Glockenspiel in the Marienplatz, Munich, Germany
We had our very first Bavarian meal of Bratwurst and then headed to the BMW museum. We learned many facts on the history of the BMW vehicles as well as saw some really neat concept cars for the future. Jay had a blast in this museum but Ashley was very jetlagged and tried very hard to pay attention!
Jay at the BMW Museum
After the museum, we went back to the hotel for a short nap before dinner. We visited the Hofbrauhaus for 1 liter steins and pork knuckles (which were surprisingly good!) The Hofbrauhaus is one of Munich's oldest breweries and has a traditional German band and waitresses in traditional dirndl dresses. We visited this brewery every night we were in Munich! The comradary and hospitality there is so welcoming! We met some really interesting people there.
Jay working on his second stein!
After a good night's rest, we visited the Deutsches Museum, which is Munich's science museum as well as visited the Marienplatz for more shopping. The next day we visited Dachau, the first concentration camp in Germany. It was snowy, cold and wet which made the experience that much more powerful. The camp was so eerily calm and orderly. After walking through the museum part of the camp, we walked around the grounds and saw the living quarters. There is one small building tucked in the very back of the camp that had the derobing room and 'showers' on the left side and the crematorium on the right. You could not leave the camp, especially this building, without feeling the heaviness and severity of this part in history.
The Gate leading into Dachau which reads: Work makes one free
We felt such a connection with Munich while we were there, so it was hard to leave for Berlin. On Sunday morning, we woke early to fly to Berlin for three days. Once we arrived in Berlin, we explored the city and walked to all of the big sites- the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, and the Holocaust Memorial. Monday and Tuesday we visited some art and history museums, continued shopping and went to the top of the Reichstag. We visited Checkpoint Charlie and read some of the incredible stories escaping to West Berlin.
Brandenburg Gate
Ashley on top of the Reichstag
Checkpoint Charlie
On Wednesday, we flew home after experiencing a language barrier, seeing some incredible historical sites and of course having a lot of fun!
