The first full day in Munich winds down with a welcome dinner at Hofbrauhaus, a Munich mainstay since the 16h Century. The 2019 Cohort dined on the second floor in an auditorium room with an infamous history (Hitler gave his first speech in this very room). For entertainment, an "Oomp-pa-pa Band" (as Michael calls it) regaled us with live, traditional Bavarian music, including whip cracking. Whip cracking you ask? Whip cracking is used as an instrument in...

We arrived in Munich at around 9:30 am, April 19th after an 8 hour flight through the night. Most of the 2019 Cohort had not slept well or at all on the flight, so we were punch drunk to say the least. We were immediately met by Eliska Goncarova of the International Study Program and Michael, a local high school teacher and our tour guide for the day... ...because in order to get used to the 6-hour time change, we were to be kept awake all day.

After lunch, the 2019 Cohort hits the road with a bus tour (with many stops to get a closer look) of Munich. Michael, our guide, gives us taste of the city we will call home for the next two days. We are amazed at the rich cultural history of this city, how much of our modern American entertainment industry has roots in Munich, and the bold strength of the Bavarian people to face their dark history and use it as a constant reminder of why these evil deeds sho...

After dropping off our luggage at the Eurostar Hotel, the 2019 Cohort began their first full day in Munich with lunch at the Augustiner Keller brewery/restaurant/beer garden with Tilman Krueger from the U.S. Consulate office. The lunch began with an unforeseen culture-clash: Germans (or at least Bavarians) are very precise on when it is acceptable to consume caffeinated beverages such as coffee or tea. Not before the meal, not during he meal, but only after t...

On our way to our European Adventure! We left Cleveland at 2:30pm and are now resting in Chicago O'Hare before heading on to Munich!