The Brady's Take Europe: Munich, Melle, and Amsterdam

It’s official, I won’t see my family now until the end of June. I can’t believe their visit to Germany came and went already. It was definitely one for the books, though.

Day 1

I was like a kid going to Disney World for my first time. I was about to see my parents, something I was looking forward to all winter. We had everyone's tickets printed for every trip, an itinerary, and reservations. Alex and I were meeting my parents and two aunts in Munich on March 2, and we were scheduled to leave Melle at 4:30pm on March 1, so we had time to kill after rehearsal with our theater group. Because the episodes are relatively short, we decided to watch some How I Met Your Mother. Well, as per usual, we ended up running late for the train. We actually saw it pull away from the platform mid-sprint to the station. Nothing could be more devastating than that, especially since we had never missed a train yet. What an awful way to start. Nothing broke my heart more at the moment. Luckily, there was another train going to Munich due in 30 minutes. The only downside was that we'd be arriving past midnight and we had more transfers than the original plan we had.

It was annoying, but this sad story gets worse. We were exhausted, and all we wanted to do was sleep. After we fought the bitter cold and disappointing sight of snow on the ground, we found our hostel room unoccupied for the time being, yet completely trashed. It was pretty obvious that our roommates were a bunch of German bros, and by the looks of it, would be really obnoxious when they came back really late since there was alcohol spilled all over the room and open bags of food everywhere. We were well aware that it wasn't going to be pleasant, but nothing prepared us for what we encountered at this hostel. Not even the American college girls we bunked with in Köln. So, Alex and I were passed out from pure exhaustion. Don't you know, 5am strikes, and guy one enters the room, holding a pretty chummy conversation on the phone with the lights on and everything. Clearly, he doesn't know hostel etiquette. Or maybe he just didn't care. I did my usual “I'm-annoyed-and-trying-to-sleep” Megan cough, and he surprisingly got the hint. Well, shortly thereafter, the rest of the German bros come stampeding into the room completely hammered. They definitely didn't care about my hint. All at once, the lights came on and their loud voices flooded the room. One of the bros, the fat one, was snoring like a freight train roaring through all of Munich. It wasn't even rhythmic. If I wasn't so cranky, I might have actually made sure he was still breathing a few times. Once they all came into the room, I knew I wouldn't be sleeping the rest of the night. Eventually, I got up and dressed. We ended up changing rooms, which turned out to be easier than we thought it would be. We were fortunate with all of our other hostel experiences, and I guess this is karma for complaining about those two girls. I’d take them over these guys any day.

Day 2

When that was all taken care of, Alex and I went to my parents’ hotel to see if they arrived, which was only an U-Bahn ride away. We had great timing because shortly after we arrived to the hotel, a taxi dropped my family off, and it was so surreal to see them on my turf! My parents and aunts dropped their things off in their rooms, and we all headed to our first concentration camp, Dachau. Now, that's an introduction to Germany! It was a cold day, but everyone enjoyed themselves... well, as much as they could in a place like that.

We all went to the Hofbräuhaus for dinner, which was extremely crowded. We truly lucked out when we found a table for all six of us relatively fast. In Germany, you seat yourselves at most restaurants. There isn’t a host to find an open spot for you… that’s definitely something I miss about America. All of us ordered a liter of German beer, which was delivered promptly, along with our meals which came out soon after. Everything was delicious, and I'm glad my family was able to experience this kind of German culture. It was very reminiscent of my Oktoberfest experience. Rowdy people, loud music, and a large hall. So Bavarian!

The real fun started after his first liter of German beer, though. I'm sure he'll be glad to tell anyone how strong that beer is. That and the jet lag are not a good combination. All I’ll say is, I'm not exactly sure how he didn't get locked up abroad, it really is a blessing. My dad ended up having 2 ½ liters of beer, and was trying to throw down a 50 euro bill for another round! We convinced him not to and instead got chocolate pastries from the bakery. Despite his best efforts to go to another bar, my mom put him to bed. We figured he was pretty finished after he took a pee on the train tracks. Alex and I went to bed, too. Even though we had some people snoring in our new room, we didn't mind at all. We were just thankful for the new room!

Day 3

I couldn’t believe that I was able to meet up with my family at their hotel for breakfast. Then, we were all able to enjoy many sights of Munich on the “Hop On, Hop Off Bus Tour.” We got off at the Nymphenburg Schloss, and we were all awed by how beautiful it was on the inside. It was too cold to see the sculptures in the garden, but we were happy to stay warm and admire art from the inside.

After our last stop on the bus tour, we all wanted to go to Marienplatz to see the Glockenspiel. Alex boarded the U-Bahn, and I was halfway on the cart when the doors actually closed on me. My family was standing on the platform, and Alex was on the subway. I wedged myself out of the doors, and watched the U-Bahn pull away with Alex's scared-shitless face plastered against the window. My family and I decided we should buy tickets and meet up with him, which we weren't originally going to do since nobody ever checks U-Bahn tickets in Germany, seemingly. However, we didn't want to be considered “black riders” and get fined for using the U-Bahn without a ticket. So I went with my Aunt Terry and dad to buy tickets while my mom and Aunt Dee waited on the platform. I somehow managed to buy the appropriate tickets while in a state of panic, and as they printed from the machine, Alex showed up behind us. He took the U-Bahn back to us, which instantly put me at ease.

That night, we ate dinner at the Augustiner Bräu München. It's right across the street from the Haufbräuhaus, but you get a more authentic German experience there. It was less crowded, so the anxiety of finding a table wasn’t quite as high.

Day 4

Alex and I woke up the next morning, checked out of the hostel from hell, and met up with my family. After our last breakfast, we did some last minute souvenir shopping before the train ride home and said goodbye to some of the sights we saw: the yellow church, the Glockenspiel where we saw the puppet performance, and the Rathaus.

The train ride to Melle was smooth and everyone handled their luggage better than I did on my first German train, especially my dad, who only brought a backpack with him. I knew he'd get MVP for packing.

The plan was to have Chinese food when we got to Melle since it was right next to the train station and their hotel, but Alex and I completely forget they were closed on Mondays! Go figure. Consequently, we ate yet another Bavarian meal at their Bavarian themed hotel. As if they didn’t get enough of it in Munich. It was actually delicious, though.

Day 5

The next morning, Alex and I were walking to pick my family up from their hotel when we saw them on the other side of the street walking in our direction. They're an adventurous group, I'll give them that! We all merged and gave them the grand Melle tour. This includes the Wednesday market, our favorite bum who silently kneels at the end of the street, stores, and Edeka for lunch, and our flat.

Once lunch was over, we all walked to the school since I had a lesson with 8L1, and Alex took my family to the park. It almost sounds as if we’re babysitting when I put it like that. When we all came together again, we made a stop at Tedi so they could buy pillows. They quickly learned how inadequate German pillows are.

Once that problem was taken care of, we ventured over to the Rathaus in hopes that my five 10th grade girls from Klaus Brinkmann's class would be there to give my family a tour of Melle. To my surprise, they all showed up! After some awkward introductions, and some well-planned out and rehearsed historical facts about the Rathaus which burned down five times, the churches, and other parts of town, everyone was talking to everyone. My family is really goofy, so I think they made them feel really comfortable. They were all very proud of themselves for speaking to a group of Americans the entire time. It was gorgeous weather, a rare instance for Melle, and we were all thankful for that. My mom even got all the girls bracelets, which they all really liked. They even wore them to school! It was adorable.

After spending time with the girls, my family and I went to Die Knolle for our dinner reservations. We specifically chose this place because the sign outside said it offered menus in English. Well, that was a lie because Alex had to translate the entire menu for everyone. Even though it was probably a headache for him, the meal was delicious. Clearly, his German is superb.

Day 6

The next day was Osnabrück day! Alex's afternoon classes were cancelled, so we got to go earlier than expected. My family enjoyed using the trains and seeing how close everything was to us. It's a great way to get around.

Osnabrück was really nice, especially since Alex and I took a 5 euro tour a few weeks before and knew a lot of the history that we could share. Since it was nice outside, we all had lunch at an a la carte and sat at tables in the sun. Then we went to the Rathaus to meet up with our very unforgettable tour guide who showed us all around. Her English wasn't great and the tour wasn't as informative as the cheaper tour Alex and I took… isn’t that always the way it goes? However, they all seemed to like it anyways. She was always flustered by Alex's very intellectual questions. He asked her about pentagonal windows, something we discussed on the cheaper tour... I don’t think the poor woman really understood him. My dad didn't even realize she was a woman until halfway through the tour. Nice. Well, I’m thinking we were just as unforgettable as she was! After we paid her, we went to an Italian restaurant for our last German dinner together. I guess everyone was over German food!

Everyone was exhausted after the last two days... shopping takes a lot of you, just ask my dad. His souvenirs consisted of a Munich tee shirt, a pad with sticky material on it for the dashboard of your car to hold loose items, nasal spray, chaffing cream that Alex had to ask for at the Pharmacy in German, and coffee “to go,” which he ordered himself with obscene hand gestures.

Day 7

The next day, Alex and I went to our classes, came home, and caught the train for Amsterdam with the Brady/Horel clan. My mom, Aunt Dee, Alex, and I played Taboo together. Alex and I were partners, and had been training whenever we were bored in the flat. It was cold, and there wasn't much else to do. Judge us. Let's just say, we crushed them, and that's putting it nicely.

We arrived in Amsterdam at 8:30pm and bought our Holland Passes at the same place Alex and I did when we came. Once everything was purchased, we all trudged through the bumpy and narrow streets of Amsterdam. I give my family credit. My mom and aunts had suitcases with wheels, and it could not have been easy dragging that for as long as they did. We dropped our belongings off at our respective hotels/hostels, and then capped off the night with some beers, snacks, and the Red Light District. My dad in the RLD was comical... he didn't realize we were in there for the first five minutes, even though there were naked woman in the windows two feet away from him. It eventually dawned on him though, and like everyone else, he was fascinated that Amsterdam has a place like this. One prostitute even tapped on her window at my dad. He wasn't sure if he should have winked or not because he didn't want to be rude and ignore her. Unbelievable. So I'd say we were off to a good start in this country.

Day 8

We made reservations for the Anne Frank Huis at noon. I was over the moon to visit this place since we weren’t able to the first time around. The Anne Frank experience was everything I had hoped it would be. I enjoyed all of the videos in the house, pictures, and going to their hiding place upstairs was so chilling. They kept it dark, to show how it was when they were in hiding and the staircases were very narrow. The original bookcase that Anne and Otto built was there, too, along with her diary.

After our walk through the house, we went on a beautiful canal cruise and everyone was able to take in the city the right way. We made it back just in time for our cheese tasting at 4:30. I'll admit, the cheese tasted like feet and the wine wasn't all that great, but we got certificates at the end. It’s official, I know how to properly taste cheese now.

My family had a nice time walking around the city that day. Later, we all had our first dining experience at an Argentinian restaurant. My food wasn’t too exotic, I was just happy to spend time with my family, especially since they were leaving all too soon.

Day 9

The last full day with my family was already her. After my dad, Alex, and I all almost got demolished by a tram car, we made it to the exquisite Hermitage to see the Van Gogh exhibit. We spent a good amount of time admiring his great works of art. Then, we walked over to the Heineken Experience, and that was a good time had by all.

By the time we had walked through the entire building, we were all famished and tired. The Pancake Bakery was very far from where we were, so we took a bus over to the restaurant. Even though my dad didn't particularly like his meal, I think everyone else did. We all got the free cider, too. This time, I got a chicken and cheese pancake, and was extremely happy with that decision.

Since it was their last night, we all had a few drinks at their hotel. It was really sad, but I was happy to chat with my mom, while Alex and my dad talked to the bartender... I think his name was Mark?

Day 10

The next morning, Alex and I woke up especially early to have our final breakfast with my family. Apparently, it was daylight savings time in America, so my iPhone automatically changed times without my realizing. That being said, it wasn't DLS in Europe yet! So we were an hour early, but my parents were awake anyways because they were also confused by the time. It just meant that I got to spend more time with my parents before we were on separate continents for another three months.

The meal was bittersweet, but it was early so nothing had fully processed quite yet. Then, the dreaded moment happened all too fast. When we walked my family downstairs to their cab, it was already there and waiting for them. We all said a quick and shocking goodbye, but I think it was better that way. Like a band-aid. I was in tears the minute they were out of my sight.

I think my dad had a change of change of heart about Germany. Once he saw for himself the impact this country was having on me and the difference Alex and I were making in our community, he was outwardly happy about my decision over the summer to come here.

I will miss having my mom around. It was exciting for me to watch my mom fall in love with Germany because I know how much she loves foreign cultures and exploring the world. I'm glad she was able to get a taste of my new life, and I knew it was really special for her.

Alex and I had a few free hours before our train was leaving, so our day wasn't over quite yet. He ever so conveniently led us away from the Bags and Purses Museum, so we checked out the Tulip Museum instead… because that sounds manlier, I guess. That ended up being free since it was under renovation. It was a sight for sore eyes, so I'm glad we didn't have to pay anything. We sat and watched a ten minute documentary on tulips, though. It was even more boring than it sounds. Then, we went to the Sex Museum and Medieval Torture Museum, and those places were at the very least mind stimulating until we had to leave. Our train ride home wasn't terrible, except for the unexpected 70 minute delay. The constant train delays of Deutche Bahn are the only negative aspects of their business. All I have to say, though, is once we were home, I was ready to stay in my bed for the next few days!