Willkommen in München ~ Welcome to Munich

If you missed the previous story, I invite you to read it Germany is on the way to Spain...you'll see! ;) 

Still at the airport, a quick stop for coffee, a snack and a little visit to the information desk (information desks have become a must in my traveling world...even if just to acquire a map).  Phoned the Bed and Breakfast (Garden House B), as they requested to let them know of our arrival and that we would be there within the next 2 hours.  Easily followed the signs to the train station, just downstairs, where every 20 minutes an S-Bahn train departs.

We caught the train to the centre and followed the metro directions as instructed (S8 then to S4 - red line, off at *Trudering).  I'm not sure why so many escalators were out of order in the underground, but it was like every other set lol, and taking millions of stairs with 150 pounds of baggage...well, it sucks. lol. I can't say enough kind words about all the people who assisted with my second suitcase (people were extremely helpful and friendly and I graciously and gratefully accepted their offer of help).

We exited the metro and continued to pull our bags for about 20 minutes on the cobblestone sidewalks.  The air felt refreshing and very 'Autumn-like', even the leaves on the trees were starting to change colour.  Streets were lined with cars tightly parked along the curb and all the buildings we passed seemed to want to tell us their story; their architect, design, landscape ... fit for an historical tale, each and every one of them. Straight for 3 streets, then left, follow along Trudering until you reach it, it'll be on the right.  AHHH the gates :) ..I thought my arms and shoulders were going to snap off my body in protest lol (detest of luggage continues).

Hayon, (the gentlemen who coordinates guests at the B&B, he may have even been the owner?), met us at the front and informed us that he had upgraded our stay.  We would no longer be sharing the rooms, bathroom and kitchen of this B&B but that he was escorting us to our 1 bedroom private apartment. Now our accommodations would have: a kitchen, a balcony, places to sit, eat and unpack; all ours, and at no additional charge. WOOHOOO!!  And, and, he was going to drive us there - -bonus!  :)

It was closer to the metro and on the direct line for Oktoberfest.  A beer warehouse was across the street and the supermarket was only a five-minute walk away. We had an oven (mmm pizza lol), decorative lights, wardrobes to put our stuff in, WiFi (not fast, but free nonetheless), a couch, table/chairs, a balcony, a washer, shower...it was clean and quaint.  Perfect place to hang our hats for the week, even in the absence of television and a music playing device lol (not even a radio...whatevs, how much time would we actually spend there?! hehe).

Early evening had arrived and we set out to get our bearings.  Explore, gather eats and drinks, we returned with hands full of shopping bags and a plan to rest up and start early in the morning.  ...somehow, just like all other times we reunite, 'early night' means 'early morning' lol and by the time old friends catch up, create the start of new memories and enjoy a few laughs it's bedtime at the time we'd said we would be waking up haha. Just after 1pm, we began our adventures...it was nice to walk to the metro and not feel like a donkey (hauling all that luggage).

When visiting any city, one should always check out the City Centre, the hub of activity, structures and people. In Munich, this place was metro stop Marienplatz and as we were lifted to the surface via a working escalator, the sights above ground surely didn't disappoint.  And so the Adventures of Germany commence :)

...  let's sit on the subway for a little bit longer before we head to Oktoberfest, Marienplatz, Allianz Area, Olympiapark, Englische Garten, the market at Viktualienmarkt and Ostbahnhof (the night club area of Munich).

To review all the stories, including this one related to Spain - An Extended Adventure (click here).  For ALL the vicarious vacations shared so far, your Adventure Map awaits (click here).  Please leave your comments, your stories, your travel advice etc. in the section below (comments or reaction section) and give your answer to the weekly survey (top right of the blog page). No sign up necessary, just a simple click :) A little shy?! Why not send me an email instead: holidayheidi@hotmail.ca

~Holiday Heidi

Germany is on the way to Spain ...you'll see ;)

If you missed the previous story, I invite you to read it Packing? What Packing?!
_________

Sitting at the kitchen counter, on a stool, staring out the window on a winters day... *dreaming* ... which in my head means to determine where will I venture to and how will I get there (goal making). ;) "If I move to Spain ... when I move to Spain... that will make "Europe", in all of its entirety, very close"...wheels in my head start turning.  If I am in Spain then I could visit Ireland, Holland, Germany, France and maybe one other place in the Middle East or near India or Asia or ?

A travelers heart never rests ... "must have a countdown".  So, long before the passport application, I had an itinerary, or at least an 'idea' of where I'd like to visit once in Europe. One day in early 2013, I took out a pen and paper and sketched 'the plan'.  

This plan involved festivals or events that one reads about and thinks "one day I'd like to go there just for that".  On that list was Oktoberfest, St Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas/New Years and a Tulip Festival and each followed by a country and a city to match the annual dates.  If I could figure out the timeline, then I could visit Munich during the 2013 Oktoberfest etc etc.

A 16 day festival, referred to as, "the beer drinkers Mecca". Imagine 14 tents (tents that are actually large roofed buildings), filled with people from all over the world, laughter, singing and dancing. A place where 10 Euros gets you a mug of beer, and due to rules of what can be served during Oktoberfest, you know that it's at least 6% alcohol per volume (as sited by Wikipedia). Plus food, delicious German food, available upon request and all the carnival rides and games, to which no one would have time in one single day to test them all. Where do you even start? There's 42 acres of activity there...all you need to remember is to get out of the metro at Therienwiese stop.

So I found my seat sale and purchased a one way ticket for Munich Germany.  Oktoberfest here I come!  :) As the date for departure drew near, two of my girlfriends made vacation plans to join me for the first two weeks. First stop ... Germany.  About 3 weeks before departure the girls asked me where we'd be staying ... *pause*    ... "staying? ... I haven't had time to book anything yet"  LOL  So without further ado, I began the search.

Apparently waiting last minute to find a place to lay your head at one of the largest events in the world, proves not only lacking choice in proximity, but also a little hefty on the wallet.  With some intense searching, our place had been found: Garden House alltherooms.com in the Trudering area of Munich. I was happy to find a place that would accommodate three of us in one room and within a subway ride to "the" event.  It seemed perfect online, but wait till I tell you what happened upon arrival (it got better, WAY better and way more perfect).

Then came the booking of flights. Maybe some of you can relate to this  ...since my ticket had been purchased forever before, Connie and Stephanie needed to have theirs. Of course, due to availability and location, we were unable to schedule the same flight. The plan then became, trying to find flights that would arrive at the airport within relatively close proximity of time, but all flights needed to arrive at the very least, on the same day. BAM!  Within a few days, everything worked out.  First, I would arrive, then Connie and finally Stephanie.  

The Munich Airport, Franz Josef Strauss, is the 12th busiest airport in the world.  In 2012, it saw just over 38 million passengers pass through (as sited by Wikipedia).  There are two terminals (both the size of large shopping centers) with a massive outdoor, roof-covered courtyard to separate them.  Failing to gather flight numbers for both my friends (seriously, what was I thinking?), I searched the arrival boards of both terminals frequently (back, forth, back, forth etc. lol).  The time lapse between flights was only 1.5 hours total between all three flights...the terminals were huge ... and have I told you yet about my detest for my luggage?? haha.  ...

Luggage.  Dear Luggage...or Damn Luggage?  ;)  Limited to bring on this international flight; only 2 suitcases, one carry-on and a personal handbag, I somehow managed to pack for this 8 month adventure within the weight restrictions (only 23 kg per bag) ... impressive, especially if you've ever witnessed my packing for a weekend or a one week vacation!  I am historically the "Queen of over packing" haha.

My sister often says "less is more" I think that she been practicing reminding me of this for so many years, just so that when I finally left for this adventure, she could hear me utter "you're right...less is more"!  Lugging "all that stuff" across two terminals at this airport, let alone treking across two European countries thereafter...Sister, 'you were right' hahaha.  This wasn't exactly what I would put on the list of "fun things to do" ;)

Two things to be thankful for:  (1) WiFi at airports (which in Munich is only available for free for the first 30 minutes...tricky if you're trying to connect with your friends who will arrive about 60 minutes between flights lol) and (2) McDonalds (those golden arches are international symbols that are so recognizable, you can say 'let's meet at McD's' and friends know where to go).

I met Connie at her gate, she then logged into WiFi and messaged Stephanie.  We weren't sure which terminal she'd be landing in, so just stated that either terminal she arrived in, just to walk toward the other one lol.  Between Terminal 1 and 2 you could spot the golden arches, nearly 1/2 way between the two in the courtyard.  By 2:30 pm Connie was hugging Stephanie for the first time (never had they met before) and I was in my glory having arrived in Germany with two of my awesome girlfriends.  ~life is good~  WE HAVE ARRIVED!!

Late afternoon now, I think it's time we take a little pause in our adventures for today.  There's a large list of incredible things to experience in Munich (well before we get to Oktoberfest).  In the next installment of First, Let's Go To Germany 2013, entitled Willkommen in München ~ Welcome to Munich we'll leave the airport, get settled into our amazing accommodations, visit areas like Allianz Arena, Marienplatz, Englische Garten etc.

And if there's time, we'll stop by Oktoberfest for a little look-see and a beverage.  Since most of you, 89% of you who answered the weekly survey question, haven't been to Oktoberfest (in Germany or elsewhere)...let me take you there!! :)

To review all the stories, including this one related to Spain - An Extended Adventure (click here).  For ALL the vicarious vacations shared so far, your Adventure Map awaits (click here).  Please leave your comments, your stories, your travel advice etc. in the section below (comments or reaction section) and give your answer to the weekly survey (top right of the blog page). No sign up necessary, just a simple click :) A little shy?! Why not send me an email instead: holidayheidi@hotmail.ca

~Holiday Heidi

Packing? What Packing? ;)

It might have seemed from the outside that I worked every spare minute I had this past summer ... but the truth is, I was too busy having fun to even notice the 'hours of scheduled time'.  It was awesome (aside from one or two things .. but again, everything happens for a reason).  Camping, concerts, hang time with pals, flights to see my best friend (plus the extended family), hiking a mountain, family time, dancing, BBQ's, strolls etc. I packed it all in :)

Come the end of August, emotions were high (no time for lows now lol). Friends, family...family, friends...work, road trips...road trips, work (you get the idea).  Seems like a blur (and a very long time ago) now.  What an incredible time...such an array of emotions with every event and day that passed.

In amongst all this, there was the preparing and the packing.  Yes ... the packing. Back in March I had the opportunity to sort and purge my things in a moving/relocating effort.  It was at this time I had to decide what I would need for however long I decided to live with my best friend, what I might need should I move to Europe, what seasons and special occasions were coming up etc.  By the end of that exercise, I had only a room full of my belongings ...the rest was gifted, went to goodwill or in the trash and of course the bulk of it went into bins and found their way to storage.

Fast forward to September.  Still crossing things off my bucket list of adventures I had wanted to complete while at home before departure, plus living and doing the daily stuff, combined with the details of this upcoming new and exciting chapter. Oh, and the send-off festivities, those were amazing, all while trying not to forget details or things or events, plus tidying up the loose ends at work and spending the most important time with the family. AHHH :)  Imagine for one second ... a basketball being spun on one finger ... yep.

There are a few faces and events absent in this photo.
Memories just the same and loved / missed equally ... thank you friends!

**Thanking my friends for an incredible summer. Appreciate the room and storage, the hang time, chats and love/support...and the fun!  Can't describe the collection of good people that fill my world and my heart.  A life like no other...a send off like no other.  Beyond grateful and I miss and love all of you.

If ever I could put into words the emotional feelings that swept over me that entire month, I'd describe it as if I were standing unprotected on a desert dune with those billions of sand particles (representing every emotion you can imagine) on a wind-gusting kind of day. Some pieces of sand were profound, significant, some small, at times there were just a few, sometimes they were felt simultaneous ... on and on (it was incredible).  All the while, what remained the same, was that my heart was filled with excitement and I was very content in the choice(s) I had made.

Dolan's Irish Pub - Send off Festivities

*thanks for naming a martini in my honour!  :) "Heidi's Bebida del fiesta"  aka:  "Heidi-Ho" haha

It was about three weeks before departure when I had learned that two of my girlfriends would join me for the first two weeks of this adventure (talk about excited).  So with no time to plan, a bit of planning started to occur.  Flights were coordinated, although all separate, we would arrived in Munich within two hours of each other. I then found us a place to put our heads for the week while celebrating Oktoberfest and after that ... well, we'd figure out Spain after we arrived in Germany lol.

What I did know:  I had a one way ticket to Germany, paperwork ready to arrive in Spain, I had my room packed up and fit what I thought I would need for at least the next 8 months into my new luggage (thank you, perfect gifts); two suitcases and a wheeled backpack. Consideration of the seasons, the weather, the other travel destinations I might like to explore etc. All this went into coordinating exactly what I would fill these bags with (23kg or less).  CRAZY.  I had two of the bestest to join me, a charged camera, a cell phone that was unlocked and a nice hostel for us to stay in Munich. One week till go time.  ... I said good-bye to the City and headed home to the country to visit my family.

To most, the unplanned plans of this adventure would have driven them crazy.  But I still had that feeling that I was headed to where I was supposed to be.  With many hugs, high fives, a few tears ... I boarded the plane. I sat numb for at least an hour, just weeping and smiling (all good).  A short layover led to a bit of hang time with my Girlie Lyanne and then the flight across the Atlantic commenced; this being the only 'real' sleep I had gotten in well over two months lol.  Finally, nearly 24 hours from departure, I touched down first and paced between Munich's two terminals awaiting the arrival of my friends.   Come on!!  :) ... Terminal 1 ... Terminal 2 ... back to Terminal 1!  Why, oh why, did I not write down their flight numbers??

The next post entitled "Oktoberfest 2013" will start the tales of the European Adventure and the memorable two weeks spent with two of my very best friends.

Share your comments, your stories, your travel advice etc. in the section below (comments or reaction section) and give your answer to the weekly survey (top right of the blog page).  No sign up necessary, just a simple click :)  A little shy?!  Why not send me an email instead: holidayheidi@hotmail.ca

~Holiday Heidi