Night Train to Venice

I LOVE German trains. If you've haven't ridden on a German train, you haven't lived. They are so much better than all other trains in the world!!! (Ok, that could be a stretch, since I don't know about Asian trains. I do have a hunch that they could be nice too.) I've been on a French night train once before...and it was not cool. But this German night train was so comfortable and cute...Look! I'm sleeping like a baby!

Boats, boats, boats...

I would really love to work in Venice. I think even the job of garbage collector would be so much more fun. You'd probably get to drive a boat and pick up the trash with a big pool skimmer thingy. Wow, that'd be an awesome job. I saw a boat full of produce pull up and sell stuff to the locals. I saw many boats carrying barrels of wine. Then of course there are the boat taxis and the other means of public transportation on the water. I love it.

Anna and I

Anna and I on the island of Murano. They have the most beautiful glass in the world. Also a nice place to wander around.

VENICE

One could describe Venice as anticlimatic. One could describe it as small. But I'll tell you one thing, it is absolutely unique. And I appreciate it for it's uniqueness and don't demand much more out of it. For this reason, Venice and I get along. I love Venice.

Berlin Reflections

Well, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the Berlin Seminar was entirely draining. It really was. Eleven of us in a little 3 bedroom apartment (if you can call it that) with one bathroom. Yeah, that did create a bit of tension...but it worked out well. Our days were planned from about 8am to midnight. Every day. For 8 days straight. It was intense.

We went to 6 theater productions. They were the weirdest things I have ever had the privelege to see. I cannot even explain. We saw more of Berlin than most people see in a month. We saw things that only Herr Soeder could show us.

I learned so much. I learned that I love traveling to places where I speak the language. I learned so much about Prussian culture, specifically in the context of the Berlin's tulmultuous history. I learned how to deal with condescending German tourguides. I learned that the Bavarian dialect is so much more pleasing to the ears that the one in Berlin. I learned how to ride the public transportation in Berlin (which is absolutely insane). I learned how to deal with different kinds of people. I learned to respect Herr Soeder, even more that I did before. I learned that Munich is really a special place to me. I learned that I know how to have fun and make the best out of things, no matter where I am.

Berlin Seminar...

A group of us stopping for a quick pic. Yeah, it does kinda look cold. It was cold. But during our Berlin trip the beginning of Spring occured. YAY!

Die Berliner Mauer

Well, here's a piece of the actual Berlin Wall. Not too exciting. But in the context of the crazy history of this city, it's so interesting.

Sans Souci

Palace of Sans Souci. (Sans Souci = Keine Sorge = No Worries = Hakuna Matata...yeah, so we were in Potsdam singing Hakuna Matata...that's not something you see everyday) We went to this supposedly famous castle in Potsdam. Sorry to say that Prussian (northern German) castles all pale in comparison to Bavarian ones. But Sans Souci did seem to have cool gardens...and the tour guide made us wear slippers into the castle. That was funny.

Brandenburger Tor

The Brandenburger Tor. A really cool symbol of Berlin. It was once the gate of the city, back when Berlin was much smaller...and during the Cold War it stood at the border of East and West.

Dem Deutschen Volk

Here's Lauren and I in front of the Reichstag (house of congress) building. The outside of the building looks really classy, but on the inside it's the epitome of modern. Really interesting how contradictory it can be. There's a cool dome ontop that you can climb for a pretty view of Berlin. Impressive architecture.

Pergamon Museum

One of the coolest museums I've ever been to - the Pergamon in Berlin. It is a huge collection of ancient artifacts, mostly sculptures and actual buildings. Yeah, they recovered actual ancient building from Babylonia, Asia Minor, etc. and rebuilt them inside the museum. It's just amazing to see a huge room filled with a 3000 year old temple. So weird. I must admit that it is cooler to see ancient buildings in their actual original location, but since we all cannot make it to Egypt or Isreal, it's really cool that the people in charge of the Pergamon have preserved these pieces for posterity.

Berliner Dom

Ok, time for some picture updates.

Here I am standing in front of the Berliner Dom (the cathedral) and the river. That's one thing I love about European cities - they all have beautiful rivers cutting through them. I don't know why, but I just love that.

Viva Bavaria!

I just got back from Berlin last night. I've been running errands and cleaning today. It sure is good to be back in Bavaria, even if only for a day. Ingrid's gonna cook me dinner tonight and then Anna and I are taking the night train to Venice. Yep, this is the life. Expect pictures of Berlin and Venice to be up soon, but probably not till I get back later this week.

Berlin, here i come

I'm leaving for Berlin in the morning! It should be an exciting trip to the capital of Germany. It feels like I'm going to a completely different country because Bavaria is so special.

I'll be back on the 20th.

Sophie Scholl

I just saw a very important current German film. It was called Sophie Scholl - The Last Days. Sophie Scholl was a member of The White Rose, the resistance movement in Munich against the Nazis. The story isn't always told because, to tell the truth, they weren't really successful. But for me, that's not the point. The fact that throughout history there have been people who have stood up for what is right (no matter what the personal consequences), allows me to believe that they will in the future. And this hope allows me to have faith in humanity. Why so many people didn't stand up for what was right and just followed the Nazis??? I will never understand. But I will always remember Sophie Scholl.

She and her brother were caught distributing fliers at the LMU (the university that I currently attend). This film will probably not make it very far in America. It's not Hollywood enough because it tries to be really historically accurate. Even if you can't see this award winning movie, I do recommend reading up on The White Rose. I think it's important to learn from.

Elephants in the snow!

We went to the Munich Zoo this weekend. I've never been to a zoo in snow. It was weird. Most of the animals cannot survive out in the cold climate, so they keep them inside. So as a visitor, you have to walk outside in the cold between buildings. Inside the buildings 95% humidity and 80' F makes you want to choke. This hot, thick air also smells like monkeys (or rhinos or whatever). It's a seriously unpleasant experience. I will never take the wonderfully comfortable San Diego Zoo for granted again.

Here's a picture of Ingrid and the Elephants (wow, that sounds like a cool name for a band...i'm gonna run out and copyright that, don't steal it!). Don't worry, they are Asian elephants, not African ones. That's why they can hang in the cold. I did really like the zoo. It reminds me of being a kid again...which I always love to be reminded of. They had the best playground ever...on the whole, German playgrounds are better than American one's because people don't sue as often here and they can keep the really cool (but dangerous) stuff. So a nice day in the sun, visiting the zoo, playing in the playground...I know that sounds immature, but don't knock it til you've try it.

What monks do with their free time

The monks have been brewing the own beer (why not?) since 1455. We ate lunch in a big beer hall in the monastery. Good stuff.

Kloster Andechs

Here we are in the church at Kloster Andechs (the monastery on the hill).

Duane and Mai

My dad's friends, Duane and Mai, led us on a hike up to a monastery. The hike was beautiful with the sunshine on the snow...wow.

at 290 meters

We went up in the Olympiaturn (Olympic Tower). It wasn't really clear enough to see the Alps (which ppl claim you can see from there). But the view of the surrounding area was cool. This is the stadium that we saw the soccer game at. They also have the world's highest rock museum in the tower. That's random.

BMW

BMW Museum. Symbol of Bavarian success in the world market.

Hofbrauhaus

Hofbrauhaus. What a party! They really do know how to imitate Oktoberfest, 365 days a year. My dad happened to be visiting during Starkbierzeit (Strong Beer Time). During Lent (ironically) the brewries all bring out their special recipes and it's strong stuff! There's nothing in the world like German beer...

Doe, a deer...

Last picture of Salzburg. In the foreground is the garden of Schloss Mirabella, which was the setting of several scenes in the Sound of Music. See the fountain in the middle? And the archway of vines on the right? Yeah, it looks a bit different in the snow.

Mozart!

Back in Salzburg, the home of Mozart. And boy will they never let you forget that! This town sure enjoys capitalizing on Mozart...it's their favorite pastime. Well, I sure do enjoy the chocolate, but I'm not the biggest fan of his music. Sorry.

Zell am See

From Salzburg we went skiing at Zell am See, one of the four million ski resorts in Austria. I didn't get any pictures up on the slops because it was snowing and visibility was horrible. It was a nice trip nonetheless and here's a picture of me standing somewhere insignificant in the town of Zell am See.

Night lights of Salzburg. 

Yet another tour

If you're aquainted with the new 'Tour' methods, you'll understand this picture. They give everyone a little hand held device so that everyone can hear the tour in their own language. It's really weird to see everyone wander around a room...the voice will say something about the floor and everyone in the room looks at it even though the room is silent. I bet these weird devices could lead a whole tour group off of a cliff without many people noticing. Well, all conspiracy theories aside, after a few tours you get used to holding the stupid thing up to your ear and it's not too bad.

Salzburg from above

Looking down on Salzburg from the fortress. It was a gray, snowy day, but the city is just too beautiful to let that get in the way.

Fire away!

Here's a picture of my dad up in the fortress. It's crazy to think how well fortified the thing was throughout history just because of it's location up on the hill. It was built in like the 700s or something and was never once taken by force.