Munich: A Bavarian Wonder.

Munich.

It is the most perfect day in Munich. The sun is shining, the trees are happy and there is the lightest breeze in the air that would confound even a feather. It's storybook weather, really. Which is fitting, because Munich is something of a storybook town.

We wandered around today. Just walked and talked. And ate treats. Because we arrived in Munich earlier than our original plan, it actually gave us some relax time in this city that we weren't going to have much time in, prior. We went for a jog in the park by our hotel. Yes, there were wildflowers. I didn't run with my phone so that brief stint will forever remain in my mind, uncaptured by photos, but that is just ok. We lazily sipped cappuccino. Stevie attacked breakfast like it was the Hunger Games. All was just well.

Then we walked down to Munich's English Garden, which is something like Central Park (but with a lot more nudity - ah!) Since the weather was seriously SO perfect, the rest of the city had the same idea to hit the park; it was more than just crowded. It was crowded with beer lovers. German beer lovers. These kids make it's 5'o'clock somewhere look like child's play, seriously. Girls half my size were double fisting liters of wheat brew. I really didn't know whether to stare in shock or awe.

But I stared.

We engaged in the festivities. Hence, we rounded up our own set of life-sized pretzels and ale and had a good time joining in with the fratty songs of the crowd. There was also a band playing for a wedding that was in the park. So that was that.

English Garden, Munich from Kristen Hale on Vimeo.

We walked from Marienplatz to Odeonsplatz, popped into the famous Haufbrauhaus Biergarten, walked around the old-fashioned Viktualienmarkt (outdoor market) and stared in awe at the New Town Hall, the Frauenkirche and the gothic-style Heiliggeistkirche. Oy.

We ended the day with a delicious outdoor dinner. I was sort of over the typical Bavarian fare (enough with the sausages and bread!) so I opted for a simple salad, but even THAT was delicious (and adorable - they served it in a mason jar! Southerners, take note; its a great way to mix the dressing in.)

Truth Bomb.

I have to be honest. The day was lovely. But I dealt with a bought of homesickness that overwhelmed me. I don't even have anywhere to be homesick for! I live nowhere! (Perhaps its part of the problem, yes.) But the past few weeks have been a bit, um, overwhelming. With goodness and celebration and fun. But also with incredible uprooting, change, and the strangeness of goodbyes. During the past few week, as many of you know, there's been the graduating, the family in town, the moving, the saying goodbye to dear friends, the apartment hunting... well, I think it had to hit me. At some point. But I felt so guilty for being mopey about this stuff on our epic Euro trip, and then I felt worse. Ugh. But Stevie let me cry. And his response to my emotional face mess? "Why don't we get you a cappuccino?" Then I cried all over again. BECAUSE HE IS SO NICE TO ME.

Then the homesickness left.

Guys, we are going to a castle tomorrow. The hyena-like hyper in my heart cannot be contained.

Prague: Just Kidding.

Prague.

It's not happening.

Yes, I'm crying too.

Due to the massive flooding, the Mayor has declared a national disaster and asked that all unnecessary travel be redirected. Praying for the people and their families who have been affected. Selfishly, I am incredibly bummed, as Prague was one of the sparkling cities I really wanted to see. But at a time of devastation, tourism is really the furthest thing that city needs. So, we shall have to plan to see Prague again at a better time! (We are taking applications for all friends who want to visit with us.)

Thankfully, we were able to get our tickets changed free of charge after a hilariously heated exchange with two train officials. They were so kind to us, but there was a moment of panic when they were going to charge us 250 Euros to get to Munich. Not really fair, since we had been unwillingly uprooted from our original plans. Things got sorted out (after some INTENSE German debating, thank God for Stevie and his Germanic good looks) and we are now on a long train to Munich. We have passed through some flooded cities on our way south. It's a strange way to see such gorgeous countryside, especially for the first time. These charming little German villages that I have seen pictures of in all my travel books are half-drowned in the valleys. I think we will have some delays on our way, but at least we were able to secure a seat on this train. Which by the way, German trains are so awesome. So much room and so CLEAN. I feel like I'm in a sci-fi movie everytime I step onto one. Even the voice over on the intercom is so... space-agey. You know in Star Wars Episode 2 Attack of the Clones, when Obi-Wan finds an army of clone troopers on Kamino? The voice of THOSE creatures. That's what the German intercom on the train sounds like. It's wildly exciting. K Stevie says I might have lost some of you.

German Countryside. Trainside. from Kristen Hale on Vimeo.

Side note: The term “water closet” is so lovely. I think I'm gonna start calling the bathroom that now. It just sounds so much more polite. Haha and I had to pay to use one today, I thought that was a travel myth. A whole euro to get into the water closet! That's just something. Although, public water closets here are breathlessly clean. It's truly a wonder. I shall happily pay anytime in the States for a public restroom to sparkle like this.

Flooding along the train route. Major bum bum.

We are arriving in Munich two days earlier than planned. We have no immediate plans, other than find a hotel last minute. I guess we shall do some hiking?

Berlin: Trains, Planes and Cranes

Trains, Planes and Cranes.

What an interesting city. As my first official stop in this European tour, Berlin surprised me in ways that I didn't expect. The people are just lovely. They are truly beautiful, with amazing features and striking fashion and a reserved confidence. I'm not sure why I was so surprised that they were equally as warm and friendly and helpful as my hometown counterparts. I expected the people to be a bit colder... but they weren't! We have badgered so many people for help in restaurants, trains stations and airports and we have been treated with such respect and kindness. So there's my lesson of the day. Throw away all pre-dispositions. And the food.... oh the food is shockingly good. The coffee will kick you when you wake up (I think their regular coffee has like, two shots of espresso in it, praise be to Him) and the croissants melt in your mouth. Oh, if only my dear sister Rachel could join me for a warm chocolate croissant. She would feel like she had died and gone to Heaven. Sweet girl, I wish I could bring one back for you! And the fashion here is totally you. Everyone is dressed to impress; layering pieces in a carefree way that is almost sloppy but instead is rescued by the precise tailoring and chic mix of color.

Since we only had a day, here's what we did in Berlin:

Morning Time. Painful Time Change Recognized.

We woke up in our hostel, EastSeven (which turned out to be in the super cool Prenzlauer Berg district, we know how to sniff out the hip) and had breakfast down the street at Cafe Gang Gan. Oh my God. Breakfast sandwiches (Stevie tried to pronounce everything in German and the waiter gently laughed) kaffe (I've got to find out what they put in it, IT'S SO GOOD), and shared a monumental croissant (I tried to maintain myself in a German manner as to not draw attention to the DELICIOUSNESS.) We were floored. We were fueled. We were amped for the day.

History. Go.

We walked down the Unter din Linden to the Eastern Mitte district, which is the old town center of Berlin. We saw the famous TV Tower (don't know why its famous?) and went inside the Marien Church, where we saw an interesting “Dance of Death” mural. Hmmm no thanks. I shall dance for life. We kept walking and crossed over the Spree River and explored around Museum Island, saw the Berlin Cathedral (stunning), toured the Pergamon Museum (Babylonian, Mesopotamian, ancient Greek and Islamic history, super fascinating) and laid out on the Lustgarten lawn in the sunshine. This green space was once swarming with the Kaiser's troops, but today is just a relaxed outdoor space. We could have laid out there all day, but alas, there was still much to see. We kept walking and saw the former site of the Hohenzollern Palace, the home of the Brandenburg and Prussian dynasty, pre-Soviet days. The palace is under construction, as the city wants to turn the run-down space into shopping, restaurants and a theater venue. (Side note: the ENTIRE city is under construction right now. We counted like 100 cranes in the historic district. Berlin is rebuilding, people.) We continued walking and reached Pariser Platz, an area that hosts the Brandenburg Gate, US Embassy, the famous DZ Bank building, the Kennedy Museum and the Hotel Adlon (where Michael Jackson dangled his baby Blanket out the window.) It was here that we visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and toured the museum. We had a very sobering few hours spent rehashing the horrors of the Holocaust history, much of it devised in the very places our feet had taken us all morning long.

Pergamon Mueseum from Kristen Hale on Vimeo.

Enter Capitalism.

We walked around the Tiergarten, Berlin's much-larger version of Central Park, and took a look at the German Parliament building, the Reichstag (we were unable to get tickets to tour the building) and then decided it was time to the The Wall. We walked down to Potsdamer Platz, which Berlin refers to as their Times Square, with their fururistic transportation hub, big businesses and billboards. I love Rick Steves, in his book “Best of Europe” he says, “Potsdamer Platz, with its corporate logos flying high and shiny above what was the Wall – trumpets the triumph of capitalism.” Geez that man is such a doll. So we ate some crepes.

The Wall.

We saw the Wall. Oh my word it is so, so ugly. Who the heck ever thought this was a good idea? I mean, it is a very forlorn slab of concrete. My government tip 101: If you're going to do something bad to your people, at least do it beautifully. K I'm done.

There's a scary museum across from a part of the Wall called The Topography of Terror, which focuses on how Hitler managed to (rather seamlessly) accomplish his atrocious vision in his years of power. I was scared even to be standing so close the museum, so no, we opted out of that precious tour.

Evening.

Not gonna lie, it was after that part of the day that I was somewhat losing steam (the low blood sugar and whining had ensued), but we wanted to head further East to see a part of the Wall that hundreds of artists had turned into a long mural along the water. The chick at our hostel said this area of town, Kreuzberg is much edgier and outside of the tourist zone. She said the mural was “very very beautiful”, ugh I can agree to disagree on this one. A lot of the art was dark, full of nudity and violent pictures. I know I haven't seen the great Italian works of art (yet), but this mural was just not beautiful to me. Different strokes for different folks (literally.)

We headed back to Prenzlauer and grabbed dinner at a outdoor Russian pub. It was chilly but the local beer was a satisfying way to top off quite an interesting day of tours. Then we hit the hay.

If you actually read all of this post, I applaud you. What a day. Stevie and I decided that Berlin wants to “be” again; and 10 years from now the city is going to be. Big. Bigger than it already is. It really wants to preserve and showcase its history, and it's not shying away from the gritty, dark stories of its past. I dig that and welcome the lesson.

Munich: The Layover of a Lifetime

// Panorama of the Biergarten Airbrau at the Munich Airport. Not too shabby. //

Waking Up in Munich.

I feel like I was hit by a train. Or like I rode in a plane and it's suddenly somehow 10am, but its not. Because its actually 4am to me and I feel really really strange. Like really really whacked. And these wonderful high-cheeked blonde Germans keep feeding me delicious free espressos and I don't really know how to process that. AND everyone's drinking beer in the airport and it's only 10am. No it's 4am. Ah. I don't understand. I think I have a case of the jetlags. Plural. It's a real thing. And Stevie is attempting to have a family meeting with me about Euro-Dollar conversions and our trip budget and he's trying to speak to the Germans in German (which he doesn't speak) and... all I can do is stare at him. He kind of looks like one of them. That golden thicket atop his brow. The latest shot of morning espresso hasn't quite hit my system yet, clearly.

It's Time for My Feeding.

Let me try this again. We are in Munich, hooray! The jetlag made me feel like a drunk zombie, but thankfully, a delicious meal and outdoor beauty has almost cured me. We have an 8 hour layover in the Munich airport today (yes, 8 long hours) before we go to Berlin tonight, but it's actually going really well. We ate lunch at Munich's world famous biergarten, Airbrau, which is the only airport brewery in the world! We had some sausages with coleslaw and a hearty salad AND a legit German-style pretzel. Oh, and obviously beer. Hobbit style. For those of you who know what that means.

// Munich Airport. It's legit. //

Sketchy. Shopping.

I made a fun purchase today. I bought a really cool blank notebook and graphite pencil in the airport. The artist nerd in me wants to keep a record and draw cool buildings/things we see along the trip. To remember. We shall see how it goes. I started sketching the biergarten today and then I sort of fell asleep. So there you have it.

Berlin tomorrow! I have a feeling it's going to be rad.

Lufthansa: It's A Love Affair, People.

The One.

I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to my new girlfriend, Lufthansa.

She's hot, she's classy, she's unexpected. God, she's good. Holy cow. I had no idea flying could be like this. I am holding a coach ticket, nothing out of the ordinary, and yet... Lufthansa has treated me so incredibly well. So well, in fact, that I'm not totally sure how to describe it. But I shall try. Because this trip is already epic. And I'm only in the air so far.

// There she is, landing like a pro in Munich // Clutching my passport for the first time in YEARS // Stevie sporting good ol' Elliot Hunt's gear - thank you so much! // Plane planning with the travel gospels. Rick Steves preaches the good news, on travel, that is. // Wine, Pellagrino and movies. What more is possibly needed? //

Talk to Me.

First of all, everything on this darling airline is in German. How grand. I've seen enough of Delta's safety videos, so it was a nice break to not understand a THING on this flight. Gee golly, thanks so much for not speaking English. Seriously. I am happily ensconced in my RS travel books and this throaty, exotic language is just icing on the Euro cake. The flight attendants just smile at me and all I see is blonde. Girls who speak foreign languages are hot. And Lufthansa is no exception.

She Feeds Me.

Second of all, Lufthansa fed me like a queen. We are talking big time. After 2 glasses of wine, dinner, dessert, tea AND a digestive in the form of Baileys (all complimentary!), I was about ready for bed. In my sweet bulkhead chair. With my chic Euro yellow and gray blanket. Let's be honest, that's all anyone really wants in this world. A warm blanket, a hot and tasty meal, a sufficient buzz and falling asleep to a good ol' Hollywood entertainment (over 64 movies available for my viewing pleasure!) And now I've fallen in love. Oh Lufthansa.

PS - The video below looks a little trippy, but it should straighten out once you hit play. Hee hee hee.

Lufthansa, How I love thee. from Kristen Hale on Vimeo.

She Leaves Me Be.

It's time. I'm off to sleep. The soft Lufthansa lights have dimmed and I'm feeling warm and tucked into airborne Heaven. Stevie is already snoring next to me. His movie finished a good thirty minutes before mine (Let's be honest, Melissa McCarthy, I love you, but Identity Thief was far too long, k?) and now its my turn to, well, turn in. I shall probably dream in German. How enlightening. First stop, Munich! Only a few hours to go...