Christkindlmärkte Definitely Beat Oktoberfest

Last night I went to my very first of the long awaited Christkindlmärkte (Christmas Markets) with Kornelia and Hannes! There I had my first Gluhwein (mulled wine) which is sold at every single food related stand. It doesn't matter if the stand sells wurst, kebabs, flammbrot, or anything else, they will all without a doubt sell Gluhwein. It was pretty good too. For example it made me not realize for about 30 minutes that I couldn't feel my toes. Impressive.

I think the markets held up to expectation and I only went to 2 of them yesterday. Lots of lights and Christmas trees and fun stuff to buy and Gluhwein and lots of fantastic food. (Oh did I mention that roasted chestnuts are amazing? Who knew?!) I still have dozens more markets to see in Munich and then all the others in the rest of Germany. That might make for one very busy week between returning from Dublin and Christmas. Even more worrisome is the amount of Gluhwein I would be expected to drink if I went to that many markets. Ok, I'll save some for next year.

Dublin + Fabienne = An Awesome Weekend

Dublin has been fun and I have managed to rope some friends into going out a few times, but it is so much better when I have a good friend visiting. Well unfortunately the weather was against me having a friend in town and wanted to make sure we were as inconvenienced as possible.

The first night we didn't let the cold stop us. And after walking down O'Connell Street and taking some amazing pictures (ok, so Fabienne took them, but I was there) of some of the sites we happened upon this Indonesian restaurant (Chameleon) and actually managed to get a table. The food was amazing! We got this dinner for two which consists of 7 different dishes so you get to try several things. Then we also had to get dessert (mince meat pies and a brownie with ice cream to die for).

The next day was ruled by the weather. So we made it a shopping day and went out to this amazing mall in Dundrum. We were there for a long time and managed to see less than 10% I'd guess. I may have to head out there again sometime soon! Then by the time we got back to the apartment and grabbed some dinner the weather had taken a drastic turn and was even more rainy and windy. So we decided to get up early today and see some sights, which we did in the pouring rain and wind! We walked back to Temple Bar area and found one little place open for a scone and coffee. Then I had the unfortunate task of taking Fabienne back to the hotel so she could catch her shuttle to the airport. I was hoping I could make her miss her flight and force her stay, but since I know I get to see her again in less than 4 weeks it was just see you soon and not good bye. (I am going to spend Christmas with Fabienne and her family in Zurich!) I think Fabienne and I will have to meet here again in the summer sometime and see Dublin the right way (i.e. less rain and wind).

One Part Europe, One Part US

I've discovered that Dublin is not only physically half way between the US and mainland Europe, but is also culturally and personality half way between the two. The architecture and pace of life are very much like the rest of Europe, but the people, stores, food, and bar scene are very much like the states. I like the mix. It's like the best of both worlds, plus they speak English!!

I've been here almost a week and it has been great. I am staying in a great apartment in the IFSC which is also where the office is located. Work has been good, but very busy. The colleagues here are so much fun and since the office is small we can have fun all together. The office mentality here is more like in the states, so it is a nice reminder of home.

It happened and I was there, in person, in Ireland, in a pub, to experience the soccer game of the decade (at least in Ireland). It was a great night. We went to a pub on (which is actually a microbrewery so I didn't drink a Guinness) and watched the Ireland/France World Cup qualifying game. It was so cool to be in a crowded pub with all the Irish fans cheering and yelling and drinking. While I will say that they in fact were robbed, I would however like to put the following question out there too: what if the situation was exactly switched and France had been the underdogs? Then what would everyone think? Huh?

Ok, then on Thursday night I got to see more of Dublin. We had dinner at this place called Gallagher's Boxty House where I had a corned beef and cabbage botxy. It was delicious. So a boxty is like a potato tortilla which is then filled with different things. They are great and quite Irish. Then we wandered down in the Temple Bar area and even stopped in The Temple Bar to listen to these guys preform. It was a nice taste of home.

Then last night we headed to the Temple Bar area again for dinner and then to a play called The Clean House. It was in this tiny theater and the play was fantastic!! If you ever see it showing anywhere you should see it. It is really funny and also, well, I'll just let you find out. Then on our way to a few pubs we saw the greatest street scam, well not a scam, but impossible challenge. This guy had a bike but had reversed the handlebars so that when you turned them left the bike went right and vice versa. So he charged 4 euros for 4 attempts to ride it about 7 feet. So we got a bunch of free entertainment watching cocky guys fall over on a bike. It was one of the best things I've seen in a long time. Then we hit up one pub which was basically like a living room from the 60's filled with groups from each of the possible bar outing scenarios. There was the group of 60 year old guys drinking Guinness, the table with the young college kids, the table that was obviously the family outing with the new in-law, the one lone guy trying to find someone to sit in the empty bar stool next to him, the couple on their first date, and the table of regulars. Quintessential. Afterwards we went to a place called Dakota, which was a lot like the Bubble Lounge in San Francisco but more spacious and with better music. I will absolutely go back.

Today I joined a colleague and went to the Francis Bacon exhibit at the Hugh Lane gallery. Oh and for the record, almost all museums in the city are free. Then we walked around more of the city and I had my first Guinness in Ireland. They were right, it is better in Ireland.

It Was Cosy . . .

The rule, as dictated by my co-conspiriters, was that "what happens in Amsterdam stays in Amsterdam" but since none of them read this, then I can tell about my trip and what I did while in Amsterdam. I will not incriminate anyone nor will I comment on how anyone else spent their time. Here is MY trip to Amsterdam . . .

I went with a group of 10 co-workers (I know that sounds crazy, but they are actually a great group to travel with because everyone has different interests so you just join the group who interests you the most). We spent a weekend there and while the weather was not ideal, I still had a great time. The food was great. I found an American bakery and filled up on muffins, cookies, and my coworkers got brownies. I also ate Dutch pancakes and their traditional fried dough balls (they were like yeast donuts but with sort of a sourdough, stretchy consistency), but didn't get a chance to try the bitterballen which are fried meatballs. I went to the Rijks Museum, the Anne Frank house, toured the canals, walked all over, and ate (did I mention that?).

Amsterdam really is a beautiful city. The canals are fun and the architecture is fantastic. Every building on every street is gorgeous. It very much reminded me of San Francisco, from the architecture and the laid back people, to the food, and even the weather. I would definitely go back to Amsterdam, but maybe next time I'll go in the summer.

It's Like Home, Only More Irish

Well, I made my first short trip to Dublin last week for work and I think my next 5 weeks there will be very good. I knew it would work when after I stepped out of my hotel I ran into a bagel shop which was next door to another bagel place. Next to that was an organic grocery store, then a Starbucks, a salad shop, a sandwich place called O'Briens, then about 6 more coffee shops (including another Starbucks), 3 more bagel/sandwich shops, and then the office. Dublin, I think this will work very well, until my pants stop fitting . . .

Hotel Beth Needs an Upgrade

Interesting how my lack of posting could imply two totally opposite situations (nothing happening vs. too much happening). Luckily this pause is for the better of the two reasons. My mom and Molly have been in town for the past 2 weeks and we have been busy adventuring (well, they were adventuring, I was still working). It was a great visit, but it just went too quickly!!

They went all over Bavaria including Neuschwanstein castle and also down to Salzburg. Last weekend we all went on an adventure together to Straubing and then Nurnberg. What do you mean you haven't heard of Straubing?! Just another fault in the American school systems I guess. Ok ok, I'm absolutely kidding. In the train on the way, a guy asked us if he could join us on our Bavaria ticket (since you can take up to 5 people for the same price) and paid us. Then he talked the whole way there. Which in the end was a really good thing because the track was closed right before our stop so we had to switch to a bus, but of course this announcement was only made in German and I am definitely not that fluent yet. So a big thank you to Christoph for helping us make it to Straubing and for sharing his brownies.

We went to Straubing in hopes of seeing the "Dance with the Devil" display. Apparently this "artist" created this big display in the city center with 1,500 garden gnomes all making the Nazi salute. But of course we get all the way there only to discover that the display was taken down the Monday before. Oh well, at least we now know where to get the best Doner in Bavaria.

Then we went to Nurnberg which is the second largest city in Bavaria and it the lebkuchen capital of the planet. I LOVED Nurnberg. Every corner had a lebkuchen shop! I definitely need to go back there to see the rest of the city. It is a great mix between a medieval city and Munich. Oh and we found the best little chocolate shop where you can drink all sorts of amazing hot chocolates! And one of my favorite things in the city was the Marriage merry-go-round. It is actually a fountain/statue with what I am guessing is the pitfalls of marriage or something. I'll have to post pictures as it is indescribable.

Then before Mom and Molly left yesterday we did Christmas. So I get to play with my gifts for an extra 2 months! It was great. What can I say, having your mom around is always great. For example I discovered a bag of Halloween candy this morning (on Halloween) that she had hidden for me. Oh how I love peanut butter and chocolate (and my mom!).

Next week is the week of travel for me so hopefully I'll have some more good stories soon!

He Just Gave Up . . .

I don't know why I love this story as much as I do but, well . . . I just do. So today I got a call from my internet provider. The guy called and when I picked up and said, "hello" he said, "Oh do you speak English?" and I of course said "yes." Now at this point there was not an audible sigh, but I could actually feel the blood drain from his face. So he started off well, saying that he was from Alice and then asked if I had a handy (aka cell phone) and then proceeded to begin a little spiel about switching. However after about 2 sentences (for the record his English was very good and I was totally following) all of a sudden he just paused and then hung up! He actually hung up on me in the middle of his pitch. I couldn't believe it. All I could do was laugh. I mean he was doing so well and everything. Oh well, maybe tomorrow I'll get a telemarketer who let's me actually hang up on him.

Schützen-Festhalle (Again)

I had the fantastic opportunity to return to the Schützen-Festhalle tent at the Wiesn again today. I was invited by a colleague from the German OE to join him and some other reinsurance guys at the tent, so well, of course I joined. It was much the same as the last time except that I got to experience the reason behind the name Schützen. One of the guys is friends with the owner of the tent, so we got to go to the back of the tent and do some Schützen (translation: shooting). So apparently the name of the tent has to do with the relationship with a shooting club and the members of the club can enter the tent anytime they want and use the air-gun shooting range in the back. We had lessons with these two old German guys and then got to shoot. I can proudly say that not only did I hit the target all 5 times, but I actually scored quite well. We even got certificates, pins, and our shooting strip. What can I say, just when I think the Wiesn can't get better, it goes and has a private shooting range in the back where I don't make a fool out of myself. Oh Munich . . .

So Much to Say (i.e. Amanda, Vanessa, Italy, and Oktoberfest)

Wow, I just realized how long it has been since I have really written a full update. The crazy part is that my lack of posting is not a result of nothing going on, but in fact just the opposite is true. A little over 2 weeks ago my wonderful friends Amanda and Vanessa flew into Munich to visit me. Let's just say that the stories I could write about these last 2 weeks could easily provide the plot for about 6 different movies. We've got comedy, action, romance, but luckily no drama. Where to start . . . ?

Well let's just do this chronologically. Basically the best part is Vanessa's story. Now I don't think I can do this totally unbelievable, movie-perfect turn of events the justice it deserves in this format. Therefore my advice is to either ask her about her epic story, or ask me the next time you see me in person. (Quick recap: 30th birthday, airplane boy, rental cars, midnight driving, cop, Mannheim, . . . )

Once the girls got back from Vanessa's adventure it was time for us all to go on our next adventure. First tid-bit of potentially helpful information I will pass along is that you can't take a rental car from most Western European countries into Croatia. This could be helpful for you to know, like it would have been helpful for us to know. But I guess the consolation is that instead we just drove to Verona and Venice. (Nice alternative, right?) Verona provided good wine, nice views, a dog named Carlos (at least we decided that), and Juliet's balcony just to name a few. Now this might just be me, but I find it a bit odd that thousands of people (yes I acknowledge I was one of them) go to a spot where a fictional character supposedly lived. Best part is that rubbing the Juliet statue's right breast is supposed to bring a new lover, so we got to watch not only this old woman and this teenage boy with bright red cheeks molest a statue. (I'll show you the pictures later.) No matter how fun it was, we only stayed in Verona for half the day because Venice was waiting.

In Venice we became quite aware of someone smiling down on us, because Amanda was able to secure for us a very nice hotel for a fantastic price. They went out of their way for us, it was amazing. I was not only a fan of the concierge because he saved us from sleeping in the car, but because he paints a beautiful picture (in an Italian accent). When we asked about Venice he quickly summed up for us what Venice has become. And I quote "Venice is like Disneyland." Wow, was he right. Now for the record I like Disneyland and this is not a criticism, but it is a very astute observation and analogy. Venice is amazing and somewhere everyone needs to see before they die. The canals are fun and trying not to get lost is also fun. But if you don't like tourists or souvenir shops then you may want to go during the off season, during the week, on the southwest side of the island. Just a heads up.

We stayed in Venice for the entire day and then the next day headed for home. On the way we stopped in this little town called Soave where the great wince comes from. It was a quite little town, but had a fantastic old walled-in medieval city center. Then just outside of Munich we had to stop for gas and of course there was a gas station, a McDonalds, Burger King, and a Subway. It was like being home again. So far I had avoided american burgers joints here in Europe, but we were hungry and this was the coolest McDonalds was the coolest one ever. It had outdoor seating with heat lamps, huge outdoor play area, indoor play area with basketball hoop, a McCafe, a fireplace, an upstairs area with video games, and then a toilet that cost 50 cents. What is the deal McDonalds? If you hadn't had such a great bagel sandwich I would have been very upset.

The last day both girls were here in Munich was the first day of Oktoberfest. So of course we had to go. It was interesting, really just a huge carnival with the same rides over and over, and tons of the same food options over and over. Then of course there are all the drunk people throwing up, and falling on you, and being wheeled out on a gurney. Really brings out the best in people.

While the girls were here they allowed me to force the German lifestyle on them. We ate Bavarian twice (!), had the very traditional Munich weisswurst breakfast, and tried out 8 new restaurants. I hope they had as much fun as I did! So who's next? Oh wait, that is already decided. My mom and Molly are coming in 3 weeks. I have a lot to get done before then, because once they arrive I won't have another free weekend in Munich until Christmas day! With that being said I had better run and get some stuff accomplished!

Another Item Crossed Off the List

What do you call 2 masses of beer, half a chicken, singing "Ein Prosit" about 20 times, several thousand drunk people, and more lederhosen than I care to mention? That's right, Weisn (aka Oktoberfest)!! I had the chance to actually go to tent tonight at Oktoberfest. It was great. We sat, drank, ate, sang, and (I personally) did some major people watching. Now that I've been I think I can cross it off my list, but it really was quite the experience. Lots of drunk discussions and English pop songs with the cheapest rights always lead to a good night, right?! Hopefully I'll be able to post some picture later, but for now just know that I have basically just experienced the world's largest carnival/beer drinking event and made it home successfully in one piece! Come join me next year!