The Neues Rathaus in the Marienplatz
Last thing I remember not writing about is Schloss Nymphenburg. Ute, host-Mutti extraordinaire, and Marla took me to walk the grounds on Thursday evening. And guess what? Two super awesome things: 1) Went on the Autobahn 2) 90% sure Boris Becker, a tennis player who lives in Munich, jogged past us. Yeah. Other than that, Marla had fun running ahead and hiding behind the statues on the pleasant grounds.
One thing I learned here is that there is an ungodly amount of slugs and snails in Munich.
No, really. It's mind-blowing.
Was noch (what else)? Well another interesting animal discovery of mine is the mongoose/weasel/scary-noise-makers that populate the suburbs. Apparently one of their favorite hobbies is hiding under cars until someone walks by and then popping out or just causing all sorts of ruckus underneath said vehicle. Scared the crap out of me the first time I saw/heard one. So the next time you think you're about to be gang-banged, curb-stomped, and mugged in the Munich suburbs, chances are it's a weasel. Dastardly creatures.
Last night my temporary town, Gröbenzell (or Groby as the group calls it), had Musiknacht. The shops were open until 10, which is super late (they usually close around 7 or 9), and there were multiple venues throughout the town at which bands were performing. I began the night with Andre and Ute at a casual chic restaurant with delicious food and ran into a couple of their friends. One of the funniest things about Germany is their music taste; they love American music. The older generation especially loves older rock, and everyone knows all the words. Funnier still is that everyone pronounces the lyrics perfectly, but when it comes to an English conversation, they usually have an accent. Anyways, I got embarrassingly excited when the band started playing "Hang on, Sloopy". Even did the whole "O-H-I-O" thing.
After our dinner, our trio strolled down the street and listened to quite possibly the best non-famous band I've ever heard. They played 50's rock, and I was absolutely blown away by their prowess. Never have I experienced a band keep things so exciting and feed groove to an audience so well.
The evening soon brought us to die Hexe, a Biergarten/bar that's right next to the train station. Because of it's location, it's become rather popular with our study abroad group, and naturally I met up with them and introduced Ute and Andre. Ute bought me her favorite cocktail, an Aperol. It has some sort of Italian lacquer and a spritzer, and it was indeed quite yummy. After hanging out for a bit longer, Ute and Andre went venue-hopping, and I stayed with mah fellow Amurrcans.
Marla on her way to school, German pride aplenty
Today was my catch-up day. Had to go into downtown for homework assignments... can you believe the awful things I have to do for class? Despite my textbook's vague directions, I found my first couple stops by unexpectedly running into one of my professors :) I ended up sitting in the Alter Hof (old courtyard) for about an hour and beobachte (observing) it for a journal entry. Thereafter, I attempted to continue my book-guided tour, but naturally veered from the printed route.
During my stroll, a young man jogged across the street towards me and breathlessly babbled something about Kentucky (I had mah college sweatshirt on). I didn't understand him, so I responded in German and in return got a blank stare. Tried again in English, and that did the communication trick! Turns out, he's a law student studying at the Max-Planck Institute this summer with a group and he hails from... LEXINGTON! Bigbluenationrepresentwhadupinsertclichebroexclamationhere. Small world :)
Anyhow... I discovered that walking around a foreign city without an itinerary is divine. I feel super safe in Munich first of all. Considering how today was Sunday too, there was practically no one out and about. It was like the city had cleared out solely for me... or maybe I just smelled REALLY bad. But if you ever get a chance, I vehemently recommend you walk solo around a safe foreign city with no plans at least once in your lifetime. You find yourself in a personal conversation with your surroundings, and what you see is solely your impression. There is no interference from others's feelings or opinions, that adventure is solely yours.
Happy wanderlusting.
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