Let me start off by saying this will be a long post. I am writing about my 10-day trip to Germany from September 20 – September 30, 2023. And for the sake of simplicity, I’ll be using the 24-hour clock when talking about times.
First off, I don’t think I want to admit it, but I will. I feel like I was under prepared for the trip. Excited? Yes. But definitely not prepared. What do I mean by that? Well, more jet lag than anything. Until now, I’ve never left the United States. My longest trip distance wise was to Hawaii about 20 years ago. My first international trip was to a place that’s a 9 hour plane ride away. Do I regret it? Not for a second, but it did take some getting used to.
I went with a friend of mine. We left at 22:30 on the 20th and arrived in Frankfurt at 14:20 on the 21st. I also worked 10:00 – 18:00 on the 20th before we left. Once we arrived in Frankfurt, we took 3 hour train ride on the ICE to Munich. Between the 20th and 21st, I got little to no sleep, and I’m certain I was up for basically 24 hours straight, if not more.
The 21st was a rough day. Lack of sleep, jet lag, being in a new place, it all added to building anxiety. We wandered the streets of Munich that night and found some stores and places to eat. There were a lot of people walking around as well. Some sober, some drunk.
After walking around for a bit, we went to the bar at the hostel we were staying at. We had a drink and then we went to Subway. That’s correct, I traveled 4500 miles to go to a Subway. I’m not proud of it, but it was open and it was familiar. After we ate, I went to sleep and I slept very well that night.
The 22nd we walked around Munich in the rain. We were planning on going to Oktoberfest, but we weren’t in the mood for it in the rain. We did get to see St. Paul’s Church and more of Munich, which was pretty cool.
On the 23rd, I woke up and was not feeling well at all. I took some ibuprofen, hoping it would help, and it eventually did. We headed over to Oktoberfest, and I can’t even begin to describe it. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Sure, I’ve been to Oktoberfest back home, but American Oktoberfest is nothing compared to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. There was beer and food everywhere. There were carnival games and rides everywhere. The tents were packed and loud. Everyone needs to go to Oktoberfest in Munich at least once in their life. It’ll be the best party you ever attend.
Our time in Munich came to an end on the 24th. We left Munich to go to Leipzig. We got to Leipzig and walked around for a bit. We didn’t really do anything until the 25th. The 25th is when we went out and really explored. We went to the Stasi Museum and St. Thomas Church, where Johann Sebastian Bach is buried. Both were really awesome to see. The Stasi Museum is a small but fascinating museum, and the church is magnificent.
The 26th, we made our way to Berlin. We stayed outside the city center and it was nice. I managed to find a small Irish pub down the street called Molly Malone’s. We had an awesome time there. We found out the one bartender was from South Carolina, and the other lived in Chicago for a bit. We also got to witness a group of school kids sing karaoke. That was quite entertaining to see.
We spent most of the 27th in Berlin. We walked all over the place. We saw the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, and we went to Checkpoint Charlie. While at Checkpoint Charlie, we went to the little museum that was next to it. We also touched part of the Berlin Wall. I always get excited when I can see and touch a part of history. It comes with being a major history geek.
The following day, we left Berlin and headed for our last stop: Frankfurt. Upon arriving in Frankfurt, I wasn’t impressed. It didn’t look that great. I was proven wrong shortly after. The 29th we really explored Frankfurt. We started walking and we stumbled upon the Old Town. That little area alone made the trip to Frankfurt worth it. Just past the Old Town, we went to St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral. We walked inside and I was in awe. The Cathedral is beautiful and definitely worth checking out.
Inside the Cathedral, they had a little board with some history of the area. It explained how the Old Town and part of the Cathedral we destroyed during World War II. Looking at it now, you’d never be able to tell. After visiting the Cathedral, we walked across a bridge going over the Main River and we walked down the river for a bit. While on the bridge, I saw the wind blow someone’s hat off their head and into the river. They tried to get it before it went into the river, but they were too late.
After our short time in Frankfurt, it was the night of the 29th, and it was time to get ready to go home. We had one last drink at the hotel bar and went to bed so we could catch our flight at 08:30 on the 30th.
In the short time we were there, we walked and saw a lot. Germany has an interesting history, and one many people are aware of. But during my time there, I never once felt out of place. I never once felt like anyone was mean or rude to me. Germany is a beautiful place to visit. While I only saw a fraction of what Germany has to offer, I would go back in a heartbeat.
Matt Jaku 