Day 2: Munich arrival and dinner

Much of the day consisted of getting ourselves from the airport to the Carlton Astoria, our hotel near downtown Munich. Besides the loss of one bag, travel and check-in went according to plan.
At the airport, we met Wolfgang from our host university (ZHAW) who led our large group through the train system and the streets of Munich. We were generally exhausted from travel after spending a shortened night on the plane, an extremely quick layover in Iceland, and dragging luggage through the underground system, but being somewhere new gave us the energy to explore!

The spoils of a long journey.

We had some time to settle into our rooms before dinner. I used this welcome break to get used to the camera that my friend lent me and wander the streets of Munich with Shalini, my roommate at the hotel. I have never been to Germany or even Europe before, so it was nice to get a feel for the atmosphere of the city.

Wandering the narrow streets near our hotel.

In the heart of Munich, taking it in.

To wrap up our first night in Munich, we wandered to the center of the city and got to fill up on very traditional Bavarian cuisine at Augustiner Bierhalle.

Wolfgang explains the background of Bavarian culture and its traditional food.

Most of us underestimated the heaviness of the many types of meats, cheeses, and breads presented at the buffet. We washed down as much as we could with a local beer, but many plates went unfinished even though a lot of us hadn’t eaten a meal since Minneapolis.

 A table of new friends waiting to eat at the Augustiner Bierhalle.

Endless food!

Munich looked beautiful at night as we headed back to our hotel, hoping to get rest before another active day in the city.

Munich at night on the way back to our hotel.

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Kayla E.