The Land of the Lederhosen

"We will know where we have gone--we will recollect what we have seen. Lakes, mountains, and rivers, shall not be jumbled together in our imaginations; nor, when we attempt to describe any particular scene, will we begin quarreling about its relative situation. Let our first effusions be less insupportable than those of the generality of travellers." -- Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice

Into the Unknown

Last Friday morning I jumped on a train heading to Traunstein via Wurzburg and Munich. I packed all of my necessities in my brown school backpack to make train switches easier. I had some anxiety regarding the trip because I was to be met by someone I had never seen before at the Traunstein station and I was to stay at their house for four days. Luckily, Tobias and his three roommates (Steffi, Judith and Alex) were easy-going people (people I'd imagine easily fitting into Portland's alternative culture). His roommate Steffi was overjoyed that I could speak German because she had no love of the English language

Saturday I travelled with Tobias to München. I did a typical tourist run, but as a man said to me on the train, "Everyone's a tourist," meaning that if a town/city is interesting, everyone wants to look up and take pictures. We ended the evening at a restaurant in the university district (a nice break from the expensive main streets). It was fun to be surrounded by casual students.

In a biergarden in the middle of the English Garden I managed to sit next to a family from Kent, WA, near Seattle. I couldn't help butting into their conversation after observing the UW and Seahawks hats and Colombia Sportswear shirts of the family members.

My camera broke in München so I borrowed Tobias' camera. His camera proceeded to break so we borrowed his roommate's camera. In Salzburg I purchased another digital (it will take a while to get all the pics together).

The following Sunday we travelled twenty minutes by train to Salzburg. The weather last weekend was phenomenal (I believe it was the same in the Pacific NW). I was completely captured by Salzburg because of its small size, relaxed pedestrians and beautiful mountains (not to mention bomb Austrian coffee). I don't think poor Tobias understood how novel it was for me to see where parts of The Sound of Music were filmed (I mean, Mozart's house is great, but to see the von Trapp mansion. . . ;)

I needed my sisters when I hit Mirabell Gardens. I wanted so badly to be a dork and bust out "Do-Re-Me" but to do it alone with another person standing there who hasn't even heard of the musical is a bit much (not to mention my dignity might be slightly hurt)

Later in the evening we drove out to Chiemsee, the second largest lake in Germany. Again, the northern Alps provided a nice backdrop to the calm lake. I ordered wine at dinner to break from the large mugs of beer served everywhere in Bavaria. The waiter brought me my glass and at my look of shock (upon seeing the size of my wine glass) Tobias told me Bavarians assume wine is poured in the same way as beer: generously. We had to sit at the table a long time for me to finish it.

I bid farewell to Tobias and his roommates and departed for München alone on Monday. After locking up my pack and locating a city map in München's Hauptbahnhof (main train station) I headed towards the city center. My head was so full of newly-learned facts about München, Bavaria and Germany from Tobias that I couldn't conceive visiting a museum, so I spent several hours exploring side streets, perusing books stores, strolling through the university district and revisiting the English Garden. One of my favorite parts of the morning was watching the surfers at the English Garden. The pics are on facebook but I'm reposting some here. "Surfing Forbidden."

I saw Heidi Klum in München. At lunch I told her that she looks the same in real life as in front of the camera: like a supermodel. . . ;)

On my train ride back to Bad Mergentheim I was told by an elderly man that the best way to improve my German language skills was to fall in love with a German. I told him if that was true I needed to get to work because I only have five weeks left.

Yesterday I went rollarblading with my German friend Tanja (yes, rollarblading). At one point I asked Tanja to ask an elderly couple to take our picture. I said, "You should ask them because old people rarely understand my German." When she asked them to take our pic they said, "I'm sorry, we're Brits. We can only speak English. We don't know any German." It gave us a good laugh.

Good Decisions (A Short Review):

1. Buy a ticket to ride Train 1. Board Train 2.

2. Use a $1 umbrella to shield you from hail the size of golf balls

3. When you read train departure times, mistake 13:55 to mean 3:55pm. Then enjoy a nice sprint to the station to catch your ride home.

4. Wait to grocery shop until Sunday (when all the stores are closed).

These good decisions are deposits in my "Learning-to-be-Flexible Cash Register for Life". I was advised by someone to avoid making too many detailed plans because I will always be disappointed by changes. I think it's good advice.

Oh, I must stop these doubts, all these worries

If I don't I just know I'll turn back

I must dream of the things I am seeking

I am seeking the courage I lack

-I Have Confidence (The Sound of Music)

(learning is forever. I think thirteen weeks abroad is not enough to rid me of all picadillos. I hope to be forgiven for maintaining habits of overplanning and fearing the ambiguous future when I come home)

Carpe Diem