Oct. 2, Munich, Germany– We arrived (my study abroad program + myself) in the frigid air of the morning, but were warmed by the exciting buzz in the air for the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest. The ten-minute train ride to the event was packed tight with Germans young and old alike–already excreting the scent of alcohol at nine in the morning. We approached the entrance to Oktoberfest like a hoard of zombies, crammed shoulder to shoulder but giddy with excitement for an unforgettable experience. That experience would be delayed for me because I lost my group in the maze of people within the first two minutes. After two hours of being on my own and waiting in yet another line packed with people to the point of near suffocation, I rejoined my friends and we went into the Hofbräuhaus tent. The inside was massive. The tent was a two-story complex with a live band playing traditional Oktoberfest and Bavarian music and was packed with people from all over the world, drinking liters of delicious beer and rowdily singing. After a few liters, things got a little hazy for me. It is safe to say that the rest of my Oktoberfest experience was filled with drunken shenanigans and fun times.
The next morning, a friend of a friend, who lives in Munich, took us to a local restaurant for a typical German breakfast. We arrived and soon became absorbed by the charm of the restaurant–dark wooden tables with iron chandeliers hanging above, and walls adorned with Bavarian paintings and other cultural ornaments. The spirit of Oktoberfest was alive and well with elder local Germans drinking and singing along a live Bavarian band, which was like a German version of a mariachi band and they played all the songs we’ve grown familiar with from the day before. Our meals finally came and I reacted with a combination of horror and curiosity at the la
rge, white sausage before me (and yes, there were plenty of jokes). The meal was accompanied by a light wheat beer and elegantly complemented the rich and sweet bratwurst. The taste was very unique and I couldn’t say what was inside the bratwurst, but I suppose that is the point.
Later that day we got on the bus to head east to Czech Republic, where we would stay in Prague for four days. This city was everything that I could expect and more. From Old Town Square and across the Vltava river to Prague Castle, cathedrals and Gothic/Baroque style buildings adorned with golden spires loom over you at every corner. Alleyways with cobblestone streets allow you to get lost into Prague’s infrastructural bliss and its architectural splendor. The nightlife is just as amazing. The Beer Factory was a blast. It was a blend of a bar and a club, with tables with built in kegs to race other tables to the finish. Everyone ended up dancing on the tables by the end of the night and on the dance floor. One thing I noticed about Prague was its progressive society–there is an abundance of youth that adds a tasteful flair to the cultural landscape. The women are that of another species and their beauty is unprecedented. I couldn’t help but helplessly ogle at the hundreds of gorgeous women and had to make a conscious effort to keep my jaw shut.
Czech Republic is part of what is considered the homeland of my heritage. My first known ancestor came to America from Prussia not long before its succession into Nazi Germany. Prussia is now Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Belgium and some northern countries such as the Netherlands. I felt a sense of belonging during my time in Prague. It is not something I’ve felt before–it was a type of heartfelt comfort and soul-warming satisfaction with where I was and what I was doing. Just perhaps, I may have found where I belong. We shall see.
The dreaded moment where we had to embark on the next leg of the journey finally came. However, I was excited to go to Vienna and Budapest. We didn’t spend much time in Vienna because of, ahem, some very intelligent planning…we arrived in the late afternoon and left at 2 am the next morning. Regardless, we made the most of our time there. We went to MUMOK (Museum of Modern Art) where I viewed some great modern pieces. Vienna itself was beautiful. The elegant array of Art Nouveau style architecture brought astonishment to my eyes. Art is everywhere in Vienna. Anywhere on the streets you can see articulate pieces of street art, and anywhere you look it is clear that aesthetics are always a part of industrial and infrastructural development. Soon the later hours of the night came and my group and I were unable to find anywhere to hang out to wait for the bus to arrive. We were virtually homeless and spent the next few hours like a bum. The night felt arctic and we were desperately trying to find shelter. We ended up sleeping on the cement ground for an hour in some type of underground tunnel/complex thing that leads to a stadium (don’t ask, we had no idea what the hell it was, but we didn’t care). It was warm!
The bus finally arrived to free us fro
m arctic purgatory, and we then began the last leg of our journey to Budapest, Hungary. Budapest is made up of two cities on both banks of the Dunabe river, which are Buda and Pest. The landscape and architecture is very similar to that of Prague, except there is a fused influence of Turkish style. We went to a traditional Turkish bath one afternoon. These spas are heated by geothermal energy and are a luxurious way to relax. Another night, our hostel hosted an open mic night where I gave my first live performance in singing and playing guitar. That same night our group of people broke the hostel record for the most amount of Jager-bombs–we took a total of 140 Jager-bombs, beating the previous group by 12. The shots were lined up in a mathematical fashion atop glasses of red bull on the bar table. Once one shot was knocked over, a domino-effect commenced and 140 shots were knocked into glasses. Good stuff.
The most amazing part of Budapest was hiking up to the Citadel, which used to be an old fortress. Here all of Buda and Pest could be viewed at once for photographic magnificence.
We made a two-hour stop on the way back to Italy to wrap up the travel week in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Baroque-style architecture was in abundance from the cathedrals and cozy cafes. The river of Ljubljanica winds through the city center, overlooked by the Ljubljana castle. After enjoying a delicious pizza at a pizzeria, we made our way back to the bus and departed to our home in Italy.
All in all, the week was a phenomenal and life-changing adventure. I never would have imagined the amount of independence and self-confidence I would gain from navigating through foreign cities and meeting friends from all over the world. The past weekend I was in Barcelona, Spain. Next up is Paris, Lisbon, and Madrid.
