Its been a few days

My last entry was about my first day in Germany, so it seems like I might have alot of writing to do. It seemed like a short ride from the Munich Airport to Kempten, but that is probably because I fell asleep. I only woke up a few times because of the crazy driving, man was I tired. After getting into Kempten we unloaded my bags at Sebastian's apartment. Its is a nice place, not too small, not too big. The design and set up of the city is totally different than what we know in Florida. There are not separate residential and commercial areas. In alot of the buildings the bottom floor is commercial space, and the upper floors are apartments. Sounds like a great idea as long as you are not directly above a loud bar that does not close til 5am! Since arriving here, I have got to see alot of the city, first with my host/tourguide/translator/friend Sebastian. I must say he has been very good to me so far, and for that I am so incredibly thankful. As a gift upon my arrival I brought him "6 yr old" bottle of SoCo. I figured they probably do not have that in Germany, and I was correct, but for all he has done for me already, I will have to take him out for dinner or something.

Eitherway, I am getting off topic. For the most part, to get around during the day, I have been walking, which the temperature is perfect for! It does get cold at night, but it is nothing unbearable, and if anything I would describe it as refreshing. It is especially nice to feel the cool air after being sandwiched in a club for a few hours.  Kempten is a small city, of approx. 60,000 people, but it turns out it lays claim to being the oldest city in Germany. So here are some facts about where I am at right now:

• A Greek geographer named Strabon mentions in 50 B.C. named Kambodunon. It is thought that the Celts were the original settlers
• In 15 B.C the Roman troops like they seem to have done through out history, destroyed the city.
• The city was destroyed by fire multiple times (Is that bad luck, or a bad omen?)
• In the year 747 Irish Monks were cent from the Abbey of St. Gall (in Switzerland) to evangelize the area, and with them the Kempten Abbey was built. It was the first in the entire region. With the financial support of Charlemagne's (We heard about him in middle school history class) wife the monastery became one of the most privileged monasteries in the entire Frankish empire
• Barracks from WWII that were used to house Jews before they put on a train still stand today.

That is a rundown of what I know about the history, as for what I have experienced, it has been interesting. My first day here, Sebas and I walked through part of the old town area, it was a hand laid stone street, which has not every smooth, with old buildings towering over us on both sides. Every few hundred yards or so, it seemed there was another plaza, or square type area, where it opened up greatly. It seemed most restaurants were located in these areas, with large outdoor seating areas, and some of the biggest umbrellas I have every seen. Since you can not smoke inside any restaurants or bars, the outdoor seating was especially popular with people, old and young, they all were enjoying the weather outside. If you try to enjoy an afternoon in Florida outside, you better bring a dry t-shirt cause it is fucking hot!

Again, I got off topic. When with Sebastian I have left all of my beer choices up to him, and I would estimate I have tried 7 to 8 different beers, and I truly did enjoy them all. One concoction that Sebas encouraged me to try, really did have me scared. A Hefewisen style beer, with coke... Yes you read that properly, Coca Cola mixed with beer. Sounds crazy, but when in Rome, you are to do what the Roman's do, so I tried it. It was a big shock to me that I actually liked it. Another drink that I tried was a Pilsner style beer with "Orange soda," it was light, yet very refreshing!

That briefly covers my drinking so far, as for food, that part has been alot less exciting. I am a very picky eater, but one of the things I promised myself on this trip is I would try new things. Unfortunately for me, two nights I ate dinner were at the restaurant where Sebas works. It is an italian restaurant, so I had pepperoni pizza one night, and on thrusday it is cheeseburger night, so I tried one. Needless to say, the pizza was great, the burger, not so great. It was edible, but it tasted like the ground beef used was devoid of any fat. Anyone who enjoys making burgers at home on their grill know you do not use the extra lean ground beef for that. Today for food I ate at the shopping mall, where I was picking up a cell phone. There were quite a few places there to choose from, including McDs, and much to the surprise of some of you, I did not choose the Golden Arches. I choose a place called Knolli's. It was described to me as "German" fast food. There was bits of chicken that were fried, and what appeared to be bratwurst as well. Since I had spoken to Sebas about German food earlier and it was agreed then when he had a day off we would get real German food from a relaxing sitdown type of restaurant, I choose the chicken. The chicken and fries were put into what I could only describe as a large sno-cone type holding device, and the lady squirted alot of ketchup and mayonnaise onto the top. (MAYO on fries? WTF) I went with it, and found my spot next to a few other men at the elbow high community tables in the middle of the mall, and ate. It must say it was nothing worth trying again, but it served its purpose. After eating my lunch I found a small cafe a few blocks away and sat down for a beer. The language barrier is still BIG problem for me, but I have learned to say One beer please, Good morning, and thank you. It is babysteps, but they are steps. The cafe I was sitting at was in the front corner of the square, and as I sat there, I saw three women, ranging between 65 and 80 come walking up (one was using a walker) and they sat down a few tables away. While I could not understand what they were saying, I could only imagine this was the equivalent of our grandmothers spending the afternoon at the beautyshop to get their perm. They were talking back and forth, laughing loudly and drinking carafe after carafe of wine. I figured if I am having that much  fun when I am there age, that would mean life turned out pretty damn good.

Before ending my afternoon stroll, I did stop at a grocery store. It was a scary and interesting experience! Thank god for pictures being on the packaging or I would not have been able to buy any food. As it stands I picked up some snacks, like crackers and chips just to nibble on, then I also picked up a package of what looks similar to Sabarret hot dogs, which they are not. I picked those up though because my gracious host does work alot, so I figured it was something I could cook on a stove easily for myself. Oh and the last thing I picked up was a jar of mustard. I have no idea if it is spicy or sweet mustard, or if it is even mustard, but judging by the color (it is a yellowish brown) I think I am pretty safe.  Ciao for now

Comments... ARE COOL

Comments posted are cool... so of you have been to Europe before so some advice would be nice! Thank you Chao

Hofbrauhaus

I must say the sheer size of the Hofbrauhaus was incredible. It truly was like a mecca for those who wanted to enjoy some great beer, made from some of the oldest recipes there are.


For those who have never heard of the Hofbrauhaus here are some facts about it

• founded in 1589 by the Duke of Bavaria, Wilhelm V.
• During the 30 yr war Kind Adolphus of Sweden agreed to leave the city of Munich in peace if the citizens surrendered some hostages, and 600,000 barrels of Hofbrauhaus beer
• Mozart credited the Hofbrauhaus with "fortifying" him for the task of writing the opera Idomeneo
• 1920 - Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists held their first meeting in the Festsall (festival room) on the 3rd floor.

• Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas is the first full-scale replica of the world famous beer hall in the World.

So as I sat and looked at a menu in German, I was very thankful that I had Sebastian with me. After looking over the food section of the menu, I realized I did not understand what any of it said, so I asked him what he recommended. He said I would probably enjoy the white sausage with sweet mustard. I agreed to try it, and sure enough it was very enjoyable. We sat and talked while having a few beers, and I must say if the rest of my trip is an enjoyable as that afternoon I will be very happy. One interesting thing to note, if you are every in the Hofbrauhaus, look at the ceilings. They are absolutely beautiful, and if you look closely you will still to this day find a few swastikas. As we left, Sebas said that more and more of his friends have moved to Munich from Kempten, and then one of them works not far from where we were, so we were off to visit. As we were navigating our way through streets, trying not to get hit by bicycles Sebas stopped and started at a shop on the corner, saying that another one of his friends works there. He picked up his mobile (thats was a cell phone is called) and dialed her up, and soon we were off to meet Sarah (I believe that is her name). She met us on the street, and we followed her up a few stairs and where now in a small plaza surrounded by buildings. Sebas introduced me to Sarah and her friend (whose name I do not recall) and we sat there in the sun enjoying the day. Sarah politely said to me "I am sorry my english is not very good," and I replied "That is ok, my German is not very good either. We laughed, as Sebas and her continued to have a conversation in which I could not understand a word. Soon Sarah and her friend finished their coffee, and had to return to work. I downed the rest of my beer, and we were off to find his other friend. About a block away we turned a corner into a small plaza, with restaurants  and shops. We found it! Having had one HUGE beer, and two large beers, I had to go to the restroom. Needless to say I was looking for the pictograms that us Americans are use to. This small eatery did not have any! Well I walk into the one I guess was the men's room because in the word on the door was "man" Needless to say I went into the women's bathroom. Nobody tried to enter while I was there, and no body saw me leaving so I was safe, but me and Sebas got a good laugh about it. Lesson learned, HERRON is the men's room. 

A more indepth recap of my trip over

So as I quickly posted yesterday, I made it to Germany. That is pretty much all I said because at that point I was exhausted and ready for a nap. Well that nap turned into about an 18 hr hibernation and my batteries are recharged. So before leaving Miami, my father and I stopped at a AAA office to exchange currency (I would not want to need a few euros for a beer, and only have american dollars would I). Well let me tell you this - THE EXCHANGE RATE SUCKS and AAA charges you alot to exchange money. For $200 I was given 120 Euro, which I checked xe.com to see what it should have equaled - 139 Euro. Those bastards took advantage of us. Eitherway the lesson was learned, and I am glad I had the Euros in my pocket.

Flying on an aircraft use to be a wonderful experience back in the day (so I have been told), but today it seems like a test of willpower and strength. As you strap into your narrow seat you look to those around you, your eyes saying to them "I do not want to make you uncomfortable, please do not make me uncomfortable, lets try to get through this as easy as possible." (Unless you are a high roller in first class, then you are simply wondering where your free drink is.) I did pay an added fee on my flights so I could choose my seats. I chose isle seats for both flights, and I must admit I got lucky as could be. No one sat directly next to me! Which worked out great cause as I sat in the chair, with my back pressed against it, it was very obvious that my shoulders were wider than the chairback its self.

So about 12 hours after my last cigarette, having got minimal sleep on the plan because of little kids crying (YES bring a little kid on a plane is a BAD idea) I made it to Dusseldorf, which through pretrip research I knew to have smoking lounges. Yet they had none in the international terminal. I was prepared for this, it was like a sprint to customs. Luckily for me, I had no woman, or kids, or old people to wait for, I was one of the first 4 from my flight to make it to customs. The agent sat in a booth that was elevated and as I stepped towards him I could not help but think this guy holds my trip in his hands. He is like St. Peter, or will allow or deny me entry. I was ready for a barrage of questions, and a full body cavity search, and to my disappoint I was asked only questions. What is the reason for your visit? Vacation and school sir. How long are you staying? My return flight is booked for Aug. 23rd sir. Do you have anything to declare? No sir.

With those three answers my passport lost its virginity, a 30 something year old German man stamped it hard and fast, and now I was off. Walking out of the customs area I was immediately greeted by the security checkpoint for Gate B, which just happened to be where my next flight was taking off from. An older gentleman asked if my connecting flight was at that terminal, I said yes, but I wanted to have a smoke first. He kindly pointed out there were smoking lounges inside the terminal. I was sold, and was now waiting in line patiently, when someone from there equivalent of the TSA pointed to me and told me to come to this line, that was just opening. Who would think, an airport alot closer to the home of the terrorists, and I did not have to take my shoes off. (Does the TSA take it too far?) Finally I am on my way to Terminal B, and at first glimpse of a sign that said smoking lounge (I could not remember or even try to spell what it said in German) I started following the arrows. Forward, Left, Right, and look to your right, and there it was. Now if you have every been in a smoking lounge at the Atlanta Airport, you know they are disgusting, dirty places, where even as a smoker its hard to walk into. This had a flat screen tv built into the wall that was showing fake fishes swim around, with art deco style seating areas. It was rather impressive.

Flight number two started boarding at 7:50am, and took off a few minutes early. I was very excited when told this flight would only last approx. one hour! A took a short nap and woke up as we landed. WELCOME TO MUNICH Matt!!! So I was off, following the people infront of me like we were cattle, and finally we arrived at the baggage claim. Within a few minutes bags started littering the conveyor belt. They where everywhere like Affliction T-shirts at Duffy's during a UFC pay-per-view! Out of the corner of my eye I saw the bright safety orange tape that I placed on both my bags before leaving. One bag on the car, waiting on the other. A few more seconds and up popped number 2 and I was off to see Sebastian (a friend of mine whom I met while he was an exchange student about ten years ago.), who was picking me up. We had previously discussed where we would meet, and well he was not there. No worries, I figured he had got stuck in traffic, so I got a cup of coffee and went outside to enjoy the fresh air, and have a smoke. After 40 min. had gone by, I started to get a little stressed out. Here I was in a foreign country, with no cell phone, and my ride had not shown up. The cabdrivers were eyeing me up like I was a fresh piece of meat, they were wondering who would get to strip this American of the Euros as they took the long way to whatever destination I asked them to go. Finally I decided I would have to find internet access, maybe he wrote me an email to say he was running late or HAHA I am not picking you up it was all a joke...

After trekking halfway across Munich to find a wifi spot I was able to see that he was stuck in traffic, and he would be there as soon as he could. Talk about a relief!! So I wandered back to our designated meeting spot and relaxed knowing that the plan was back on course. As I sat there I saw a black mini cooper with some sort of advertising on the side pull up, and out climbed Sebas. I was very happy to see him, but now I grew concerned my bags would not fit, afterall I had a large duffel bag, and a large hiking style backpack, plus my carry-on bag, and this was a mini-cooper. With the push of a button the back seat was laid down, my bags were in, and then I climbed into the passenger seat. Unaware of how they "drive" in europe, I was ready for a scary ride. I must admit though it was not bad, just like in Port St. Lucie you have idiots that do not know what a directional indicator is for, and just like in Orlando you have traffic. All in all it was not a bad experience.  We traveled into the heart of Munich, and let me tell you, it makes parking in Downtown Orlando look easy. We found a spot and started our trek, the goal was to find the Hofbrauhaus so I could have a true German beer. Many of my friends have spoken of their visit to the Hofbrauhaus like was a a religious pilgrimage.

We passed a many different sculptures and many old building that had wonderful architectural features, which I figured I would get pictures off on my next visit. After what seemed like a long walk, and a short subway ride we came around a corner and then I saw it.  The blue circle with HB in white, the angels started singing as I knew we found our destination.....

Mission # 1 and # 2 Accomplished

The flight over the pond was long but I made it safe, and I had my first German beer with in 2 hours of landing in Munich. Not bad for my first day. More Detail to come later, I need to take a nap

Its almost time.....

My bags are packed! and yes I bought Safety Orange Duct tape in hopes that I will be able to spot my bags quickly in the baggage claim area. 

              Regardless, of the Orange tape, I am glad I am done packing! Talk about a pain in the ass! As I laid out all of my clothes I could not help but feel bad for any woman who is trying to pack for two months! I ended up with one army duffel bag that has room to spare, and my large backpack, that is filled to the top. I think I was smart with my planning though, some of the clothes I packed are old, so as I make prepare to come home, I can leave some clothes to make room for the presents I am bringing all of you..Oh wait who am I kidding! I do hope to find some Cuban Cigars while I am over there, which unfortunately I can not bring home to share! Eitherway this post will be short! I hope everyone has a great summer, because god knows I will!