Our first day in Munich was pretty relaxed.
We woke up early to travel from Zurich to Munich, and as soon as we arrived we had a business visit with the U.S. Consulate, where we were able to hear from a few of the different departments.
It was really interesting!
From there we went to the BMW factory for a tour!
We were able to look around the showroom floor for a bit before the tour, and even though I'm more of an Audi girl myself, it was pretty fantastic!
We woke up early to travel from Zurich to Munich, and as soon as we arrived we had a business visit with the U.S. Consulate, where we were able to hear from a few of the different departments.
It was really interesting!
From there we went to the BMW factory for a tour!
We were able to look around the showroom floor for a bit before the tour, and even though I'm more of an Audi girl myself, it was pretty fantastic!
The tour was about two hours long and it was SO cool.
We were able to see the entire process of making and manufacturing BMW's from start to finish.
Unfortunately, photos weren't allowed :)
That evening some of us went out to explore Munich and get some dinner.
While exploring, we stumbled across Aston Martin, and I just about cried tears of joy...
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| So this happened today... My heart rate quadrupled and I think I nearly passed out. #astonmartin #beauties #munich |
One day I'll own one ;)
(In my dreams!)
The next day was one that I was looking forward to in a very somber way.
We drove to the Dachau concentration camp and we were very fortunate to be given a guided tour by an incredibly knowledgeable man who seemed to know every last detail about the holocaust.
As soon as we stepped through the gate the atmosphere was incredibly palpable.
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| "We live in a free world today because in 1945 the forces of imperfect goodness defeated the forces of near-perfect evil." Michael Dipaulo #dachau #germany |
As our guide walked us through the camp he gave us a ton of information and focused on the things we wouldn't be able to find or read about online.
We saw the living quarters with rows of bunk beds.
Three people shared one of these bunkers.
The people who were sent to Dachau weren't Jews, but were those who the Germans felt to be a threat - sympathetics, homosexuals, and many more.
We also saw the gas chamber and incinerators.
Before going inside and while walking through I felt this extreme heaviness on my chest and wasn't sure I'd be able to do it.
It was extremely difficult, but in a weird way I'm glad I was able to be there to experience what I did.
I learned a lot and my worldview definitely shifted a bit.
Even now, a year and a half later I feel a heaviness in my chest when I even look at these photos.
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| These were all plots were the bunkers had been. The Germans came back to tear them down to get rid of proof near the end of the war. |
Touring Dachau was one of the most sobering and palpable experiences I've ever had, and one that I am not sure I'll ever be able to forget.
After a pretty quiet bus ride back to Munich a group of us decided to go rent bikes and ride through the city and the English Gardens!
I absolutely loved it!
It was a perfect day, the gardens were beautiful, and I had some great company!
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| Bike riding through the English Gardens of Munich on a perfect call day with these lovely ladies! |
Riding through the city was a different story, and a tad stressful, but it was still so fun :)
That night we went to dinner at the famous beer fall, the Hofbrauhaus.
It was chaotic, loud, packed full, and so fantastic :)
The food, oh my goodness, the food.
I ordered Spatzle, bratwurst, and sauerkraut, and it was to. die. for.
What really made this experience though were the people and the atmosphere!
The hall had a live band playing traditional music, as well as a whole lot of drunk people ;)
We had to wait for a seat and had to actually ask people if we could take their table when they were done.
We ended up sitting by a woman, her dad, and three of their friends.
They all got so incredibly wasted and it was so entertaining!
One of the men who was so drunk he was literally on the verge of passing out said there were no words for how beautiful I was and kissed me on the hand twice.
Talk about out of my comfort zone, but it was definitely a night to remember!
Hey Europe friends! I'm sorry I've been holding out on you guys. I have sooo many pictures I'm going to try to get them all up this following week. Here's a video from Germany where we met Peter. I miss you all!!! Ohh and I should probably mention we were not drinking. Just FYI!
Posted by Kendra Weiss on Saturday, February 7, 2015
So much fun :)
After dinner we went to get some gelato (of course!), and head back to the hotel.
On the way we stumbled upon a pianist named Daniel Stenway, just casually playing a grand piano in the middle of Munich.
He was SO good.
I took a few videos of him playing, and once he saw me taking a video he got slightly upset and nodded his head at me.
Apparently in Europe when you're a street performer it isn't cool for people to record you, so I'm doing him a favor (or in my opinion, a disservice!) by not posting any of the videos on here.
Too bad, because he was fantastic!
Overall it was a long and emotional, but great day in Germany.
:)
Our second day in Germany was nothing special, and was probably my least favorite day of the trip so far.
Exhaustion has really set in, and emotional/grumpy Melissa made an appearance (along with a migraine).
We went to a branch in Germany for church and it was a very interesting experience.
Church was all in German with people translating, and Sacrament meeting went about half an hour over.
I was trying to hard to enjoy it but I was just exhausted.
We took the nearly hour-long trek back to the hotel and I took some Excedrin and a much needed nap.
That evening we had a YSA fireside with a traditional German dinner - homemade pretzels, sausage, and the most amazing apple streusel!
After dinner we had the fireside where me and two of the girls in the group sang I Know That My Redeemer Lives, at the request of our bus driver, Patrick!
Overall, the evening ended up being great, but as soon as we were back to the hotel I fell asleep faster than I ever have before, and I didn't mind one bit :)
After dinner we went to get some gelato (of course!), and head back to the hotel.
On the way we stumbled upon a pianist named Daniel Stenway, just casually playing a grand piano in the middle of Munich.
He was SO good.
I took a few videos of him playing, and once he saw me taking a video he got slightly upset and nodded his head at me.
Apparently in Europe when you're a street performer it isn't cool for people to record you, so I'm doing him a favor (or in my opinion, a disservice!) by not posting any of the videos on here.
Too bad, because he was fantastic!
Overall it was a long and emotional, but great day in Germany.
:)
Our second day in Germany was nothing special, and was probably my least favorite day of the trip so far.
Exhaustion has really set in, and emotional/grumpy Melissa made an appearance (along with a migraine).
We went to a branch in Germany for church and it was a very interesting experience.
Church was all in German with people translating, and Sacrament meeting went about half an hour over.
I was trying to hard to enjoy it but I was just exhausted.
We took the nearly hour-long trek back to the hotel and I took some Excedrin and a much needed nap.
That evening we had a YSA fireside with a traditional German dinner - homemade pretzels, sausage, and the most amazing apple streusel!
After dinner we had the fireside where me and two of the girls in the group sang I Know That My Redeemer Lives, at the request of our bus driver, Patrick!
Overall, the evening ended up being great, but as soon as we were back to the hotel I fell asleep faster than I ever have before, and I didn't mind one bit :)
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