München!

After a couple of days in Salzburg, we drove to Munich, Germany. My Dad stayed there when he worked for Volkswagen about 25 years ago, but he and my mom hadn't seen it since then. Apparently it's changed a lot. There's a ton of urban sprawl now and it's just sort of industrialized and dirty-looking to me. It doesn't have a lot of the "charm" that I've experienced in Austria (although I might be a little biased). The public transportation is also not at all user-friendly. We did do a lot of really cool things while we were there, though. I think we all ate a little too much traditional German food...everyone but me got their fill of wurst, and I got my fill of the equally unhealthy vegetarian options--fried cheese, potatoes, etc. The beerhalls are so much fun, though. Gaining five pounds is worth it. I feel like I finally made up for my not-so-enjoyable Oktoberfest experience. Besides all the beer-drinking and sausage-eating, we did a lot of walking around in different parts of the city, met people from all over the world, had the best hot chocolate of our lives at a quaint little gourmet chocolate shop, visited the Dachau concentration camp memorial site, experience the crazy European nightlife, strolled through the English Gardens (largest gardens in Europe), and rang in the New Year with an excellent dinner and ensuing festivities in a massive beer hall. Here are the pictures: