The only food I packed for my trip to Germany was a box of granola bars and 2 packs of Instant Ramen. Needless to say, I needed to stop at a grocery store once I arrived. Luckily, there was an Aldi store only a 5-minute walk from the hotel. Before leaving for Germany, I learned that Aldi is actually a German company! It was nice knowing that a familiar grocery store would be close to where I was staying.
I also discovered that in Germany, all stores close at 8PM and remain closed all day on Sunday, so since I arrived in Munich on a Saturday, I had to visit Aldi that day to stock up for my hotel stay. Since it was the first day in Germany and time was limited, I messaged the study abroad student group about going to Aldi together after our group lunch. Most students were interested, so we all decided to meet in the hotel lobby before walking over.
Google Maps was very helpful in finding the general location of the Aldi. We got a little lost because the Aldi was inside a larger shopping center. Once we realized that, we all went inside the shopping center and followed the signs with the Aldi logo on them.
The Aldi in Germany was noticeably different than what I was used to in the United States, but still fairly similar overall. I didn’t know where to find different food items because the signs were only in German, but I did find everything I was looking for after wandering around enough. I got some grapes and a box of pasta to cook in the kitchenette back at the hotel if I was ever hungry late at night. I was looking to buy some juice while at Aldi, but there was not a large selection of drinks there, mainly carbonated drinks. I learned that carbonated drinks are highly favored in Germany, so most drinks you will get at a store or restaurant are going to be carbonated. This includes drinks like apple juice and lemonade. It has taken some time to get used to, but I don’t mind the difference in taste that much. Once everyone in the group finished checking out, we walked back to the hotel together.
A recommendation for navigation while abroad is using Google Maps or other map apps. While we did not need to take public transportation to get to Aldi, I have been using the train and bus systems to travel to the university campus, where my classes were held, and to visit sightseeing locations. Google Maps was very helpful in navigating the public train system, providing directions and getting estimated travel times. The buddy system is also very helpful if you are not used to navigating around the area yet!
Swanson School of Engineering 