25 Oct 2013
Munich Central Train Station Day 4.
Still here – DIRTY RAT.
Slept on Balcony near Burger King. By morning 6 others were lined up along side me. Comfort in numbers.
1st guy Martin (German) came at 1220. We discussed the cancers of money, he bought me a big water, kept saying “fuck off the system!” And told me I was a cool man. I find broken english fucking hilarious. “You are laughing!” He’d say.
2nd guy came at 1am after watching us from the otherside. He’s Japanese and has a moustache. “Are you sleeping here?”
He sets up 2 metres away, bike locks his pack to the table and jumps in his sleeper.
2am I hear foot steps as I doze. It’s security guards looking at my socks over the rail that I washed in a bathroom yesterday. They peer over the 3 of us as I wait for them to lose it. They swap a genial glance and walk away.
At 4am I wake up and there is 4 others lined up on my left side, they’re from Croatia. They leave, so does Martin.
530am this bloated, orange dyed, apish beast woman starts thrashing the cafe tables around losing it in German about the japs bag locked to the table. He must have gone to the toilet.
“It’s not mine you monkey woman! Does it look like mine? I don’t speak monkey alright?”
She scorns me with red bulls eyes like I’m the matador.
I’ve been painfully and confusingly undecided about my next direction for 3 days. Life is never easy for the fragmented.
Security pounce in the waiting room I slept in the night before. This guy was talking to himself loudly in German for hours pissing everyone off. He then commenced rolling around on the floor.
I’ve been eating small cheese and tomato baguettes for £2.20, showering in the station wash and go room for £7 a pop and reading, writing and blogging in Starbucks. They play great music and are very friendly.
Paul Klee. Munich is a good spot to learn about the German Expressionists movement.
This is hilarious and reminds me of so many different traveling stories… There are so many correlations between the backpacker’s experience and that of the homeless.
Also: your writing style is VERY unique. I like it. And you cracked me up talking about the orange beast of a woman. Ruthless.
I agree with ^hollowroseheart about a ‘scary’ aspect to what you are doing. I try to focus on the adventure though, I really do. I remember you posted something on the debate about whether its safe to hitch-hike while female and I often think of what it would be like to be ‘homeless’ and female. I think that thought comes from having worked in the social services field and hearing stories from the handful of women who had goon through the experience. I don’t think any of them went through it without a terrible tale to tell, while they lived on the streets.
It’s a different world for women out there and it’s all because of the va jay jay and our relative less muscly physical demeanor. I am not saying men are not in fear of being raped, because it does happen, but I don’t think anyone could argue that it doesn’t happen more to women. It’s not just rape that adds to the fear, however, but the fear of violence, in general. Although I do wonder if that is reduced for women who are homeless and hang out mostly in public places-as you said, strength/protection in numbers,
I was quite amazed that the police did not hassle you in such a public place. Our homeless here are generally ushered out of public spaces and hassled by police. It’s really sad and makes me wonder about ‘so-called’ progress in society. There was a time that we were all part of the world and not the other way around.
I wish I had the guts to live like you, sounds so intriguing and scary at the same time.