Munich, Germany

We visited Munich not for the usual reason we normally have when we visit a new city. We went because it was the only BTS concert location Iris was able to get tickets for. Yes, we watched a BTS concert at a stadium. Now, let me tell you something: NSYNC, The Moffatts, and Backstreet Boys raised me, but seeing BTS was different. The stadium was loud as fuck. But enough about BTS — let’s go back to Munich and food.

The only thing on my mind was giant pork knuckles with mashed potatoes and a giant beer on the side. And yeah, throw in two pieces of schnitzel too, for dessert. We definitely ate a little too much, and may or may not have spent more than our budget. 😛 I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little expensive out there, but hey — if it’s for the food, that’s fine by me. What’s not fine is the ubiquitous tipping practice in restaurants. I mean, why? That was totally unexpected for a European city.

There was one thing that impressed me, though: the city is very bike-friendly. They have wide, safe bike lanes — the kind of infrastructure that the Philippines, for example, could only wish for. Well, hopefully it will happen in the future.

We didn’t usually eat breakfast at our hotel because we could get food for two outside for the price of one there. But on our last day, we decided to have it at the hotel. Coincidentally, Ate Elena (not enitrely sure if I remember her name correctly), the Filipina receptionist was on shift. An intern asked for our room number for the payment, but Ate grabbed the paper and crumpled it like a gangster. “I got this,” she told her. That’s kababayan connection right there.