Munchener Fruhlingsfest

My arrival to Munich was with smiles and warm weather. My first conversation after being dropped off at the edge of the city was with two teenage boys while we were waiting for the metro. They could obviously tell I was a traveler and as soon as we started talking I could tell they were stoners. No big deal, but it turned out we were both correct. When they found out I was from California, they jumped in excitement because marijuana is legal (medically at least). They proceeded to tell me that they were in fact waiting for there buddy to meet them at the station to deliver them a stash. When the kid arrived, they sprinted off with the excitement of a heroine addict after finding a half used syringe going through withdrawals. The funniest part was the look of the lady on the bench behind us when we boarded the train. Definitely one of those moments you really want a camera to capture the shared hysterics.

I only had a couple days before meeting a friend in Zurich, so, unfortunately, it was only a pit stop in what turned out to be a great city with some pretty awesome people. First up was walking into breakfast with three lovely German girls: Indra, Kat, and Ingrid, to meet my hosts for the weekend. Saturday was an amazing afternoon and while Kat was working (SUCK), the rest of us spent the day around Madrid. Our first stop was an exhibit called MOVE at the Haus der Kunst in which user interaction is the basis for the art on display. Basically, everything was ass backwards from any other museum I've seen. Those don't touch signs aren't posted anywhere in this exhibit, so have at it!

Following this, I was taken to the local surf break. Yea, I was confused too given that Munich is in the south of Germany. Turns out, there is an artificial wave at the Englischer Garten in the Eisbach River. Crazy... I know. After a quick look, we found some ground in the gardens and had lunch. Lots of great conversation and even fended off a weirdo or two. Your welcome Indra! After basking in the sun for a few hours we headed to my first ever German beer garden. Hot damn was I at home. Not to mention, I learned how to pick up girls on the way there... Upon arrival, I grabbed a mars of Hofbrauhaus, a half chicken, and a bretzel. It's your lucky day if you don't know anything about beer gardens. They were created when dark lagers were popular in Bavaria. They needed to be brewed cold so it had to be done in the winter. In order to have enough for the year, they needed a way to store it. Come on people, it was the 1800's, air conditioning didn't exist yet. So, they dug massive cellars and planted chestnut trees above to shade the ground. German engineering... Brilliant!! They eventually started serving beer in these gardens but weren't allowed to sell food because other breweries complained to Ludwig I. He agreed but said people could bring their own food because we all know it's fun to eat while you're drinking. Nowadays, you can buy food in them but they still have to allow you to bring your own. Such great thinking!

The next day, Indra and I were supposed to go hiking but she was afraid to disturb my sleep cycle in the morning. Instead, I went on a tour of the city and met an Aussie called Ben 'burto' Burton. We got along and even had drinks with the tour guide after. A liter here, another there, and 5 later I needed to get back to the girls so I wasn't sleeping (or should I say passed out) on the curb. I have no recollection of my arrival other than walking through the door saying thank you to the lights still being on and good night to all. Indra on the other hand has an entirely different story to share. I think I should have her write about it so I can share that with you. Apparently, it involved swimming on the floor, inappropriate compliments, and constant rehashing of the night's activities. Like I said, I only remember 10 minutes so... The hour plus she tells me about I can't speak to!

I relaxed the next day walking around the city in preparation for a farewell dinner at the house. An excellent finish to the weekend and I missed Munich before I even made it out of the city. Let it be known that this was the dinner in which I listened to the recap of the previous evening...

Photo Album

Writer's Block

It took me awhile to find the motivation to continue blogging alongside my trip. In the past couple weeks, I have been fortunate enough to be reminded that there are people in my life, though at times incognito, interested in my journey. For their encouragement, I will begin my story once more soon...

Though I visited Munich in May 2011, I will share my time and the people I met with you in what is now November 2011; it amazes me that 6 months has passed in what seems like minutes. Even with everything I have done and seen I can remember with great vividness each special moment since the day I embarked on this incredible journey. For those new to the blog, I started this journey in January 2010, though I consider the official start date to the traveling as July 2010.

This was just a thought sharing moment. I will post the continuance of my trip in about a week's time. I am currently walking a section of El Camino de Santiago and will only be checking the world information at the midpoint in Bilbao. I know, I'm cheating by posting this but I felt like sharing.

I post all my blog entries at the time they took place, not when they were written. Thus, I will backdate this to May so it falls between my Trento stop and Munich. Today's date is actually 15 November 2011.