Münsterland, Germany
Sometimes, maybe often times, people are why you gravitate toward a place.
Germany Transportation Tips:
If you are traveling to Germany at some point between now and the end of August, you should consider purchasing the 9 euro ticket. You can travel anywhere around Germany via many trains or buses for the month of July or August. The 9 euro ticket is valid for the month of July or August. If you will be traveling in both months, you’ll need one for each month. You need to sign the ticket and carry your passport or a photo of your passport with you. One other important thing to note is it doesn’t include all long distance trains, so pay attention for IC, EC, and ICE as those will need to be purchased separately. Check out: https://www.bahn.com/en/offers/regional/9-euro-ticket-en for all the details.
Another important thing to note about taking a train in Germany, is it can be confusing AF. Many trains are delayed and sometimes the track changes at a moment’s notice. If you’re taking a regional train, look for a regional map of the train routes with the corresponding train numbers and double check the number on the sign on the track and in the train. They operate similarly to a metro. You may also want to download the app, DB Navigator, which will update train schedules and tracks for arrivals and departures.
Saturday, July 9, 2022
Pretend the “u” in Munster has the 2 dots above it in this entry.
The journey to Munster:
We woke up early to take an uber to the airport to make our way to Germany. We barely missed the 150th open at St Andrew’s by one day! Oh well, we were more excited to visit our friend (we’ll call him “P”) and meet his fiancee (we’ll call her “M”). I met him 10 years ago when I studied abroad at L’Universite LAVAL for a summer where he was a student ambassador/coordinator for many groups and activities. G and I had a wonderful time visiting him and his family in Dresden in 2013. Although it had been almost 10 years since we had seen each other, he openly welcomed us to stay with him and show us around his city. G and I have found, when you meet someone while you’re studying abroad or both on an adventure, you have a special connection with them due to the unique experiences you share. Back to this trip.
We had been reading about mass chaos in airports in the US and Europe over the past couple weeks and were a little nervous about how our experience would go, but we made it through security quickly with 0 issues and made our way to the lounge where we relaxed until it was time to go to our gate. When we arrived in Dusseldorf, the entry security line was also very short. However, we were held up by a few minutes because we needed to confirm when we would be leaving the EU. Unfortunately, we can’t stay more than 90 days at a time (or more than 270 days in a year, noted!). After we made it through security, we learned a valuable lesson in the complex Deutsch Bahn.
The train tickets we bought were from Dusseldorf Airport to Dusseldorf HBF then from there to Munster West HBF (HBF = train station). We quickly bought the 9 euro ticket for any other train or bus travel we may need for the next few days then easily made it from the airport to the main HBF. Then the confusion commenced. None of the signs for the tracks included Munster in the stop so we went to an information desk and were told to go to track 9. We went to track 9 and boarded the train. I found a map of the train system inside the train and was worried we were on the wrong train so G (the extrovert) asked a local if our train was going to Munster and she confirmed we were. About 10 minutes go by and he asked her if she knew what time we were supposed to arrive, which is when she checked her app and stated that actually the train switched tracks last minute and our train was not going to Munster. We watched our correct train from its new track depart as she was saying this. Fortunately, we had purchased that 9 euro ticket, which was valid on all the regional trains, and she helped us figure out another train to take (which also required an extra connection). My friend was also figuring out all the logistics behind the scenes and we were messaging back and forth figuring it out. Our next train was leaving in a few minutes. We ran to the new track, where they switched tracks and we followed the crowd down then up the stairs to the new track. From here it wasn’t as difficult. We arrived in Munster less than an hour later than planned.
Our friend was waiting for us when we got off the train. We found him and we all walked about 15 minutes to his lovely apartment in a great, centralized location within Munster. We met his fiancee, who is a ray of light. The whole time we were there she added even more positivity and fun to our endeavors. On day 1, we went to the store, cooked and ate delicious beet and goat cheese risotto for dinner, and then went to a little neighborhood kiosque with drinks and snacks surrounded with a small park and tables and a pay phone. Not just any ordinary pay phone. We learned this payphone had the ability to send text messages! Of course, we had to act on this discovery, so we texted our brothers. It was much more difficult than T9, iykyk.
Sunday, July 10, 2022
We took our time eating breakfast, drinking coffee or tea, and enjoying chatting with each other, then we made our way to the local schloss (schloss = a palace type castle, burg = a fortress castle) and botanical gardens. We walked by a lake on the way where there was a gaggle of geese crossing the path. Being from the Midwest in the US, I became nervous. Geese in the US are aggressive and aren’t afraid to fly at you. P and M said not to worry and these geese are friendly. I hesitantly continued walking and got within 1 foot of 1 of them who really didn’t mind my presence. It was a bizarre experience.
We made it through the gaggle of geese, past the lake, and approached a park where we heard music emanating from a small grove tucked next to the schloss we decided to follow the music and were delighted to stumble upon a juggling performance! We decided to stay and watch for about 10 minutes, then continued on to the schloss and botanical gardens.
The gardens are free and we spend a good amount of time walking around the greenhouses and paths outside. One of G’s favorite places to visit is a large garden.
After spending some time in the garden, we walked around town. If you’re blind, there are raised maps with brail around town which are super cool. It was a little rainy so we went to a cafe to wait out the rain. Then we wandered around some of the older areas of Munster where we saw some cathedrals - one of which had cages near the top of the building for the purpose of displaying dead sinners (brutal!), a statue of St Nikolaus, a building that is in a popular German TV show, and neat buildings.
We stopped at an Indian/Nepalese restaurant for a late lunch then went back to the apartment where we took a nap. G and I were a little tired from our travels the day prior. When we woke up we walked around the lake in the middle of the town and about halfway around it, we stopped by a museum with a centuries old windmill and an outdoor area with some goats and donkeys. Donkeys are one of G’s favorite animals and they always seem to like him. The donkeys walked all the way across the enclosure to let G pet them. Sadly, I didn’t snap a photo of that. We meandered back to the lake where we completed the loop and walked back to the apartment. We weren’t super hungry so we ate salads and leftovers for dinner.
After dinner, we played a fun game called Colt Express. It’s a wild west game where each player is an outlaw trying to rob a train full of passengers and a sheriff. If you like games, I highly recommend it.
Monday, July 11, 2022
We woke up and enjoyed another slow breakfast then we left to go to Schloss Nordkirchen, The Versailles of Westphalia, the region we were in. P and M hadn’t been there yet so this was a new experience for all of us! M has a car so we all piled into the car and drove to the schloss. It was built in the 1700s by a bishop and is now used as a school for finance. Nordkirchen is surrounded by a mote and gardens and is quite picturesque. We walked around the full castle, snapped some photos, and patiently watched as a large bird was stalking fish. However, we were disappointed as it gave up and moved on. M and I were getting hungry, on the way to hangry, so we left the castle and returned to Munster where we ate at a delicious fries place. After lunch, we walked around and then enjoyed coffee or tea in a nice outdoor square.
We walked home then cooked a great meal of stuffed tomatoes and polenta. After dinner, we played a fun game called The Mind which is a really fun card game that depends on how well you can read each other and communicate non verbally. We made it up to level 5, which is pretty good for our first night playing it together.
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Unfortunately, M had to work so she wasn’t able to accompany us on our big excursion, but we P, G, and I used our 9 euro tickets to go to the largest lavender field in all of Germany! We called ahead to confirm it was in full bloom before venturing out. Dubbed “Petit Provence”, we set out to take the trains to Taoasis Lavender Farm. We didn’t have any hiccups on the way there and arrived for plenty of time to walk around, smell the lavender, snap some photos, and enjoy a snack before heading back. G and I had attempted to time the lavender fields at the famous Abbaye de Senanque in Provence region of France on our honeymoon back in 2014, but we were just a tad early for the blooms. This time it was a real treat to experience the lavender just before the harvest. We were amused by a beautiful type of butterfly we hadn’t seen before, which the Germans call a peacock butterfly. On the way back to Munster, we were not so lucky with the trains. One of our trains was late, which caused us to miss a connection (that, of course, was on time. if it had been slightly late we would’ve made it) so we had to reroute and it took a while to get back, but we eventually arrived in time for dinner with M, and we were using the 9 euro ticket, so we really can’t complain. Plus, G and I rather enjoy traveling via train.
We had not been to a biergarten yet, so all we hung out at one near the botanical gardens for a bit. Then we walked through town and stopped at a Polish bar for pierogis and drinks. While we were there enjoying our drinks outside in the nice weather, we all saw a random person walk by with the largest pizza box we’ve all ever seen in our lives. The people at the tables on each side of us had to mention it as well. I still wonder what type of pizza was in that box. M had to work again the next day so we called it an early-ish night and returned home.
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Today was our last day in Munster. We had a train to catch around noon to Amsterdam. We ate breakfast, hugged and said goodbye to M, then P, G, and I took our time walking through town to the train station. Turns out, Munster has a very nice farmer’s market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so we visited that before we left. Then we walked through a few streets we hadn’t seen yet and stopped to have a coffee before going to the train station to say our goodbyes to P. Our time together felt too short and it didn’t feel as though nearly 10 years had passed. We will definitely see M and P again. If the stars align, perhaps for M and P’s wedding <3
