With a bit of reservation, we packed up and headed toward the capital of Bavaria, Munich. The drive from Český Krumlov to Munich is fantastic. The quintessential countryside is picture perfect with rolling hills of pine forests, wheat fields and other images that look like BMW commercials and illustrations on German beer advertisements.
Our first stop was none other than the famous English garden in the heart of the city. With a clear blue sky and warm temperatures we luckily found a table in the busy area around the Chinese Tower. Here you can find all kinds of German fair: Bratwürst, smoked fish and of course, delicious German Bier. Purchasing this tasty beverage is kinda fun. You need to pay a deposit for the stein; apparently they have a reputation of leaving with the tipsy tourists. If you need a refill, just turn in you glass and grab another (after you pay of course).
"Beer booth" in the English Garden (click for more Munich images)
It’s hard to find a better experience than sitting in the warm sun listening to German Oom-pah music and laughing with family. Well, that is unless you are in the Hofbraeuhaus listening to German Oom-pah music and laughing with family — which is what we did the other part of our time in Munich 
Fun at the Hofbrauhaus (click to see the video)
Spending some “quality time” in Germany, while enjoying refreshing alcoholic beverages made me wonder a bit about Scandinavia and what I would call its “unfriendly” relationship with alcohol. Scandinavia has some of the strictest consumption laws in the world. In Sweden, buying alcohol over 3.5% requires that you go to Systembolaget, which is the state-run liquor store. In Norway, a beer at a restaurant can cost in upwards of $15-20. And in Denmark… well in Denmark they are a bit cooler, so it’s not such a big deal. Anyway, I find it interesting that European countries take such different approaches to the governance of alcohol. What I have witnessed is that there are more out of control intoxicated people in Scandinavia than in Germany (locals I mean). In Norway they practice something called “vorspiel.” It involves drinking heavily before hitting the town because liquor is so expensive. Same thing happens in Sweden. Even more interesting is that the Germans, French and Italians seem to “control” their consumption better. I can honestly say that I have not seen a drunk French or Italian person (ok, I have seen some Germans having too much fun ). In the EU, Scandinavia has some of the lowest per capita consumption of alcohol, however, I would argue that the way they consume is more unhealthy compared to their neighbors (yes, that was a huge generalization).
Systembolaget store in Sweden
