Europe 2010

Jen signing in here.

So we recharged our batteries, restored our livers and generally chilled out in Grünau.

The place was amazing. There are lots of photos that will hopefully get loaded up next time we get to an internet cafe in Venice.

The boys did a huge hike up to 1600m in to the snow fields and mountains above the hostel. The five hour return trip included a little bit of excitment in the form of some random snow boarding/skatboarding over the ice. The view from the top was incredible and it has helped make Austria one of our favourite stops so far.

Jen spent her time chillaxin. Reading, sleeping and trying to shake the nasty cold she got in Vienna. Still not 100% but the nose has stopped running which is a good sign.

The host in Grünau also really made it special. Gerherd really took care of us. Home cooked meals (dinner and dessert!) plus some tasty lunches. The rooms were realy nice too. Gotta love a night wrapped up in a full feather doona with the windows open so you can hear the river outside. So nice.

We hit Munich the day before yesterday. Munich saw us coming! In our lets-get-in-on-a-random-public-holiday technique that has worked well so far, they have a huge Christian conference on in town and everything was shut yesterday! This made things very busy.

In a much more affronting adventure, we went out to the Dachau concentration camp yesterday. There really aren’t enough words to sum up the history that place has. Suffice to say that one of the memorials said ‘Never Again’ and we can’t agree more. I actually physically couldn’t listen in parts and they screened a movie within the museum with footage I have never seen (and hope never to see again). Such a waste for such horrible reasons. It was humbling and we all felt a bit more special that we haven’t had any of that happen on our doorstep. The Germans do such an amazing job of preserving the memories and sharing it with the world. Something to be greatful for I suppose.

So, in a required (or demanded?) need. We did a bit of a beer tour last night. It was supposed to be a Beer Challenge… but there were waaaaaay too many people out and about for us to visit all of the beer halls and to get around to the normal haunts. So we did a bit of a random selection of beer halls, lounges and restaurants that could fit our group of 35. It was really nice having a local guide to take us around and let us wander aimlessly after them. Plus, the full circle finished in a hostel down the road so the stumble to bed was easy. I can’t get over how many litre beers the wait staff carry. One guy had over 10! Super muscles I think.

Today has been a mixture of recovery and more sightseeing. Hansen wandered off to the BMW museum which was not exactly what he expected but worthwhile all the same. We are off this evening to do a bike tour around the city and get a bit more out of Munich. I’m sure it will involve a few more beers and hopefully if I get my plan in action, some Schwartzverldertorte (aka Black Forest Cake). The Germans do excellent munchable foods. A group favourite is Currywurst which is a pork sausage, sliced up and covered in a tasty tomato sauce with a generous tap of currypowder on top. Plus they know how to make propper hot chocolate and coffees – unlike the French, Danish and English!

We are off to Venice tomorrow so the day driving all over the place and we should end up at the hostel campsite we have booked which apparently has everything a good backpacker needs. Bar, pool and sundeck… sweet!!