A Tale of Two Cities: Zurich and Munich

I don't really like traveling; I find it to be stressful, hectic, and expensive. However, I felt obligated to do some traveling while in Europe, so I decided to take advantage of Fall Break. I reached out to a couple of my Lawrence University friends who are in France right now and we agreed to meet in Zurich. Switzerland happens to be between Austria and France, and I’ve heard good things about it. I also wanted to stop by Munich, which is on the way back to Vienna. Despite my dislike of travel and the difficulties along the way, I had a great time. I hope my story will provide you with ideas and/or tips for your own travels.

Train Troubles

I was super anxious in the days leading up to the trip. The way the itinerary worked out, my trip was a whopping nine days long! I would be with my friends Katie and Yv for most of it, except for a few days at the end. Given that this was my first time traveling without my parents or IES Abroad Vienna, this was a big leap for me. The night before I left for Zurich, I ruminated on every item in my suitcase for two hours before falling into a fitful sleep.

The next morning, I arrived a good 30-minutes early at the train station and found my platform. As I examined my ticket, I noticed a small detail: I had a seat assignment. As the train pulled up, I tried to examine the carriage exteriors to find their numbers, while also rushing to get on, because I was terrified of the train pulling away without me. Ultimately I ended up getting on a random car and just wandering around inside the train. I then made the super smart decision of asking an agent for directions in German, which meant that I didn’t understand his response at all. Nice going, Auden. I eventually found what I thought was my seat and sat down, though I was anxious the whole ride that someone would kick me out. (I actually did get kicked out of my seat when I was coming back to Vienna…It’s not that bad, just embarrassing.)

My day of train travel was pretty boring for the most part. I mean, I was just sitting down for eight hours. I did have a seven-minute layover in Salzburg, which was a ridiculous thing to plan on my first ever European train journey. I was so anxious about it that I studied the map of Salzburg Hbf and mapped out my exact route. In the end, my two platforms were super close to each other, and it only took me about two minutes to transfer. Still, I don’t recommend inflicting unnecessary stress on yourself like me.

My main train mishap came from something that was out of my control. When I was on my final train from Innsbruck to Zurich, I realized I had to pee. I waited for the train bathroom for about ten minutes when a disgruntled-looking girl emerged. I thought nothing of her expression until I discovered the cause: there was no toilet paper. I went to the bathroom in another car, and sure enough, there was none there either. The sensible thing to do in this situation would probably be to inform an agent, but I had no idea where to find one, and the language barrier always makes me hesitate. Instead, I used the classic trans person strategy of holding it for two hours. Not one of my finest moments, but also, what else was I supposed to do? They really ought to put extra toilet paper in the bathrooms.

When I finally arrived in Zurich, my first priority was to find a bathroom. I wandered around the entire station not finding one, until I finally saw a tiny sign for WC under a staircase. Of course, I had to pay to use it, but at this point I didn't even care. 

After that, I had to navigate the confusing public transit system, because I refuse to pay $30 for an Uber on principle. I spent half an hour just wandering aimlessly around the station, looking for the train line Google Maps told me to take. I was exhausted and close to tears the whole time—sometimes when you’re already stressed from a day of uncertainties, one tiny thing can put it over the edge. My girlfriend assured me over text that it would be okay, and she was right. Eventually I found the train and I made it to the hostel, where I met my friend and took a shower.

Zurich

In the days leading up to the trip, I was getting quite anxious about the lack of things we had planned. I started frantically scrolling through "Top 10 lists" and texting our group chat at midnight about what we wanted to do. Once we actually got to Zurich, though, I realized that sometimes it’s okay not to plan everything. After all, 90% of attractions let you get same-day tickets, unless you’re doing something super exclusive. We were also working with a tight budget, so we ended up doing mostly free things anyway—primarily walking around and window shopping.

As everyone warned me in the weeks leading up to break, Zurich is incredibly expensive. “It can’t be that bad, right?” I thought. It is that bad. A latte is like 7-8 Francs, which is about 10 USD. Everything is noticeably more expensive than other major European cities. As me and my friends soon discovered, it was virtually impossible to find anywhere affordable to eat. We got dinner at Subway our first night, which was undeniably an iconic moment.

The next day, as we attempted to scrounge up bread or something at a grocery store called Coop, we stumbled across our savior: the hot food section! There were pastries, sandwiches, and tiny pizzas for only a few Francs, AKA a fraction of the price of any restaurant. We bought some stuff and ate by the river near a guy playing accordion. We ended up getting food at Coop several times, and noticed that it was frequently packed with Swiss people doing the same thing. My number one tip for Zurich is don’t sleep on Coop!

We spent most of our time in Zurich going into stores where everything was way too expensive for us. One time, in American Vintage, Katie was admiring a soft cashmere cardigan. The salesperson said she had something to show her, and proceeded to open a drawer filled to the brim with neatly folded, color-coded pastel cashmere cardigans. As she described all the merits of their home-grown, family-owned sweaters, I thought Katie was going to pass out. The salesperson was all ready to pat herself on the back for making a sale, but Katie quickly excused herself before she spent her entire net worth on cardigans. She brought up the magical drawer every day after that.

I honestly wouldn’t recommend Zurich to fellow student travelers simply because of the price—yes, it’s beautiful, but so is every European city. Even the thrift stores we went to had very steep price tags. That being said, me and my friends still made the most of it and had fun. One night we bought wine at a convenience store and drank it under a bridge.

Munich

My friend Yv sadly had to return to France while Katie and I continued to Munich. I started feeling slightly under the weather the day before we left Zurich, and on the day of of train trip, I woke up feeling terrible. I was so preoccupied with my state that I didn’t even get my morning coffee. We made it to the train, me hardly speaking, and I slept for most of the ride. When we got to our private hostel in Munich, I  told Katie she should just explore without me. She did, and she brought me takeout in our room for dinner. I felt sad that I was wasting our trip, but I knew forcing myself to go out wouldn’t help.

Thankfully, I felt a bit better the next day, and we ventured out to see some churches and do more window shopping. We went to the Hofbrauhaus for lunch—it’s a giant beer hall where you eat at long family-style tables with strangers. I don’t really like beer, but I was along for the ride. They were absolutely slammed, to the point  that we witnessed a waiter smash a plate on the floor and kick it under the host stand, rather than clean it up. 

I got a giant pretzel for lunch and it was worse than some grocery store pretzels I’ve had. Katie also said her beer was terrible, but then again, she doesn’t like beer. However, the atmosphere was impeccable, with a band playing nonstop and the waiters racing around like they were on wheels.

Alone…

The part of the trip I was most nervous for was after Katie left me and I was alone in Munich for three days, but it ended up being fine. After I checked out of our private double room and moved into a six-person dorm, I looked up some things to do. Luckily, our hostel was super centrally located (unlike in Zurich), which was very convenient. There’s tons of museums in Munich, so I decided to go to one every day. Museums in Europe are so cheap, especially if you’re a student, that it’s hard to justify not going to them.

I decided to check out the science-themed Deutsches Museum, and braved the public transit system to get there. Munich, like Vienna, has a gigantic U-Bahn station called Karlsplatz. The Munich version is like a giant underground city, with a bunch of restaurants, a million exits, and every S-Bahn and U-Bahn line you could want. It took me thirty minutes to figure out where my train was, and another ten to buy my ticket.

When I finally got to the museum, I found it to be mostly filled with families and kids, but no one batted an eye at my 21-year-old self braving it alone. I wandered through the museum at my own pace, drifting from room to room whenever I felt like it. That’s the nice thing about going to museums alone. I don’t have a completionist attitude when it comes to museums—if an exhibit bores me, I’m skipping it. In this case, I skipped the entire aeronautics and space travel sections in favor of the robot room. This magical chamber had everything from a Furby to a robot for autistic kids to a steampunk robot guitarist. I also caught the giant model train leaving the station on the hour, which was really cool.

The other museums I went to were the Residenz Munchen and the Alte Pinothek. They were both 100% worth it—the Pinothek is an art museum that’s free for students and has tons of famous paintings, and the Residenz is a giant palace that was one of my favorite moments of the whole trip. There are approximately 9,000 rooms, all with extremely beautiful ceiling paintings, furniture, and decorations. Even going fairly quickly, I was there for about 90 minutes. My favorite room would have to be this one:

However, if I had to pick my favorite attraction in Munich, it would be something that didn’t cost anything at all: the Englischer Garten! This huge park takes up several miles in the middle of the city, and—dare I say it—I think it’s the prettiest city park I’ve ever visited. Part of the appeal was the fact that I was there in autumn, when all the leaves were turning red and orange. However, I’m sure it’s beautiful at all times of year, just in different ways. There are tons of interesting things to see: a duck pond, a gazebo on a hill, a Japanese garden, and perhaps most uniquely, a river where people surf at all times of the year. I didn’t plan this at all, I just stumbled upon a place where there was a small crowd of people watching something. Investigating the commotion, I saw someone in a black wetsuit balancing atop a wave in the narrow river. I suppose these waves are artificially created—I didn’t really investigate, but it was super fun to watch people wipe out.

Karaoke

Being alone in another country always comes with its difficulties. One thing I was hoping was that I would maybe make acquaintances with people in the hostel, but that didn’t really happen. There were few other solo travelers, and the ones that were there mostly weren’t interested in talking to me. One night, I went to karaoke at the hostel bar, because I love karaoke. As I sat at the bar and listened to people sing, I heard the host announce that she would buy the next three people who sang a free shot. I had a moment of clarity where I thought, You know what? I’m never going to see any of these people again, so it doesn’t matter if I suck. I got up from my seat and told the host I was ready to sing. “Great, you’re next!” she said.

My performance wasn’t great—I was stilted, awkward, and my voice was still recovering from being sick. But as I watched people chat to their friends as I sang Britney, I realized it truly didn’t matter. When I was done, people applauded. “Thank you so much,” said the karaoke host. I returned to my seat at the bar and awaited my free drink (it never came).

As more people got up to sing, I started to get antsy. My whole goal of being at the bar was to socialize, and yet I hadn’t spoken a word to anyone. I turned to the guy next to me at the bar and said “So where are you from?” as a way of striking up conversation. He did not hear me at all and continued to look directly ahead. Sure, it was loud, but I didn’t think I was speaking that quietly. Anyway, no sweat.

I noticed the girl on the other side of me at the bar was there alone, and seemed to glued to her phone. I figured she must be at karaoke with the intent of socializing, but just didn’t know how to strike up a conversation. I tried to the same tactic on her, saying loudly, “Where are you from?” so she would hear me. She glanced up at me, muttered something I didn’t hear, and immediately looked back at her phone. “What?” I said. She didn’t look up again. I turned back to the bar, defeated. I had just struck out twice in a row at social interaction. I thought hostels were supposed to be for people that wanted to meet other travelers. Fed up, I went back to my room.

This section isn’t intended to freak you out about hostels. I think I just got unlucky, and I did end up meeting some friendlier people later on. The point is that traveling never goes exactly how you expect it to, and that’s okay. As long as you enjoy your own company, you can still have a good time alone in a strange city.

Overall, I had a great time traveling. I was nervous about the lack of routine and being away from home for so long, but the time really flew by. Yes, I spent a lot of money, but considering I hardly spend money in Vienna (except on groceries), I felt okay about it. I got to see two new cities, catch up with my friends, and be independent in a new place. Of course there were stressful moments, but it was definitely worth it. Thank God for Coop!