Auf Wiedersehen, München!!!

September 25th
What a phenomenal two weeks this has been during my stay in München. I saw sights I never knew existed, traveled through southern Germany by train, and even managed a day trip in Salzburg, Austria.
I knew I would love it here in Europe, there is a certain atmosphere that just feels natural and not so uptight. Like Apollo and Venus shaped gummies, or crass terminology in the Bavarian strength measurer at Oktoberfest. Where it is treated like no big deal.
You can see dads and relatives drinking beer on the sidelines of a football match while their sons are fouling and being red carded and yellow carded all over the place (about 5 yellow cards and 3 red cards in less than half of Thomas' football match!!). Some of the red cards are for telling the ref to 'kiss my ass!' You could only wonder why that individual got a red card... When playing they say 'Hintermann' for our equivalent of 'man on'.
Oktoberfest is best seen during the day if you would like to avoid the crowds and most of the drunks. Though at nighttime it becomes alive as the lights of the carnival rides illuminate the night sky. The 'Toyer' is very fun as you feel the effect of the coriolis force when defying a bit of gravity by sticking to the walls, though if you don't slide downwards at all during the ride, as I discovered unintentionally, prepare for a steep drop when the ride slows down to a stop! I discovered the dangers of the very addictive 'Mandels', or candied almonds, which I sadly could attribute gaining a pound or two too.
I can't remember another two weeks where I have walked so much. After climbing the Alter Peter's 302 step tower, I compared every other excursion to it, asking Bettina, "Do you think we made our 302 steps today?", when either trekking it up switchbacks to see a castle in Salzburg or winding our way through tours in the Neuschwanstein Castle.
I have never seen so many exquisite designs in architecture nor intricate and elaborate interior decorating before in my life. Prepare for immense design almost overwhelming your sight when entering places such as the Residence in Munich or the many Gothic cathedrals within Europe.
Breakfast for me now seems incomplete without my Strussle (chocolate sprinkles) or Bettina's mom's amaretto plum marmalade on toast. I seriously can't believe that I have survived most of my life without chocolate sprinkles on toast- it is just unacceptable!
I managed surviving my visit in Germany without the convenience of water fountains or free usage of public bathrooms. After day one, I learned the importance of carrying a water bottle and always have two Euros on hand.
Going out for cocktails can be quite expensive-I guess that is the case anywhere; though it is quite fun for an evening out with girlfriends. Don't drink a tequila sunrise at an Irish pub and then mead at a medieval bar. Those two drinks just don't mix smoothly in ones stomach so prepare not to be able to finish your mead.
Last night could not have been more enjoyable as Bettina hosted for my last evening in Germany, a Singstar party complete with incredibly nice people who could put up with my signing from 7:30pm -1am. Vladimir and Micky are very amusing when one of the few songs they master are by Tokyo Hotel (a band that I can only describe as a Justin Bieber equivalent gone emo and whinny). Melli, Bettina, and I had immense fun when we covered the Disney SingStar CD- where I own at singing songs from Lion King and the Little Mermaid. Though songs from Cinderella still present a challenge- 'Bibitti Bobbetti Boo' to 'Cinderelli Cinderelli...' The night ended half past one with gallons of water consumed, Banana Chocolate Nutella muffins eaten (courtesy of Bettina), and voices rather rasp and sore from hours of singing.
With two hours of sleep this morning, I got up at 4am with one last morning spent with Bettina's amazing, and amazingly tired, family. I cannot thank Bettina's Mom enough and her sweet soul and kind demeanor shines through without the need of a common language. She even awoke to bid me farewell before I left at 5 am for my flight! Christian was so kind, and drove Bettina and I through the pitch black and foggy morning.
Songs barely audible from the radio played over the humming of the car as it wizzed by on the Autobahn going 140 km/hr. I recognized tunes which before I wasn’t quite a fan of, but now brings a smile to my face as it takes me back to the crazy road trip of this visit Bettina and I had of getting lost on our way to Neuschwanstein and discovering little nothing towns that neither of us could say we heard of before.
Sitting in the airport currently watching planes move about while the sunrise illuminates the hazy foggy sky a slight sherbet tint, people take up rows of three seats as they try to fit a nap in before flight. One man in particular has a snore that is usually only heard from a children’s cartoon.
I am prepping myself mentally, though it should probably be better off physically, as I am trying to figure out how on Earth I will carry my bags from Heathrow to Southampton (a trip consisting of two tube rides and a train). Never again will I let my mother help me pack for such a trip; I started out with a 25 lbs bag for check in and a 13 lbs carry on. After she got through with my bags, they weighed to the limit of 44lbs check in bag (without wheels), a 13 lbs carry on, and a purse that is probably 5 lbs. One talent my mother has always had was being able to pack things tightly- I swear she must have been a master of tetris at one point in time. Whether loading a dishwasher or my bags, I would say ‘oh it’s full lets call it done’ and then she could find a way to fit whatever it is with half more than what I already have loaded. Though it is an impressive talent of hers, I felt like I was going to have a hernia with all my effort in closing my duffle bag yesterday that was going to be checked in. It at least took me the better of 10 minutes with an ongoing battle with the zipper. I can only imagine how I am going to catch all my connections, whether train or tube; as I hustle along like a sumo wrestler carrying luggage that is around half my weight. Dear lordy I hope I do not need to walk far because this world won’t have enough deodorant for what I am about to endure.
If all goes well I should be meeting Ashley and Zack roughly around noon GMT.
As of yesterday, I finally secured a dorm room for this year thanks to Ashley’s resourceful thinking. Otherwise the butterflies in my stomach this morning would be swarming inside me. With sugar and cappuccino already running through my veins, I cannot imagine how it would have been if Ashley didn’t find a way to secure us dorm rooms. I figure this is all an adventure and adventures are best told when the stories are filled with bumps, twists, and turns. Whatever happens this year, I know that I will have a number of adversities to face, encounters made, blood pressure spikes, and hours of studying. But that all builds character, or at least I hope so- right?
Till next time.
Bis Bald!!!

A Taste of Bavaria in Oktober!

September 23^rd

Started our Munich tour at the original Hofbräuhaus where we walked inside to see a similar seen of the atmosphere in the tents of Oktoberfest.

Afterward we walked to the Residence in Munich; a place that at one point housed Bavarian royalty for many generations. Grabbing bulky audio devices from the coat check to guide Bettina and I on a tour, we wandered through the countless rooms, each very elaborate almost to the point of exhaustion for our eyes. I loved all the grandeur; the grotesque statue/fountain of Medusa’s beheading, and countless rooms with marble flooring that created perfect setting for pictures to be taken. The only thing that I wished I could have changed about it was the length of time the audio tours took for each room.

Walking around the English Garden, we passed by some surfers that were urban surfing on a river. Crowds formed at the bridge and river banks to catch a peek of these dare devils that are surfing on really narrow areas.

At the English Garden one of the first things Bettina and I saw in the vast open fields were these pink naked old men. Luckily it was from the distance, but I had to just laugh, day one of my trip we saw a similar scene though instead of being nude, they were in g strings and speedos. I guess these old red men really are confident about their bodies, or something of the sort. 

We also walked over to see the 'Walking Man' though Bettina and I are still trying to figure out why it is there in the first place, it is a pretty cool statue that is absolutely huge!!!!!

Before heading out to meet some friends of Bettina’s at Oktoberfest I got and email from Ashley, who somehow managed to get a room in the dorms; and sending a similar email to the same person who helped Ashley, my accommodation application suddenly had a housing offer for me!!!!!! I shall not have to live on the streets my first night!!!! YES!!!! Jumping with excitement, I told Bettina’s mom, “Ich habe ein Zimmer fur Uni!!!!!!” 

At night Bettina and I joined Bettina’s friend, Micky, and his friends to Oktoberfest. This time it was dark out, and the whole festival seemed to have changed scenes. There were far more drunk people stumbling about on the filthy streets, filthier than before, and the lights of the rides were amazing as they brightened and colored the night sky.

We went on this one ride that turns you about while spinning around and rotating 360 degrees like a ferris wheel… in other words moving like a really thorough blender through the night. Before the ride had started, Bettina was looking down to make sure her shoes wouldn’t fall and unfortunately got a little stuck when the safety clamp came down on her, luckily the guy in charge of the ride was there to assist her! 

After that ride we went on the ride where it spins and the floor lowers and you stick to the walls, eventually sliding down little by little till the end of the ride. Bettina immediately went down two feet when the ride began. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t slide down what so ever and when the ride stopped, like a scene from a cartoon; I dropped like a rock about 6 feet maybe even more!

We also partook in bumper cars and other rides; it was such a splendid evening!!!!

Day Trip to Oktoberfest

September 22^nd

This morning started out with a call to the Southampton Accommodations Service hotline, finding out that so far it looks like I will not have a dorm when I get there and will have to figure out housing some other way. Bit stressed out by that since I leave for England on Sunday, but this too shall pass- right? Or I shall be homeless for the beginning of my Southampton experience.

Around noon Bettina and I dressed up in our dirndls and headed our way to Oktoberfest where we wandered by all the fair activity and took a peak at one of the Biergartens to see people linked arm in arm standing on the tables and singing to live music. It was really quite a sight to see, but we didn’t stick around and decided to go see the Bavaria statue instead.

Turns out that you can climb inside of the Bavaria statue, at a cost of 2.50€, so Bettina and I did just that. I never climbed in a statue before, so it was a new experience for the both of us. As we reached the top, it was very warm inside; I guess you could say that the Bavaria statue is a bit of a hot head. 

The Hills are Alive in Salzburg, Austria

September 21

Parted ways with Kathrin this morning, and took a long train ride to Salzburg. On that train ride two Americans and a British guy from Czech Republic got on and were talking about how they left 3/4^th of their souls in the tents of Oktoberfest. Well that is an entrance…

Later an old woman got on the train and took the seat diagonally from mine, and started speaking German to me. Bettina said she would have let the woman know that I don’t speak German, but she was afraid the woman would start speaking to her. Either way this elderly woman on the train spoke to me in German for about 10 minutes before she realized that I wasn’t German! I kept smiling and nodding, trying to pick out a word here or there. She was trying to tell me about this shopping area where I could go and get things 50 percent off. Then when she found out I was from Seattle she started telling me (luckily in English… well for the most part) all about her sister who moved there back in 1948 and how the kids every year would come back to Germany for Christmas to see where her sister, their mother or grandmother, was from. How it is sad that there is no aide from the government in New Orleans, how her sister’s husband had bad memories/flashbacks from the war that he would drink and her sister had to pretty much be the lone parent in raising the kids. Well when the woman left, I was a bit sad, I mean I really enjoyed hearing all about these stories. Bettina wasn’t so comfortable with it, as the woman tried to talk with her towards the end of her ride. The Americans and the UK guy were talking with us afterwards on how we needed to find another old woman to start telling us things; but our stop came too soon to find one.

The first thing I noticed in Salzburg is that the signs are very detailed, like the painted on person on a street for a pedestrian actually looks like a bit more like a person than the American stick figure. Same goes for the ‘walk’ and ‘don’t walk signs. Everything just has more detail.

As we set off in Salzburg, the skies were a clear blue and it was warm. The whole town was brimming with charm with the architecture and the lovely river meandering slowly through separating the old and new Salzburg. Bettina and I went to the Mirabellgarten, it is an absolutely magnificent sight; flowers everywhere, a fountain, and many sculptures- not to mention many tourists! A couple asked to get a picture taken in front of it, so afterward I asked if they could return the favor. Just then a tour guide intervened my picture opt with a whole crew of retirees completely blocking my picture. The guy who was going to take the picture said how about you go into the grass so I can get you in the picture. Well Bettina and I were kind of hesitant, but saw not many other options in getting our picture taken there. Right after the camera clicked the tour guide said in an irkly manner, “Please get off the grass, our taxpayers money goes to preserving it!” I seem to have a bit of a knack in getting into trouble. Though now I am one of the few people who have a picture in the Mirabellgarten where I am standing on the grass- Success!

Wandering through the narrow Austrian alleyways reminds me of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. The shops all have interesting signs out and paved or cobblestone walkways. Bettina and I took a cobblestone side road that went under an archway and quickly became quite steep as we walked our way, nay hiked our way (far too steep to be considered a walk), up the side of a mountain to a little church high above the town. From there we could see all of the rooftops of the churches and towns; I even saw a little roof top patio complete with lounge chair and many green plants that one smart resident had. We continued hiking past the church where the paved path became dirt and our surroundings were swallowed up by tall trees and natural ponds. Once again I was accidentally hiking, but this time I was wearing boots rather than the open toed shoes as I did in Neuschwanstein, though I was still in a dress. Bettina and I eventually found an area to the side of the trail, where we caught a view of a castle that was about equal in elevation from where we were standing. From there, the Salzburg looked a lot smaller, even though it is a small city to begin with. Knowing that we were only visiting this lovely Austrian city for the day, we decided to head back down to explore some more sights.  

Back into town, we crossed a bridge over the river to the old part of Salzburg; which very much like the new part of Salzburg, consisted of beautiful buildings and narrow cobblestone alleyways. Bettina and I stumbled across the birthplace of the famous Mozart, a community figure that according to Bettina, the Austrians at one point wished would leave but now capitalizes on. The birthplace was a cheerful yellow building and if it weren’t for the plaque, it would blend in with all the other cheerfully colored buildings on the street.  

We walked to Hohensalzburg, a castle that is very high on the hills and to get there are really steep switchbacks. I do not recommend having a backpack on when walking up there on a nice day, or else at least have a good sized bottle of water and a means to put your hair up if you need to. Going up to the castle gates, we had a clear view of the castle and decided that we were not going to go in. After the first switchback down from the castle, you can see great views of Saltzburg, as well as keep going on the road instead of taking a second switchback in order to see the Abbey from the Sound of Music. The Abbey, or also known as the Nonnberg Abbey, is the location of the monastery that Maria was part of throughout the movie. With a great view of the domed like rooftops and sunlight shining through the leaves of the tree outside of the Abbey, Bettina and I took a small break to write postcards on top of a stone wall.

As we made it back to the main part of town, there was a fair taking place with goodies and rides right in the middle of town square. I noticed that unlike the fairs in the U.S., the people who go to them are not usually overweight. Near all of the festivities, Bettina treated me to an Austrian specialty at a beautiful dainty restaurant called, Demel. It was a place that I always imagined eating at in Europe; it is a chocolatiers, the interior and exterior looked like one of those shops from a Channel Perfume ad. Bettina ordered us Kaiserschmarren, which is like a funnel cake with a plum sauce on the side and a physalis on top! You pour the plum sauce over the funnel cake like pastry and Guten Appetit! (or as they say in Bavaria An Guadn!)

Mirabellgarten- The picture that got me into a little trouble

View of the castle from our hike

View from the Abbey

Kaiserschmarren