(this post has taken me multiple days to compose)
(and yes, "O, Tannenbaum" is German, although I typically hear a Christmas tree called Christbaum or Weihnachtsbaum)
It's not Christmas yet, but it feels like it's been Christmas for over a month! So what have I been up to recently? The answer: a lot. I've been to Christkindlmarkts (Christmas Markets) and birthday parties. I've baked Plätzchen, been shopping, pretended to be an Italian, and ridden in a firetruck. I've learned lots, taken everything in, and I'm here to report about my findings. Two weekends ago, I hopped on a train Saturday morning and headed down to Munich. I made it to the Hauptbahnhof (central station) and eventually navigated my way through the subway system to Marienplatz (the city square). Although, I later realized that it would have been easy to walk to because it was only two stops away... | |
Take a look at some pics below!
Being that Kali lives only 30 minutes south of Munich and often visits the city, she told me many things about the city - including something about these two statues. Apparanlty, everytime you pass one of these states, you're supposed to touch it. It you do, you'll have good luck. If you don't, well... see what the statues look like here. Late in the day, we marched up 307 winding steps to the top of Alter Peter, a church building. It was a very narrow passage and there were tons of beams and architectural details that made me feel like I was in the top of Notre Dame with Quasimodo. The view from the top was absolutely breathtaking! It was so worth hiking up there (and counting the steps on the way back down).
I ended the night by playing a board game called London Yard with my host family. This particular Saturday was called St. Nikolaus day and people celebrate by giving presents to others. There was chocolate and fuzzy socks waiting for me on my bed when I got home.
Two Thursdays ago, about 15 Italian students came to live with some of the students at my school for a week. Having the Italians here was a lot of fun! Being an exchange student as well, I was invited to many of the functions even though I'm not studying Italian! That weekend, I attended one of my friends birthday parties (not before getting lost trying to find her house). Then on Sunday, I woke up and took the bus to Passau to catch a train to Munich with my friends and the Italians. This was my sixth time in Munich! Ironically, I was the one who knew my way around the city the best, so I played tour guide for the day!
Liebe Grüße,
Lyndee