Today, we spent the day in Munich, only about a 45-minute train ride from Augsburg. The second we stepped off the train, you could feel the rush of the city. People were moving in every direction throughout the walk into the main city area. There was also an FC Bayern Munich vs. FC Köln match that day, so lots of people were dressed in red.

We walked straight into the Marienplatz, where the current town hall is located. The building features a famous glockenspiel that performs at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. every day. We arrived around 10:50, so after about 10 minutes of waiting, we got to see the 15-minute show. I had never seen a glockenspiel before, but it felt like it was telling a story unique to Munich.

One thing I noticed while waiting was the crowd of tourists gathered in the square. Unlike in other parts of Germany, such as Augsburg, I heard so many languages besides German being spoken. It felt like people from all over the world had gathered in one place.

Since we visited on a Saturday, I assumed the city was busier than usual. Still, Munich seemed to have become a major center for tourism. There was a huge stretch of shops, including lots of souvenir stores. I stopped in the FC Bayern Store, which had a giant red scarf displayed on the roof and was packed with people buying last-minute merchandise for the match. I ended up getting a cute magnet for my fridge.

After some shopping around the city, we met back up as a group and joined Hildren for our city tour. She guided us through beautiful churches, World War II memorial sites, and other important locations tied to Munich’s history and traditions. The site that stood out to me the most was the golden path on a side street. Hildren explained that it represents the route taken by people who wanted to avoid saluting the Nazi flag displayed at a nearby building. The path itself was small and easy to miss, but it carries an enormous historical meaning.

We wrapped up the tour after some heavy rain, grabbed dinner, and headed back to Augsburg on the train to rest up for tomorrow’s visit to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, which is one of the trips I had been looking forward to most.