Day 15: Chased by Thunderstorms

The thunderstorm followed me to Munich. It had some trouble keeping up with the train at first, but by the time I arrived in Munich, it was back in full force.

I spent some of the morning with Dave. He showed me how to ride the public transportation around Zurich so I wouldn’t have to walk all the way into the city in the rain. He was heading out somewhere too, he just hadn’t decided where yet.

We arrived at the station at about 9:30am for my 11am train, only for me to realize my train wasn’t until 1pm. For some reason I had got it confused in my head after looking at all the 11am trains, before finally deciding on the 1pm. Don't ask me to explain any further.

I didn’t mind though. Dave went off to look at ticket prices and I bought a soft pretzel. It was delicious. I waited around, eating my pretzel and reading The Stand. Eventually we went down the street to a coffee shop where we could sit comfortably and chat for an hour.

Dave told me all about how he was completely separated from the internet. The most technologically advanced item he had was his flip phone. I couldn’t imagine that. I needed the internet to book places to stay, transportation tickets, to find directions, and most of all, to write to guys you every day. I don’t think this would have the same effect scrawled out on several post cards every day.

After some time, Dave and I finally parted ways, but not without exchanging emails so that we could keep in contact if we so needed to.

The train to Munich was four hours. I didn’t think it would be long at first since my train to Zurich had been seven. But it ended up feeling long. Maybe it was because the scenery was nothing but farmlands and grey clouds the entire time.

To pass the time, I dove headfirst into my book. Rarely putting my kindle down for the duration of the ride. Side note: don’t judge me for bringing a kindle, I don’t have the space in my bag for real books right now. Especially the enormous book I’m reading now. I made about ten percent progress through the book according to my kindle. Which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s just that big a book.

The rain and thunder were going strong when I got off the train. Fortunately the hostel was a five minute walk from the station, so I didn’t have to stay out in the rain for long.

The hostel is nice and seems to have a good atmosphere. The five other beds in the room were already taken when I got there, but somehow they left one of the top bunks open for me.

For dinner, at the suggestion of my dad, I searched for a turkey burger. This was exactly what I needed, and I was fortunate enough to find a great place for it. Now I know this probably isn’t the "first German meal" you were expecting, but it is a burger. And if it makes sense to have a hamburger in Hamburg, then I think a turkey burger is probably the equivalent for Munich. So really, if you think about it, it's perfect. But don't think too much.

After a long day of travel, and since it’s still raining, I probably won’t do much exploring tonight. But rain or shine, I will go out into the city tomorrow to find something interesting.

Tonight I might go down to the hostel’s bar or common room to see what’s going on. But I know no matter what I’ll be saving some time for a little more reading. I’m definitely hooked.

Hopefully you're hooked too. 

Thanks for reading and here’s to tomorrow.