Munich Day Two

Life is so much better without jetlag. It is so much better without jetlag. I cannot reiterate it enough.

We woke up this morning about 7:15-- well, we'd been woken up a few times that night due to rowdy-ness-- but this is a hostel, and in Munchen. But we slept very well (went to bed at 8-- we were laaaaamoes). We got up, had breakfast, and then met our tourguide for the morning, Alle. She took us aaaaall over Munchen, and we saw der Alten Botanischen Garten (the old Botanical Gardens), the hotel where all the Middle Eastern royalty stay when they visit Munchen, she explained the Gates to us (the city middle used to be enclosed), the city hall where the glockenspiel plays every noon (which commemorates the story of King Wilhelm's marriage to Renata), St. Paul's Kirche, several different palaces, the old and new Palaces of Justice, the Parisian and English gardens (with the beergarten in the middle of it), the Operhaus (and the story of the water above the stage), etc. etc. We walked for three hours!

We had lunch in Viktualienmarkt, which is the huge market thing right off the main drag of Munchen. I had eine bretzel grosse und ein apfel I'd stolen from breakfast that morning. The pretzel was huuuuuuge! It was also delicious.

After lunch, we went to the Deutches Museum. It was actually interesting. Our tour guide, Bruno, was fantastic, and we saw old engines and turbines and the pendulum and the electricity show (I have some awesome video from that-- sehr laut!) and old airplanes and space stuff...The tour was almost three hours long. Our feet were killing us at this point; I hope Bruno didn't think he was boring us, the way we pounced on every opportunity to sit down. Ahh, it felt good to sit down!

Near the end of the tour, Phoebe skipped out, because we were supposed to find our way back to the hostel ourselves, in time for interviews which would decide where we stayed in Salzburg. A few of us had signed up for 16:00, and we were on our way out the door, Bruno still explaining stuff, at 15:40 because we didn't think to keep track of the time. We literally ran across the city, Allie being our wonderful navigator, and we still arrived about twenty minutes late. Things I Learned in Munchen Number 4: When you have to be somewhere, leave half an hour before you would usually leave, as it's farther than you think. In any case, Phoebe wasn't mad we were late. Had interviews, and then Julia and I went on an adventure to find a notebook. We didn't. Oh, well.

Back to the hostel, we sat around for a bit until we got too hungry to wait, and then we went to the pizza place right up the road. I had marghartia pizza, and water, and then we went to the Hauptbahnhof (Main Train Station) for some gelato (I had Schokolade-- nom nom! And the guy who served us was very nice, auch.). Then Memory and I went back to the hostel before 20:00 because we got a free drink in the hostel bar during happy hour. We both had rotwein, and met this guy named George who had actually mooched off our tour in the Deutches Museum earlier in the day. He was here on vacation because he'd come off a round-the-world work tour thing. We talked for a bit, and then I escaped and came up here to my room to write this. I am exhausted. Walking hurts!

We've got to be up early tomorrow: ready by 7:30-ish, ick. We're going to see this very famous car company, and then we're heading to Nuremberg. Tonight, I will organize my stuff, and then watch Pocahontas. As you can see, I'm really living it up in Munchen: watching a movie and organizing. Well, give me a few days. I lost the cap for my deodorant somehow. I can't wait to get to Salzburg, because I am so disorganized. I know, I know: "You're so disorganized anyway, Sarah!" There's disorganized, and then there's disorganized and living out of little bags. Difference? I think so.

Pictures not coming until Salzburg, as usual. I have some awesome video of the electricity show at the Deutches Museum. I can't wait to share it with you. Anyway, Guten Abend!