Recovery in Munich

WeiBwurst cooking on the stove (Eaten with sweet mustard, they taste a lot better than they look)
Day 3: Sunday 25 - Got up late. Was treated to a traditional Bavarian breakfast with the crew, which consisted of WeiBwurst (a type of sausage I think?), pretzels with 3 cheese dip, aaaand coffee. Lots of it. So necessary.

We looked at the copious amounts of photos taken the day before, then biked around Munich. I did laundry (woohoo!), and bought my ticket to Venice for Tuesday (direct, six and a half hours, easiest train ticket yet!) In the afternoon, we went to the English Gardens, met up with some friends for traditional German food (pork leg, liver, knudeln, mashed potatoes and Radler, then biked home in the freezing cold. Spent half an hour looking for my memory card from my camera (found it) then proceeded to lose it inside the computer. Found it again and watched a movie. A nice complement to the insanity that was yesterday.

München Rockt - Oktoberfest Round 2

Day 4: Monday 26 - Got up late (again). Lazy morning watching Modern Family. Did some trip planning, booked hostels for Venice and Rome, and got ready for Oktoberfest round 2. Had a quick dinner and got going around 5:30 pm. Played some games--got to shoot a rifle--spoiler alert: I didn't hit the target once.
Went to the big beer tents this time and it was PACKED. No free tables anywhere. But the craziest party I've ever seen. Imagine 10,000 people dancing on the tables to oldies and classic rock (summer of 69? how is that Oktoberfest?) straight out of a movie. Totally different from my experience on Saturday, which was really relaxed and casual. This was straight up epic.
Dancing on the tables with ten thousand of my closest friends
We waited at one table for a while but it was clear they weren't leaving anytime soon, so we tried another tent and gradually edged out the other patrons until we had control. We danced and drank the night away (I only fell once, according to photos, so now I know where the bruises on my knee are from).
Alex and I right before the epic fall
Met some cool Brits, some drunk girl that decided it was a great idea to wear heels to oktoberfest (seriously, come on--you're standing on a bench that's like a balance beam! no wonder you're falling every fifteen seconds...just take them off!). We went out after the tents closed, got a kebab, then danced some more--quite hilarious being at a bar in our dirndls and lederhosen, when no one else is dressed up, but we were too (ahem...sober?) to worry about it.
Had quite the surprise when I woke up the next morning and saw we had taken over 150 pictures that night--I have no idea how my camera survived Oktoberfest round 2, but somehow it did, and I had my own Hangover moment going through those photos (Asian ladyboy not included, all fingers intact, so not to worry).

Visiting Chris was fantastic--I haven't seen him in so long, and he was the BEST host (He made me sandwiches to take on the train to Italy, how amazing is that?!), took good care of me, and I can't thank him enough for letting me stay with him! Me and Chris at Oktoberfest 2011 Now I'm jet setting through 3 countries in one day (Germany, Austria, Italy) to arrive in Venice later this afternoon. München Rockt 2011!

Oktoberfest 2011: Die Wiesn!

Day 2: Sat Sept 24 - Die Wiesn! Number one on your list of Oktoberfest Don'ts: Going out drinking the night before. I was hurting a bit this morning, since we woke up at 7:30 am in time to get ready for Oktoberfest--if you want a table you have to be there by 9 am! When we were walking we already saw lines of people outside the tents--they won't be getting in for hours! Silly tourists. Tanya and I got our picture taken by many of these tourists, so we must look legit. That made me feel better about my 65 Euro Dirndl purchase!

We got to the Wiesn, paid 3 euros (vs. the tents which are free but full of tourists and just sloppy--where we were was more traditional) and got some tables outside. Since we got there at about 9 am, we got coffee to start, and unpacked our picnic supplies--they actually let you bring your own food to this part, since they don't start serving food there until much later. It filled up quick, but we held our tables all day long. The weather was incredible--I actually got a sunburn, it was so hot out! Amazing! My shades came in handy and were passed around to just about everyone in attendance. So did my camera--we took more than 750 photos...

About 25 friends from my summers in Switzerland came from all over Germany to be here, which was great. I saw my girls that I lived with this summer in India (Franzi and Izy, my little sisters!), along with some other friends I haven't seen in YEARS. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better day!

In this area, beer is served in huge stone mugs, which is the traditional way. I had an epiphany after these arrived about bier steins (Stein means 'stone' in German, who'da thought?). Everyone starts off with a Radler, however, which is half beer, half lemonade (sounds gross, but is super refreshing). There were Lederhosen EVERYWHERE--so glad I bought a dirndl, i would've been the only girl without one. It was really funny, from the moment I arrived in Munich, these costumes were everywhere--I mean, it's expected to see them on the Wiesn, but it's somehow hilarious to see some guy just standing on the subway platform in his lederhosen, or in line at the grocery store.
Franzi and I at Die Wiesn (pronounced Dee Veezen for all you Anglophiles) We stayed on the Wiesn from 9 am til 12 midnight--15 hours of Oktoberfest. The toilets were surprisingly good for a public event--kept clean and were a lot nicer than the outhouses I was expecting. (Just thought it's worth mentioning since usually you feel like you've contracted several diseases after using the facilities.)

Oktoberfest is actually a huge carnival--amusement park rides and games everywhere, food stands, etc. It was great fun to walk through all the stalls, see all the traditional food being made (hint: there's a lot of things ending in 'wurst'), and check out the rides. Somehow having everyone dressed up makes everything more fun--it's like Halloween, except everyone is going as the same thing, and every age group is represented--there are six year olds in lederhosen and sixty year olds wearing dirndls.

Such a cool sense of community here--I was saying to my friends, in Canada, because we're so multicultural, we'll have a small Oktoberfest in Kitchener, and a small Chinese New Year, and Caribana, etc. etc. But we never really have huge festivals where EVERYONE in the country is participating. I found that really great to see. It's also the mentality behind the event--the fact that it's a drinking festival--not serving beer in accompaniment to something, but actually as the main activity--that makes it so great.
So part way through our epic outdoor Beer Olympics, our waiter decided to inform us we couldn't bring food in anymore. We suspect this is because he wanted to make more money--if we couldn't bring it in, we'd have to buy it--from him. Our friend Alex, who was the food President of the afternoon, went and talked to the chef, who said it was fine, and relayed this to our waiter. He then begrudgingly allowed our picnic to continue. Shenanigans.

After the tents were closing though, I smoothed things over with Halil (our waiter's name, as it turns out) and even convinced him to join in a few photos. He promised me 4 free beer MaBs if I come back on Monday, so I fully plan on collecting! That's 40 Euros!
Halil (Back row, 2nd from right) as you can tell, is thrilled to be a part of our group
We went on the ferris wheel at the end and what a great way to see the entire Oktoberfest site. Lights twinkling, everybody happy with what a great day we've just had, it was incredible. One of the highlights of my trip for sure.

Welcome to Munich

Day 1: Fri 23rd - Leaving Paris!!!!!!!!! On a 7 am train to Munich (can you tell I can't wait to get outta there?!). My friend Chris picked me up at the station, met our other friends Simon and Lukas (brothers) in the subway, and went to Chris' dorm where we all were staying. He's studying electrical engineering in Munich. I've known all these guys since I was about 3 years old so it's really great to see them all together. First thing we did was go shopping for my Dirndl, which is the traditional outfit all the girls wear to the Oktoberfest. (Note: dirndls are not short--if you buy one that Americans would wear on halloween, you'll look like a slutty tourist! And Germans will look at you with disdain. Good thing I had some local perspective!) I found one in the first shop we went into, how lucky is that? The whole thing cost me a whopping 65 Euros, but considering they normally start at minimum 100, I got a pretty good deal. And I did not come here to stand out (and be a slutty tourist), I came to jump headfirst into the GERMAN Oktoberfest experience! So it was a necessary purchase.

After trying Laberkase (a traditional Bavarian food, but don't ask, you're better off not knowing what's in it) we went to Johannes (Simon and Lukas' brother) and his wife Julia's to celebrate her birthday. We had cake and champagne, then went to a restaurant with a big group of people including Meenakshi, Markus and Tanya, (all of which I also know since childhood) and had some drinks. Okay a lot of drinks. The new hot drink in Germany right now is an Apfelspritz (I think that's what it's called?) which is Apple juice, white wine, and soda I believe. Whatever it is, it's delicious. Tomorrow is the big day...I'm so excited.

Germanwings? More like Germanstinks

Berlin Day 5/Austria Day 1 - Tues 28th

Germanwings airline, you are the bane of my existence.

First of all, I always cut it a bit close when I leave for a flight, because, well, look who we're talking about (I'm always on time, everyone else is just so early!) And if there's one thing I hate more than being late, it's being early and having to sit around. Plus, judging from my initial flight experience on this trip, you tend to get rushed through like a VIP if you have a flight to catch. Winning.

My flight leaves at 16:05, so check-in cuts off at 15:35. I get from the subway to the bus that'll take me to the airport at 15:13...so I decide to take a taxi to the airport, as I don't have 10 minutes to spare. The taxi was a good sport and sped heavily to get me there in good time, although he dropped me off at terminal A. Germanwings flies out of Terminal D. Of course. How do i know this? Only because I went to A, B, and C first, carrying 80 lbs of my life on my back and going through 2 separate security checks before someone clued in that I wasn't on that flight...makes me feel very safe. 

I arrive at the proper check-in desk at 15:36 (naturally), flushed, sweaty, and panicking that I was too late to make my flight. Budget airlines are not nice when you miss planes...I would be out about 180 Euros...and luckily the passenger in front of me was being such a douche. (seriously...he walks away from the desk, looks at his assigned seat, then cuts in front of me again and is like "why did you give me something so far back? I want to sit close to the front of the plane. -- "I didn't have anything closer by a window." -- "well you should've told me, then I'd have the option to choose...very unprofessional that you didn't tell me until my pass was already printed, I'd like the other seat, THANKS.") After that display, the attendant was enthralled by my Canadian charm (I'm sure this is what happened) and allowed me to check in, as well as not pay extra for my carry-on (which was well over the 8kg limit--told you, I'm gonna come back with gymnast's arms!)

When I went through Germanwing security, I had to take all of my makeup and "liquids" out of my bag...which the lady so garishly assisted me with. She insisted that all liquids need to be contained in ONE 1L plastic bag "next time"...and forced me to repack my entire handbag that I had so carefully stacked before leaving the house this morning. 

I showed her the plastic freezer bag that is definitely 1L in Canada...and she was like "no, that's like 5L. unacceptable." SERIOUSLY LADY, I packed what I packed, where I packed it, for a reason. My blush will crack and my makeup kit, while having a plastic window, has fabric on the other 3 sides and will not be spill-proof, whereas my PLASTIC FREEZER BAG with a seal, will do just fine. Hence why I packed it that way. UGH.

Not to mention that I've flown with this packing configuration twice already, on different BUDGET airlines, so don't try to tell me that's why your rules are different. They just defy logic.

Whatever. I obviously had time at the gate to repack my entire bag in the middle of the airport, which I did with relish, in full view of the security checkpoint I just went through.

On the plane now, I fly Berlin > Koln, transfer planes, then Koln > Vienna. Fingers crossed my bag makes it the entire way, but with Germanwings I am fully expecting it not to, and if it does, BONUS! 

Once I get to the hostel, I'm meeting Jamie and his friend John, and hopefully we will try Wiener-schnitzel tonight! I've been looking forwards to this for like a week. I JUST clued in that it literally means "schnitzel from Wien (German for Vienna)"...this is much like my discovery of last summer, that Clamato juice contains clams.

Other activities I have in mind for Vienna are a bike tour, seeing the Lippazaner horses training, the Opera, and maybe a day-trip to Salzburg. I wouldn't say no to an alpine hot tub either.

Live update: another thing to hate about Germanwings: you order a drink (just a coffee, nothing crazy) and they don't tell you it's not free until you already have it and then owe them 2.50! SHENANIGANS.

On a more pleasant note, check out Bon Iver's newest album. I downloaded it before I left Berlin and am very impressed; I loved his first album and it seems he's done it again. Very easy listening. Sort of like Damien Rice, Javier Dunn, that sort of thing.

Live update 2: One thing I will give Germany, is that their airport food is way better than Canada's. I found it annoying that there were no fast-food places anywhere except in the touristy areas (no coffee to go on the corner, no subway, nothing! They want you to sit!), but the flip-side is that they have fresh grilled foccacia sandwiches for 2.80 in the airport. Score.

Live update 3: Landed in Vienna. On the express train to the city...16 mins, 10 Euros. Funny though, I just walked out of the airport. No stamp, no customs, nothing. Are we sure Austria is a real country? Now I have no proof I was ever here...makes me a bit uneasy, but I wasn't about to ask questions. Luckily, my bag made it, and I managed to read a text from Jamie that said they were at the hostel already (before my phone locked me out because I'm not in Germany anymore and will have to buy a new SIM card if I want to use it).

Beautiful Berlin

Berlin Day 4 - Mon 27

Today Johanna and I went downtown Berlin to do a bit of sightseeing. We went to the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate), which was really impressive up close, and then wandered down to have some lunch by the river.

We sat outside, as patios are pretty much a necessity in Berlin. I think it's great--EVERYONE is always eating and drinking outside! So nice. You know in Toronto, most places have tiny little patios, or it's an extreme luxury and they're so packed on nice days that you can't get a table. Not in Berlin, since so many places have them. I don't think I ate inside once this entire weekend.

I got my first lopsided sunburn (of many this trip, I'm sure). My right side was in the sun, and my left wasn't. I also have a pretty sweet hair-tan-line, because my hair was down on my back. Sexy.

After an extremely awkward attempt at a pick-up by the table of three Israeli guys beside us (the attempt wasn't awkward, it was sitting there in silence after we said no haha), Johanna and I took an hour-long river cruise, which basically takes you through Berlin and you can see a lot of the sights. We opted for a german-speaking tour, as those boats were much less crowded, generally cheaper, and I can understand enough German for it to be worth it. 

It was so relaxing--it was a hot day, but there was a cool breeze coming off the river so it felt perfect. It actually reminded me a lot of that steamboat you can take in Muskoka (Mom, you know the one I'm talking about, we did it last year). I was absolutely floored by some of the architecture we saw. Berlin has to be up there as one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. The Reichstag, where the government sits, is a Greco-Roman masterpiece. You feel extremely insignificant standing next to it. From then on, I just saw museum after museum, theaters, and the like, all so painstakingly beautiful it was almost too much. Is this place for real? You can actually live here and see this everyday?

Museum Island had about 16 of these types of buildings all together that we sailed past--their foundations went right in the water! I haven't been to Venice yet, but I imagine it's similar to this, and I will love it just as much. Dead rats floating in the river included. (Saw this as we were leaving the dock)

Even the inhabitable buildings are amazing--most are mid-rise, 6 or 7 floors,  but the attention to detail on the exteriors is just astounding. I've put some pictures in my flickr account to show you--I tried not to take so many because I know this is probably exciting to all of 3 people including myself, but it was a highlight of my trip. I have to live somewhere that I look at and see beauty, and so many of these places did that for me in Berlin. (London too, but those places are fewer and farther between--not to mention they probably cost an arm and a leg)

After the river cruise, Johanna (who was amazing and took pictures on the boat for me the entire time, so I could be in some of my own photos, but also so that I could experience everything firsthand and not through a camera lens) and I walked through Berlin, saw some more pieces of the original Wall--you could get your passport stamped, but I didn't bring it with me--and read about some of the events surrounding its erection and dismantling. I can't imagine what it must've been like to wake up one day and be told you can't drive to work because it's on the wrong side of the city, and then be shot if you try to go anyway. And this only changed AFTER I was born! Crazy to think about.

We walked by Checkpoint Charlie, where you could get your passport stamped again, did the necessary tourist photos, and continued home. The square where the theater, museum, and one of the universities in Berlin meet was really beautiful. I couldn't believe people get to go to school in a building like that! So lucky! I would never skip class! (Not that I ever did*, Mom and Dad...)

Johanna went to her friend's place for dinner, and I decided to check out a dance class. I watch a lot of dance videos that teachers and choreographers post of their classes on Youtube, and I had heard of this one guy who happened to teach in Berlin. Unfortunately, he was away this week, so another girl was substituting. I wasn't sure what the level of dance would be outside North America, where most of the commercial jobs are, but there were some beasts in this class. We did a combo to Rihanna's Skin...and slow hip hop is not my forte, but it felt really good to push myself, and just be back in class period. I haven't sweat so much since...well probably when I got lost on Friday, but other than that, it's been a while. I'll definitely continue this trend of a class per country I visit. Next stop is Vienna, maybe I will learn how to do the Viennese Waltz!

*does not include 8:30am lectures

Laundry, Hate the iPad Day

Berlin Day 3 - Sunday 26th Wow. What a party! So that birthday thing I told you about yesterday was for a friend of Johanna's that I used to know when I was really little (but I don't remember a whole lot)...turns out she lives in Berlin and is a famous actress on a German soap opera! (Google "Anna und die Liebe")

We borrowed a friend's bike and rode through the streets of Berlin at sunset to get there, stopping by the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall, which was a really cool experience. You really don't get that feeling until you see it in person of what it must've been like to live in a city with something like that. Crazy.

So the party was her, her friends, and most of the cast from this show, which is apparently a really big deal to people in Germany. She had a pile of gifts from friends, and a pile sent to her by fans of the show--it was so funny watching her open them! It was such a fun experience (minus the second hand smoke--why does everyone love cigarettes so much here? It's really popular compared to Canada)

My German is starting to come back to me--having to speak it at the party last night got things rolling again. Some other friends of mine who are also in Berlin met up with us at the party, and I think we are going for dinner with them later tonight. Today has just been a lazy day, trying to figure out uploading pictures onto my blog and whatnot. I needed a day like this! It's also laundry day, since I've been wearing basically all the warmest things I brought with me everyday!

Tomorrow will be the major sightseeing day in Berlin, then I have to decide whether to take a 9 and 1/2 hour train ride through Germany to Vienna (which could be very beautiful, but it's a full day, and if they don't have wireless or a plug on the train, I'm going to get bored), or take a flight (much quicker, 1 hr flight, but probably more expensive, and I have to deal with the bicep curling bag again, ugh). Ciao for now!

German Soap Opera Star

Berlin Day 2 - Sat 25Christopher Street Parade

Things not to do when you need to wake up at a decent hour: take sleeping pills. I wasnt tired at about 3  am last night so i thought it would be a good idea. my doc said itll knock you out for about 6 or 7 hours, which would let me wake up around 10-11, perfect.

I wake up at 1:48 pm with all these messages from people going "where are you? i thought we were  going to meet today!" shiiiiiit.

to make it even better, my phone wasn't working. apparently sim cards from the UK won't work in Germany, so not only did I have to buy more time, I had to buy a new card. I wonder if I wouldve been better off sticking with rogers and buying an int'l package from them...

Like I said yesterday, another thing I'm realizing is how much I should've spent the extra bucks and bought an ipad with 3G. it is not as easy as I thought it'd be to find public places that have it, and it wouldve been really useful consideriing the amount of times i've gotten lost already on this trip. ugh.

Today is the Christopher Street parade in Berlin, or as we know it in Toronto, Gay Pride. Apparently the road by the Brandenburg Gate fills with like 400,000 people celebrating. I think I'm gonna head down there in a bit and check it out. 

Right now, I'm sitting outside a cafe having penne alla norma and drinking a Berlin beer. This is the life!

Tonight, my friend Johanna, who I'm staying with, has a friend's birthday to go to, and I think I'm going to tag along. A few of my other friends are also in Berlin, so they'll be there too, and itll be great to catch up! We may go to a bar, or Johanna has a friend who's DJing one of the Christopher Street afterparties at like 3 am haha so If we stay up that late, that should be interesting to say the least!

I didn't realize my German was so rusty, but  I guess that's what happens when you don't use it for 5 years. It's almost intimidating to be here, because it used to be so easy when all i spoke was German for a couple of months, and now I know what I want to say in my head but I can't figure out how to say it out loud. Hopefully it'll get better.

I talked to my friend Jamie from Guelph who is also doing the backpacking thing, but he's been here a couple months already. We decided to meet up for a bit, so on the 28th, I'm meeting him and his friend in Vienna for 3 days, and then we're heading to Budapest for a couple of days. After that I will probably do Prague or Romania (depends which is cheaper) and then end in Istanbul on the 8th. I'll spend a couple of days there, and fly to Dubai on July 10!

When i fly  back to Istanbul on Sept 1, I am so tempted to venture down to Jordan--I've heard it's spectacular. But I'm pretty sure I'd have to cross through SYria to get there, which is just a terrible idea. Oh well, maybe in the future the world won't be so messed up and a little girl like me can travel wherever she likes without fear of being kidnapped (I'm looking at you, Somalia). 

Getting Lost

London Day 4/Berlin - Fri 24 Friday I woke up and had to catch the train to Gatwick, after I repacked all my stuff. Instead of going to Amsterdam for the weekend, like my original plan, I decided to hop a flight to Berlin, because Amsterdam's hostels were either sold out or exorbitantly expensive--what's the point of staying in a hostel if Im going to pay the same amount for a hotel? No thanks. I'll catch that city on Europe Part 2. Add it to the list.

I emailed my friend Johanna, who is kindly letting me stay at her place while in Berlin. She face booked me directions. 

So, flight to Berlin. easy jet, $193 Pounds. Not bad. But the one carry-on bag was. I'd bought a bunch of stuff while I was in London if you recall, and I already had 2 pieces of carry-on baggage from my first flight from Toronto (purse and a small backpack). I had bought a large beach tote on sale when we went shopping on Wednesday thinking 'this is great, I can just throw everything inside'...but it definitely was not big enough. I crammed it all in anyways and went on my way--the biggest problem was that with my backpack already occupying my shoulders, I had nowhere to carry this tote, so I had to walk in a perma-bicep curl with this bag that weighed 30 lbs (doesn't seem like much, but when you don't weigh enough to donate blood, proportionally it's HEAVY). I was sweaty and disheveled by the time I got to the airport, but managed to shmooze my way on the plane with this thing. T

The tough part was when I arrived, my arms were so tired that I was sort of dragging this  bag along while wearing this huge backpack, a coat, a lulu lemon sweater, a blazer, and 2 shirts, because none of it would fit in the bag, so I had to wear it. I looked like a crazy person. I'm sure that's why the customs officer took an extra long look at my passport before letting me through.

Once I was through, I realized to my dismay that the directions to Johanna's were sitting in my Facebook inbox...on the internet. which I had no access to. Cue me setting up shop in the airport, buying 5 euros of wireless, and emailing them to myself. So ridiculous. I had to take a bus to the subway, then get off at a certain stop and walk to her place--she said it was pretty easy so it shouldn't take too long.

I navigated the bus and the subway (thinking I was a rebel the entire time, because I didn't buy a subway ticket, until Johanna later told me it was included in the bus ticket..) just fine, and I got out, saw my landmarks, and started walking. And walking. And walking. It was getting darker by the minute, and I hadn't seen the next set of markings or street signs, but I figured maybe it's just a little further. I don't want to not walk far enough, and then have to double up in the end...naturally I got completely lost, I had no map, no phone number for Johanna (not that my phone was working anyway), and no actual street address. I was, in a word, screwed.

I kept trying different streets, thinking, you know Katy, you really suck at directions and that's exactly why you need to get yourself out of this predicament. But I was so hot, sweaty, exhausted, and just frustrated from lugging 60 lbs around for the past hour and a half, when it should've taken 10 minutes, that I just sat down and cried. 

Just as I was pulling myself together to give it another try, a group of people walked by and asked if I needed help. They said I looked lost, and I could only nod. THey used their iPhone to look up the street I was looking for (I walked in the completely opposite direction I was supposed to), and sent me on my way. Turns out they had just come back from living in Vancouver for the past 3 years, and commented on how nice Canadians were. THey saw the flag hanging from my backpack and thought it would be a nice way to pay it forward. So thanks for the flag, Mom! It's already getting me out of trouble.

I made it to Johanna's in the end, and the lessons I take from this are: 1. I still suck at following directions. 2. I should've gotten the iPad with 3G. 

Tomorrow is another day!