Reminiscent tears shed: 1
City: Munich
Author: James Lloyd
Today was a very a typical, and for me, nostalgic Munich day. Having lived here for a over a year in 2005-2006, I developed some fond memories of places and experiences in Munich, and luckily Nick was happy to indulge my nostalgia seeking.
We started out our day for lunch at a brew house at the steps of the Frauenkirche, the tallest building in the city center and also the main building. Nick naively asked for a beer smaller than a half liter - our waitress nailed it. She brought him a "Schnitt" which is a beer with around half the glass full of head.
Afterwards we took the U6 north to Universität so I could show Nick where I went to class while I was here. From there, we walked into the English Garden (which is unanimously agreed to be the best city park in the world) to the Chinesischer Turm ("Chinese Tower" in English). A pagoda in the middle of the park with a Polka band playing inside it and great beer served and enjoyed all around it.
After a few beers at the Chinesischer Turm we walked through the park to Mūnchner Freiheit. A favorite spot of mine when I lived here to play chess along the sidewalk with a life-sized chess set. We weren't able to play a game (it's become way more popular in the intervening 8 years) but it was still great to see people playing with the same sets I used to...
After observing the chess players for a few minutes we took the U6 further north to my past home, Studentenstadt (or "student city" for you non-German speakers). This was my home fore a large part of 2005-2006 and was my first time back since then. It's a student dorm area located in the center between the 2 major universities in Munich. Such great times... It was fantastic to be back.
I even got a chance to play Kicker (the German word for fussball) in the Potschlamperl ("Das Pot" as the locals call it). This is how I learned German. Days and nights for months at the Kicker table making friends and learned bar-slang German. Didn't help me in class, but changed my life in the experiences I had outside of class. So grateful to have a chance to revisit such an influential place for me.
After my emotional trip down memory lane at my old home, I decided to expose Nick to yet further nostalgia by taking him to my former favorite hangout, Unionsbräu. Unfortunately, they are closed on Mondays... A fact I must have forgotten in the intervening years...
We closed the night strong though - we went to old trusty, the Hofbräuhaus, and met a German guy name Philip at our table. He was interviewing for a job the next day at Siemens, but still couldn't turn down the beer and festivities. He was a super nice guy. We wished him well on his interview and parted ways.
Chalk this up to yet another perfect day Munich. I'm married to Madison now, but you never forget your first love, and Munich, you're mine... #HomeAwayFromHome
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