Stolen Sandwiches, Student Visas, and Paco

Oh Bayern....

     Why Bayern (Bavaria) you ask? Well, that only requires a simple answer; obtaining a visa. Our origin , of course, was Linz and our destination Munich, Germany. Mind you that this was the first time I had ever even been in a train station. In other words, I was pretty darn excited. I do come from Alabama. We have Baptists and football, but not trains worth much. With a little skip in my step I meet my friend , number two of three on the journey, and run towards the tram so we can gather our other member to journey to the hauptbahnhof (train station). After we arrived picked up our tickets, we go to the grocery store , in the train station, because I was the idiot who decided not to eat early. I pick my sandwich and coke, take them to the counter to pay only to turn around to find that my dinner had been stolen. Yes, my sandwich of all things! Though, don't worry, I took another and on to Munich we went.

      After running to a connection and following a group of teenagers from the UK we finally found our hostel; another first. Let's just say most men don't sleep in pajamas so we choose the second room. This was not the murder house mystery I was expecting. However, there was a mystery mate. Who? We still do not know, but we name him Paco.

     The next morning we wake early to find our way to the visa office. This would perhaps be the greatest journey of all. I mean, getting lost is the greatest way to know a city. You might even be lucky enough to see the gnome children. We arrived at the visa office 15 miles and 2 hours later to find out that the office personal man was indifferent about documents and fingerprints; made the process easy. On the way back to the hostel we decide to view some sights  , free ones, and the outside of buildings with a plan to join a proper city tour in the morning.

     The next morning on the city tour , also free, we truly learned what history and titles the city truly holds. For instance, did you know that the Glockenspiel was rated the 2nd most overrated tourist attraction? On a more serious note, we discovered the spirit of the people. Perhaps the most memorable stop on the tour was the golden line. This serves as a memorial to those who chose to resist the Nazis before and during war time. People would take this path so they would not have to face SS guards at the memorial of the beer hall putsch. Of course the guards eventually caught on to this and began to guard the alternative path on the Viscardigasse. Today it serves as a memorial and symbol of resistance.