SOLO EUROPE III: DAYS 13-14 [DACHAU & REGENSBURG]
from munich, i took a day trip to dachau, getting to dachau was stressful & confusing. first, buying train tickets took me some time to figure out as the metropolitan area has different zones that affect the ticket price, luckily i did my research in advance. i did help an american couple as they were also confused and going to the same place. i then went to the underground station, but when i got there, i noticed my train was not showing up on the monitor. as the line was part of the underground, it did not make sense why it was not appearing. i looked at the app, it still showed it was supposed to come. after 10 minutes of confusion, i realized that the platform was changed & a different, fancier train was covering the route above ground where the regional trains are at. i ran so fast like an idiot with a coffee & pretzel in hand up the escalator & across the station to the above ground platform. luckily, i made it to my train on time. the train ride was less than 30 minutes from munich, but there was a transfer to a local bus which took me to the site. almost everyone on the bus was going to visit the camp.
dachau was one of the longest running concentration camps in nazi germany. originally, it was meant for political dissidents, and then later ethnic & religious minorities. there were 32,000 documented deaths in dachau (obviously there were more deaths that were not recorded). the camp was liberated by us forced in 1945 & then used to hold ss soldiers who were waiting trial. the site shares the footage taken by the americans when they arrived.
the entrance gate.
the prisoner's gate - "work sets you free"
as you will see, i did not take many pictures, especially inside. it did not feel appropriate. there were not any rules that i was aware of, but it did not feel right to record parts of the museum. i was shocked by peoples behaviors, especially at the showers & crematorium.
a part of the main memorial. another section says "never again" in different languages & interns unknown remains.
"the path of death" that takes you past the rows & rows of barrack foundations to the memorials
the far side of the site has memorials for different religions, including judaism, christianity, catholicism, & russian orthodox. in this section is also one of the original buildings that house the gas chambers disguised as showers. i was shocked that they were still standing. it seems they were never actually used. no one knows why they were never used. i have no recollection that aushwitz has any showers still standing. i think they were all destroyed. it was very moving to literally walk into the showers & see the walls & floors & hidden areas where the gas would have been released. i will never forget that. i was shocked when i saw people taking photos of these showers & the crematoriums nearby. it was very strange behavior.
i only visited the camp in dacuahu. at around noon, returned to munich where i spent the rest of the day (which was in the last post).
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on another day, i left for a day trip from munich to regensburg. i decided on regensburg as the city center is a UNESCO heritage site. there are really 2 main historical areas, the city center & the riverfront. i visited both. it was a good choice as the city was so romantic! there were so many cute architectural details like something out of a fairy tale. i arrived early in the morning before anything was opened. this worked out well as i was able to take photos of the alleys & buildings with very few people.
because it was so early, i decided to stop at costa (a coffee chain that i think is more popular than starbucks in germany) & got a flat white with an applestreudl. i really enjoyed this because it was located in a square with an old church. i got to enjoy the views and watch while people set up for a market.
old town hall
this building is now a visitors center.
looked like a wishing well from snow white (just ignore the motor scooter)!
i stopped at a 2nd hand shop to try to find a keepsake of traditional bavarian clothing (i think they are so cute). i found an austrian made drindl & bought it for 15 euros. the shop owner was so nice & asked me that she was disappointed that she did not get to see it on me. she was so nice.
the shop
it was too busy to visit, but this establishment has been serving sausage since 1146!
at the riverfront, has a small museum in an old salt storage building that talks about the significance of the city. due to it's location along the river, it was connected to the silk road & to trails to bohemia, russia, italy, & byzantium. it was also a center for the holy roman empire during the high middle ages.
the stone bridge (1146) - the oldest still standing bridge in germany
walking on the bridge, i was able to enjoy someone playing the violin.
i decided to be brave and eat at a restaurant. i am so happy with my choice! the worker was so nice & patient while this silly american tried her best. outside, there were old men day drinking, but inside it was absolutely empty. you could tell how old this place was & it looked to be a family business making old bavarian classics.
the interior was right up my alley. i really admired the window panes.
i ordered shnitzel with potato salad & a coke.
i did go back to the river & visit the danube ship museum. i do really enjoy visiting boats when there is the opportunity. the museum is on a paddle steamer from the 1920s & shares information about boat navigation on the danube. though most of the info is in german, i enjoyed just being able to walk throughout the rooms & look at the little details. i appreciated the very enthusiastic elderly man manning the front desk & wearing a fiddler cap.
a paddle steamer from 1922
the remains of roman fortress walls
st. peter's cathedral (c. 1520 - gothic style)
a cute little mushroom looking coffee stand near the train station
the train ride returning to munich was very busy & standing room only. i decided to go back to the soup place in the main street marker of munich to try a different one. i thought the liver dumpling soup sounded good & authentic. i actually like liver, but thought the soup also had noodles (or noodles filled with liver). nope. it was literally a giant meatball of liver & broth, that was it. it did not smell very good. it was very liver-y, but luckily it did not taste how it smelled. it was not the most delicious to my taste, but it was edible. i learned.
my liver dumpling soup
i spent the rest of the evening shopping at some of the stores. munich, like salzburg, also had some good handmade crafts. i ended up buying a pewter hat pin with feathers. as this was the weekend, people were coming out of the woodworks to drink. though octoberfest was over, people were still dressed. i saw a grown man dressed like a ladybug. that gave me a giggle. in my dorm room, i did meet a very nice british girl that was so kind. she shared some german strawberry candy with me while we chatted. she invited me out, but i stayed in for the rest of the night.
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now a little about the hostel. i picked it because it was so centrally located. i like to stay at hostels near the main train stations (since i normally leave so early in the morning), but i also consider safety since sometimes train stations & the surrounding area can be dicey. a few doors away was the wombat hostel which i always have had a good experience with, but as munich was so expensive, i wanted to find something more affordable.
the hostel was honestly the worst from my trip. now it was not absolutely horrible, but it was not enjoyable (and i like to think of myself as simple & low maintenance nomadic traveler). the rooms were pretty rundown and did not feel clean. actually, it really was not clean. there is a difference between outdated & run down, the former i have no issues with. i was surprised as it was also a hotel & there were families staying. when i arrived, i found my duvet had crusty blood on it, so i knew the sheet has not been washed. i was not going to sleep in those sheets, but also did not want to make a big deal of it. i went to the front desk & nicely asked for some new sheets. the front desk was always so nice & helpful during my stay. because of my crusty sheets, i also got a free breakfast (valued at 7 euros), which was honestly worth it. i would rather go through an inconvenience to get something free than pay. i am cheap, though not proud of it. also, before 7 am, a maintenance worker would power wash the hallway floors. i did not mind the noise since i was always up early, but i found it strange to use machinery that early. the one thing i did mind, was the back handed comment he made when i had to walk past his just washed hallway, it is the only path from the dorm room to the bathrooms down the stairs, so i do not know what he expected me to do.
the lobby
the one good thing i would say besides the front desk workers, is that the lobby looked very nice. i could tell this was an old hotel that was once grand and had a really nice fireplace, crystal chandeliers, and an old bar. it felt very 1920s. i enjoyed spending time in there & especially in the morning before the crowds came & the bar was filled with drunkards. munich is known for having a nightlife & at night the lobby would turn into a bar, so i stayed away at night. nothing was free but water & tea (luckily lemon & ginger tea is my favorite & was one of the options). if i wanted cold water, i would have to ask the bartender to fill up my bottle. overall the accommodation was doable, but i would skip.