ITINERARY

• Munich, Germany

  • September 2017 - 4 days at Wombat Hostel in Munich, Germany

    • Easily the most I’ve ever spent at a hostel– $300+ for three nights! but we paid for close proximity to Oktoberfest.

• Berlin, Germany

  • November 2018 - 4 days in @ Airbnb Berlin, Germany

    • Airbnb was nothing amazing, smelled kind of weird actually

Munich HIGHLIGHTS

• Munich/Oktoberfest would not have been the same without Adam!

  • I’m so grateful he decided to join me on this leg of my trip. Oktoberfest was the best getting to dance around with him, and meet new people.

• Attending Oktoberfest. The main reason I flew to Munich in October. 

  • What to expect

    • Drinking large beers- - Grounds consists of 15+ huge tents (more like large beer halls) all each individually themed. Inside a tent you can order huge mugs of beer (each 1L), food, and dance on tables. Waitresses will come up to you to serve food. Cash only! Best part is because of the long ended tables, you’ll meet people from around the world, chat and dance. The community vibe is unreal!

    • Dancing on tables -- Each tent has a live band where people will play music. Usually they’ll end up playing really popular songs so anyone can dance along (99 Luft Balloons)!

    • Playing Devil's Wheel -- Besides drinking, there's large carnival games for families. One of their most famous games is called “The Devils Wheel”. People will pay 4 euro admission to go into an arena and watch people climb onto a spinning top and see who can last the longest; option to participate as well! MC will name different groups of people who can participate each time (men w lederhosen, children under 18, etc). Plot twist– there is no prize for being the last one standing so enjoy the show or if you’ve had enough beers feel free to participate!

  • Planning ahead

    • Dressing up -- Bavarian Outfitters was a great store to rent from– allow to reserve ahead of time without having to pay any deposit! 43 euros for a dress for the day!

  • Overall, Oktoberfest I’ll be back for you. You weren’t as debaucherous as I thought you’d be, and that’s why I can safely assume once again in my life I shall have to pay a return visit. Also you were oddly cheap! The most expensive part was the hostel and rental, but at the festival itself the most you’d spend is on food and alcohol.

• Eating at some pretty great restaurants-- glad Adam is as much of a foodie as I am.

  • Mr. Pancake for delicious pancakes, recommend the savory one with sausages!

  • Taverna Limani --unique Mediterranean food located in a small suburb

  • Trachtenvogl -- cozy German cafe

  • Hofbraehaus -- for a F U N beer hall

• Enjoying a huge schnitzel (fried chicken, aka European version of chicken katsu) after a long day and a pint of beer. 

  • Andys Krablergarten has delicious schnitzels with AMAZING sauce underneath.

  • Steinheil 16 was the second favorite place I went to. More authentic (albeit less variety), but make sure to call ahead as their store hours online are sometimes off. Overall, either place’s chicken is so yummy and freaking huge– it’ll take at least two people to finish.

• A moving and informative experience at De Chao Concentration Camp. 

  • This is probably one of the best /most powerful museums I have ever been to. I easily could have spent a whole day walking through the concentration camp. They have a museum section, as well as preserved areas of the concentration camp including the gas chambers (entering in was incredibly eerie), cremation center, and the barracks where people used to sleep.

  • Propaganda was so widespread in Germany that they would have “ tours” of the camp that were really staged, to show open facilities. Also, at one point the concentration camps made up half of Germany’s economy, and they would lease out workers to BMW and other airline factories. My photos don’t represent how powerful / impactful this place is. A must see for anybody who visits– be sure to dedicate at least 4 hours!

Munich lowlights

• Not too much diversity in food (get ready to give up a healthy diet of salads and fruits)

• Rain during the day of Oktoberfest

• Overpaying for a hostel (plan ahead!) and not as much programming from Wombats.

Berlin highlights

• Eating really good food. Holy, usually European countries fall short in the “food category” for me but I was so impressed with every meal I had. I think part of it is because there is such a diverse community of cultures in Berlin (IE, huge Turkish population which in turn creates bomb doners… think California re Mexican food, good Asian food, yummy Greek food...)

• Asteria: Amazing Greek food (and I do not say this lightly!). Love their eggplants and main portions are large enough for 2-3 people to share. Also constant refills of ouzo (Greek liquor) and recommend coming in here around 9pm/10pm for a boozy dinner pregame.

• Curry 36: Yummm. Mayo + curry ketchup on top of different type of hotdogs and meatballs.

• Mustafas: Right next to Curry 36. Small stand, recommend eating at the bar next door. They let you bring in outside food if you pay for a drink.

• LMFAO McDonalds: Bare with me… I work at Uber and McDonalds is my life. They serve curly fries and that is game changing.

• Burgermeister: A top burger. Love their burger, meister allen for bacon + mushrooms, with chili cheese fries.

• Getting into the Christmas spirit with Christmas markets. Usually open around November (date for some vary) until end of December they are a great place to go boutique shopping, eat yummy German food (actual stands / built in restaurants), and can carry boozy hot chocolate / mulled wine as you’re walking around.

• LOVE lounge / bars with delicious drinks and chill vibes. I swear, Berlin is the capital of “drink and chill”.

  • Madame Claude: Cool lounge w live music and “Berlin vibes” with upside down furniture. Definitely get the Peruvian Cocaine— short that’s half kalua half vodka, with a chaser lime that’s half brown sugar and half ground coffee beans. It’s freaking bombbbb and I am going to have it at every pregame.

  • Mein haus am see: 24/7 bar. ALWAYS POPPIN. Cool stars to chill at, think Met but grungier. Get the Tatanka— I swear it tastes like Pressed Juicery gone wild. Celery bitter, apple juice & vodka.

  • Multilayerladen: Definitely a post game spot. Swings everywhere, okay drinks but go for the lounge vibes. Close by Burgermeister (sub 2 min walk) if you can make it before 3am.

  • Wohnzimmerbar in Prenzlauer Berg (not to be confused w the bar near Burgermeister). Explore all three rooms. Very chic, French modern bar.

• Going out and embracing Berlin nightlife. Clubbing is suppose to be insane here. General rules I’ve heard from friends that seemed to work: wear black, don’t be loud / obnoxious, know who the DJ is, and don’t go in large groups.

• Enjoying open bottle container rules. Take advantage of this!

• Trying Jump bike for the first time! Berlin was one of the first cities Jump biked launched in, and it made traveling around so much fun.

• Visiting the Berlin Wall. It’s absolutely beautiful. and there’s so much to cover. Can easily spend 2 hours walking around.

• Spending time with my sister! Being 5 years apart, we don’t always get to spend as much time together as I’d like, so it was wonderful to spend quality time together.

BERLIN LOWLIGHTS

• Smelling like smoke after a night out. As a non smoker, the smell feels horrible. Grateful for the bars that have a non-smoking room.

Munich Photos

Berlin Photos