Hannah's Trip across the border

Friday was not a very productive day. I was well aware of the fact that an hour after I clocked off for the weekend I would be standing at Hauptbahnhof waiting for Hannah to arrive on her 5 1/2 hour train from Verona. Ten minutes later than expected, the presumably italian train rolled into the station (german trains are too ruthlessly efficient to run late). A quick bag drop off and we were back in town for a stroll and meal on what was an unusually mild Munich night.

Having balked at the prices of relatively standard looking restaurants in the posh district, we headed to Marienplatz and found JUST what we were looking for - an over-the-top, typically german eaterie. As we walked in and up the stairs we were greeted by the sounds of an Accordion and a hearty rendition of "Ein Prosit". After we placed our orders (Wiener Schnitzel and Schweinehaxe) we were able to sit back and enjoy our surroundings. Songs were sung, dances were danced and beers were clinked - it was like being at Oktoberfest all over again! Well fed (and well tired!) we took the U-Bahn back to Michaelibad and collapsed into bed.

A lazy morning was had on Sunday before I showed Hannah the sights. Munich was on fine form this weekend, with the sun beaming down and the city buzzing with activity. Ander Art Festival was taking place in Odeonsplatz and we were able to sit in the sunshine, drink a Radler (beer and lemonade, Hannah's still not convinced on beer) and listen to some live music from Sadie Walker, which two not-so-young ladies seemed to be loving, as they were throwing shapes that i'd never attempt even in my most drunk state!

 

 A quick stop off at the ridiculous Michael Jackson memorial which has to be seen to believe and we were off to Oktoberfest. What with it being the last weekend of a festival that brought in 6.9 million visitors last year we weren't very hopeful about getting in anywhere. We weren't wrong.

Having decided on the Nymphenburg Zelt (the queue was the shortest) we stood and watched the bouncer hand-pick members of the queue who were allowed in. Obviously we were seething at first and thought the guy was a sexist pervert, but this was until we realised he was only letting people in who were wearing Lederhosen and Dirndls! A quick flash of my dashing outfit and we were in. We soaked up the atmosphere as much as we could before deciding we'd prefer a drink elsewhere and closer to home.

With over 2000 tonnes of sand, Beach 38 was something Hannah needed to experience. We sat and enjoyed the warmth for a while, wondering why such a exciting bar was so empty on a saturday night.

Sunday was a day of reckoning. An early rise was followed by a stress-filled few hours full of hope, dispair, and utter bewilderment. All our toil and trouble paid off though as we finally managed to guarantee ourselves 2 tickets to the biggest show of next year - Glastonbury!

Nothing else happened on Sunday.

Hannah's train back to Verona was at 7:30am which meant an obscenely early wake up call. Not cool. We got to the train station with plenty of time and thought we'd be able to say a heartfelt goodbye. Unfortunately a stony-hearted station mistress had decided this wasn't to be, nothing more than a quick hug and a kiss and Hannah was back on her way home.
A thoroughly enjoyable weekend all round and one which I hope can be repeated again when I travel to Verona at the start of November!

Oktoberfest

As many of you may know, yesterday was the beginning of Oktoberfest, one of the biggest drink festivals the world over. What many of you may not have known is the ridiculous time you need to get there on opening day to secure a table. Giving ourselves a semi lie-in we made our way to Theresienwiese at half past 8. The site was already a hive of activity, with thousands of people wandering round in Lederhosen and Dirndl. Even at this hour there were people who had gone too hard too soon and were having to be propped up by friends - an ominous sign.

After a short queue we managed to get into the Hofbräuhaus tent, the largest on the site, and met up with our friend Izzy and her friend Katie. These two had been particularly eager and had arrived at 7. They were still only able to get a standing table. So there we were at 9am in an enormous tent waiting for it all to kick off. Beer was not to be served until 12pm when the mayor was to take part in the time-honoured tradition of tapping the first keg of beer. As his cries of 'O' zapft!' rang out, the room erupted and the party began.

Our small group was intended to be a lot larger but events conspired somewhat unfortunately. Katie's 3 friends from Erlangen were supposed to get the train down with her at 5am that morning but had overslept and had to shell out for new tickets. When they finally arrived on site at around 9 30 they were desperate to get in and meet up with us. However, the wooden decking surrounding the tent was particularly slippy and one of them fell quite badly, breaking his arm and needing to be taken to hospital. He's being kept there until thursday as he needs a plate put in his arm. Not a great start. Our other friend Hattie had overslept so only got to the tent at 9 45, by which point the queues were huge and they'd stopped letting people in. After 2 and a half hours waiting she was about to call it a day when we overheard a few people who had sneaked in the back way. 10 minutes later and she was in, sipping on her first stein of Oktoberfest beer.

Songs were sung, beers were drunk friends were made but seeing as how we'd been there since 9am a few of us were ready to leave around 5pm. It had already been a long day. Izzy, Katie and I headed off towards Odeonsplatz to Vappiano's, a restaurant we'd been highly recommended but which was bloody hard to find. At this point I'd've been happy with a Maccies but we persevered and boy was it worth it. Still slightly drunk, the diavolo pizza that i had was to die for and it filled me up good and proper. By this point is was 9pm and definitely time to head home, I jumped on the U-Bahn and made my way back to Michaelibad, safe in the knowledge that I'd enjoyed my time at Oktoberfest without making a fool of myself or breaking my arm. That's got to be a good thing right?

    For my third weekend in Munich I found myself speaking almost exclusively in English. Friday night saw the usual suspects (Marcus, Greggers and I) found ourselves at the world-renowned Löwenbräukeller awaiting the arrival of some new friends.
    A friend of a friend of a friend had put Marcus in touch with some other brits abroad and we were more than happy to meet up! We spent our night making fools of ourselves in front of Izzy and Hattie, too many Steins, not enough time. A drunken goodbye was said and we all stumbled our separate ways home.
    Awakening to the sound of my housemate's 2 crying kids at 7am was not ideal. This was my day off, I wanted a lie in! I tried my best but sleep would not return so I got up, got dressed and met Marcus and Greggers in town for some serious Lederhosen shopping. We were all pretty unwilling to part with 100€ for something with a limited usage period but we felt it was a must have. And now we all do have. Bring on Oktoberfest!
    The evening saw the three amigos together again at my house, where I cooked them a ("delicious") meal before heading to the swimming pool from which my district gets its name. Michaelibad is great. We went down the slide (obviously), we went in the steam room (obviously) and we did a few lengths in the normal pool. But the majority of our time was spent outside in the heated whirlpool. I feel that place may get some serious use from me in the next 9 months - lush!
   Sunday began with a bollocking from the landlord. Apparently, having friends around is fine, but COOKING FOR THEM?! what the hell was I thinking. He also didn't like that there was a few specks of oil on the hob and ordered me to immediately remove them. Somewhat coincidentally it was also my turn to clean the house. This is a top to bottom clean which is scrutinised by Marek every step of the way. It includes: hoovering, mopping, wiping, cleaning, brushing and emptying to name but a few. Gah. Football then followed shortly after as I headed to the englischer Garten (again) to meet up with a few friends I'd met the thursday before. A lot of fun was had and I actually spoke some german! Hopefully it'll become a regular thing and - whisper it- maybe i'll make some friends!

Watch this space.

Table Dance Boobs

After the end of what was a very long and busy week I find myself sat in the basement with a beer and strawberries listening to a crap dj playing to an empty room while watching the football. After a week I feel I'm really starting to get used to life here (munich, not the hostel).  I now know what my responsibilities at work are going to be for the forseeable future and I have found a perfect flat! Whether or not I'll get it is a different matter.

Located on the banks of the Isar, the flat that I viewed on thursday was a small one but arguably the best suited to me. The people who live there at the moment are my age and I got on really well with them for the short time I was there. The area is beautiful and it's set back from most of the hustle and bustle of Munich, whilst still being quite central. Oh, and it's next to THE BLOODY ZOO! Apparently when it's really quiet you can hear the animals from the balcony. Too cool. I find out on sunday whether I get that, so fingers crossed!

As far as work goes I think it's going to change me as a person. Most noticeably in the eyesight department. 90% of the stadd in my department need glasses and I can see why. I've spent the last two days scrutinising data in an Excel spreadsheet. It's undoubtedly going  to give me a great CV, with new skills (SQL, time management, etc) but it's only been a week and I already don't think it's a career path I want to follow!

Anyways, with no plans this evening I decide to go on an aimless stroll around the city, just as the sun was going down. Boy did I see some sights. First off was the sight of Oktoberfest 2012. I knew the germans were big into their drinking but the sheer size of the park is a sight to behold. I think it's very likely that I'll remember nothing of the next few weekends! Just one street away and I inadvertently wandered into the red light district, not before I'd been past the MENSA headquarters obviously. One that caught my eye was the hilariously titled 'Table Dance Boobs'. Germans certainly do not mince their words.

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with Marcus and Greggers as the three Amigos attempt to locate cheap Lederhosen. Check back tomorrow to see the results!