Germany

Germany a spectacular country, rich in culture, geographically beautiful, and stemming from a long, strong history. If you only know the country's history from the world wars, I implore you to learn more from further back. From its days as part of the Roman Empire to its glorious medieval kingdom, there is so much more history here than you likely realize.

Whether it is exploring extravagant castles and palaces, visiting beautiful cathedrals, enjoying a hike through a gorgeous forest/park, touring the BMW Plant & Museum, spending the day in a beer garden/house, or seeing how many bratwursts you can enjoy before the day is done, Germany is a stop you should not pass up!

Tollwood 2.mp4

Tollwood Summer Festival, Munich

As described in the journal entry titled,
"Tollwood"

We sat down and were greeted in German by the bar maiden. We asked if she spoke English, to which she immediately replied with a merry, “Ya!” She then welcomed us in English.

“So what is this?” I asked after taking a seat on the attached stool. “I know it can’t be Oktoberfest because that’s in September, right?”

“Yes.” She replied. “This is called Tollwood. It is basically a smaller version of Oktoberfest but in the summer.”

“Oh, wow!” Adam replied. “If this is what you consider small, Oktoberfest must be huge!” Our bar maiden laughed.

“It is quite big,” she said.

Without another delay, Adam went ahead and bought a beer. I was planning to do the same. However, while she was pouring the beer, she explained how it worked. As it turned out, the beer came in large, German-sized glass mugs. The mugs could be taken from the bar if they were purchased. If we were to purchase the mugs, we could return to the bar and get refills at half price. I considered it for a moment, but decided that since we weren’t sure where we would end up, I would hold off. I would hate to have to run back and fourth across the entire festival just for a refill, especially when there were a multitude of “pop-up pubs,” everywhere. The other drawback was my concern about getting the mug home if I purchased one. I wasn’t sure it would fit into my backpack at the end of my trip. Thus, buying a mug did not seem like the best idea.

FIFA World Cup 2013.AVI

8Bar, Siegburg

As described in the journal entry titled,
"FIFA Weltmeisterschaft 2014"

The indoor space was long and narrow, but wide enough to be comfortable. The bar eased along the back wall under a chalkboard with hand-written drink choices, written in different colors. This bar stretched from one end of the space to the other and connected to a smaller, side-bar. The dark, tiled ceiling featured dimmer lights which created a cool tone. Deep purple and soft blue lights fell down the walls from hidden ceiling bulbs with an occasional multi-colored spot and laser lights clearly used for dancing. Two enormous screens fell down the opposite side of the bar to face the back. Both were showing the World Cup channel.

Beers were served in bottles or tall, narrow glasses. The glasses were similar to Blue Moon glasses but taller. One could order by the bottle, by the glass, in a mini keg, or a “round” as I called which which was a bulk order of glasses in a large drink holder.

Soon the place was packed with German supporters with face paint, flags, supportive shirts, jerseys, and other fun fan gear. Even Tanja found someone doing face paint and had the German flag painted on her cheeks. The excitement and energy was very evident. This would be a memorable night regardless, “but if Germany managed to win,” I thought, “it would probably be a wild night..."