we had taken from train stations. When we had checked in and dropped off our packs we made for a nearby beer hall recommended by a brochure in the lobby. When I walked in and saw six chickens on rotisserie I knew this was a good pick. That and I was damn hungry. I started with a big mug of dark beer and waited impatiently for the food. It was worth the wait. I thought they had modeled it after my fantasy German meal, just for me. I may be getting caught up on the food, teetering the line between appreciation and obsession. The bottom line is Derek and I both had a great hot meal, making the walk back in the rain bearable. When we made it back we decided it was too wet out to take a walk around, so we hung out in the common area for a while where we met some other English speakers, and struck up a conversation and a card game.


Later that night we met up with a journalist from Georgia, a duo from Colorado, and a married couple from Australia at the Haufbrauhaus. This place is supposedly able to fit 8,000 people, and that night all 8,000 were there, testing the limit. Looking down long wooden tables, groups were packed together old and young, foreign and domestic, all drinking out of thick glass one-liter mugs. The drink menu consisted of three beers: original brew, dark, and wheat. After a dark, an original, and a lot of mug clinking, everything seemed to meld together into one big din, a dull roar orchestrated and paced by a traditional German band in the center, encircled by a group of locals singing along. A group of old men with red noses toasting to everything, eight giant mugs smashing, splashing foam in the name of anything they wished.

A last slug of brew, and it's time to wander back smiling. We were laughing and re-enacting scenes. I felt warm despite the light rain.