Yes I know I said that wouldn't be writing again for a while. But it's hard to remember everything that happens on a day to day basis without writing it down, so I'm thinking I'm going to write a post of every city I go to over the next week.
So as you may or may not have gathered the title of this post is in German, which should indicate to you that I am officially in Germany! Munich to be exact.
Now don't get me wrong I loved Edinburgh but I already have a feeling I'm going to like Germany more. The countryside is absolutely gorgeous, with these little towns nestled in foothills and the city is so metropolitan, while at the same time boasting beautiful buildings. I love it. I almost wish I was staying here for a whole day instead of going to Berlin tomorrow but I know that I'm going to love Berlin. I'm most excited for it.
Getting here was a struggle though. I got a drive to the train station in Flensburg, Northern Germany, which is about 30 min from Sonderborg. Once there, I hoped on a train to Neumunster. This is where it got complicated.
Transfers stress me out beyond belief. Turns out my ticket had the wrong platform number on it and all of the overhead announcements in the train station were in German, so I had no idea where to go. But once again, I have been floored by the kindness of strangers here in Europe. One guy on the platform must've noticed that I looked confused and asked where I was headed. I said Hamburg and he told me that he was headed that way as well and that the announcement had said that the platform had changed. Anyway he told me to follow him and he even carried my bag up and down the stairs for me. Absolutely unbelievable.
Once on the train, I felt so relieved. I love travelling by train. There's so much room and so much to look at out the window. About halfway through the journey I received another kindness from a complete stranger. We had been stopped at a station for 15 min and an announcement was made in German. Seeing my confusion, the woman sitting across from me asked if I understood what was happening. I said no, that I did not speak German. She quickly explained to me that the train was broken down and we should be heading out again in 30 min. She then said she would be my personal translator for the rest of the journey. So so nice.
I got to Munich and was overjoyed to see Sarah. It almost felt surreal. I hadn't really seen or talked to her in over a year but it felt like no time at all. After a harrowing day, it was such a comfort to finally be with her and Julie.
We headed back to hostel which was much swankier than the one I had stayed in in Edinburgh. I'm in a room with five other people that I don't know, but I don't really mind it so far. There's a couple Asians and an older lady and they all seem quiet and nice which I appreciate.
Sarah and I then went out for dinner at a place that was so German that we ended up ordering off the specials menu because we couldn't even understand what the dishes were on the actual menu, even though it was in English. THAT German.
We pretty much spent the entire meal chatting about what we've missed in each others lives and I remembered how much I love talking to her. Conversation always just flows so easily and she always has great insights. I realized how much I've missed her and I felt reassured that I was going to have a great time during this week.
Anyway I'll check back in in a few days after I've been through Berlin. Ciao for now!
PS. The showers at this hostel are my worst enemy. The pressure is so strong that it actually hurts and there's literally no room in the cubicle to get changed. So you either strip down in the middle of the bathroom or awkwardly go in and out of the stall changing your clothes for the towel and vice versa. I think the whole stereotype about Europeans being entirely comfortable with nudity might be a reality.
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