Wow, almost halfway done with these blog posts, and it feels like time is just flying by! Today we took a much-needed rest day, and really fit the tourist stereotype, as we dressed out in casual clothes and took a tour of Bavaria’s capital, Munich.

I woke up around 8:30 today, which was the longest time I was able to sleep in for the past 5 days. I knew from even pre-departure from the trip that I wasn’t going to get much sleep, however, I still really underestimated how little sleep I was going to get each night. Regardless, I powered through getting out of bed and getting some food in my belly from downstairs. After eating some eggs, bacon, and delectable chocolate croissants, I was ready to get my tourist-on. Our group hopped on the tram to the Hauptbanhof, and then took the real train to Munich. The train was SUPER packed on this beautiful Saturday, and it really went to show how many Germans use public transportation daily.

After arriving by train, we walked to the new town hall, where we were greeted by a show of almost animantronic-like figures when the clock stroke 11. To be honest, it was kinda creepy. The architecture, however, was absolutely astonishing considering the wear and tear the city had gone through during World War 2. Our tour guide spoke great English, and we walked for 2 hours around the city center looking at a bunch of historical gothic churches and buildings and seeing the construction wonders of the world during the time period of the 16th century. My favorite part of the tour was taking pictures next to the Lion statues with Jason, Vipin, Gaby, and Maxi, which provided a great view of a unique brick road in Munich.

Concluding the tour, we used Maxi as our tour guide for gift shops and other stores, spending lots of money along the way. I even ended up purchasing a German Lego set for my little brother at home, which Peter and I had been anticipating for literally the entirety of the trip. After walking around for 4 hours and feeling how uncomfortable my feet were, we finally sat down at a nice burger restaurant with our entire Plus3 group at around 6:00. Although this wasn’t my first time having a burger in Germany, I still really enjoyed by blue cheese and bacon burger, mainly because I have a real addiction to burgers at home. I really loved talking to everyone else about their free day in Munich, and I loved sharing my purchase of the LEGO set with the group. There were lots of laughs and many jokes were made, all in good fun of course.

Tonight, I really am preparing myself to feel the heaviness of an emotional visit to Dachau, but I am very eager to learn more about the interesting story about one of the darkest places in history. Will update you all tomorrow! Tschüss!