Munich: New Years Eve, and New Years

December 31, 2012 cont.:
Once we arrived back in Munich, we had dinner (at KFC, again, I believe!) and prepared ourselves to celebrate New Years Eve. We didn't really want to go out, because the idea of spending the night in an overcrowded bar or something didn't really appeal. We ended up hanging out together in the hostel and going out a bit later to Burger King to get a milkshake. By that time (around 10:30, maybe?), the whole city was in full celebration mode, what with drunk people playing with fireworks and what not. Over milkshakes we discussed New Year's Resolutions, and even though I think they are kind of stupid, at Tristan's insistence I resolved to be able to run a half marathon by June (lol, that's not going to happen. The whole running in the freezing cold didn't really stick) and also to finish the 100 push up program by the end of year (and let's be honest, this isn't going great either, but I'm working on it). Tristan resolved to be able to read All Quiet on the Western Front in German by the end of year.
We initially planned to walk around the town a bit after our milkshakes -- but the fireworks were kind of freaking one of us out (*cough* me *cough*) so we just went back to the hostel where we shared a beer (which we refrigerated by putting it on the windowsill!). Then we went down for the last count down before New Years which was televised in the hostel common room. If I thought there were too many drunk people playing with fireworks BEFORE it struck midnight, I certainly thought that something was going to catch on fire or someone would get hurt afterwards. It seemed like everyone had fireworks, and they were being set off all of the city. We poked our head's outside the door (which is pretty much as far as I was willing to go) and the streets were total anarchy. Tristan thought it was fun, so I let him go frolic in the street. And I may have been overreacting, but I DID see a firework blow up in a girl's face because it was the type that was supposed to launch and she didn't let go of it. Honestly, I was thrilled when it was all over. Thank God for Southern California's dry, flammable climate. I prefer fireworks to be in the hands of sober professionals.

January 1, 2013

The next day, we set out to explore Munich. For some reason, we started in the outskirts. Our first stop was the Olympic Stadium and BMW museum thing which ended up being a bit a failure because both were closed -- but it was still nice to see the buildings.

Next, we took the sBahn over to the soccer stadium: 

It also had a rather pretty view of the mountains in the distance, which this picture does not capture at all. 

We went back into the city and decided to go to the aforementioned Hofbrauhaus which is probably the most famous beer hall in Munich and probably the world (and everyone knows, Munich is all about beer). It's now a chain with restaurants in places as far flung as Las Vegas and we'd already been twice? in Berlin but that doesn't mean it isn't cool to go the original.It was opened there in 1569 and originally brewed it's beer for the Royal Residence.

One thing that is cool about this beer hall, is that they have women who carry around baskets of HUGE pretzels that you can buy to have with your beer. Nomnomnom. After spending quite sometime there, we walked across the plaza to go to Augstiener am Platzel, which is another beer hall where we shared yummy sausage with yummy mashed potatoes and I had a Radler (which is half beer, half lemon-lime soda, which sounds weird and possibly disgusting -- but is actually really yummy). 

This is where we ended our night because apparently drinking beer in the evening makes you really sleepy. It was a lot of fun. I guess you could say that we celebrated New Year's on New Year's Day.

Salzburg

December 30. 2012

The next day. we took the train to Munich. We arrived in the early afternoon, napped, had dinner at a sushi restaurant, and  then we took a nice walk around the darkened city, and that was about it. (Also, there was a really large number of Russian speaking people in Munich, possibly because of New Years?) 

December 31, 2012

The next day, we bought a regional rail pass (25 euro for the day for two people, which is an excellent deal) and took the train to Salzburg (around 2 hours away). We'd watched The Sound of Music on our way to Berlin and we decided it would be a lot of fun to go. 

The train ride itself was beautiful. The Alps are truly breathtaking. 

Salzburg is right on the border of Austria and Germany (much how Basel is on the Swiss-French-German broder). This is why we could use our German rail pass. But like Basel and Weil am Rhein and Saint Louis, there were already some subtle, but noticeable cultural differences. For instance, German shops and restaurants seem much more willing to employ borrowed English words in signs and names of things. In Austria, the names of foods were almost always translated into German (rather than just using the English word).We arrived in the early afternoon, and walked from the train station to the old town.

I may have hopped a low fence to take this picture. But who can resist taking pictures with unicorns?

We started out in this garden, which may look familiar -- though I'm sure it is much more beautiful in spring and summer. 

This scene may be familiar to fans of The Sound Music

Then we walked around other parts of the old town.

\We saw the river...

And Mozarts Geburthaus (ie. the house where Mozart was born), also Spar which is a kind of grocery store. Can you imagine: the birth home of a famously brilliant composer is now partially a supermarket? Ahh, Europe. 

Then we walked up towards the castle, though we opted not to pay the fee for the lift and entrance fee. It was really expensive. Austria had prices that were almost Switzerland status! We also sent some post cards, which cost a (relative) fortune.

Pretty views...

By this time, we were really hungry. We looked around for a bit for somewhere to eat. After considering NordSee (which is a sort of Long John Silvers -- fast sea food), we ended up at Burger King  because we didn't know how NordSee worked. Apparently, everyone else in Salzburg decided they wanted to go there too, because it was packed. I looked for a seat (because they were all full), and Tristan waited in line.

Here, one of the most amusing and shocking things in Salzburg happened, though I wasn't a direct witness. A middle aged American man, apparently, cut to the front of the line to ask the already terribly frazzled workers if this Austrian Burger King took DOLLARS (And  he did so by taking out dollars and waving them in worker's face)*. Yes, the Austrian Burger King, whose nearest neighbor also uses Euros takes Dollars. --- NO, of course they don't! Why would they? *facepalm* This is why people think that Americans are full of themselves and obnoxious. Such an embarrassment to American's, and, let's be honest, to the human race in general. 

*Note: Tristan is one of the most pro-America people I know, so you can assume this story is not the slightest bit exaggerated to emphasize stupidity.

After lunch, we walked around the city a bit more. There was a live performance and their were still things to do and look at.
Finally, as a conclusion to our time in Salzburg we walked up to the nunnery in Salzburg that is the nunnery in The Sound of Music:

Recognize this gate? 

Though the nunnery required a bit of a hike, the view well worth it! The alps were beautiful, as always. 

One our way back to the train station, we picked up two Stiegal's (an Salzburger beer) at a tourist shop. The owner was quite friendly and assured us that like in Germany (and in France, though I believe it is technically, if never enforcedly, illegal) having a beer on the street is fully within our rights. 

As we walked back, there was some sort of staging of a battle with fake cannon fire from the castle and from fortresses on the hill and fake military forces on the street (perhaps this is some sort of tradition where New Year's Eve becomes sort of a national holiday? We didn't know why.). It was a bit after 5, and the sun was already setting. 

We got on the next train to Munich, where we celebrated New Years. To be continued...

"You come to this class every week?"

For heaven's sake, woman! I've been coming to this class (YOUR class) every week for over 5 months! How could you still be forgetting this? ajsfhadskfh. baaahhhhhhhhhh
I'm so glad that even though I've spent the last few months being pretty bored during the weeks, at least my presence is appreciated. Wait? People routinely forget about me? Cancel classes without informing me? Tell I should do a lesson on a specific topic 2 minutes before class starts?

As the panda says: "We need to talk," France

That is all.

Hamburg

December 27, 2012

We woke up in Berlin, took the sBahn to Alexanderplatz for one last early lunch at Dolores (a burrito place) before our train. By the time we arrived in Hamburg, it was the early evening and it was already getting dark, so we didn't have much time to see anything. Though we did walk down the shopping street that ran from our hostel to the Rathaus (town hall). The Christmas market was still set up and there were people everywhere (I guess the day after second Christmas is a big shopping day in Germany?). It was immediately clear that Hamburg has a lot more money than Berlin.

December 28, 2012
The next morning we started out by walking around the various docks. Hamburg is very picturesque:

This is where the sun was at noon --- so yeah, we were pretty far North.

This is the Rathaus (town hall).

After we finished seeing the docks, we did some more wandering around the shops. There were all sorts of expensive stores: Mont Blanc, fancy antique book sellers, fancy purse sellers.

This was at the Apple store. The displays for the info about every item were iPads because rich. 

Tristan chases a duck friend.

Unfortunately, though it was sunnyish, it was pretty windy. So it was really cold. So we ended up heading back to the hostel.
That night we went out in Reeperbahn, which is the district of Hamburg that has a lot of bars and nightlife. And it is also the district where the Beetles first preformed.
Our favorite bar was "the sailor bar" which had slightly older clientele and played cool music and also claimed to be the place where the Beetles first performed.

December 29, 2012
The morning of the third day, we weren't really sure what to do. So after a lunch at Burger King, we went to IKEA and walked around.

Where this happened.  They say "Take me home, country roads" by John Denver. I don't know why, but it was fun.

After a nap and a bit more wandering around the city and eating dinner we went to Miniatur Wunderland  which was an AWESOME miniature railroad. 

This was their restaurant.

The crazy thing about it was that you could easily forget it was about a railroad. It was all so complex and amazing. They even had the cars rigged up to move in some areas. 

There were several "lands": Germany, Hamburg, Switzerland, USA, and Scandinavia and they plan to add a few in the future. The photos don't do it justice, but alas, that's all I have.

This was part of the Germany land, I think.

 Also, it becamenight every 15 minutes (if I remember correctly) and it would stay dark for a few minutes which gave you a chance to see the cool things that lit up.

This was part of Switzerland. The alps took up two floors of the building!

One of the most amazing parts of the exhibit was the Knuffigan Airport (which doesn't really exist), which had planes that actually took off! On schedule!

The accurate schedule

Minatur Wunderland: Modelbahn as a piece in the "Modelbahn" (miniature railroad)

America was a little disappointing because it was focused on the parts of America Europeans seem the most fascinated with: The deserts and westerns.

They had a bay filled with actual water and a remote control boat in Scandinavia

So as you can see, we were completely taken with the Minatur Railroad. I would definitely go back, and I would definitely place it as one of the coolest things to see in Europe. 

And then we saw Neuwachstein Castle.

Berlin at Christmas (Day 3 and 4 and 5)

Dec 24, 2012

On Christmas eve, we started our day out in Kreuzberg, a neighborhood Tristan liked to hang out in when he lived here before. He took me to a kebab place he used to go to there, and I had burek (which sadley wasn't as great as it was in Macedonia). Then he showed me the infamous "bar without a name" that he often went to with his friends. Yes, it doesn't have a name. Hipster, right? 

Then we went to go see the Gedaechtniskirche. Unfortunately, it's still being restored and is completely covered (even though they were supposed to finish in June or something). 

This is what it looks like, supposedly. Though I've never seen it despite being to Berlin 3 times.

However, there was a mall nearby, so we got to see this...

Some sort of fairy world...

Also, a really fancy clock. 

Then we hung out in the toy department of a department store for a while before it closed at 1:30 and we got herded out. Starting about then, everything was closed.

Did I mention that, despite being more like a hotel where you randomly shared rooms than a hostel, the hostel had bunnies in the courtyard? 

So we headed towards Prenzlaur berg where we saw a monument that showed how the wall and the gap between it's two pieces had been laid out. All the shops in the neighborhood (including the one we wanted to go to) were closed. So we went back to Alexanderplatz and got nachos at a bar we visited when Tristan lived in Berlin called The PUB. This bar is mostly cool because it has taps at each table, so you get to serve yourself, and you can also order food from the screen there. The rest of the night was spent relaxing, and we had dinner at KFC because nothing else was open. 

Dec 25, 2012 

On Christmas Day, we went to the Berlin Zoo, the former home of the late Knut. 

We started in the petting zoo:

They wolves, which was pretty awesome. When we arrived at their enclosure, they were all howling!

 By the time we had finished at the zoo, it was raining and Tristan was starting to feel under the weather, himself. So we picked up some cold medicine at the pharmacy and headed back to rest.

Because of illness, we decided to forgo our dinner reservations at Hofbrau House. Instead, we picked up Bratwurst at the Christmas market before heading to our Christmas Concert. Unfortunately, we hadn't known what the concert was going to be -- it was nothing like I imagined. A quartet of trumpets is neither of our favorite types of music (especially because they didn't play anything the slightest bit recognizable!) However, we only paid 10 euro each for the concert, and it cost 5 euro to see the inside of the Berliner Dom anyway, so it wasn't terrible.

The Berliner Dom as captured in 2010 because that is apparently the only time I've ever taken a picture of it.

The inside...

And us...

December 26, 2012 (i.e. Second Christmas)

The next morning, we moved to a different hotel which was called the DDR Hotel and was themed to look like it was an apartment from the German Democratic Republic. 

It seems that Germans also celebrate the 26th as part of Christmas, so quite a few things were still closed. On this day, we visited the Teltow airfield (where the Berlin airlift took place), which today is a large park. It was quite windy, so we didn't stay to long.

We took it easy that day so that we could go out at night to the bar without a name for a drink even though Tristan was still sick. So we didn't do much else that day (at least, I don't remember what else we did, and I don't have any other pictures). And that was the end of Berlin for 2012, anyway.