MPD

Soon after I wrote my last entry, I decided to get lunch in the dining car (actually a pretty tasty plate of currywurst), and when I came back I started talking with the man across the table. he was from Lichtenstein, but worked managing hotels in other cities. He has been to Washington DC and New Mexico/Arizon. Mostly, though, we talked about travelling in Europe, the differences in Eastern Europe, how to learn languages, etc. Apparently, he visited Prague four days after the Berlin Wall fell. Before he left, he had to go through an intensive process to get a visa, etc but by the time he got there, it wasn’t necessary anymore. He exchanged 20 German Marks and couldn’t find ways to get rid of the money. Unfortunately, it’s not quite like that anymore. Instead, he says now Russians and Eastern Europeans are coming West and buying Swiss companies.

The rest of my trip to Munchen was fairly uneventful. When I arrived, though, I had a very hard time figuring out how to reserve a spot on the overnight to Praha. The first ticket booth I tried directed me to the Euraid office (for help with a Urail Pass), but they were closed, even though there was a man inside and I thought the sign said they were open (I later learned that it was Sunday, not Monday, as I thought). So, I tried and information desk that told me to go to a different ticket booth, carefully hidden under the stairs with a sign that read “DB.” Finally, this was the right place. Too bad there were no booths left on the train. I decided to try to reserve a spot for the next morning, but the lady said I didn’t need a reservation, so I left to find a room. I actually found one 800m away that included breakfast for 25 Euro, so I went with that.

I was placed in Room 601, a four-person dorm, and when I first arrived, I was greeted by a big, hairy, sketchy man in boxers and a gold chain who spoke no English coming out of the bathroom. I decided to take all my valuables with me and check out the city.

About 800m past the train station on the other side, there is a large pedestrian area. I don’t know why, but the street musicians in Europe are much better than in Boston. Maybe it’s because of the tourists, and I just haven’t been to Boston in the summer. I stopped to watch a quartet of accordian, cello, bass, and violin that played classical pieces, a man with a Yamaha grand piano who also played classical (he was really great), and a solo accordian player who seemed interesting at first.

I thought he might be playing Pinball Wizard the first time I went by, so I stopped to listen. Turns out he wasn’t, but it was still interesting, and I stayed. Suddenly, he started screaming along. Sure, it was in tune, but it wasn’t much of a tune, had no words, and was the loudest voice I have ever heard. When it started, I was actually a little scared. The next time he screamed, I walked away. It completely ruined the music. It was so loud, though, that I could hear it almost wherever I went. Moreover, I eventually had to walk past him again to get back to a restaurant I saw, and he was still playing the same thing. Honestly, I think he only knows one chord progression over which he improvises forever. I could hear him later on doing the same thing.

Anyway, the meal I had was fantastic. Thin strips of boiled beef fried in mustard breading. It was so tender I could cut it with the edge of my fork. On the side, I had fried potato wedges with small bits of boiled bacon. The local beer, though, was just OK. It was light and sort of fruity with a citrus/berry taste. Probably good for its variety, but I didn’t particularly care for it.

After I listened to the quarted some more, I decided to go to bed, since it was about 10:00. Everyone was asleep in the room when I arrived. I quietly changed into pajamas, hid my valuables under the bed, stuck my walled in my pocket, and went to sleep.

When I woke up, the sketchy guy was gone, but his stuff was still there, so I felt better. I got a shower and went downstairs.

Breakfast this mroning was actually great. It was a buffet with lots of cereal, pastries, meat, etc. I ate my fill, filled up the water bottle, walked in the rain to the train, and am now on my way to Nurnberg to get a train to Praha. If all goes well, I should be there by 5:00.