Munchen! Stop #1 of Traveling Beyond Study Abroad

My study abroad program officially ended on Friday, August 2. I knew I’d want to see more of Europe so I booked an additional trip through EF College Break to explore Germany, Italy and Switzerland. EF College Break gives people from 18 – 26 the chance to experience places with a packed itinerary and with people their own age.

After a night of no sleep from kissing Barcelona goodbye, my 8 am flight to Munich was an easy one. I landed in Munich around 10AM still exhausted, but ready to meet the people I’d spend the next week traveling with.

I spent the next 3 hours waiting for our bus to pick us up to take us to the hotel, and when we finally made it to the hotel, we waiting another hour to get our room assignment. It was a very long, hot day and I’ve never been so ready to take a shower. We immediately dropped off our bags, showered and met back up with the whole group to make our way into downtown Munich to explore.

This is where I, of course, had my first real German beer and pretzel.

Exhausted, we wandered through the streets and hung out in the main square while people watching. I will say that Germans are my favorite group – so far – to people watch.

I love how many clock towers there were around the city. Beautiful. 

The next morning, we boarded our bus and headed to Neuschwanstein castle (please never ask me to pronounce that) built by the supposedly mad King Ludwig II in 1892.

The castle is isolated in the Bavarian Mountains in Schwangau, Germany. 

We had to walk up the mountain in close to 100 Fahrenheit, but it was worth it. The castle and the surrounding view were completely worth it.

Princess found her castle! Ha. 

We spent the next few hours at the English garden, hanging out with locals and jumping in the river. Through the English garden runs Munich’s main river, which is known for its strong current and river surfers. The river's current makes a natural wave, and you can always find people surfing.

We quickly changed into our suits so we could join the locals and jump in the river.

Here’s how it works. You walk up to the top of the river, jump in, then pick up your feet and let the river’s current take you downstream. Think of it like a fast lazy river. For someone that usually hates water and isn’t a very good swimmer, I had a great time.

We wrapped up our last night in Munich with dinner at the famous Hofbrauhaus, one of Munich's oldest breweries founded in 1589.

Sit up front, right next to the stage for the best view of the live entertainment. These guys used whips to make music. 

And, if you're "lucky" like I was, a piece of the whip will snap off and land in your plate.  

Weizenbier. 

Apple strudel! 

I lied. We didn't wrap up the night with dinner. Because, when in Munich, go to the clubs at Kultfabrik for a great time.

While walking to this district, I ran into one of the german boys I'd met while staying in our hostel in Dublin. He lives in Munich, but it was still such a coincidence! How small is this world.

A long night of dancing and we were ready to sleep on the bus to Innsbruck, Austria and the mountains in Northern Italy.

More pictures on my Flickr account.