Snitschel and Gluwein

Oh man did we have a blast in Germany and Austria! Although I think we had a better time in Austria, because I spent most of the morning in Munich, by myself, with no map, no understanding of the lang., NOTHING! But I had a nice time. Thankfully Alexis (she got the brains in the family) and I had planned to meet in baggage claim Friday night and then head for the hotel. Well she also suggested that if we couldn't find one another before 11:15, we should individually head for the hotel and meet up there. Well that is EXACTLY what I did. I had arrived, early, which I didn't think happened in Europe from my previous flight experience... and I checked for Alexis's flight to see where she got in. Of course it was in another terminal so I strayed from the aforementioned plan and went in search of her. But to no avail!
Then when 11:15 came around I said ok, Plan B. But i had no idea how confusing the Munich subway station is, plus at 11:15 there was no one there to help you figure it out. I think I may write to the mayor or something because one would think that at an international airport there would be some staff to help us lonely stragglers onto the subway (metro). But anyway... to continue...


Much to my relief I found a Spanish couple that was just as perplexed as I was and we figured it out together that we needed to get a zone 4 ticket and that would get us into the Hauptbahnhof (hop N off... as I like to say...) aka the main train station. Of course one more thing had to go astray in that the ticket kiosks would not accept a 20Euro note so I had to search for a place that could give me change. Well what did I find, but the Information center!! Why hadn't I seen it before?


I finally make it onto the train, its now 12:15 and HOUR after I left the Flugeheim (airport) and realize that I get a nice break for 45 minutes before I will reach the Hauptbahnof. I find a comfy seat, which is really roomy... you can fit two people on the bench, although at 12:15 at night I figured not the best idea to share a seat with someone.


Once I sat down and took a breath in the midst of the thinking where could Alexis be I met a man from Wales. He was making polite conversation but I got a little skeeved out when he said he lives in Munich and knew the train system well but he didn't know if this line went to Hop N Off. It was pretty amusing but I cracked open my book to dissuade him from further conversation. Not to mention the crazy German boys behind me. Now as many you have lived in cities and rely on public transport, you know what its like to travel with drunken boys. But the Germans put the DRunk in drunken!

They were obnoxious as heck. They were jumping around or on top of one another, screaming and so forth. I was contemplating changing my seat but this was like 15 min into the ride and I really didnt want to draw attention to myself. I was quite relieved when they disembarked the train, I could finally read in peace.



When I eventually reached Hop N Off I realized that I didn't know how to get to the hotel. So I followed the signs for a taxi and when I reached the surface, I found a group of Germans that began to ask me questions. I said that I didn't speak German nor knew where I was. Then oddly the guy says to me, Well I am from this neighborhood where are you trying to go? I gave him the name of the street and he said oh it sounds familiar but I am not sure where it is. As SOOn as he left I looked at the street sign directly in front of me, and I was on the street that I needed to be on!



I get to the hotel and there is a message for me saying, "No plane, come tomorrow" or something in German. Alexis had missed her flight and would arrive Sat. around noontime. SO I made the best of it, went and got some sleep. I got a nice wakeup call from my big sis, who said that we would meet at the train station around noon but that I should go check out Munchen over the course of the morning. SHe also recommended the outdoor market. I had a bite to eat and was off. The Glockenspeil was super cool, but I didn't get to see it chime, unfortunately. There were tons of people there. Then I headed for the market, where I found tons of fresh fruit and veggies. Not to mention some great looking cheeses and spreads. I wanted to get some cheese but didnt know what to ask for, since it was all in german! I eventually got some AWESOME humus and bread with some apples. The market was really crowded but there were plenty of places to sit and relax with outdoor picnic tables and benches. I can only imagine what the scene must be like in the spring and summer!

I then made my way to the station to meet Alexis where we would head to the neighboring country, of Austria for the remainder of the weekend. The train was about two hours and we had a great chat while we snacked on our fresh munchies from the market. The austrian countryside is beautiful! I really felt like I was in the Sound of Music or something. MAybe its just the white washed houses with the dark roofs and the mountains in the background but it was awesome.

The train arrived and he hitched a cab to Haus Reichl, our B &B for the weekend. What a treat the house was huge! The owner, Francesca was delightful but continued to speak to us in German even though it was clear we didnt speak any German. But hey, when in Rome...

Then we were off the explore, and boy and I glad we did because Sat. was the brightest day and we were able to see a little sunshine. But boy was it chilly and the wind nearly knocked us over a few times. We went out into the Old Town that is where Mozart was born and grew up, although in two different houses. THere is also the oldest fortress in all Europe in Salzburg too. We held of on the fortress for Sunday. Because it was so chilly we had to find us some gluwein (aka mulled wine) to warm us up. We came upon this cute restaurant but unfortunately they were out of the gluwein but we tried Punsch instead. Its pretty much the same thing but with less flavor. We met a nice couple from Salt Lake there which was enjoyable.



We continued our walk around the city and found a traditional Austrian rest. to eat at. It was delicious. I had Deer Stew with a white bread dumpling while Alexis had Boiled Beef with brocolli and apple/horseradish slaw. Both were yummy. We defiantly pigged out a bit, but hey vacation rules apply, right?

Once we were finished we went to fetch the bus, which we thought we knew how to get back, but oh no we didnt. The road that the bus uses is a little pitch black road in the suburbs of Salzburg. We had a few landmarks in mind, but because of the darkness we couldnt see any of them. When we asked the bus driver finally, which was a feat in itself she says, MAdre Mia you are very far! Well no duh! we figured as much. But we were able to stay onthe bus until turned around to make its way back to the center and got off at the right stop. Then as we were walking down the dark path, Alexis says to me, "Is that a person standing over there?" I immediately said no, because what would someone be doing out in the dark this late at night, plus if there were someone there I would not want to attract any attention. Thankfully we realized the next morning that no it wasn't anyone but a bench or wood structure.

Sunday morning Francesca served us a huge Austrian b-fast with ham and cheese sandwiches, yogurt and a soft boiled egg. The egg was really tough to crack, but we made it out ok, with a bit of a mess, but there is a first time for everything.

We headed out for the Fortress, which was at the top of the city. Rather than taking the Funicular (train up the hill) we got our exercise on and walked. I think we were both a little pooped out when we reached the top, we could definitely feel the burn that's for sure. The fortress was really cool. There was a torture museum (i know its only cool for some people) a tour of the top tower (where Alexis lost her cooky hat in the gale force winds, which we were able to find later). It was a great use of 7 Euros. Alexis has got all the good pics so keep your eyes peeled for those.

Monday we freaked out because my alarm didnt go off to get us up for the train back to Germany. But thankfully Francesca woke us up with time to spare. It was kinda humiliating that we couldn't get up, but I am glad we didnt miss our train.



I had a "supah" time and I hope that our next adventure will be just as memorable! But I'm not sure where to next, maybe Barcelona in the Spring.... But I am excited because Alexis is coming to visit my neck of the woods in May and I am really pleased.