2007 ^New!
  Angers, France
  Paris, France
  Brugge, Belgium
  Amsterdam, Netherlands
  Ibiza, Spain
  Salzburg, Austria
  Munich, Germany
  Split & Dubrovnik, Croatia
  London & Oxford, UK

2006
  Sao Paulo & Rio, Brazil

2005
  Southern France
  Barcelona, Spain
  Paris, France
  Switzerland

2003
  London, UK

Impressions
Munich was a good meeting point for a number of us traveling through Europe. This was also my first visit to Germany, and a good place to start. The ride into the city on the S-Bahn hinted at this country's reputation for engineering. And the ubiquitous beer steins (= 1 liter of beer) at outdoor restaurant tables that greeted me as I walked by confirmed an equal reputation for the love of beer. For me, coming from the insanely sunny climes of Croatia, the balmy temperatures of Munich were a welcome relief -- although the rains that followed every night were uncalled for :)

We started with a free walking tour of the city (the best way to explore most cities in my opinion) organized by the hostel. The tour lasted about four hours and we covered a lot -- different landmarks, beer gardens, lessons in history, and I got to meet a bunch of strangers. During our stay, we ate at the Augusteiner (repeatedly), tried the late night kabab sandwich joints and drank the dark beer at HofBrauHaus. We visited Neuschwanstein castle outside of Munich (and took the over-rated tour). I didn't have the time to go to Dacau, but would've like to. There were two things that surprised me about Munich -- (1) how young the city is compared to much of Europe and (2) in stark contrast to popular portrayal, Germans are actually very friendly and funny :) I can definitely see myself returning here for another visit. Until then, the 'HofBrauHaus' magnet that is now displayed on my fridge will have to do the job of reminding me.

At a glance [5 = best]

Communication with locals	4
Place	4
Food	3
Activities	4
Affordability	4
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