Munich: celebrating 5 new years

On the 31st we woke up early to head to the central train station. Sadly the first train to Munich was cancelled. We grabbed some lunch for on the train and headed were able to catch the next train. As it turned out we had 1st class tickets (not sure that happened) but it made for a seamless ride without interruption other than people coming to offer us free candy. 

We spent the majority of our time playing cards, and I have to say I have missed playing cards with my brother. It felt like a typical Friday night or Saturday afternoon. I also fell even more in love with Germany. I kept commenting to Daryn that "I could live here" every time we passed a small village or an area that would be perfect for camping. I couldn't believe how gorgeous the countryside was, especially considering it was grey and winter-like. It makes me desperate to go back in the summer to see the green grass and trees. I can honestly say that I left my heart in Germany, so I'm going to have to go back to retrieve it at some point.

When we arrived in Munich I called the man we were surfing with (on a pay phone) and got train directions to the stop byt his house. I figured from there I'd be able to use the map on my iPod from their. We needed to exchange some money, but unfortunately the banks were already closed given it was new years eve. I figured I could just take some Euro out of my account in Albania. So I put in my card and upon trying my pin 3 times I found out that my card wasn't excepted there. Unfortunately the machine took my card, so I guess along with my heart I left my bank card. We figured we'd just have to live off of the 20 Euros we had, as I was unwilling to sacrifice my other credit card. 

Couch surfers from Russia and Taiwan: celebrating Russian New Year

Eventually we got on the correct train (we were originally going the wrong way) and got off at the appropriate stop. But then when I tried to turn on my ipod it was dead. We had no idea where we were going, other than the address of the man. So we walked around looking for the right street. Eventually we decided we were lost enough to ask a guy. He took us back to his house and looked up the address on his GPS. After looking at it he thought it was impossible to walk, so he offered us a ride. People are so nice in Europe. As it turn out it was about a 5 minute drive, but we were still quite grateful. Our host opened the door and immediately offered us a coffee from his espresso machine. Oliver was down to earth and had very good taste in music. I enjoyed being offered a bit of sarcasm (no one in Albania understands, so I've quit using mine.) He informed us that he had 9 other people staying there that evening, 4 from Brazil, 3 from Taiwan, and 2 from Russian. It was going to be a full house. We were lucky to be offered dinner cooked by the girls from Brazil and Taiwan. It was delicious, and soon afterwards we celebrated the Russian new year with some Champagne (their time zone was different.) All in all we decided we would be able to celebrate a total of 5 new years, however 1 had already happened and 2 would happen in the early hours of the morning. 

We found a dessert open mall.

We opted to head into the city to wander around with the russian friends. The others were heading to a party with a cover and we didn't really feel like being trapped in one building with a large crowd, when there were things to see. The Russians met some of their other friends in the center and we quickly downed a bit of vodka and were happy that though their friends wanted to go into the Hard Rock cafe, they didn't. I was able to find a place that wasn't out of beer, so we purchased 4 and walked around with them discovering the constant drone of fireworks as we went. After we counted down the new year me and Daryn found a corner to pee in again. One of the Russians desired some hot wine, so we went back to the location where we had originally seen it, but they were all out. The man working at the counter was nice enough to offer us, instead, some free Champagne, which we drank quite quickly before heading home. 

I tried to take a picture of the fireworks, but it didn't work :(

I found a spot on the floor and rolled out my sleeping bag. Everyone arrived home pretty quickly, and we shared our adventures of the night while drifting off to sleep. I was not ready to leave Munich the next morning. 

Berlin: Instant love

We spent our morning riding the train to Berlin. It was a bit too soon to leave Amsterdam, but next time we will plan for more time everywhere we go. There we no issues getting on the train, but a bunch of the seats were reserved. Luckily, we found two with a table so we could play some cards, however when the train switched over to Germany a ton of people got on, including a large family that had reserved the seats we were in and a bunch around us. What followed was a countless number of times switching seats, eventually standing for about an hour and then finally getting to sit again. We arrived in Berlin and followed my directions to our next couch surfing hosts' place. Unfortunately I had forgot to write down the last name we needed to buzz at his apartment complex.

Cheddar Cheese on the train!

We quickly found a cafe with Internet and looked it up while enjoying a coffee. We went and rang and were let into a super nice apartment. Our host was great and joined us for dinner at a vegan restaurant. I felt right at home with a veggie burger, fries dipped in REAL catsup and a delicious German beer. Me and daryn decided to walk around for a bit while Fabian(our host) went home to do some work. Our luck continued as we found a small brewery a few block away, called Hops and Barley. Here we not only sampled delicious beer, but also met a very nice couple from Israel. We talked to them about their travels and discussed the joys of couch surfing with them.

Beer at Hops &Barley

At this point we headed back to Fabian's apartment to map out a plan for the following day. So much to see in so little time, and I never wanted to leave. You know how they say you know love when you have found it? Well I was in love. With Germany.

Me and Daryn both took showers and shortly after finishing we headed to Fabian's friend's house. As it turned it he had studied in Milwaukee  Together we ahared 6 beers and then headed to a nearby bar for a few more. We met so many interesting people who were all interested in Albania, and wanted to share their culture with me. The more I talked to them the more I longed to stay. We attempted to head to some clubs after this, but no where would let us in, because we had too large of a group. Daryn and I left the group behind and ended up finding a semi secretive place to pee on our way home. We stopped for a beer and discussed the possibility and desire to stay another night. It would mean missing out on some Munich beer, but it was worth it.

Favorite art at East Side Gallery

The next morning Fabian offered us a breakfast of delicious bread, coffee and fruit. He approved of our idea to stay another night, so we headed out to see the sights.

We saw a lot of very cool buildings and places related to world war 2. I won't bore you with information(mostly because I don't remember any of it) but I will tell you my favorite part was the East Side Gallery. This sight consist of part of the Berlin wall, that is now covered with gorgeous artwork, and a lot of graffiti.

Our biggest(and only) complaints about te city are as follows: too many tourists, having to pay to pee, and that fact that some restaurants don't serve tap water. I was so dehydrated at one point that I ended up paying 3 euro for a very small bottle.

Famous Building, TV Tower

It was funny because Fabian had told us how to get from place to place using the train system. We found however that by the time we had reached the first place walking we could see the next place in the distance and it would be easier just to walk there. Then we ended up deciding to walk home. All in all, I believe we walked a minimum of 10 miles during the day. And by the end of it I was sick of seeing sights.

Check-point Charlie, where the Berlin was was first torn down.

It was beer time again, and after walking for a bit we decided we had like Hops &Barley so much we may as well go back and get more beer. These beers led to our inevitable great and deep talk about life, where we are going, and our feelings. We talked mostly about our family and the things we inherited. It was decided that we get our way of showing our feelings from our father, holding everything inside until we just can't anymore. And as I talked about my future plans and we discussed the possibility of not seeing each other for a year or two, we almost began crying, but opted to hold it in until we had to say goodbye for real.

Then we headed out for some dinner, because after walking 10 miles, without water, and drinking 2 beers food becomes necessary. I had some falafel and Daryn had some vegetarian lasagna. The previous night when we were lost we had seen a sign saying Porter, and after drinking nothing but wheats Daryn was in the mood for some dark, so we went back in search of it and eventually found it.

This bar was quite strange for us. It felt a lot like a bar from our hometown. I couldn't decide if I liked it or hated it. It was filled with smoke, loud music, and people who were crazy drunk on a Sunday night. We quickly finished our porters (which were extremely sweet) we given some plum liquor shots and head out with everyone kindly shaking our hands and saying goodbye to us with huge smiles on their faces.

Even Berlin loves the Packers!

When we arrived back at out lodging Fabian asked us if we had any other plans. The plan was to go to bed, but when we told him their was a packer game on he was kind enough to find a way for us to watch it on the big screen in his room. Daryn ran down to the market to pick up a few beers for us all to split. I only made it through the first half, and sadly we lost to the Vikings, which sucks!

The next morning I was not ready to leave to Berlin