2 days, 1 post

It's been a busy two days.

Yesterday, we visited the KZ Gedenkstätte Dachau, where we learned a bit more of the history of Germany between 1933-1945.  The film they show in the Kino is very moving and dare I say, disturbing, when you see the footage of not only prisoners who died there but also of the survivors taken by the US 20th Armored Division after the liberation of the camp.  I asked the GAPPies for their impressions and the consensus was somber and sad.

On our way back to München, it began to rain in earnest, so we opted for an indoor lunch at Opatijia ( a restaurant I discovered in 2009) where we feasted on pasta and German-style pizza served with a knife and fork.  After lunch, we headed to the Deutsches Museum and an afternoon of exploring all kinds of things. Olivia and I both decided that the mine is creepy if you go down there by yourself and the mannequins look like they might talk to you at anytime, which freaked both of us out, but at separate times.  Jess, Anna and Jordan discovered clackers in the museum shop and we decided we could use them as nunchucks if the kids sharing our hallway at the hostel were overly loud after 10 pm again.  Sadly, none of us purchased any.

Today, we began our day in the Kunstareal and visited both the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Alte.   I was excited to see the brand-new Kirchner exhibit at the Moderne (it has been open for less than a week) while the students explored on their own.  Favorites included the "cheerio" chairs, the Adidas shoe display, photography exhibits and Picasso.  Several of us wondered how two pieces of string and a nail called "Flamingo" can be called art.  Standing in juxtaposition across the street is the Alte Pinakothek which covers art from the 14-18th centuries, including Holbein, Dürer, Ruebens and more.  Unfortunately, half of the Pinakothek is closed currently for renovation, so our jaunt through the museum mainly took us through religious pieces, such as altar triptychs.

We walked through the area around the Technische Hochschule (a university specializing in science) to find a suitable place for Döner.  We found a great hole-in-the-wall on Arcisstrasse filled with students.  Everyone, except me, had their first Döner experience, complete with fries and salad all piled high on the plate, covered in a tatziki-style sauce and something orange, spicy and delicious.  After lunch, we descended on the nearby Lidl to check out the cheap but authentic world cup apparel.

We returned to the Marienplatz, where we went dirndl and lederhosen hunting, with mixed success, followed by 4 hours of shopping time.   I personally took a Kuchen & Kaffee "time-out" while the students searched for souvenirs and other treasures.

Tomorrow, we head for the hills and King Ludwig's most famous castle.

Bis bald!

Frau S.