This month has been quite a busy one, for sure! We started out the month like every one in Germany should, with a visit to Oktoberfest and some sweet Bavarian hospitality!
We had three days off of school in early October, which was the perfect time to make a visit to my personal favorite city in Germany- Munich.
My host mom drove Zoe, her sister Prisca, and I to the city, where we would spend the two nights with their cousin and her husband and son in their apartment. The four of us spent the day mostly at Oktoberfest, and then in the late afternoon we grabbed some food in the English Gardens, the best Biergarten/place to sunbathe right in the center of town.
So I must say, I have never seen with my eyes so much Lederhosen and so many Dirndles. And when I say this, I mean we were literally the ones who looked out of place in our jeans and tee shirts. I’ve never experienced that before, for sure! Nonetheless, the vibes from the people there were great. Everyone was in a good mood, and It was really just a big fair, with massive ‘Beer tents’, or more like warehouses filled with people laughing and chugging pints, and this was all around eleven o’clock in the morning, mind you. On a lower note, there was a guy here or there getting sick, and one man even passed out in the crowd. And I’m sorry to report I didn’t take too crazy with the rest of the Germans or anything like that, not when the families were still visiting, at least. 😉
The next day was just Zoe, Prisca, and I, and we took to the touristic sights. I have to admit I was reminiscing a little of the last time I was there with family. We went through the Viktualienmarkt, old churches, and payed a euro to climb up the steps of the old Rathaus (town hall) to get 360 views of the mountains and cityscape. We spent the rest of the day in the shopping district, which I have to say is pretty impressive. We even got the chance to stop in a department store where the hot item on the shelves was traditional-wear, a.k.a Dirndls. Not being able to pass up such a wonderful opportunity, we stopped to try some on. I admit the dress was comely and comfortable, and I would have happily bought it if it didn’t cost upward of €100! That evening it started to rain, and as we were waiting for our tram ride back to the flat I saw something that will probably never leave my mind… I just wish I were quick enough to snap a picture. It was right out of a dream–an old man with a protruding waistline and full-out lederhosen matched with a Bavarian cap riding happily on his bicycle in the pitch black and pouring rain, holding an umbrella. It was one of those moments when I wanted to question what my life is, and how the heck did I end up where I am, but I wouldn’t want to change a thing for the world.
On our final day in München we headed to one of the castles in the suburbs to have a look around. We make great use of the public transportation, with the S-Bahn’s and U-Bahn’s here in Europe, but don’t ask me how they work because even in English I can’t read an underground route. We didn’t end up staying too long since it we hadn’t planned on making the day out of it, plus we were lugging around our baggage for the train ride home that night. We were then off to my favorite museum–BMW world! Ever since we were in Germany four years ago, I’ve had a soft spot for BMW’s; they’re definitely my top pick. J It was fun there, I’m still a tad bummed I didn’t get to test drive anything though. We walked across then to the Olympic park, and spent the rest of the day back in the English Gardens watching the surfers and relaxing. I tried some Maroni, or chestnuts since as far as I know there are no chestnut trees in America, so why not? All I can say is that they’re best left of the pretty trees than to be roasted and eaten.
Grüße aus Aalen! 