cheese in sausage—it’s call käsewurst & it is even better than it sounds. served on a bun with some spicy brown mustard this vies for top spot in my “favorite things i put in my mouth” list for this trip.
just look at that oozing goodness…
christmas markets & tram—they say there’s no place like NYC at christmas…i am a diehard rockettes fan & try to make a yearly homage to this famous christmas city. & while i hate to say it, i think munich does it better. endless christmas markets that go on every night (& some during the day) for weeks on end serve as a gathering place for locals & tourists alike. filled with delicious food, handmade crafts, gorgeous decorations, & often times singers & other entertainment, you don’t have to love christmas to enjoy these magical pop-up fairs. the people watching alone is pure gold. they also take one of their trams, deck it out in decorations, serve holiday drinks on board, & cart you around the city looking at lights while listening to christmas music. it’s 2€ for the 30 min ride & it is positively jolly. info here!
all aboard the holly jolly booze cruise! certainly a kid-friendly event but adults can get extra jolly with some glühwein or feuerzangenbowle.
mug deposit—instead of disposable cups vendors at the markets use glass & ceramic mugs to serve their drinks in. how, you ask? by requiring a 6€ deposit at time of purchase. this brilliant, simple system cuts down on what i would assume to be hundreds of thousands of cups & lids. plus there are no straws in sight! imagine if every fair, carnival, & other event in the US did this? dear god we need to catch up…
& just like magic, i drank something & didn’t generate any trash!
non plastic disposal food stuff—my spaetzle & lecker came in a recycled/recyclable paper container & was served with a wood/bamboo disposal fork. again, these are simple, small changes that add up to make a tremendous difference. & guess what? i was able to eat my food just the same. imagine that!
managed to eat food without dropping it on the floor, or adding plastic to landfills (aka the ocean)!
specific bike lanes, everywhere—i don’t just mean like the weak ass bike paths you can find in some parts of the US. i mean a comprehensive split lane bike/pedestrian system that runs everywhere in the city, & includes crosswalks as well. i know this is common throughout europe, & seeing how flawlessly it worked made my heart ache for something similar back home where tourists overcrowd our streets in the summer & it’s dangerous for cyclists, motorists, and pedestrians alike.
doesn’t mess with houseless people or their stuff—walking down the street one night i saw a couple polizei go up to someone who was living on the street. in the US this typically means trouble, so i stuck around to watch the situation unfold. from what i saw it seemed the police were actually checking up on them, & i saw them digging around in a plastic bag. as i walked away they went in the same direction & i saw them going through another similar looking plastic bag & saw that it was actually full of coats & warm things. i’ve been googling & haven’t been able to find anything about any sort of city initiative or program. it was an unexpectedly different approach from what happens in the US where police will actually take things from people, hassle them, & force them to move. similarly, when walking in the early morning i noticed that houseless people i had seen the day before were able to leave their things on the street—blankets, pillows, seating, signs, & in some cases bowls etc for their dogs. their belongs were left untouched by police, street-cleaners, & passerbys alike. i even walked by someone’s things that included a cup of change knocked over, & no one touched it. this simple way of respecting their belongings & making it just a little easier for them to live on the streets was unlike anything i’ve seen before.
everyone is allowed to enjoy the city in peace
free wifi throughout the city—there are multiple hotspots located throughout the city that are entirely free, & hassle free! no surveys, email login, signup, or hoop jumping required. one of the free city wifi’s did have a 30 min limit but it appeared you could use it day after day—i didn’t try twice in one day so it might have a daily limit. godsend for tourists & locals alike.
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