First Day in Munich

I just arrived in Munich, and I am very happy to say that I have a large number of things going through my mind; this is what a vacation should be, exciting and invigorating. I'm going to jot down my initial thoughts below, more or less unedited, so that I don't lose track of them, then hopefully come back over time and expand on them as appropriate. I'm sorry for the choppy style, but I am actually posting these as working notes for myself and don't want to risk losing the train of thought or the feeling.





The hotel (K+K am Harras, Munich) is great, and I highly recommend it: Clean, well-priced, modern, large enough but small enough (i.e., it has a small bar, breakfast room, room service, 24 hour front desk, yet at the same time it does not have the big chain feel). It also provides a truly necessary service, free Internet, both wired in the room and wireless in the public areas. The only major drawback I can cite is that it is in a rather quiet section of town, requiring you to hop on the subway for almost anything (other than the #$@$#$ McDonalds next door). BTW, the chain has hotels in many other European cities, so you might check them out if you are going to Paris, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Prague or Bucharest. (If you are going to London, I recommend the Strand Palace, just based on price and location alone---more on this in a future blog).

There are lots of bikes, but they are the "old style," like a kid's bike, not the sleek racing machine you'll see in Seattle or Davis.

Haven't seen this in years: Cigarette machines. Plenty of them, even on the streets.



Surprisingly, I had a very difficult time finding anyplace to eat in the local vicinity, though there were plenty of places to drink and tons of McDonalds. (They still have the MacRib and MacRoyal! Banished from the US and shipped overseas!).

Even more shocking, I am confirming something I suspected, even feared, for years: I'm not a true fan of German beer!! For some reason, they seem too hoppy for me, and there are other nationalities I prefer. Before I definitively state this, I do want to spend the week researching it a bit more, just to be certain prior to committing to such a major statement.

The language is no problem, as most people here speak English rather well. I'd like to practice my German, but they actually will not let me. Everytime I try to say something in German, as soon as they get the drift of what I am asking, they come back hurriedly in English to finish the conversation. I'd say they seem impatient, which in all honesty I should understand: Especially in the service industry, they don't have time for you to play like an eight-year-old when they know your language perfectly well. They are a bit abrupt, but at least in this sense I can see why.

Ironically, while the spoken language is no problem, very few public signs or instructions are written in English. Getting around the public transportation is rough, far worse than in Japan, Italy or other non-English speaking countries which tend to have instructions posted prominently in English.

The train system, like virtually all of Europe, is awesome, with a U-Bahn (for underground or slower, short-distance trains) and an S-Bahn (for speedier trains). It's well planned, you can easily get virtually anywhere, and it's clean, quick, and on-time. The only problem is that the fare system is almost impossible to figure out, far more confusing than the Tube, or Rome, or Paris. Oh well, it's the honor system, so if you can't figure out how to buy the ticket, then fake it---worst case if you get caught it is a 40 euro fine.


BTW, a lot of things over here seem to work on the honor system, such as newsracks on the street corners. There's a subtle note reminding the patrons to please pay, and evidently it works.





Very few people have tattoos, and the few you do see for the most part are small, almost discrete. (And believe me, as you'll see in the next blog, I had ample opportunity to see body parts I definitely do NOT see walking around in public in the US). Actually, this was a nice change, as compared to the US attitude which far too often is "I have nothing to say, so look at my tat." (More on this in a future blog.)

Just like in Italy, coffee stands not only have snacks but also beer, wine and hard liquor.

Strong coffee, I had far less in volume than my typical one or two ventis per day, yet it was kicking me. I had to grab a couple of sandwiches to get over the caffeine buzz.

Breakfast this morning was incredible, and while it sounds to simple it is one of the things that is making this trip so spectacular for me: I took the hotel buffet out on the patio, I ate slowly, then I had coffee, I read a German newspaper, even able to translate the challenging German phrase, "Solschenizyn tot." It was really incredible and beautiful: Sipping coffee rather than guzzling it, birds singing, reading the paper, smiling uncontrollably. They offered free champagne, but I did not partake, as the booze would have distracted from the moment. (For those who know me, seldom do I say that.)

One final quick bullet for the moment: I'm a European at heart, much more than an American: The european acceptance of nudity and sexuality, their relaxed attitude towards alcohol and even cigarettes, plus the true belief in allowing "freedom" rather than just mouthing the word all resonate deeply with me. Freedom is at the heart of it. More on this later, but just realize that much of what I write in the next few days will be biased by this perspective.