Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Grüsse aus München!

Yikes, time is flying! I'm in Munich right now, and I'm leaving early tomorrow for Switzerland. I didn't even say anything about my last day in Paris! I mostly spent it in Montmartre, the hill above the city famous for artists and a "bohemian spirit." I have to say, this was my favourite neighbourhood in Paris by far. It's much more like a little village (and hey, Amelie takes place there, too! I saw the grocery and the cafe - Les Deux Moulins - where she worked in the film. So fun!). I spent some time just chilling at a piano bar, eating a crepe and writing in my journal. It was a perfect Sunday.

Sunday night I left on an overnnight train for Munich. That was a neat experience in itself. I quickly realized, however, that the easy part of my trip was over. You know, the part where I speak the language. It was great being able to just speak French wherever I went, and I realized when I couldn't even ask where to get some breakfast on the train in the morning that things were going to be a little different from here on in. Good thing I have my trusty phrase book with me!

Paris was amazing, but I kept SUCH a hectic pace. I totally pooped myself (and my poor aching feet) out in jsut three days. I was kind of thinking on the train that I need to strike a better balance between tryig to see and do everything and just chilling out and enjoying what I can, and not worrying about what I can't. After all, that's what next time is for, right? Munich was much more like that. I am staying with a friends that I met 5 years ago in Quebec at a French language school, and so she met me at the train station. She had gotten breakfast and a day pass for the transit system for me, and also had a map, a key, directions to her house, and a cell phone she borrowed from her work for me! Holy smokes!

I dropped off my stuff, had a nap, and went I to explore Munich. I ended up taking a city walking tour, where I learned all kinds of neat things about the city. I also met Anna, a woman from Winnipeg, on the tour. She and I were planning to do the same tour of the Dachau concentration camp the next day. We met up for the tour and then just hung out at a beer garden and chatted over a couple of Radler (beer mixed with sprite). I am now a beer drinker, folks. Yeah, yeah, bug me about it not being real beer, whatever. It's a first step, leave me alone! ;) A few good Bavarian meals, a few good beers, a few (ok, a lot) of pictures, and a very sobering tour of Dachau, and off I go now to Switzerland.

For those of you who are asking me if I'm taking pictures, let me jsut say this: it's going to take me WEEKS to sort through, post, and write captions for all the stinkin' photos I'm taking. I've got almost 700 already. In five days. And no, I will not subject any of you to all of them. I'm still working on geting a few posted here. I hae to get them off my camera first. Soon, I hope (mainly cause my cards are filling up!).

So thanks for all your comments! It's always fun to read them when I get a chance to check email! For now, I'm off to bed. I have to leave Colleen's place at 6:10am tomorrow! Eep.

Hope you're all doing wonderfully! I'll try to post again soon!

Tschüss!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Beer drinking woman,
Have you heard of bananna beer on your travels? I had bananna beer when I was in Germany and it was awesome, but no one else seems to know about it and thinks I am very odd for suggesting it!

It is Bananna juice mixed with beer --- think sweet, thick beer flavoured milk shake... yum yum....

Have fun!

Niki Devereaux said...

Guten Tag! Wie geht es Dir? Ich wunsche Dir viel Spass in der Schweiz, mein Heimat... well, I was wishing you good luck in my 'homeland'...but if anyone who ACTUALLY knows German reads that, they may wonder what crazy German I speak (unless of course my grammar was right, for once). Anyways, have a blast!! You'll have to post in detail where you went in Switzerland...I'm 'uber'curious. lol. ok, happy travels!!! :)
Niki