Beer O'Clock- Munich, Germany

Back on German soil I couldn't have felt any better. This time it was on the other side of German life down in the town of Munich, the beer capital of the world! Originally James and I had planned to head east after Vienna. How ever we just couldn't resist catching up with our good friends and head back across into Germany. Boy am I glad that we did, Munich is a fantastic city. Normally I am one to appreciate the smaller things in life, however Munich was the first major city that I had fallen in complete love with for quite sometime. Munich is everything Berlin isn't. Clean, rich and vibrant, its a place that oozes fresh German life.

Every question, answer, problem and resolution starts and ends with Beer. Throughout history beer has always been the epicentre of Munich and has shaped what the city is today. Housing seven major breweries with hundreds of fantastic beer halls and beer gardens, I couldn't wait to get amongst it all. One of the most famous beer halls Hofbrauhaus has featured throughout the pages of history being the drinking ground for Mozart himself, Hitler and his Party and to more recent times George W Bush. The building consists of three levels and a fantastic beer garden. The top floor where we went and enjoyed our first night in Munich was shaped as if you were sitting inside a giant beer barrel. Chandeliers hung over the many long trestle tables as traditionally dressed waiters served the finest beer in there standard 1litre steins and the hugest pork knuckles I have ever seen. The atmosphere was like nothing else I have been apart of. As the German band played the boys began to competitively skull there steins and violently thrust there pork knuckles into the air as us girls danced around the tables, twirled around waiters and joined in conga lines becoming the entire halls entertainment. It was the German experience at its finest.

If your looking for a more locally loved beer hall experience Augustiner-Braustuben is the perfect location. Personally Augustiner is my favourite German beer so naturally I love this hall. The food was even more delicious then the last and at a lot lower cost which made it that much more perfect. The hall is a lot more cosy and intimate. That being said don't think this means we didn't take on the opportunity to be as rowdy as we possibly could. After all we were living the authentic German dream. 

Munich's motto for living is an Italian phrase "La Dolce Vita" which means the sweet life. Although they try there best to keep the past in the past and focus on the good things in life, like Berlin, Munich also had suffered immensely throughout World War II and the Holocaust. To the Nazi Party and Hitler, Munich was the "Hauptstadt der Bewegung"- the Capital of Movement. The place where Hitler begun to seize power. With historic events such as the 'Beer Hall Putsch' and the 'Munich Agreement' all taking place within this Bavarian city. Only 70% of Munich was destroyed throughout this horrific time. Thinking ahead photos and blue prints of the town were taken and kept safely underground in case of any bombings. Details as small as cobble stone brick patterns in the streets were noted. This was so the city could be as closely rebuilt to its original form as possible. By doing this Munich have successfully restored the charm that makes an old city what it is, a trait that Berlin didn't have for me.

We took the time to go out on a day trip to a small village Hohenschwangau. Which is home to The Neuschwanstein Castle. Perched on top of a great rugged hill the castle is a magnificent site. Built as a private retreat for King Richard Wagner in the 19th century. Now it is nothing more then a major tourist hotspot, attracting more then 1 million people each year. Look familiar? What makes this castle the attraction it is today is the fact that it was Walt Disney's inspiration for the famous Walt Disney Castle we have all grown up to know. Sadly I never really took the time to appreciate old Richard and his enterprise. Instead the afternoon was spent reliving our childhood, singing classic Disney songs and having debates about which Disney film is the best of all time. Sometimes its nice to put the facts aside and just enjoy the magic of your surroundings.

As we took the time to enjoy and savour every last moment of this phenomenal city and more importantly its mind-blowing beer I found it hard to find the motivation to move forward. Munich was a great success, a place I can not wait to get around once again.

Oktoberfest 2014? The Bearded Boy seems to think so!

The Wanderers Daughter xx 

Come Out Of Your Cave Walking On Your Hands & See The World Hanging Upside Down - Vienna/Grunau, Austria.

Everyone that I have talked to about Europe has told me that one of there favourite spots by far is Austria. So coming into Vienna I was expecting nothing but the best, and I can tell you now that Vienna does not disappoint. Its a world of all things lavish and upper class. Beautiful to the eye and extravagant in every way. The land of art and music, with some of the worlds most profound schools of art and music with grand pianos played in the streets and a new opera and ballet performance every night. Its the type of place where you could wear your finest gown in amongst the streets and not feel out of place. 

Being a backpacker Vienna may not seem like the most ideal situation to be in. Normally to grasp an idea of how expensive a place is James and I look at the pricing of beer. In Prague beer was around €1.20 in Vienna beer was about €5. This being said there is always an alternative to every situation. We stayed at the hostel Wombats Naschmarkt which was across the road from The Naschmarkt. With fabulous cheap food stands selling the best falafel, meats, produce and asian noodles. Everything was fantastic quality and the best prices in town. Its was here that we spent most of our time throughout the day and most nights. 

When it came to going out and drinking there was only one place to go, The Travellers Shack. It was a place that was born and bred for Aussie backpackers. Everything about it was beyond outrageous. They had a number of shots that were house specialties that turned drinking into an extreme sport. For instants The tequila slammer, where you would wear a helmet and someone would smash the tequila on your head and after you go for the skull a bat would be smashed across your head. The Chuck Norris, where you would take a shot and then get violently slapped across the face. The snuff shot where you would take a shot and sniff a line of mint tabbaco. Then the must do Viennese blood shot which can only be found in Vienna, where you would swish the shot around in your mouth for ten second then as soon as you swallow you would take a long deep breath in and endure the burn travelling through your body. When all the shots are complete you could join in on the typical Aussie game of beer bongs or spend your night attempting to hammer nails into a block of wood, yes they really give you hammers when your hammered. The best part of it all was you could end your night in true Aussie form, with a Vegemite toastie. The place was the dumbest most ridiculous fun you will ever have. Proving that even when it comes to Vienna there are two sides to every story. 

On an 'Island' not far from the city centre was the music festival, Donauinselfest playing all weekend. Every year around mid-June it is one of the largest open-air music festival in Europe. Despite our hangovers we decided to make the most of the sunshine, rallying up our Busabout Clan we headed out to see what it was all about. 6.5kms long it was a massive day, wandering between sets, drinking and eating local beer and foods and making the most of the rides and amusements. Being near the river it was a perfect location to sunbathe, naked if you pleased and take a swim in the canal, if your brave enough to step into the water. It was the perfect way to end our weekend in Vienna.  

Next stop on the Austrian adventure was to the secluded town of Grunau. Staying at one of the only places of accommodation, The Tree House. The town had a population of 2000 residents, most of which would spend their time down at The Tree Houses bar pouring their own pints because everyone is the best of friends. The man running the house, Gerhard, was a truly beautiful soul. From the minute you meet him he would know your name and everything about you that he asked. We weren't treated just like guests, we were made to feel at home. 

Every morning we would all wake up and go down and enjoy breakfast together, once we would finish Gerhard would clap his hands together and say right what are we doing today everybody! Some would stay in and enjoy the serenity of the Tree House, watching movies, playing board games and listening to the pitter patter of rain against the window pain. The rest of us would spend our time deep in the forest trying our hand at archery where we would hunt wild fake foam animals. I found my calling deep in the forest that day as a pro archer. Although after shooting the 'animals to death' I made sure to apologise immensely to my poor prey. 

Gerhard luckily was the best cook. At the end of the day we would sit down to the huge dinning table where we ate the most fantastic home cooked three course meals of roasts, lasagne and stews. Which were always complete with home made baked cakes and ice cream. Of course Gerhard would always go out of his way to make sure I had my very own special vegetarian dish. It was such a blessing to finally have someone understand and look after me. He looked after us all so well and made us all feel apart of his special Tree House family.  

Although it rained we never let it effect our plans. Instead we sucked it up and rode 43km through the rain to the towns lake. The towns water comes from a glacier. So all of its rivers and lakes run with the coldest most clearest water I have ever seen in my entire life. The water was so fresh you could drink straight from the stream, one of natures pure delights. Riding through the town you were surround by the tallest mountains covered in evergreen pine trees. Breathing in some of the freshest air I have ever encountered in my life I embraced my surroundings. For a moment you forgot there was a world outside full of fear and hate and for just a moment it felt as if it was almost possible that there truly was peace in this world.

To most Grunau is and never will be a second thought in your mind but to me it was a home away from home. A magical little world full of natures wonders. A truly awe inspiring visit.

The Wanderers Daughter xx