Update: Never trust taxi drivers.

It's hard to believe that I've already been here for just a week. Time is flying by, and this week has felt like so much longer than that. I feel as if I have been here for weeks! I was surprised at how quickly I adjusted to using public transportation and learned a little bit of German. Also, I quickly realized I have to use cash to pay for literally everything I buy. I guess Europe hasn't figured out yet that credit cards really are the greatest method of payment ever created. Maybe they'll get there someday. Class has been quite interesting so far, and the coolest part about it is that even though it is class, it doesn't really feel like class. This is most likely due to the fact that I'm in a beautiful foreign country. All in all, this week has been a relatively successful one. I now know how to say excuse me in German, which comes in handy a lot, as well as thank you. Everything else is still a little rusty at this point, but I have faith that by the time Hilde is done with us, we will know far more than that. 

What little German we know was however enough to get us through our first weekend trip. Navigating the Eurail system and getting around in yet another foreign city was interesting. Apparently there is a significant difference between saying Dachau, like a normal human being, and Dacccchhhhhau *insert excessive phlegm*. There are also about 4 different versions of the street name Brucker Strasse. Those of us who traveled to Munich took taxis from the airport to our Airbnb in Dachau, and four of us were blessed with our first terrible experience that turned into a great story. We approached our taxi driver and showed him the address where we needed to go, adding that it was in Dachau (which is about 30 minutes away), and politely asked if he could take us there. He says yes. We say awesome, thanks! After driving for approximately 11 minutes he says we are here! We were not there. We were on Brükerstrasse in Munich. So we re-evaluate the address and head off for round two. Things were looking good until we ended up in a very small seemingly residential area lacking street lights and any sign of human life. Once again he says, we are here! We were not there. We were on Brückestrasse. We said, no this isn't it, it's in Dachau! He looked very confused. So once again we re-evaluate, and the guy starts yelling at us saying NEIN EN MÜNCHEN??? EN DACCCCHHHAU *insert excessive phlegm*. Finally he understood and got very upset claiming we told him it was in Munich. I guess the phlegm really does make all the difference in the world. After some awkward rambling, we were off again, to 16 Brucker Strasse, our destination. Finally he drops us off at 18 Brucker Strasse and we figured this is fine, we can walk the rest of the way. After getting out of the car I thought, this doesn't look like the pictures at all....and that's because we were in the wrong place. Again. Unfortunately though, this time, the taxi driver was long gone. So we googled how far it was to walk, and it was 37 minutes away, a little over 1.5 miles. Seeing as we had no other option, we walked, luggage and all, 37 minutes down the road to our hotel, in the dark, on back country roads, past some corn fields that weren't actually corn fields and a very strange looking unidentifiable large rodent. I must say the view of the stars was quite fabulous though. Luckily we survived, and there was pizza at the end of our journey which made everything okay. 

The rest of the weekend was really a great experience. Getting to go set foot onto the concentration camp that set the example for all others during the Nazi regime was an experience that cannot be put into words. I have such a greater respect for the lives lost there and a better understanding of the monstrosities that occurred. There's something different about being able to actually go witness it yourself as opposed to being taught about it in history class. It's an experience I'll surely never forget and one that I hope everyone has a chance to have. We also got a chance to go visit the Olympic Park in Munich which was actually quite cool. The architecture of all the buildings was unlike anything I've ever seen before. There were also some beautiful park areas which provided a 360 degree view of the city. It made for some excellent panoramic pictures. Of course, since nothing can be easy with us, our already 6 hour train ride was delayed 51 minutes due to a fire on the tracks. It was astonishing how many people just got off the train, in the middle of nowhere as we were stopped, to smoke some cigarettes. I don't have that amount of trust in the conductor to not leave me stranded. Good for them though, that's awesome. Sadly, we didn't receive anymore information on the fire situation. All I know is we sat on a train for almost 7 and a half hours, and that's a super long time to go not super far. We're back though, ready to head to Vienna in about 36 hours. Overall, our first trip was largely a success, but the moral of the story is, German is hard, and never trust your taxi driver.