Hidden Gems: Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurants and More

If you're talking food and drink in Munich, odds are the first thing people will bring up will be Beer Gardens. I don't blame them. Meat and pretzels as far as the eye can see. And beer. Lots and lots of beer. Plus, the experience of a massive outdoor seating area where you can sit with dozens of your friends, or make just as many new ones. You can sit, talk, eat and drink until the sun goes down, and far after that (if the sun ever comes out; this is Germany, after all). But sometimes, this atmosphere can become all too much. Sometimes the surrounding tables will become a bit too rowdy. Sometimes the employees will become stressed from the crowds and yell at you. And sometimes the weather just does not suit that outdoor seating (and always the prices are just a bit over the top). On these occasions, you need a different place to go. One with an entirely different atmosphere. Somewhere that can become your new go-to choice for the time being. We found that place a few nights ago. Well actually, Professor Farrand found that place six years ago, on his first Maymester Trip to Munich. He stumbled across it by accident, ducking inside to escape a cold rainy night and grab a quick bite in the process. Since then, he claims to have come back at least twice a year, bringing a new swarm of journalism students with him every time. I understood why he keeps coming back the moment I sat down. This was a quaint little restaurant, the kind you could probably find in any town in Germany. This one just happened to be located down a small alley near the heart of Munich. The main dining area had maybe thirty tables, many of which were empty on this night. There were about five employees milling about, checking on the few tables that were occupied and waiting for another order to be placed. When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by a friendly waiter who spoke to us in German. We all paused for an instant, and he instantly transitioned to English, asking us where we wanted to sit. He grabbed a few English menus and followed us to our selected table in a warmly lit corner with photographs of friendly-looking people hanging on a wooden wall. The first thing I noticed when I opened my menu was the reasonable price of everything on the menu; soups for under 5 Euros, entire entrees for about 10. The waiter came back five minutes later for orders. He cracked a few jokes in broken English as we struggled to figure out what we wanted. He was very patient, and made fun of us when we all finally ordered basically the same thing. Our food came quickly, and it was all delicious (I had some kind of fancy mac and cheese with vegetables, it was incredible). The waiter had our check ready when we were finished, and kindly wished us a good night on the way out the door. It was a wonderful experience. I do not remember the name of that restaurant, but I would be able to direct you to it if you were in Munich. I will never forget where it is; I actually went back again last night for another dinner (that same waiter was there, and jokingly asked us if we were all going to order mac and cheese again). And I think that's the best part about these hole-in-the-wall places. You will never remember their names, but you will remember where they are, and what they do. Whenever you go somewhere, you should go for the experience, not for the name. Go for the friendly faces, the warm atmosphere, the great food. Overpriced does not necessarily mean better; it just means more-frequented. The best places are those less stumbled upon. I remember I had the same experience with a souvenir shop in Italy a while back. It was in a less tourist-infested part of Florence, and it had better prices (and better quality items in my opinion). The employee at the cash register, the only one in the store at the time, was very friendly, helping me pick out the perfect coffee mug for my mother, then wrapping it for me at the register. I was the only one in the store when I came in, and the only one when I left. I brought a few friends back to that store a few days later when they were scrambling to pick up last minute gifts. It was the same scenario: one friendly employee, no one else in the store. And I couldn't have been any happier about it. The moral of this story is, next time you need a place to go, don't look for a suggestion from someone else. Just go out and walk around, and stumble across a place that looks appealing. Because odds are, that will give you a better experience than any brand-name place around.

It's Warmer Here Than I Imagined...

Yeah, I think it's a pretty good summary for my experiences here thus far.
Berlin has surprised me in both good and bad ways these last 4 days.

1) The people aren't how I expected...I think I always hope people everywhere will be nice if I'm nice but, well, that's not always the case here. Some people stare, some are outrightly rude, some get annoyed easily, but then there is the China Box owner who yelled to me as I'm walking away that I left my purse and expensive camera at his restaurant. And the elderly woman who giggled and pointed us in the right direction as we were frantically trying to read the train map. And the cute stranger (also known as my boyfriend) who helped our group get to the right train station after getting lost. People are always surprising me, especially here, and it's actually quite intriguing.

2) Germans take sustainability, Beyonce, and beer seriously. Beer is cheaper than water, soda, and all other drinks. You can also walk around town just drinking along on your merry way. This was one of the pleasant surprises. The air conditioning was not. They don't like AC. Anywhere. For us spoiled Americans, this was a tad difficult to adjust to. This is part of how sustainable they live, just like how they have recycling bins for each different recyclable item, stations to charge electric cars, and bicycle paths everywhere. NOTE: bicyclists run this town. So does Beyonce.

3) FOOD. It's good here. Being Italian, as well as a little judgmental, I was pretty scared that I'd start losing weight on this trip due to me avoiding the scary, meaty food I'd imagined. Well I learned that the food, just like the city, is so diverse and more importantly, fresh. There are cheap food stops and other fast-food-like restaurants that serve fresh food. And it's so good. This just blew my mind. And the bread, well, is self-explanatory. Side note: the lunch I had today at the international festival has topped all other meals I've ever had. Yeah, I said it, it was that good.

4) There is no actual number 4....I just like to make lists. So here are some cool pictures.