This weekend couldn’t come quite soon enough for me. For the first time in three months, I was going to see a brother (fraternal) from the states! My friend Zach also goes to the University of Cincinnati and is in both the band and fraternity with me there. He’s currently studying chemical engineering and will also be doing the ICP program later in his studies. This trip was actually part of an immersion program sponsored by UC for German language students. He will be in Munich with me for the next four weeks, so we made it a point to hang out this weekend and we will be doing the same in a couple weeks after I return to Germany from the states!
Friday, June 17, 2011
After work Zach and I met up where he is staying for the month. Seeing the physical presence of a brother and friends was AWESOME. We decided to celebrate and catch up that night in Munich. We made our way to the Paulaner Brewery for dinner and enjoyed the weather in the beer garden. Lots to talk about!
Even after being in Munich for three months, I had not yet been to the Englischer Garten (sorry… I know I should probably have my wrist slapped for that). This is one of the world’s largest urban parks. We decided to walk up the Isar in that direction and it was a wonderful walk. Great weather and great conversation. After a drink in one of the beer gardens, we split up for the night just as the rain came. The next day was supposed to be all rain, but we planned to make due regardless of what the weather brought.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Woke up to rain today. Rain Rain Rain… Guess it was about due considering how little we’ve had in the past two months, but on a Saturday? No worries though… there is plenty to do even in such wet conditions. At around 10 AM I met up with Zach and we headed to Olympia Park where the Flohmarkt takes place on the weekends. I was hoping to show Zach some of the local culture and where he could buy some cheap souvenirs, but the rain was discouraging. Despite the wet morning, I was surprised to see that there were actually some die-hards out selling things! We browsed the small gathering of peddlers, but didn’t find anything too wonderful. We did find an odd set of wooden sticks though. I asked the stand owner, “Was sind sie?” This translates to “What are they?” He heard me say, “Was sind Sie?” Notice the capital “S”? This is the formal form of “you” in German. Basically, without trying, I asked him what HE was. It was confusing and a little embarrassing, but we did get him to explain what the sticks were. We didn’t understand a word of the Bayerisch, so we nodded our heads enthusiastically, pretended that we understood perfectly, and moved on. Wow… even after three months, I realize how little I know. Ha!
It was wet, so we sought dry grounds. I had not yet been to BMW Museum or BMW Welt so we made our way there. The museum was awesome and shared a lot of history and tradition associated with BMW. For those who are not familiar, BMW started by making plane motors. After success in that field they took to motorcycles, which they still produce today. Cars did not come until the late 1920’s. The company about went under after the war (as did many German companies), but they survived and are today one of the leading car producers in the world. Zach and I enjoyed many of the exhibits… even though the English translations were all printed in a very hard to read sliver print.
After browsing the museum, we went across the street to BMW Welt where all of BMW’s most current car models are on display. There, people can look at all the new models, order cars, and even drive home a brand new BMW. We came at a good time, because they had a crazy dirt bike rider give a demonstration right in the plaza. He was running his bike up and down the steps of the building as the BMW fans cheered him on. Pretty cool!
After learning all about BMW, we went downtown and found a good pasta place to get lunch. Zach spent a little time going through some of his homework to see what was on the docket for the upcoming week.
The rain was still coming down, so we decided another museum would suffice. We found the Bier and Oktoberfest Museum. Although a small museum, it was pretty cool. It highlighted the history of some of Munich’s most famous brews and gave a short history of the Oktoberfest held in the city. This celebration began in October of 1810 with the marriage celebration of Prince Ludwig and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Since then it has grown into one of the world’s largest and most popular fairs. At the celebration, Munich’s top brewing companies serve over 7 million liters of beer in “masses” to the masses. These brewers are Augustinerbräu, Hacker-Pschorr Bräu, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulanerbräu, and Spatenbräu. At the end of the museum we found a cool mirror. I suppose this is what drinking all day will do to how you see the world! Cheap thrills are always the best…
We wrapped up our day ogling at the cool hiking and camping equipment at the local Jack Wolfskin store. Since we are both camping fanatics, this suited us well. Afterwards, we called it a night. The rain had brought the temp down to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit by evening, so spring had come again. So much for it being the middle of June!
**Begin Background Information**
I thought it might be appropriate here to give a brief bit of background info on a particular hat I wear. In the 2nd grade I bought a batman hat at a garage sale, and it became my favorite hat (batman was my childhood hero, by the way). I wore this hat just about every time I went to a friend’s house or did something cool on the weekend (camping, trips, etc.). In the fifth grade, my dad and I went to Chicago and I found a new batman hat at a Warner Brothers store. It replaced my other batman hat and continued the tradition. Despite being frequently razzed for wearing the cap, I still sport it when I feel an adventure coming on. This was good weekend to break it out, so it makes its German début here. The funny thing is that I was talking with my mom earlier today and she guessed (almost out of the blue) that I had worn it after I told her I was in the Alps! Moms always seem to know everything.
**End Background Information**
Sunday, June 19, 2011
With weather due to clear by Sunday evening, we decided to risk a day trip south. At 7:30 AM we hopped a train from Munich to Mittenwald. Mittenwald is a small German town right on the southern border across from Austria. This is just east of the famous Garmisch-Partenkirchen where the Zugspitze is located (that is the highest mountain in Germany). Mittenwald lies in directly in the Upper Alps in Southern Bavaria and has been one of the most used commerce centers between southern countries and Germany for a couple thousand years. The town is rather small, but is straight from a German fairy tale. Buildings were painted in brilliant colors and all had ornately carved wooden shutters and rails. Cafés, shops, and inns lined the streets at the foot of giant Alpine mountains. It was quite the scene and hard to take in all at once. It was simply beautiful.
We began the day with a hike. Since we were not qualified or experienced mountain climbers, we decided not to take on the Wetterspitze at around 2750 meters (approx. 9000 feet). From Mittenwald at 923 meters (3028 feet), we climbed up to the Hoher Kranzberg at 1390 meters (4560 feet). It was a wonderful hike and the view was indeed breathtaking. It was still a bit rainy and cloudy, but we had a perfect view of Mittenwald below.
After enjoying the view (and the break!), we made our way through the valley below back into town. Waterfalls, lakes, and river ways lined the paths and the view was amazing at every turn. It was a good three and half hour hike through the Alps. Mission accomplished.
After our hike, we ate and enjoyed some time in the town. We walked through the town market, checked out the church, and enjoyed all the decorated buildings. Again… all was straight from a fairy tale. I had no idea that so many German villages looked like this! Very cool to see. 
By late afternoon, we were spent. We found our two hour train ride home and called it a night. Altogether, the weekend was an amazing and wonderful time. Now it is time to sleep. Guten Nacht!
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