[🏔️ yodel ⛰️] Day 13 & 14: Grindelwald ⟿ München
Guten tag from Munich friends!
Yes, there's no mistake. I skipped yesterday's newsletter.
Why? A couple of reasons!
We were travelling from 9am to 6pm, so honestly, other than a change in scenery... I felt too exhausted to write about any observations I had on the multiple trains.
It was really wet and rainy when we arrived and I had a small meltdown which meant more exhaustion
OK that was a couple.
We're back to regular programming, as we start our day in Munich proper. The gritty friendliness of Bavaria, and to a larger extent, Germany always freaks me out a little. I feel like I could be robbed with a polite smile. It's probably got to do with the fact that my impression of Germans is kind of skewed — Germans, you've all been very kind and welcoming but there is that undercurrent of no-nonsense efficiency that really makes me super wary of getting anything wrong. This is all just me, I know.
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But let's turn back the clock and start at Grindelwald Station, where we were to bid auf wiedershen to the Bernese Oberland and Switzerland. We had a series of connections to make until we reached Zurich for our main train to Munich, so I was feeling on edge. It didn't help that it was rainy and there was a huge crowd, so I already started feeling stressed first thing in the morning.
I'm always in awe of two kinds of people. One baggers, who can pack for a month in a tiny carry-on bag (side note: the 22L Synik is NOT such a bag. I wish I had gotten the 30L, though it would have looked a little too big for my height...). The next group are folks who just bring their entire home with them, like the people below. It wasn't uncommon to see a couple carry 3 (or more!!!) suitcases between themselves. I'd become a nervous wreck if I had to keep my eye on so many bags.
On the way, we spotted a couple of coats of arms (coat of arms?) on different trains, such as this one.
As mentioned in a previous newsletter, I really enjoy seeing all these different symbols and logos that represent each region or are. SD and I had a good time debating on whether the animal in this coat of arms was a bird or dragon. No one seems to know, but my bet is on some kind of Wyvern or Dragon.
Grindelwald's blazon looks like this:
Which is the prancing goat. Its canton, Bern, has a bear, which I love.
I mean, what is that red patch where the bear's crotch is? It's utterly bizarre and I love it.
The way you describe a coat of arms (or even a flag) is called a blazon and it's complicated. There's even a proper grammar, kind of like taxonomy. For example, the blazon for the Ausserburg coat of arms above goes like this:
Azure, on Coupeaux of Five Vert issuant from a Mullet of Five Argent and surrounded by four other, a Cross pattee Or from which issuing an Eagle displayed bicephalous Sable beaked of the third and langued Gules.
Alright, I guess it's an Eagle, not a dragon...
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Have you ridden in a bike carriage before?
I have.
It looks like this.
We were desperate to find a seat and a place to store our luggage near us on the train from Spiez to Zurich, because the train ride was more than an hour long. We could only find space in the bicycle compartment.
Once the train passed Bern though, it began to fill up with people, suitcases and more bikes — basically everyone had the same idea as us and this carriage became a place of refuge. Most of our train rides were uneventful, thankfully.
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A train station in Liechtenstein
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Our first night in Munich had us riding the S-Bahn,
Checking into our cozy room,
And had some OK Thai food for dinner. I feel like I have to add a disclaimer every time I order Asian food here. This place was one of the few around our area that was open and had a good amount of veggies in their menu. Asians like warm veggies. I like warm veggies. My gut needs warm veggies.
Our hotel also has these very creepy rooster statues which scare the living shit out of me every time I walk past them.
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Today we started the day at noon, because we needed to catch up on much needed rest.
Then it was off to Marienplatz to find a pharmacy and have a look at the sights. Like this glockenspiel. The entire building's facade is the stuff I'd dream of as a child trying to draw castles and neo-gothic buildings. Did you know that the guy who designed this was only 25 years old when he did it?????? What was I doing at 25 years old?!
We explored the streets and found gems like these:
Everything that was not a cafe or restaurant was closed, as it's a freaking law that shops don't open on Sunday.
Had lunch at Nürnberg Bratwurst Glöckl Am Dom, where we had too much meat.
Delicious liver meatballs!!! Served in a lion-head terrine.
I had a Radler! Because it's Oktoberfest and I just wanted to join in the revelry for a bit.
SD found this coaster and said that it looked like me.
And this is our best of Nurnberg's meat platter. The balls are bread and potato knodels or dumplings, and there's roast pork, roast duck, roasted pork belly and their house bratwurst.
I couldn't finish my portion. I failed.
The wirsthaus itself was a hoot, with centuries old paraphernalia all over.
We found this guy all around the place. So he's probably the founder.
After lunch, it was back to the dark and gloomy streets of Munich where we took refuge in St. Peter's Church. Another one of those ridiculously ornate Catholic churches.
And I met the oldest Daschund.
Should I eat a Crobag? Would you?
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We'll be visiting a friend in Austria tomorrow! I'm excited. We're bringing him some special goods he requested from Singapore and I can't wait to see their faces. :D