London was interesting, and I really enjoyed being there but after experiencing Amsterdam I just feel that it pales in comparison. So, Amsterdam one-upped London, and St. Goar (despite the fact that we weren’t there long and arrived on a rainy night) rocked our socks off too with the private hotel party and incredible scenery. Refusing to be outdone, Munich has become the new recipient of the coveted wildest night. We departed on a bike tour in late afternoon and the weather luckily cooperated, despite our fears it would rain (since it was when we arrived in Munich). It’s so unbelievably relaxed and peaceful in Munich and I figured out what the difference is between it and North American cities – it’s the way people get around. Bikes, scooters, walking, and trams all seemed to be the transportation options of choice.

As part of the bike tour, we cruised through Englischer Garden - a park that is 4 times the size of Central Park in New York City – where we stopped at The Chinese Tower. With a capacity of about 7000 (if memory serves me correctly) it’s a sit-down area where food and drinks (emphasis on the drinks) are served. This is where we were first introduced to the 1-litre beer. That’s right, you heard me. A litre of beer in a mug that has a handle big enough to put your whole hand through. After drinking a beer - about the equivalent of 3 standard-sized cans - we re-embarked on our bike tour in the rain that had found us again. I can’t emphasize enough how cycle-friendly the city of Munich is. It’s truly remarkable, considering there were 38 of us all on bikes in a city unknown to us, just flying through the streets.

The afternoon ran into evening and following the bike tour, most of us headed to one of Munich’s biggest attractions, for both locals and tourists.What followed can only be described as one of the most insane experiences I’ve had in years. Picture hundreds of Germans packed into a large beer hall, at long tables, chanting loudly as they gulp down their 1-litre beers. Let’s just say that I drank about as many as I would typically, if they were the standard 355ml. After hours of sitting with these incredibly friendly Germans (who were more than willing to teach us drinking songs, take photos, and even offering us their seats) we set out to find a club. We wandered through Munich rather aimlessly, but we did in fact stumble upon a club. One of my tourmates managed to convince the doorman to let us in, despite our less-than-stellar attire. Somehow we didn’t pay a cover charge either.

Although it wasn’t necessarily the wisest choice (both financially and physically) I consumed a couple of energy drink/vodka drinks to top off what had begun at the beer hall. At 13.50each, they were QUITE expensive, but perhaps the energy drink helped me in the long run. I don’t think I really know how long we stayed there, but I did dance for what seems like hours. In the end only one of my female companions and I remained, as the rest of the crew must have caught a cab while we used the washroom.

Luckily we had someone totally save us at this point by figuring out where we had to get and telling a cab driver to take us there. We had been trying to make sense of a falling-apart-because-it-got-soaked-on-the-rainy-bike-tour map but were not succeeding. He (or anyone else seeing us in our condition) could have taken advantage of us, but like I said Munich is full of friendly and helpful people. In fact, Munich may very well earn itself a “Friendliest Residents” Award in addition to the “Wildest Night of the Trip”.

Nick is currently adventuring in Europe. One of RBC's partners, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, has recently launched a travel site featuring exclusive travel deals. Deals are exclusive to students who have RBC No Limit Banking for Students™ and Nick is currently experiencing one of their travel deals. Over the next 2 weeks, Nick will be writing about his experience as he tours Europe on a Contiki tour.