Last Updated:12:37 AM EST 2/27/10 Section: Lifestyles

Media Credit: Submitted photo Negra and friends visit Munich, Germany.

Among the many perks of being in a different country in Europe (including being away from upstate New York blizzards) is the fact that a weekend trip to a different country is not a far-fetched idea.

A couple of weekends ago my good friends that I've met through the program and I packed our weekend bags and flew to the historic city of Munich, Germany. It was the first weekend trip we had planned independently from the university, and we were full of enthusiasm to create our own itinerary to explore the city.

After a rough start leaving London (catching the Tube and the coach bus to the airport half asleep was tricky at 7 a.m.) we finally arrived in Munich. I was ready with maps, lists of things to do, and places to go eat for cheap.

However, we were not prepared for the starkly different German language where each work and train station that we needed were 13+ words. It was even challenging asking people for directions because they just seemed to zoom past five confused American-looking girls.

If you are ever considering visiting Munich, please do check out the many historic breweries the city has to offer. After all, it is the beer capital of the world. On our free city tour we learned the whole history of how Munich became to be known as the place where Monks brewed delicious beer in order to make profit.

The Haufbrauhaus and the Augustiener-Keller are two breweries that were priorities on our list. Both date back to the 1500s. But be careful, none of these places serve drinks that are smaller than a liter, so come with a belly full of dinner and indulge in delicious, refreshing and authentic beer.

Another must-do in Germany is eating Bavarian cuisine. England is known for an array of cuisines ranging from fish 'n' chips to Indian food to Moroccan cuisine, but Bavarian cuisine is known for its hefty meat portions. Veal sausages were at the top of my list, especially at the Haufbrauhaus where you sit down to dinner in a "beer hall" set for 800 guests, made even better by traditional Germans playing music and dancing in their lederhosen.

We couldn't believe that just two days prior we were walking the streets of London, and for the weekend we were standing in front of the beautiful Glockenspiel and touring the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in Munich, learning about the city's role in World War II.

If you ever get the chance to travel to Europe, please try to see as many historic cities as possible. It is incredibly easy to book a flight (but do research first) for a weekend and even easier to go out and explore with some good friends and make some even better memories.

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