London, UK and Munich, Germany
![Picture](/uploads/8/1/2/3/81230794/1200479.jpg?385)
My flight to London was delayed (how shocking) but uneventful. We didn't leave until almost midnight, so I took some sleep medicine and woke up in London nine hours later. I wish I would have had more time to explore the city, but my layover was only a couple hours. I found a cafe in the airport, ordered some English tea and spent my time researching Munich.
What I did learn in London is that Europeans are much stricter about carry-on liquids than Americans. Apparently, you're only supposed to have one zip-lock bag full of liquids less than 3oz. I think I had three...two for makeup and one for the small liquor bottles. Some of my beauty products were around 4oz or so but not completely full, which was immediate grounds for disposal no matter how expensive they were. The rest had to be prioritized and fit into the single plastic ziplock bag they gave me. And sealed. Luckily I was able to fit the rest of my beauty products in the bag and only had to throw out some chapstick and the liquor. I offered the liquor to the girl checking my bag, but I don't think she thought I was serious. So if your plan was to befriend locals by offering contraband Fireball whiskey, put the bottle(s) in your checked bag. Why the hell not, it cost $200 anyways...
What I did learn in London is that Europeans are much stricter about carry-on liquids than Americans. Apparently, you're only supposed to have one zip-lock bag full of liquids less than 3oz. I think I had three...two for makeup and one for the small liquor bottles. Some of my beauty products were around 4oz or so but not completely full, which was immediate grounds for disposal no matter how expensive they were. The rest had to be prioritized and fit into the single plastic ziplock bag they gave me. And sealed. Luckily I was able to fit the rest of my beauty products in the bag and only had to throw out some chapstick and the liquor. I offered the liquor to the girl checking my bag, but I don't think she thought I was serious. So if your plan was to befriend locals by offering contraband Fireball whiskey, put the bottle(s) in your checked bag. Why the hell not, it cost $200 anyways...
![Picture](/uploads/8/1/2/3/81230794/2853826.jpg)
Stepping off the plane in Munich was the first time I had that "what am I doing?" moment. I had found out 12 hours earlier that I would be staying overnight in this foreign country by myself, so I had very limited preparation. I don't speak German. I didn't know anyone there (yet). I had blindly booked a bed in a hostel that I had found on the internet during my research in London, but I was going to have to take a very expensive cab ride there or attempt to conquer the German metro. And I could only use my phone when it was connected to wifi, which I couldn't in the airport. (Side note: the inability to connect to wifi was a user error. Munich airport does have free wifi, which I accessed the next day). At this point, I was more worried about my sweet mother because I knew she had undoubtedly thought about all of this already, had bit her lip when I excitedly told her my plans and would be imagining scenes from the movie Taken until she heard from me. I thought about just skipping out on the hostel and finding some chairs to push together for a bed, but I knew I would regret not seeing as much of this beautiful city as I could while I had an opportunity. So I grabbed my rolling carry-on bag (remember, the one with all the shoes and books and heavy things? yeah, I'm about to regret that) and my "purse" (one of those Tory Burch Ella totes that I usually use as a weekend bag) and started walking.
I didn't even know how to get out of the airport so I walked in circles until I finally worked up the courage to ask someone if they spoke English. I had heard that Europeans don't like American tourists so I was trying to blend in as much as possible, until I remembered that I was the blonde girl struggling with two overweight bags wearing wedges who had passed the same desk three times. The man was kind, but when I asked him if I should take a bus or a train to my hostel he paused and told me that I probably just needed to take a taxi straight there if I didn't know where I was. Translation: "If you can't even navigate this airport with the pictures and arrows, there is no way you're going to get to that address navigating the metro in German." He really did have a point, so I planned to just grit my teeth and pay whatever fare was coming my way. I dragged myself and my bags through customs and to the outside world, where I found another information desk. Plans changed there. I don't even know how it happened, but the next thing I knew I had a metro map in my hand with a circled station of where to get off to change lines and another circled station of where to get off and start walking. Apparently the woman behind this counter either had a lot more faith in me or a lot less patience to help me arrange other means. Well, why the hell not?
I spent a few years in Tokyo, Japan when I was growing up, where public transportation is more common than private cars. I hadn't navigated Tokyo subways in years, but it turns out riding a foreign metro is pretty much the same in all countries when you don't speak the language fluently anyways. (The difference between metro and subway? I think it just depends on where you are, but they are essentially the same thing. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong). I was actually able to navigate to my final stop without any trouble. Don't worry though, I still looked like a tourist with my metro map clutched in my hand that I glanced at every few minutes. Finding the hostel from the metro was another story. I was actually right across the street from it stepping out of the metro exit, but of course I turned the wrong way and dragged my 50+lbs of bags around the entire block (still in those wedges) before finding it. It was 11pm by the time I finally checked in, but I did eventually make it there.
I didn't even know how to get out of the airport so I walked in circles until I finally worked up the courage to ask someone if they spoke English. I had heard that Europeans don't like American tourists so I was trying to blend in as much as possible, until I remembered that I was the blonde girl struggling with two overweight bags wearing wedges who had passed the same desk three times. The man was kind, but when I asked him if I should take a bus or a train to my hostel he paused and told me that I probably just needed to take a taxi straight there if I didn't know where I was. Translation: "If you can't even navigate this airport with the pictures and arrows, there is no way you're going to get to that address navigating the metro in German." He really did have a point, so I planned to just grit my teeth and pay whatever fare was coming my way. I dragged myself and my bags through customs and to the outside world, where I found another information desk. Plans changed there. I don't even know how it happened, but the next thing I knew I had a metro map in my hand with a circled station of where to get off to change lines and another circled station of where to get off and start walking. Apparently the woman behind this counter either had a lot more faith in me or a lot less patience to help me arrange other means. Well, why the hell not?
I spent a few years in Tokyo, Japan when I was growing up, where public transportation is more common than private cars. I hadn't navigated Tokyo subways in years, but it turns out riding a foreign metro is pretty much the same in all countries when you don't speak the language fluently anyways. (The difference between metro and subway? I think it just depends on where you are, but they are essentially the same thing. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong). I was actually able to navigate to my final stop without any trouble. Don't worry though, I still looked like a tourist with my metro map clutched in my hand that I glanced at every few minutes. Finding the hostel from the metro was another story. I was actually right across the street from it stepping out of the metro exit, but of course I turned the wrong way and dragged my 50+lbs of bags around the entire block (still in those wedges) before finding it. It was 11pm by the time I finally checked in, but I did eventually make it there.
![Picture](/uploads/8/1/2/3/81230794/8362044.jpg?171)
I'd planned on just befriending the girls in my hostel room, but I was the last one there. And everyone was sleeping when I finally found the right room. (Finding the right room was another issue too, but you get the idea...I had trouble getting to where I was supposed to be all day). I'm not sure what hostel etiquette says, but I'm sure I shouldn't have left the light on when I was getting my stuff into my locker but I was done struggling for the day. Sorry. I am glad that I had brought an extra lock though...I was able to put my giant "purse" and all my valuables in my locker and secure it while I was gone. The rolling carry-on didn't fit, so I locked the zippers shut, shoved it in a corner and it was fine. There was a bar on the bottom floor, so I headed there to connect to the wifi and text my mom. I was definitely only at the bar so I could talk to my mom, definitely not to drink German beer...I guess plans changed again though through no fault of my own. ;)
I ended up meeting some pretty interesting people at that bar. They all actually lived in the hostel and were from other parts of Germany, Russia, Croatia, and Italy. Everyone had a unique story, but they all ended with wanting to get away from and resulted in all of our paths crossing that night. We sampled German beer and played pool and they all humored me by speaking English all night. Towards the end of the night, someone who had just walked in to the bar heard me speaking and asked me "So what part of the south are you from?" Haha...takes one to know one. He turned out to be from Austin, Texas, about 3 hours south of my hometown. He was at the end of his European tour and heading back to his South American tour. Texans are everywhere.
The next morning, I had coffee with some of my new friends and then started to head back to the airport. I'm glad I was with someone who knew to suggest we get out to explore at Marienplatz, which is Munich's main square downtown. I didn't want to push my luck with time after my previous eventful day, so I didn't stay long. Despite the overcast day, it was a beautiful city. The architecture was gothic and ornate...it felt like I was walking through history. The most impressive building was the Neues Rathaus. It looked like an old church but apparently it's a fully functional town hall. Pretty impressive. Marienplatz is known for hosting Oktoberfest....which I think just officially made my bucket list. Maybe I'll still be around in October...
I ended up meeting some pretty interesting people at that bar. They all actually lived in the hostel and were from other parts of Germany, Russia, Croatia, and Italy. Everyone had a unique story, but they all ended with wanting to get away from and resulted in all of our paths crossing that night. We sampled German beer and played pool and they all humored me by speaking English all night. Towards the end of the night, someone who had just walked in to the bar heard me speaking and asked me "So what part of the south are you from?" Haha...takes one to know one. He turned out to be from Austin, Texas, about 3 hours south of my hometown. He was at the end of his European tour and heading back to his South American tour. Texans are everywhere.
The next morning, I had coffee with some of my new friends and then started to head back to the airport. I'm glad I was with someone who knew to suggest we get out to explore at Marienplatz, which is Munich's main square downtown. I didn't want to push my luck with time after my previous eventful day, so I didn't stay long. Despite the overcast day, it was a beautiful city. The architecture was gothic and ornate...it felt like I was walking through history. The most impressive building was the Neues Rathaus. It looked like an old church but apparently it's a fully functional town hall. Pretty impressive. Marienplatz is known for hosting Oktoberfest....which I think just officially made my bucket list. Maybe I'll still be around in October...
I literally got out of the metro at Marienplatz, walked up the stairs into the middle of the square, did one lap around, and continued on to the airport. I had no idea what mishaps might wait for me next, but I was sure something was coming and I didn't want to miss my flight to Bari. Of course since I was almost three hours early, I was at my gate within 20 minutes of getting to the airport and then the flight was delayed another two hours. I wish I could have used that uneventful time for more exploring since there was so much I didn't see. I guess that means I'll be back someday! Until next time Germany...