Supplies
Master at Work
Roughin' It with fake Spatulas
We arrive to Firenze Santa Maria Novella and get in line to sign in for our Bus2Alps adventure. We sat around on the floor waiting for word, and then realized that Earl had signed up for the wrong weekend. So we all were freaking out waiting to see if they would let Earl on the bus. We were all bewildered until we were surprised to learn that they would let Earl on. So while we were reveling in this glorious turn of events, our main tour guide Mike, informed us that our bus that was supposed to take us to Oktoberfest had broken down. So the original plan to leave at midnight got scrapped and our new leaving time would be 6am. We all went back to our respective places to sleep for a few hours. That would be the first delay. Once we all got there at 530AM, we waited for the bus to get to us, but it was again delayed. So instead of leaving at 6AM we left at 7AM. We were told we'd get there at 1PM, so we all went to bed on the bus. But as we meandered out of Florence and up Italy, it turns out that our bus driver was driving the minimum speed limit. There really wasn't any sense of urgency on this guy's part, and it killed us to see every car on the road zoom passed us. It gets better. Because of the slow driving we wouldn't get to Munich by 2PM, and then 4PM. We thought that it would get better once we got into Munich at 5PM. We all cheered and stood basically when we were going through Munich to get us to the main train station at Hauptbahnhof. But when we went in the same loop 4 times, we realized we were again lost. We even stopped in the middle of a busy main road in Munich to ask other drivers for directions. We were literally heckling Mike, saying things like "Mike! Is a tour of Munich part of the deal? Mike! Just let us off and we'll cab it back! Mike! I didn't know I was on a Bus2Nowhere tour!" Another hour in Munich and it was 6PM, and we had missed an entire day of Oktoberfest. I tell you this: DO NOT TAKE BUS2ALPS! I SAY AGAIN: DO NOT TAKE BUS2ALPS! I'm not known to give reviews of the people I use for travel but they were totally unreliable in their "promises," didn't take responsibility for what had happened, and only attributed it to an "accident." They were willing to give us €50 back, but it was still less than the total amount that we paid. After being promised an entire weekend of Oktoberfest, we were left with only 1 full day. The only saving grace of the day was that the ride up through Austria and into Germany was gorgeous. We went to Dachau after meeting up with everyone in the train station and met up at our hostel. I personally was really afraid as to what we were going to be getting ourselves into but once we all showed up it blew all of my expectation out of the window. It was clean, nice, large, and our rooms, although they looked like they were out of a catalogue, were cozy and we had locks on the door. We went to dinner at some beer garden that was close to our hostel and all it took was us walking down a long and unlit road. But the food, I had carne enchiladas and everyone else had Cheeseburgers, was the perfect end to a horrible day.
Waiting at Firenze Santa Maria Novella
Italy/Austria Border
Welcome to Austria
Gorgeous Austria
So Green
Welcome to Munich
Stopped in the middle of the Highway
German Engineering
The Glyptothek
Hofbräu: My Munich
Free chocolate from a cute Gypsy
Our Hostel
Everyone waiting to figure out rooms
Our Room: Straight out of Ikea
Dinner
We woke up decently early and enjoyed a great breakfast at the hostel. We then took the train back into Munich and went to Oktoberfest. Now our time there was pretty epic, but what I'll tell you is that I finished in 10 minutes, enjoyed 2 hours of singing with Italians that we sat with, and then after eating half of a chicken, refunded. Dan, Blessie, Joy, and Katie took care of me and I thank them for it. But yes, I was that guy. This will continue on as a photo blog for this portion.
Bus to Oktoberfest
An Oktoberfest for Everyone
Welcome to the greatest party
HIPPODROM Beer House
One of many beer gardens
Spaten Beer House
Hofbräu: The Biggest House
6,600,000 L of this served, 1 L glass at a time
Half a chicken
Venetians, this man's name is David and Dan networked and got a card
Venetians that taught us drinking songs
Everybody's on the list for this party
Traditional Garb
Medical Units on hand everywhere to save people
The Hill where the beer zombies go to sleep
This man said he can't remember how many Oktoberfests he's gone to
The next and final day of our time in Germany, we all decided to go to the Dachau Concentration Camp. It was definitely a sobering experience, no pun intended. We walked down a scenic road from the hostel and showed up at the gates of one of the worst concentration camps of World War II. There was a message on the iron gates: Work Will Set You Free. We went through the exhibits, detailing everything from the fall of Germany after the Treaty of Versailles to the formation of the Nazi Party to their ultimate end at the hands of the Allied Forces. We also saw how the camp was set up, how the prisoners were treated, and all the despicable ways that the guards treated them. We visited the Isolation rooms, where prisoners would be thrown arbitrarily for up to 4 months at a time in dark and small rooms save a small window, and would be fed only every 4th day. When I walked into that building, it was literally something out of a horror movie. A long hallway in the middle that was interspersed with metal gates that shut off sections with 4 rooms each, 2 on each side that were closed with large metal sliding doors. Each room was tiny and had walls with peeling paint, and you could feel the haunting presence of suffering souls. Only that wasn't the worst part. We ended the trip with a visit to the crematorium, and it brought to life what I have read in history books and seen in movies. We first started by entering in the room I'm sad to say too many walked through, into the first room where the prisoners were told to take off all their clothes and to strip down. And then, we walked into the Gas Chamber. Nothing can prepare you for the feeling of going into one, with cold stone walls and floors, low ceiling with pipes that come down that brought gaseous poisons, and a general absence of light. I stood in there and my heart began to quiver, knowing this was the ultimate end for so many innocent souls. We ended the tour with the oven room, where 3 main ovens stood silent before us below wooden beams that I learned was the place where they would hang prisoners right before they cremated all the evidence. I walked out of the place silent, knowing this place had seen so much evil, and yet was situated in a calm and peaceful part of the world. I walked out of Dachau knowing that some wars are meant to be fought, and that World War II was truly the last great war, and we should continue to fight to end suffering seen at places like Dachau.
Entrance to Dachau Concentration Camp
"Work Will Set You Free"
German Propaganda pre-WWII
Desk where each prisoner was documented
Isolation Row
Individual Cells: 4 months, meals every 4th day
Scary
Crematorium
Room where prisoners would have to strip down
Entrance to Gas Chamber
Inside the Gas Chamber
Oven
Just as we all met back in Munich, we decided that we would all split up and do our own thing before meeting again and going onto the bus. So Dan, Blessie, Katie, Ambica, and I went to the Augustiner-Keller Bier Garden. The brewery itself was established in 1328, and the bier garden is the oldest in Europe. We sat outside underneath maple trees, with tables everywhere. It felt like a family gathering spot, and we sat next to a huge bunch of Germans all dressed in their traditional garb singing drinking songs. Dan, Katie, and I all ordered the veal sausage with potato salad, and I must say that the food was really good. We then hustled back onto the bus, and for the next 8 hrs, slept, talked, and just waited to get home. We did get lost once we reached Florence because the train station was closed and we didn't know how to get home. But once we did, and I'm sure this goes for everyone, but I sure did pass out.
Augustiner Bräu Entrance
Augustiner Bräu Refill
Sitting in the Bier Garden
Dad has the same coasters at home
Veal Sausage and Potato Salad
How Germans operate Heavy Machinery
Views the entire way home
There are too many crazy stories from my crazy friends from the craziest party in the world. I'm toning it down next weekend by going to Rome. We just booked a hostel that is in the historic center of Rome for €50 a person for the entire weekend. I'll let you know if it is a legitimate as the one in Dachau. I'm very excited to see the Coliseum, and especially the Vatican. I've seen it on tv so many times, but I know the second I look up and the majesty of the Sistine Chapel smiles down on me, it'll be a transcendent experience. Just be sure to stay behind me and not get lost in the crowd.
Ne-Yo - Stop This World
And I see heaven when she looks at me
In her smile is the most amazing dream
And in her eyes I fall asleep
And I hope, hope that she can see through the smoke
Of my imperfections into my soul
And my heart where she has control, she has control
Cause I can't feel the ground, someone let me down
I've never felt so high as I do now
It's too good to be true, I don't deserve you
I've never felt a love strong enough to
Stop this world from spinning
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