Part Two: Germany

Germany is a country in west-central Europe, that stretches from the Alps, across the North European Plain to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Germany has the second largest population in Europe (after the European part of Russia) and is seventh largest in area.

Alright guys, enough for the geography lesson. Let’s continue our trip! Having arrived safely in Munich, I was impressed by the cool and fresh air.

Dear hot beverage, thank you for your existence during my trip to Germany.

According to plan, the cities I visited were Munich, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Frankfurt, Rüdesheim am Rhein, Wiesbaden, plus Salzburg, one bonus city in Austria. The modes of transport used to move from one city to another were mainly train (IC, ICE, and Regionalbahn). As for the Munich-Salzburg, we used Flixbus service. Frankfurt was a special part of the trip when my sister and I met a pen pal in real world and went on a road trip to Rüdesheim am Rhein and Wiesbaden.

Munich was the selected starting point because the head office of my current workplace is located there. It was my very first trip to Germany. So if anything unexpected happens, I already knew where to go and ask for help lol. It wasn’t really easy to pull the suitcase along the way from the Laim train station to the hotel. But believe me, after the trip, I’m quite an expert in it. But of course, an expert compared to other normal-sized Indonesians.

Achievement unlocked: an expert in pulling heavy suitcase outdoor like, 3 miles away!

Up until today, the street musicians in Munich are still unforgettable. A duo of violin and guitar that I saw between Marienplatz and Sendlinger Tor played “Vivaldi’s Winter” and “Por Una Cabeza” really effortlessly and almost perfectly. Enchanted, I spent a minute thinking how much should I give to the musicians so that it represents enough appreciation for such a beautiful music.

From south to north, train brought me from Munich to Hamburg. It’s a logical consequence that the temperature will be lower. Hamburg was freezing cold! Arrived at the main station, I was a bit surprised by a strong smell of pee not far away from the entrance gate. But hey, no place is perfect, innit?

The hotel we stayed at was packed with a big group of students on a study tour. I occasionally opened the window to get fresh air and once while I was doing that, I could listen to the song “Echame La Culpa” played on maximum volume by the students next door. The song got stuck in my mind and I still listen to it and other Latin songs sometimes.

Looking at the harbour city from Elbphilharmonie Plaza. Should’ve worn a warmer coat.

By the way, I’ve been to Elbphilharmonie. The entrance was free if you just want to look around and see from the viewing platform but the visit was limited to only an hour. Therefore, although it has bunch of visitors, the building was not too crowded inside.

Just a few miles to the west, the next stop was Bremerhaven. It might not be as popular as Munich and Hamburg but only at that small port city I got the experience of staying at an accommodation with large windows facing the yacht marina.

Let me share this beautiful view with you.

I still feel funny every time I remember how the rain fell in the evening on my way to find food for dinner. The wind was strong that it broke my umbrella. Also the cold, it was unbearable till I had the urge to eat more than I used to. The best part was the Hafenrundfahrt or the harbour tour with a witty and informative tour guide. The harbour serves huge ships, each has its own name, and containers.

Zum Wohl! That ship right there is called Bernstein.

Anyway, I also admired the bascule bridges in Bremerhaven. It is a moveable brigde powered by electric motor. Such an amazing construction! I’ve made a video of the process when the bridge was lifted up, unfortunately I have to upgrade my WordPress plan to be able to upload it.

Heading back south to Frankfurt, Rüdesheim am Rhein, and Wiesbaden, I was so excited about the sightseeing till my right foot got injured. I went on a road trip with my sister and my penpal. Thanks to the car, we managed to visit a few tourism objects in only a day. A forest called Niederwald in Rüdesheim am Rhein was so memorable because we could see the Rhine river from above and sat down on a bench, listening to the birds and wind blows.

On our way back, we turned on the radio to listen to the World Cup match between Germany and Mexico. The three of us did not expect it when the radio announcer said, “Mexiko schlägt Deutschlaaand!” We were trapped in the atmosphere of sadness. Ok haha, let’s not exaggerate even more. We still have other World Cups every four years!

Drive fast because you’re on the Autobahn!

The reliable train service then took us back to Munich. Before leaving the country, Salzburg was the finale. It took us only two hours with Flixbus and the theme of our trip to Salzburg was … music! Remember the “Do, Re, Mi” scene in “The Sound of Music”? Exactly, we visited the Mirabell Palace and Garden. Ever heard the “Turkish March”? Right, we also went to the Mozart museum, Mozart’s birth house, then bought some Mozartskugel and some tote bags. At the main station, I saw a few Asian people of my age, bringing violin.

Tourist from all over the world, admiring the town hall of Munich. Whoa!

Despite all the challenges, the sausages and beer were fantastic. Wait, I mean the whole trip was. Now we’re back again in Jakarta and I hope you enjoy our short trip. Don’t forget to save money to prepare for the next journeys! ^^