munich here i come

27.08.09 Hotel Kral ,Erlangen Germany



Having finished my training yesterday I am a free bird (sorry a free man as birds need not pay for hotel bills ) to explore Germany . Waking up at 9 am as theres no travel agent to wake me up early I proceed to the breakfast spread . It consists of a variety of buns and a variety of jams , 3 varieties of butter and butterlike things (all names in pure german ) , juices and kaffee (coffee ) . cold meat cuts I didn’t try looked too raw for me .

Said goodbye to the german guy at the reception and said goodbye in the mind to the sweet german girl who was in the reception the day I checked in . Checkout over in 5 mts not much 25000 rs for four nights stay at discounted corporate rate .

Taximan as usual the hefty friendly german and a Mercedes E class . Off to Erlangen railway station 5 mts away and I was not shocked at the bill of 560 rupees . taxis are really expensive in germany .

Took a ticket to Munchen (Munich ) which is a two hour journey . No problem at the counter as the woman knows only german and I know more german than her (sign language is same everywhere ). To tell the truth I know about 50 german words but bitte(please) dhanke (thanks ) are not enough german to get a ticket . To get a ticket what you have to say .i didn’t know then other than sign language .

In Deutsche Bahn (german railways ) there are mainly 2 types of trains long distance ICE (Intercity express) and regional RE (regional express ) . generally ICE is bullet shaped and goes at 200 kph and has ICE written on it . As far as we are concerned if we take a RE ticket which is cheaper and get into ICE we will be fined heavily . In a precision oriented society there is no room for error and not knowing german is not an excuse .

So I get inside a RE train ; compared to our trains they are way neater but I miss the coffee and iddlis in our trains .Scenery is good but I like kerala scenery better . ( im a hardcore naadan in many things ) . The train is filled with people . I am the only Indian in the compartment . Like Indian masala quantity is least important . J
.

In exact two hours reach munich . a big and neat railwaystation (haupbahnhof ) meaning major train station . german is simple bahn is train U bahn is underground train etc . How many words I have taught you till now.

First thing I notice is the beautiful trams that are in the street , the road with bmws open tops almost all of them and city with no high rises to intimidate you .The thing I like about german cities is they provide you everything without being crowded and looks more like a small town .

If you are following my footsteps don’t do this mistake which I did . Their three day ticket gives unlimited access to Ubahn Sbahn buses and trams . Somehow I thought trams were not included and ended up carrying my luggage of 20 kgs for 15 minutes. By walking . I could have asked someone but I have this habit of not asking for help unless im totally lost ---male trait ive read somewhere .

So dragging my luggage I reach A and O hostels a “youth “ hostel nearby and check-in . Impressive service for the price 15 euros a night shared room with 6 people mixed dormitory . 3 german girls at the counter later I found them extremely resourceful in my cityhunting .The rooms are neat with dormitory style beds but rooms are big with a balcony and attached bath . breakfast is free and unlimited . internet is costly at rupees 200 per hour . I thought the communication systems were better and cheaper in germany . After checkin in I went out straight to haupbahnhof . my destination BMW Welt or the Museum and showroom of BMW . I have got my unlimited three day ticket so I look at the map and directions from the sweet german receptionist and look for U3 and U6 . Where to find them no confusion at all directions everywhere . But one thing I got little confused . went down below the station where ICE trains were standing and saw the underground trains but all were” S’bahns. Now I was thouroughly confused I have gone down one floor down the mainstation and reached the “underground “ but all trains are “S “bahns or suburban trains . Then I saw the symbol “U3 “ and arrow pointing down . So they have two floors of undergrounds . hey were these guys were digging all their life . Impressive . And I was more impressed when I saw some of their U bahns without a driver . YES ---without a driver .

I soon reached BMW welt or the BMW showroom . Cool place . Entry is free . The place is a huge indoor showroom with all current BMW models including their hybrid cars , all their convertibles , sedans and even their hybrid SUV . Near each car there is a german girl sorry they are not free with the cars . They were friendly and helped me click my picture inside the BMWs . There is an indoor track were the cars are parked for customer delivery and they have a written policy that the delivery of the car is made memorable .

I went to the second floor my department ---cheaper alternatives the bikes .starting from 800 cc to 1300 cc .impressive beasts . I will buy one some day . Bikes are also classified into subfamilies . 4 categories ---sports , off road , cruiser and fourth type I forgot . You can take as much photos as you want here too . Also you can see a formula one racer car here and multiple gaming consoles which are free . There is a souvenier shop where you get BMW pens for 400 rs . I bought some . BMW cars ---I didn’t buy them . The models are too expensive 6000 to 7000 rs per piece . There was a plant visit of BMW manufacturing but I was told it needed prior booking . But the german gentleman told me if any cancellations are there I can be accommodated . I waited but L no cancellations




Back to my hotel . Its getting dark the streets are less packed . I walked for a kilometer from the train station to hotel as exercise . Unlike walking in india walking in germany or cycling is pure pleasure ---fresh air , no crowding , nice gardens nearby and safe too . No buses to crush you in the footpath or a pothole to fall into . Had a pepsi (150 rs ) and browsed the net . German receptionists smiled – I don’t know ----its not their beauty (they are quite pretty ) ---but they are genuinely “ very helpful “ that impresses me . 18-20 year old girls who deal with say 100 + guests still taking out time for our queries in detail that too most about munich ---im sure they don’t get paid by munich city officials for talking in detail about munich .

Coming up next :

Salsa at Max café , near university ,Munich
Dachau Concentration camp ---ARBEIT MACHT FREI
Deutsches Museum
Nurnberg ----eating the famous Nurnberger near a 14 th century palace
Erlangen ----cycling in german „village „
German for beginners ---the bare essentials