my newer blog to cover various sonic escapades:
sábado, 28 de mayo de 2011
viernes, 19 de septiembre de 2008
La Mano de Dalí
A short surrealist stop motion project, as an ode to our favorite moustached madman.
jueves, 1 de mayo de 2008
Primer Salto en Caida Libre
This entire year has been about culture, language, new experiences, and sight seeing. My last adventure was no exception to any of these things...
A group of seven thrill seekers, united to celebrate Karli's 21st birthday, headed up the Costa Brava to Empuriabrava. At the Mediterranean's edge, our group was about to enter as novices into the extreme culture of skydiving (or paracaidismo as it is referred to en Espanol).
As one can imagine, the days prior were filled with nervous thoughts of free falling and resulting sweaty palms. Stomachs turned upside down as we sat on the train and talked about our upcoming stunt. The anticipation basically felt something like an ulcer.
Despite our overwhelming fear and excitement, every one kept a cool that I had not foreseen. Moments of giddy nervousness may have briefly taken over, but eventually as I looked around and scanned faces, they all seemed collected and sure of their decision to jump. So, consequently I questioned my own.
After we paid and signed the waiver promising not to sue if we die (which I don't think is actually possible unless we get angel attorneys in heaven), numbers 3 through 6 were escorted onto the runway. Lauren, Kaitlin, Karli, and myself were on the same plane. We figured we'd also sit through the long, dreadful training session before. In that sense, we were wrong. After 5 minutes of brief explanation about positioning, the tandem divers began to enter with parachutes. I watched the girls step into the harnesses as my heart seemed to tighten with them. No sight of my fellow diver. I met the "dude" who would be taking video footage of me...and as we made small conversation about his first skydiving conquests, the tension seemed to disappear. I was absolutely ready. Of course, right when I was filled with this attitude of conviction, I still lacked a parachute and a tandem skydiver employee. The girls had already met their partners, and were in route to the plane. Antsy and confused, I finally asked someone where my two missing elements had gone too. Before I could finish my question, I felt a tap on the back. It was my instructor, arms open holding the chute. He never spoke too much, but when he did it was in broken Spanish. "Vamos!", he said, as he rushed me along the runway. "Hay que correr"
We caught up to the group, which was still slowly entering the claustrophobic space inside the plane. I was the last to fit in. A few moments later, I realized what this meant....last to get in, means first to jump out. As we flew through the clouds, I could swear I heard thunder- however, it was only the sound of my thumping heart and my alter ego yelling, "Grab on to something, and don't let go! You don't have to jump!" I ignored both, wore a smile wider than wide, and released whatever remaining cynicism was left inside.
Soon enough, the glass door lifted and cold air began to scream and howl outside the plane. My cameraman pushed himself out of the doorway, still hanging on to a bar. He looked back at me as I approached the only exit. And suddenly, we were gone. There was no climactic countdown, no warning of any sort. Only a push, and then complete clarity.
We floated toward a thick layer of clouds that prevented any initial view of the ground, 12.500 feet below. The fall was frozen- air so cold, I could neither breathe nor scream. However, it was also the most refreshing sensation of cold I'd ever had (close second goes to Zermatt snowboarding). Suddenly, we pushed through the clouds. The cameramen was falling directly below, and I watched him nonchalantly falling (evidently his job)- falling through heaven, passing our angel attorney offices which probably read something like, "Michael, Gabriel, & Raphael LLP" (If I already killed that joke, I apologize).
Soon enough, I felt the tap on my shoulder. This meant arms in, so I tucked them across my chest. A sudden jolt and another split-second of weightlessness later, the parachute had opened with success (hallelujah). We slowly glided across the sky, and over the beautiful beach scenery below. After a few seconds of controlling the chute, my guide yelled, "Tu quieres hacerlo?" One at a time, he placed my hands in the yellow straps which handled our lives. Following his directions, I would tug on one side and we would rapidly turn in that direction. Once I had enough of flying and steering, he re-assumed control. He pulled on one handle so hard, that we quickly turned around in circles parallel to the approaching ground.
He reminded me of the landing procedure, and asked if I wanted to "patinar el cesped" (skate the grass). I seconded the notion, but as we came up on the runway and he thrusted his landing gear legs forward, I had nowhere to move except....well, butt on the ground. Let's just say my landing was the roughest of the group.
Once back on earth, the adrenaline was pumping as if it were delivered through an i.v. I wanted to go again. And again. And ten thousand more times after that. Jumping out of an airplane, no matter how crazy and ridiculous it sounds, was the single most exciting moment of my life so far. Although brief, it was worth every penny and every ounce of trembling anticipation before.
So, to those of you who read this post...thankyou. I figured there are those who enjoy the story, and those who enjoy the visual documentation (and obviously, those who welcome both). So, without saying anything more, here it is....THE VIDEO....Enjoy!
THANKYOU MOM AND DAD!
A group of seven thrill seekers, united to celebrate Karli's 21st birthday, headed up the Costa Brava to Empuriabrava. At the Mediterranean's edge, our group was about to enter as novices into the extreme culture of skydiving (or paracaidismo as it is referred to en Espanol).
As one can imagine, the days prior were filled with nervous thoughts of free falling and resulting sweaty palms. Stomachs turned upside down as we sat on the train and talked about our upcoming stunt. The anticipation basically felt something like an ulcer.
Despite our overwhelming fear and excitement, every one kept a cool that I had not foreseen. Moments of giddy nervousness may have briefly taken over, but eventually as I looked around and scanned faces, they all seemed collected and sure of their decision to jump. So, consequently I questioned my own.
After we paid and signed the waiver promising not to sue if we die (which I don't think is actually possible unless we get angel attorneys in heaven), numbers 3 through 6 were escorted onto the runway. Lauren, Kaitlin, Karli, and myself were on the same plane. We figured we'd also sit through the long, dreadful training session before. In that sense, we were wrong. After 5 minutes of brief explanation about positioning, the tandem divers began to enter with parachutes. I watched the girls step into the harnesses as my heart seemed to tighten with them. No sight of my fellow diver. I met the "dude" who would be taking video footage of me...and as we made small conversation about his first skydiving conquests, the tension seemed to disappear. I was absolutely ready. Of course, right when I was filled with this attitude of conviction, I still lacked a parachute and a tandem skydiver employee. The girls had already met their partners, and were in route to the plane. Antsy and confused, I finally asked someone where my two missing elements had gone too. Before I could finish my question, I felt a tap on the back. It was my instructor, arms open holding the chute. He never spoke too much, but when he did it was in broken Spanish. "Vamos!", he said, as he rushed me along the runway. "Hay que correr"
We caught up to the group, which was still slowly entering the claustrophobic space inside the plane. I was the last to fit in. A few moments later, I realized what this meant....last to get in, means first to jump out. As we flew through the clouds, I could swear I heard thunder- however, it was only the sound of my thumping heart and my alter ego yelling, "Grab on to something, and don't let go! You don't have to jump!" I ignored both, wore a smile wider than wide, and released whatever remaining cynicism was left inside.
Soon enough, the glass door lifted and cold air began to scream and howl outside the plane. My cameraman pushed himself out of the doorway, still hanging on to a bar. He looked back at me as I approached the only exit. And suddenly, we were gone. There was no climactic countdown, no warning of any sort. Only a push, and then complete clarity.
We floated toward a thick layer of clouds that prevented any initial view of the ground, 12.500 feet below. The fall was frozen- air so cold, I could neither breathe nor scream. However, it was also the most refreshing sensation of cold I'd ever had (close second goes to Zermatt snowboarding). Suddenly, we pushed through the clouds. The cameramen was falling directly below, and I watched him nonchalantly falling (evidently his job)- falling through heaven, passing our angel attorney offices which probably read something like, "Michael, Gabriel, & Raphael LLP" (If I already killed that joke, I apologize).
Soon enough, I felt the tap on my shoulder. This meant arms in, so I tucked them across my chest. A sudden jolt and another split-second of weightlessness later, the parachute had opened with success (hallelujah). We slowly glided across the sky, and over the beautiful beach scenery below. After a few seconds of controlling the chute, my guide yelled, "Tu quieres hacerlo?" One at a time, he placed my hands in the yellow straps which handled our lives. Following his directions, I would tug on one side and we would rapidly turn in that direction. Once I had enough of flying and steering, he re-assumed control. He pulled on one handle so hard, that we quickly turned around in circles parallel to the approaching ground.
He reminded me of the landing procedure, and asked if I wanted to "patinar el cesped" (skate the grass). I seconded the notion, but as we came up on the runway and he thrusted his landing gear legs forward, I had nowhere to move except....well, butt on the ground. Let's just say my landing was the roughest of the group.
Once back on earth, the adrenaline was pumping as if it were delivered through an i.v. I wanted to go again. And again. And ten thousand more times after that. Jumping out of an airplane, no matter how crazy and ridiculous it sounds, was the single most exciting moment of my life so far. Although brief, it was worth every penny and every ounce of trembling anticipation before.
So, to those of you who read this post...thankyou. I figured there are those who enjoy the story, and those who enjoy the visual documentation (and obviously, those who welcome both). So, without saying anything more, here it is....THE VIDEO....Enjoy!
THANKYOU MOM AND DAD!
domingo, 30 de marzo de 2008
12 days, 3 countries, 4 cities, 2 people- Spring Break!
Hola a todos,
This post is dedicated to my last adventures in
Budapest, Hungary,
Vienna and Salzburg, Austria,
and Munich, Germany.
For the sake of organization, I'll stick to a chronological overview of the entire trip- complete with a ton of videos and pictures taken along the way!
But first, allow me to make a sort of introduction. As Karli and I tried to make our spring break plans, any flight going anywhere was ridiculously overpriced. We waited too long to plan it, and every round trip flight during Semana Santa was a lot of mula. However, after some time of investigating, we found the two cheapest flights possible- flying to Budapest, and returning from Munich. After closely examining a map of Central Europe, I discovered the perfect linear connection between these four cities. So, with the help of the wonderful train systems, what started as a spontaneous mess, developed into one of the most incredible viajes de mi vida: 12 days, 3 countries, 4 cities, 2 people...Spring Break!
So let us begin with Budapest, Hungary
I have to admit, the main attraction for me to travel here was a Clickair in-flight magazine article. It showed a few pictures of the thermal baths and old men playing chess in heated pools. It was definitely intriguing. So that, along with the great wisdom my sister attained through her stay in Budapest ("try the paprika chips"), were the only real expectations I had. Although we did find the baths, and I even got my own picture of old men playing chess (I'll show it later), the city had so much more to offer than just this picture and a bag of chips- which Emily: I have to say, weren't even all too impressive. Sorry, but they tasted like bland barbecue chips. Anywho...
We arrived in Buda by Taxi from the airport. Our hostel (Budabase) is situated along the Danube, across from the city center in Pest. We were dropped off at number 16, as the hostel's directions advised. However, there was no sign hanging, no indication of just where the hostel was at. Instead, we were greeted outside with a smile, by a man named Gabor. He took us inside, and sure enough...a hostel existed in this random, unmarked building. Soon though, Gabor turns to us and says, "Alright, private double room, let me just grab my keys"
Karli and I curiously follow him to an old yellow VW parked in front. We throw in our bags, and he begins driving into the city. As we pass buidlings and plazas, he throws out information: "This street is a UNESCO World Heritage Site", or "This is the second oldest metro system in the world".
Quite the tour guide. But before too long, he stops in front of an apartment building. We then discover that the double-room at Budabase is in fact Gabor's old apartment. Karli and I had a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen, pool table....much more than we needed, but...it was neat since we were living there in Pest, on our own, in a building with locals.
Our apartment was in close proximity to Heroe's Square, and the giant park behind. While these two places are great sights to see, it is a bit of a walk to the city center. Needles to say, Karli and I did our share of walking in Budapest (and Austria and Germany for that matter).
The first day was a lucky one. Turns out, we decided to visit at the perfect time: Hungarian National Day. As we walked throughout the city from each sight to the next (Parliament Buidling, Liberty Monument, Royal Palace, Synagogue, etc.) the streets were crowded with Hungarians waving flags, children participating in history activites, dancers, singing, food. OH the food! The video will do a fair job of portraying the Hungarian yummies, but allow me to say this: I love goulash.
Here are some of the folk dancers we came across: (check out the video for mas accion!)
Men dressed in traditional military attire
Large crowd of National Hungarian Day celebrators
In front of the synagogue (Europe's largest, and the world's 2nd largest)
Another highlight I'll explain apart from the video is the thermal bath experience. The Szechenyi Baths are located in the main park, in an enormous facility built in 1913. You pay for a day entrance, and if you leave early you are returned a certain amount of forents.
After paying and entering through the key-checker, we were assigned a changing room where we left all of our clothes, etc. Next, we headed into the indoor baths. These are all medicinal- each pool containing different elements, and at varying temperatures as well. Since we were not experts on the science of healing ourselves in medicinal water, we searched for the outdoor exit. After making a pit stop at the sauna, we finally found a way out to the pools - what I had been searching for. Sure enough, two sides of old men in the water, crowded around chess boards. Beautiful heated pools, surrounded by a yellow-painted courtyard. This place was fantastic!
Karli y yo above the outdoor heated pools
The old men playing chess!
The indoor, medicinal baths filled with locals
The next days consisted of exploring the city and all that Gabor had recommended doing. Buda and Pest are beautiful, yet theres this "dis-charm" about it as well, that makes the experience all the more exciting. The communist era only ended in 1990, and I'd say its effects are still resonating. Apart from streets lined with historical monuments and old decadent houses now turned to embassies, there exists a perfect level of grunge- not too much to the point where it negatively effects the trip at all, but just enough to make things interesting.
Here, however, are some more pics that show off Budapest's architectural and aesthetic beauty:
The parliament building at sunset, que lindo
Heroe's Square, on a cloudy day
A rather dark memorial: shoes along the danube, recalling
the victims executed and thrown in the Danube during WWII.
View of Parliament through the arches at the "Church Castle".
One of three or four bridges connecting Buda and Pest.
The "castle church"
The basilica, which I kept referring to as the Basalisk (must still have Harry Potter on the mind. Damn that seventh book was a ride!)
I had such a new and exciting time in Budapest. The people were open
to sharing their language and culture (so long as they understood us in our attempts to learn), the food was outstanding, and despite the cold weather...it was gorgeous.
This is where I will leave the video feature for this portion of the trip. Its in two pieces, and it should give you all a rough idea of our adventures during those three days. Enjoy!
"Oy oy oy oy, My Hungarian Baby"
So, we caught a train at the Keleti-Pu station. After figuring out some slight problems (we sat in 1st class unknowingly) we were on our way to the next stop....Vienna, Austria.
The train ride was filled with picturesque glimpses of Hungarian and Austrian farmland. We'd pass small villages that surround a single church, with an onion-shaped clock-tower. Green rolling hills, lines of trees stripped of leaves, and streams running alongside the tracks.
Much of the time was also passed by playing Karli and Adam's favorite card game (which is now most likely our least favorite game): Rummy 500. Please note however, that we did not limit the winnng point-amount to 500 pts. No no, we kept a running tally throughout the entire trip- the winner to be decided upon landing in BCN at the close of the adventure.
So, after a good amount of Rummy as well as Karli's chicken curry leftovers, we arrived to the Westbanhof train station in Austria.
Karli and I struggled to pinpoint our location on the city map so we could find our hostel. So, Karli took to asking a passer-by for help. After confusing and frustrating a kind young sir in the middle of delivering cartons of beverages, we came to find that our hostel (HappyHostel) was less than two blocks from where we stood. We had a good laugh as we walked across the street and into, literally the happiest hostel I have come across so far.
That night, we were rather exhausted from travelling- we had some chinese food, and watched some CNN (the savior amongst dozens of channels filled with german-dubbed programming) before going to bed.
The next morning our goal was to tackle the main event: the Schloss Schonbrunn Palace. Our dear friend Alex had advised us that this is definitely the essential "to-do" in Vienna, so we had no intention of missing it.
Before walking through the palace gates, we passed sphinx statues protecting the complex.
The clouds that morning were epic. Dark and forceful, they reminded me of "The Nothing" from the Neverending Story. Anyways, we entered the grounds and found out where to buy entry tickets.
We chose the ticket that allowed us almost full entry around the complex. We were able to walk through all of the 50 rooms inside the palace. While no cameras were allowed, I must confess I was a bit sneaky; you see, they rent out the audio-guides for the interior portion of the facility, so...I held up my "flip" camera (what I've been making these travel videos on) to my ear as if it were a guide. Then I pressed record. Its a bit shaky, but...at least I captured a tiny bit! Watch the Vienna video below for some of that action.
The rooms were covered in gold, the walls filled with intricate designs. It was a little tough squeezing through the various tour groups, but....at least whenever we passed a group being spoken to en Espanol, we could make our way through whispering, "Perdona", or algo asi.
After seeing all of the rooms, we approached the back yard of the palace: an enormous park and gardens facility. On top of the hill overlooking the palace is a pavilion called the "Gloriette". Once we took sight of that, we walked up the hill seeking a nice panorama shot, for our ticket allowed us entrance to the top of the pavilion.
Sphinx outside the palace , keeping a close eye out for enemies
The palace below "The Nothing" clouds...epic, huh?
"The Gloriette" sits in the light, on top of the hill
A shot of the Schonnbrunn Palace from behind
On top of the Gloriette, looking down
The Gloriette, and its reflecting pool
Another shot facing down the hill towards the palace.
We descended from the Gloriette and sought out the other activities alotted to us through our ticket. One such activity was a labyrinth- like any other time I've participated in a hedge maze, I entered carefree only to soon be separated from my partner. Luckily, someone standing on the platform in the center of the maze gave me a few tips. Karli, unfortunately, received no such help. As soon as she finally made it through, we checked out a nearby playground that had funny mirrors, and crazy-cool contraptions for digging and transporting sand. Then, we headed back to the front of the palace, and ate some goodies being sold in a little market place.
Karli lost in the labyrinth, haha
A front courtyard wall, with clouds reflecting
Yummy pastries!
Mmm....pretzels...
Obelisk with clouds, as we left the Schonbrunn palace
The palace had taken most of the day but we definitely still had time to eat. For dinner, we had asked HappyHostel for a recommendation. The front-desk attendee responded with another question: "Well, are you American?" We replied, "Yes", so she felt obligated to tell us about a restaurant/bar one block over that is operated by an American.
We decided to go, and we were very pleased with the result. Gary is from the Bay Area in California, and the restaurant was decorated with maps of California, posters, newspaper clippings. This guy was quite the character. We were hardly ever able to get in a word as he was always yappin' on about this or that: "Oh you study in Barcelona? Oh well, I got a sister who used to do some driving up and down there, from uh...what's it called Zaragoza, all the way down to..."
Don't get me wrong though - he was very entertaining.
We also had two drunk Austrians sitted nearby our table, who could not shut up about my big hair or my girlfriend, Karli. So, as far as entertainment goes, we were set. Then, when it comes to food...awesome. I had a good and greasy schnitzel, stuffed with bacon, cheese, and garlic. Karli had some sort of scrambled egg thing, but I was too pleased with my dish to really notice the details.
I threw a couple clips from our dinner into the video, including our apricot schnapps shots (on the house, because one of the drunkees- a regular- sat himself at our table for a while).
The next day we walked around allowing our city map to guide us from one sight to the next. While some of buildings were historically significant and the shopping streets were clean and friendly- I must admit that I wasn't as impressed with Vienna as I had thought I would be (Bear in mind, this is coming from the mouth of someone who does not particularly enjoy museums). It was beautiful, and a nice return from Hungarian grunge to European commercialism, but...it was, in my opinion, not the most stunning of places we visited over all.
The Viennese Boys Chorus school building
One of several Museums lining the main strasse.
Sunset silhouette
...but more importantly, Salzburg is one of the main shooting locations for our favorite, 1965 musical- The Sound of Music.
So, as we walked to our hostel (most likely THE only hostel in Salzburg), we checked out the scenery and the hills- particularly, to see if they were really alive or not...after confirming that, yes infact, the hills are alive with the sound of music, Karli and I booked a Sound of Music tour at the front desk of our hostel. Our tour was the next morning, so we explored the city that afternoon:
Our tour company's "Sound of Music cow"
View of Salzburg from the Fortress above
Can you see the hills?
Mirabell Gardens- also used in the film- fortress up above
Mozart's Casa
Cathedral
Fountain, with fortress above
We then drove to a nearby castle where the glass gazebo from the film had been transported. I have no pictures because people kept taking pictures with it and I could not get a good shot, but- it is in the video so, look out.
After the gazebo we drove by the real Von Trapp villa, and the road where Julie sings about confidence, but we couldn't; we were headed an hour or so outside of salzburg, through the countryside covered in snow, to a small town called Mondsee. It was in this village where the wedding scene took place. So, the group unloaded in Mondsee, checked out the church, and then sought out places to eat lunch. Karli and I had some Goulash and apfel strudel with warm vanilla sauce, and aslo had my personal favorite beer of the entire trip: Stiegl, brewed in Salzburg.
The marriage scene happens at this bright yellow church in Mondsee
This is the monastery of nuns used in the movie
We had no idea the time, but this dwarf garden is used in a part where the
children are learning the "Do re mi" song.
According to Karli, "Theatinerkirche"
Church and trees lining the river that shapes the city center
I've been told that people surf against the current, on this dammed section of the river
The Rathaus-Glockenspiel, in the center of Marienplatz- the heart of Munich
Also, the church that has dancing figurines at certain special hours of the day:
(see video for more glockenspiel action)
Finally, we found the bridge.
And we got the great shot of the castle we needed!
We were also given a beautiful view of Swan Lake from the trail.
A main pedestrian street in Fussen
At the train station, waiting to return to Munich.
Entrance to camp: "Work brings freedom"
The central memorial
These trees line the road where prisoners walked back and forth every day,
from their bunks to roll call. It was here during that walk where they
were able to communicate with eachother. They called it, "The Spirit of the Road"
A church near our hotel. This was taken in the large open dirt area where
tents are set up during the Oktoberfest festivities.
Also taken in that park.
The Glockenspiel from St. Peter's Church tower
I should say, that while this place is huge and full of crazy people, the waiters were not very friendly, and all the crazy people are drunk tourists. Also, I do not think that the Hofbrau bier really compares to the Augustiner. Still, we had a good time catching up with everyone's stories while listening to live German oompa music- mainly tuba and trumpet.
"Prost! ein toast!"
We managed to find Karli a Munich patch (she had been collecting them from each city we visited, but because so many shops had been closed throughout our stay in Munich, we hadn't found anything). That lifted her spirits a bit. I suggested we take the U-Train (the subway), back into the city. We passed the BMW museum while following signs to the Metro.
The train only created more confusion because their subway system is poorly labeled for easy foreigner access. Once we were finally sure in which direction to go, Karli was up for one more tourist site: the Nymphenburg Palace.
It was another long walk, this time up along the side of an immense water -way, built for this palace. It surround the palace, and stretches for about 3/4 of a mile in front of it.
Behind the palace walls is a gigantic park, which holds Munich's botanical gardens, and several other buildings including a small village that operates the water-flow:
After exploring a little longer, we took our final pictures in the backyard, before catching a trolly back to the main station.
Nymphenburg Palace backyard:
We returned to the room for a quick rest, watched some MTV in English (Tila Tequila if you really must know), and soon left for a drink, and then dinner. We decided to try out another Augustiner establishment, this place the site of the official Augustiner Bier garden. It was too cold to sit outisde in the Garden, so we had a couple of biers inside. We reviewed the long and intense journey we had been on, talked about our favorite moments, and finished our big liter biers.
The Augustiner restaurant and bier garden
This post is dedicated to my last adventures in
Budapest, Hungary,
Vienna and Salzburg, Austria,
and Munich, Germany.
For the sake of organization, I'll stick to a chronological overview of the entire trip- complete with a ton of videos and pictures taken along the way!
But first, allow me to make a sort of introduction. As Karli and I tried to make our spring break plans, any flight going anywhere was ridiculously overpriced. We waited too long to plan it, and every round trip flight during Semana Santa was a lot of mula. However, after some time of investigating, we found the two cheapest flights possible- flying to Budapest, and returning from Munich. After closely examining a map of Central Europe, I discovered the perfect linear connection between these four cities. So, with the help of the wonderful train systems, what started as a spontaneous mess, developed into one of the most incredible viajes de mi vida: 12 days, 3 countries, 4 cities, 2 people...Spring Break!
So let us begin with Budapest, Hungary
I have to admit, the main attraction for me to travel here was a Clickair in-flight magazine article. It showed a few pictures of the thermal baths and old men playing chess in heated pools. It was definitely intriguing. So that, along with the great wisdom my sister attained through her stay in Budapest ("try the paprika chips"), were the only real expectations I had. Although we did find the baths, and I even got my own picture of old men playing chess (I'll show it later), the city had so much more to offer than just this picture and a bag of chips- which Emily: I have to say, weren't even all too impressive. Sorry, but they tasted like bland barbecue chips. Anywho...We arrived in Buda by Taxi from the airport. Our hostel (Budabase) is situated along the Danube, across from the city center in Pest. We were dropped off at number 16, as the hostel's directions advised. However, there was no sign hanging, no indication of just where the hostel was at. Instead, we were greeted outside with a smile, by a man named Gabor. He took us inside, and sure enough...a hostel existed in this random, unmarked building. Soon though, Gabor turns to us and says, "Alright, private double room, let me just grab my keys"
Karli and I curiously follow him to an old yellow VW parked in front. We throw in our bags, and he begins driving into the city. As we pass buidlings and plazas, he throws out information: "This street is a UNESCO World Heritage Site", or "This is the second oldest metro system in the world".
Quite the tour guide. But before too long, he stops in front of an apartment building. We then discover that the double-room at Budabase is in fact Gabor's old apartment. Karli and I had a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen, pool table....much more than we needed, but...it was neat since we were living there in Pest, on our own, in a building with locals.
Our apartment was in close proximity to Heroe's Square, and the giant park behind. While these two places are great sights to see, it is a bit of a walk to the city center. Needles to say, Karli and I did our share of walking in Budapest (and Austria and Germany for that matter).
The first day was a lucky one. Turns out, we decided to visit at the perfect time: Hungarian National Day. As we walked throughout the city from each sight to the next (Parliament Buidling, Liberty Monument, Royal Palace, Synagogue, etc.) the streets were crowded with Hungarians waving flags, children participating in history activites, dancers, singing, food. OH the food! The video will do a fair job of portraying the Hungarian yummies, but allow me to say this: I love goulash.
Here are some of the folk dancers we came across: (check out the video for mas accion!)
Men dressed in traditional military attire
Large crowd of National Hungarian Day celebrators
In front of the synagogue (Europe's largest, and the world's 2nd largest)Another highlight I'll explain apart from the video is the thermal bath experience. The Szechenyi Baths are located in the main park, in an enormous facility built in 1913. You pay for a day entrance, and if you leave early you are returned a certain amount of forents.
After paying and entering through the key-checker, we were assigned a changing room where we left all of our clothes, etc. Next, we headed into the indoor baths. These are all medicinal- each pool containing different elements, and at varying temperatures as well. Since we were not experts on the science of healing ourselves in medicinal water, we searched for the outdoor exit. After making a pit stop at the sauna, we finally found a way out to the pools - what I had been searching for. Sure enough, two sides of old men in the water, crowded around chess boards. Beautiful heated pools, surrounded by a yellow-painted courtyard. This place was fantastic!
Karli y yo above the outdoor heated pools
The old men playing chess!
The indoor, medicinal baths filled with localsThe next days consisted of exploring the city and all that Gabor had recommended doing. Buda and Pest are beautiful, yet theres this "dis-charm" about it as well, that makes the experience all the more exciting. The communist era only ended in 1990, and I'd say its effects are still resonating. Apart from streets lined with historical monuments and old decadent houses now turned to embassies, there exists a perfect level of grunge- not too much to the point where it negatively effects the trip at all, but just enough to make things interesting.
Here, however, are some more pics that show off Budapest's architectural and aesthetic beauty:
The parliament building at sunset, que lindo
Heroe's Square, on a cloudy day
A rather dark memorial: shoes along the danube, recallingthe victims executed and thrown in the Danube during WWII.
View of Parliament through the arches at the "Church Castle".
One of three or four bridges connecting Buda and Pest.
The "castle church"
The basilica, which I kept referring to as the Basalisk (must still have Harry Potter on the mind. Damn that seventh book was a ride!)
I had such a new and exciting time in Budapest. The people were opento sharing their language and culture (so long as they understood us in our attempts to learn), the food was outstanding, and despite the cold weather...it was gorgeous.
This is where I will leave the video feature for this portion of the trip. Its in two pieces, and it should give you all a rough idea of our adventures during those three days. Enjoy!
"Oy oy oy oy, My Hungarian Baby"
Part 1
Part 2
So, we caught a train at the Keleti-Pu station. After figuring out some slight problems (we sat in 1st class unknowingly) we were on our way to the next stop....Vienna, Austria.
The train ride was filled with picturesque glimpses of Hungarian and Austrian farmland. We'd pass small villages that surround a single church, with an onion-shaped clock-tower. Green rolling hills, lines of trees stripped of leaves, and streams running alongside the tracks. Much of the time was also passed by playing Karli and Adam's favorite card game (which is now most likely our least favorite game): Rummy 500. Please note however, that we did not limit the winnng point-amount to 500 pts. No no, we kept a running tally throughout the entire trip- the winner to be decided upon landing in BCN at the close of the adventure.
So, after a good amount of Rummy as well as Karli's chicken curry leftovers, we arrived to the Westbanhof train station in Austria.
Karli and I struggled to pinpoint our location on the city map so we could find our hostel. So, Karli took to asking a passer-by for help. After confusing and frustrating a kind young sir in the middle of delivering cartons of beverages, we came to find that our hostel (HappyHostel) was less than two blocks from where we stood. We had a good laugh as we walked across the street and into, literally the happiest hostel I have come across so far.
That night, we were rather exhausted from travelling- we had some chinese food, and watched some CNN (the savior amongst dozens of channels filled with german-dubbed programming) before going to bed.
The next morning our goal was to tackle the main event: the Schloss Schonbrunn Palace. Our dear friend Alex had advised us that this is definitely the essential "to-do" in Vienna, so we had no intention of missing it.
Before walking through the palace gates, we passed sphinx statues protecting the complex.
The clouds that morning were epic. Dark and forceful, they reminded me of "The Nothing" from the Neverending Story. Anyways, we entered the grounds and found out where to buy entry tickets.
We chose the ticket that allowed us almost full entry around the complex. We were able to walk through all of the 50 rooms inside the palace. While no cameras were allowed, I must confess I was a bit sneaky; you see, they rent out the audio-guides for the interior portion of the facility, so...I held up my "flip" camera (what I've been making these travel videos on) to my ear as if it were a guide. Then I pressed record. Its a bit shaky, but...at least I captured a tiny bit! Watch the Vienna video below for some of that action.
The rooms were covered in gold, the walls filled with intricate designs. It was a little tough squeezing through the various tour groups, but....at least whenever we passed a group being spoken to en Espanol, we could make our way through whispering, "Perdona", or algo asi.
After seeing all of the rooms, we approached the back yard of the palace: an enormous park and gardens facility. On top of the hill overlooking the palace is a pavilion called the "Gloriette". Once we took sight of that, we walked up the hill seeking a nice panorama shot, for our ticket allowed us entrance to the top of the pavilion.
Sphinx outside the palace , keeping a close eye out for enemies
The palace below "The Nothing" clouds...epic, huh?
"The Gloriette" sits in the light, on top of the hill
A shot of the Schonnbrunn Palace from behind
On top of the Gloriette, looking down
The Gloriette, and its reflecting pool
Another shot facing down the hill towards the palace.We descended from the Gloriette and sought out the other activities alotted to us through our ticket. One such activity was a labyrinth- like any other time I've participated in a hedge maze, I entered carefree only to soon be separated from my partner. Luckily, someone standing on the platform in the center of the maze gave me a few tips. Karli, unfortunately, received no such help. As soon as she finally made it through, we checked out a nearby playground that had funny mirrors, and crazy-cool contraptions for digging and transporting sand. Then, we headed back to the front of the palace, and ate some goodies being sold in a little market place.
Karli lost in the labyrinth, haha
A front courtyard wall, with clouds reflecting
Yummy pastries!
Mmm....pretzels...
Obelisk with clouds, as we left the Schonbrunn palaceThe palace had taken most of the day but we definitely still had time to eat. For dinner, we had asked HappyHostel for a recommendation. The front-desk attendee responded with another question: "Well, are you American?" We replied, "Yes", so she felt obligated to tell us about a restaurant/bar one block over that is operated by an American.
We decided to go, and we were very pleased with the result. Gary is from the Bay Area in California, and the restaurant was decorated with maps of California, posters, newspaper clippings. This guy was quite the character. We were hardly ever able to get in a word as he was always yappin' on about this or that: "Oh you study in Barcelona? Oh well, I got a sister who used to do some driving up and down there, from uh...what's it called Zaragoza, all the way down to..."
Don't get me wrong though - he was very entertaining.
We also had two drunk Austrians sitted nearby our table, who could not shut up about my big hair or my girlfriend, Karli. So, as far as entertainment goes, we were set. Then, when it comes to food...awesome. I had a good and greasy schnitzel, stuffed with bacon, cheese, and garlic. Karli had some sort of scrambled egg thing, but I was too pleased with my dish to really notice the details.
I threw a couple clips from our dinner into the video, including our apricot schnapps shots (on the house, because one of the drunkees- a regular- sat himself at our table for a while).
The next day we walked around allowing our city map to guide us from one sight to the next. While some of buildings were historically significant and the shopping streets were clean and friendly- I must admit that I wasn't as impressed with Vienna as I had thought I would be (Bear in mind, this is coming from the mouth of someone who does not particularly enjoy museums). It was beautiful, and a nice return from Hungarian grunge to European commercialism, but...it was, in my opinion, not the most stunning of places we visited over all.
The Viennese Boys Chorus school building
One of several Museums lining the main strasse.
Sunset silhouetteAnd here is the video for this portion of the trip:
The next morning, Karli and I bought train tickets to Salzburg and left before noon. After a couple of hours, we arrived at our destination.
Now I'm sure that most of you reading are already familiar with Salzburg's importance. Its the birthplace of Mozart...
Now I'm sure that most of you reading are already familiar with Salzburg's importance. Its the birthplace of Mozart...
...but more importantly, Salzburg is one of the main shooting locations for our favorite, 1965 musical- The Sound of Music.So, as we walked to our hostel (most likely THE only hostel in Salzburg), we checked out the scenery and the hills- particularly, to see if they were really alive or not...after confirming that, yes infact, the hills are alive with the sound of music, Karli and I booked a Sound of Music tour at the front desk of our hostel. Our tour was the next morning, so we explored the city that afternoon:
Our tour company's "Sound of Music cow"
View of Salzburg from the Fortress above
Can you see the hills?
Mirabell Gardens- also used in the film- fortress up above
Mozart's Casa
Cathedral
Fountain, with fortress above So, let us now move on to the tour. We booked the Original Sound of Music tour with Panorama tours. I'll let you know right now, its a little bit of a rip off but, hey it was cool. Here we are next to our bus:
First we drove around the lake region that surrounds Salzburg. It was here that they used the lake and backyard of the building across the way for exterior shots of the Von Trapp villa. These days it is used as a seminar and event center:
We then drove to a nearby castle where the glass gazebo from the film had been transported. I have no pictures because people kept taking pictures with it and I could not get a good shot, but- it is in the video so, look out.
After the gazebo we drove by the real Von Trapp villa, and the road where Julie sings about confidence, but we couldn't; we were headed an hour or so outside of salzburg, through the countryside covered in snow, to a small town called Mondsee. It was in this village where the wedding scene took place. So, the group unloaded in Mondsee, checked out the church, and then sought out places to eat lunch. Karli and I had some Goulash and apfel strudel with warm vanilla sauce, and aslo had my personal favorite beer of the entire trip: Stiegl, brewed in Salzburg.
The marriage scene happens at this bright yellow church in Mondsee
This is the monastery of nuns used in the movie
We had no idea the time, but this dwarf garden is used in a part where thechildren are learning the "Do re mi" song.
As soon as we arrived back to our Hostel from our tour, we were literally stuck. The snow had begun to fall fast, and hard. I suppose we could have become extreme travelers and gutted it out, but there really wasn't much more to see. So, we played some cards, watched some Austrian TV with fellow hostel occupants, and then had dinner. Our hostel also actually had a pretty fun bar.
This is where I shall post the video for Salzburg:
The next morning we bought our tickets and set off for Munich. Salzburg was a tough location to leave- I'd never seen anything like it. Aside from the annoying tourist side of this town, it is so simple, and so majestic. We were so fortunate to see the vibrant green hills our first day, and the snow covered scenery the next. So, as we looked out the train windows watching Austria pass by and Germany entering the frame, the Sound of Music still rang in our ears.
That sound was quickly replaced by oompa music, however. Welcome to Munich, the capital of Bavaria, Germany:
The most time of our trip was scheduled here in Germany: 4 full days.
We didn't have as much luck with Munich as in Budapest. There was no National Day scheduled while we were there, although strong beer season (6-9%) began a few days prior. We arrived on good friday, a holiday; the following monday was also a day off, so for 50% of our stay in Munich, shops and businesses were deserted. Luckily, the restaurants kept their doors open.
When we found our hotel, the room had not yet been prepared. So, we left our bags and sought out a recommendation from the consierge for lunch. The tip was to eat at the Augustiner Brewery. We were warned we would see many signs and restaurants sharing the name "Augustiner", for it is a popular and widely-produced bier. However, we followed his directions and eventually discovered the legitimate brewery- the oldest in Munich, beginning in 1328 with monks brewing beer in the monastery. The atmosphere at this beer house was ecstatic and full of friendly, drunk people. The classic "sitting with others at a long shared table" layout really put us in the middle of the madness. We tried the most popular bier, and had an amazing lunch- Karli, some traditional bratwurst with sauerkraut,
and myself, a large onion beefsteak with spatzl. I felt stuffed after eating that enormous piece of beef, but I proved only an amateur to a neighboring overweight German who guzzled three liters of bier, and a funnel cake, covered in ice cream, the size of my head .
Once we got a glimpe of how real Germans handle their beer and food, we checked out our room before doing a little sight seeing- meaning, we walked all around Munich until our legs throbbed and ached.
This is where I shall post the video for Salzburg:
The next morning we bought our tickets and set off for Munich. Salzburg was a tough location to leave- I'd never seen anything like it. Aside from the annoying tourist side of this town, it is so simple, and so majestic. We were so fortunate to see the vibrant green hills our first day, and the snow covered scenery the next. So, as we looked out the train windows watching Austria pass by and Germany entering the frame, the Sound of Music still rang in our ears.
That sound was quickly replaced by oompa music, however. Welcome to Munich, the capital of Bavaria, Germany:
The most time of our trip was scheduled here in Germany: 4 full days.We didn't have as much luck with Munich as in Budapest. There was no National Day scheduled while we were there, although strong beer season (6-9%) began a few days prior. We arrived on good friday, a holiday; the following monday was also a day off, so for 50% of our stay in Munich, shops and businesses were deserted. Luckily, the restaurants kept their doors open.
When we found our hotel, the room had not yet been prepared. So, we left our bags and sought out a recommendation from the consierge for lunch. The tip was to eat at the Augustiner Brewery. We were warned we would see many signs and restaurants sharing the name "Augustiner", for it is a popular and widely-produced bier. However, we followed his directions and eventually discovered the legitimate brewery- the oldest in Munich, beginning in 1328 with monks brewing beer in the monastery. The atmosphere at this beer house was ecstatic and full of friendly, drunk people. The classic "sitting with others at a long shared table" layout really put us in the middle of the madness. We tried the most popular bier, and had an amazing lunch- Karli, some traditional bratwurst with sauerkraut,
and myself, a large onion beefsteak with spatzl. I felt stuffed after eating that enormous piece of beef, but I proved only an amateur to a neighboring overweight German who guzzled three liters of bier, and a funnel cake, covered in ice cream, the size of my head .Once we got a glimpe of how real Germans handle their beer and food, we checked out our room before doing a little sight seeing- meaning, we walked all around Munich until our legs throbbed and ached.
According to Karli, "Theatinerkirche"
Church and trees lining the river that shapes the city center
I've been told that people surf against the current, on this dammed section of the river
The Rathaus-Glockenspiel, in the center of Marienplatz- the heart of MunichAlso, the church that has dancing figurines at certain special hours of the day:
(see video for more glockenspiel action)
And now, for my personal highlight...
A common day trip out of Munich for tourists is the Neuschwanstein Castle, at the base of the Bavarian Alps. I'm sure you have all at one point seen the castle- it was the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle, and the hallmark logo that still exists today. The castle was built by King Ludwig the II. It sits above a small town named Fussen.
We had been saving this trip for the days we would be together with our friends Derek and Leila (they would arrive in Munich after a couple of days). However, paying attention to the weather, Karli and I decided that we should go to Fussen when the weather seems best.
The next morning, the sun was out and few clouds dared to challenge it. It had been decided: we were going the Sleeping Beauty's residence...
So Karli and I went to the train station, bought a ticket to Fussen, which is about a two hour journey. The train ticket system within the state of Bavaria is a little different than what I'm accustomed to. The "Bayern ticket", which is the cheapest and most common way of travelling to places outside the city zones, is purchased and is then good for up to 5 people. So, travelling with two people was unfortunately less economical. Still, the train ride was without a doubt the most beautiful. We were pulled through wide open grass plains, covered in snow, but peeking through as the snow melted from the sun. Soon, the Alps came into view, towering over the simple, flat farmland below.
A common day trip out of Munich for tourists is the Neuschwanstein Castle, at the base of the Bavarian Alps. I'm sure you have all at one point seen the castle- it was the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle, and the hallmark logo that still exists today. The castle was built by King Ludwig the II. It sits above a small town named Fussen.
We had been saving this trip for the days we would be together with our friends Derek and Leila (they would arrive in Munich after a couple of days). However, paying attention to the weather, Karli and I decided that we should go to Fussen when the weather seems best.
The next morning, the sun was out and few clouds dared to challenge it. It had been decided: we were going the Sleeping Beauty's residence...
So Karli and I went to the train station, bought a ticket to Fussen, which is about a two hour journey. The train ticket system within the state of Bavaria is a little different than what I'm accustomed to. The "Bayern ticket", which is the cheapest and most common way of travelling to places outside the city zones, is purchased and is then good for up to 5 people. So, travelling with two people was unfortunately less economical. Still, the train ride was without a doubt the most beautiful. We were pulled through wide open grass plains, covered in snow, but peeking through as the snow melted from the sun. Soon, the Alps came into view, towering over the simple, flat farmland below.
Once we arrived in Fussen, we found a bus shuttle going directly to the base of the castle; this wasn't difficult because the train was filled with tourists. We just nonchalantly followed the flow (plus we had found "Day-Trip to Neuschwanstein for Dummies" online at discovermunich.net). Before we knew it, the shuttle dropped us off at the foot of the mountains. We could just make out the shape of the "New Swan Stone Castle" (as it is translated) , up above on a hill.
Directly across from it: a different, vibrant yellow castle:
Again, according to Karli's infinite wisdom of sight names:
Again, according to Karli's infinite wisdom of sight names:Schloss Hohenschwangau, "Castle of the High Swan Country"
We walked along a paved road covered in ice and poop (there's an option of paying 5 euros to take a horse-drawn carriage up to the house. All this does is make it stinky for the hikers). We finally made it to the top, where sat the fairy-tale fantasy castle. In order to enter for a tour, tickets must be purchased in the tourist center below. However, our tour of Schonbrunn Palace had shown us what royal glitz and glamour was all about, so we opted out of the castle tour.
Instead, while we were hanging out inside the front courtyard by these steps:
We saw in the distance, a small metal bridge suspended above a waterfall gorge. We saw people on the bridge and instantly, we knew we had to get there:
We walked back down the paved road we had used to arrive at the castle. Just before the road turns in to the small town below, we saw a path in the snow turning off of the road to the left. The path was covered in dozens of footprints, all leading straight into the forest. Karli and I got excited at the idea of a hike in the snow, plus we still needed a good picture of the castle. As we walked up, we passed under arches of trees, carrying heavy loads of fresh snow. Some of that snow was thrown at me, once we came upon a group of three German boys who had planned an attack (see video) 
The snow covered path to the bridge.
The snow covered path to the bridge.
Finally, we found the bridge.
And we got the great shot of the castle we needed!
We were also given a beautiful view of Swan Lake from the trail.We hiked back down, and took the shuttle returning to Fussen. We had a nice lunch there, walked around a bit, before heading home. The two hour train ride would permit a small amount of napping...
A main pedestrian street in Fussen
At the train station, waiting to return to Munich. The following morning, the trip took on a different mood. We decided on visiting Dachau- Germany's first concentration camp. Its about a 10 minute train ride outside of Munich. As soon as we stepped down from the train I had a strange reaction to the place we were in. Karli and I didn't speak much as we rode a shuttle crowded with tourists, to the actual site of the camp. Once on the camp grounds, an emotionally challenging experience followed.
I don't need to go into too many details, besides the fact that I am glad I went. Honestly, I was a little afraid to add this to our itinerary. I wasn't sure how I would react. But once I was there, I completely understood my purpose in being there. For a moment I was literally nauseas from the sight of dozens of tourists, some of them still able to carry smiles while walking around this ugly place.
However, just behind the Crematorium- which was where all feelings became overwhelming and reached their climax- a small memorial and burial site of ashes carried a plaque. Welded on the plaque is the verse that I have heard over and over again...at hebrew school, in temple, at the Holocaust Museums in D.C. and Israel...
"Never Forget, Never Again"
This assuaged all nausea and doubts about being there, and made the experience much more meaningful.
I don't need to go into too many details, besides the fact that I am glad I went. Honestly, I was a little afraid to add this to our itinerary. I wasn't sure how I would react. But once I was there, I completely understood my purpose in being there. For a moment I was literally nauseas from the sight of dozens of tourists, some of them still able to carry smiles while walking around this ugly place.
However, just behind the Crematorium- which was where all feelings became overwhelming and reached their climax- a small memorial and burial site of ashes carried a plaque. Welded on the plaque is the verse that I have heard over and over again...at hebrew school, in temple, at the Holocaust Museums in D.C. and Israel...
"Never Forget, Never Again"
This assuaged all nausea and doubts about being there, and made the experience much more meaningful.
Entrance to camp: "Work brings freedom"
The central memorial
These trees line the road where prisoners walked back and forth every day,
from their bunks to roll call. It was here during that walk where they
were able to communicate with eachother. They called it, "The Spirit of the Road"
We finished our visit, set a stone down at a memorial, and headed back into the city. Unfortunately the depressing circumstances of that trip did not wear off for a few hours. We had some lunch, and explored some new territory. Our friends were scheduled to arrive sometime that afternoon. So, we figured we could track down the location of their hostel and the area surrounding it.
A church near our hotel. This was taken in the large open dirt area wheretents are set up during the Oktoberfest festivities.
Also taken in that park.Once we located their hostel, we thought we would surprise them at the train station (it had been 10 days or so since any contact outside the two of us). No luck finding them, so we headed back into the city center to get another view. This time we chose a bird's eye view; we noticed tourists at the top of a church tower, so...we walked up hundred of stairs inside an old, narrow monk passage until we were given a complete 360 view of Munich below us.
The Glockenspiel from St. Peter's Church towerLater that evening, our friends did eventually arrive in Munich- at around 9:00 p.m. We had saved one of the main tourist attractions to do together, so...as soon as we met up with them, we made our way over to Munich's largest brewery: the Hofbrauhaus.
I should say, that while this place is huge and full of crazy people, the waiters were not very friendly, and all the crazy people are drunk tourists. Also, I do not think that the Hofbrau bier really compares to the Augustiner. Still, we had a good time catching up with everyone's stories while listening to live German oompa music- mainly tuba and trumpet.
"Prost! ein toast!"After telling Derek and Leila about our experience in Fussen and at the castle, they decided that they would spend their one free day in Munich to see Neuschwanstein. This left us to ourselves for our final day. I really wanted to see the Olympic Park. Unfortunately, the day I decided to walk us outside the city for 4 or 5 km, Karli's feet ached nonstop. I felt bad, but we had one day left, and I still wanted to see the area. It proved succesful; the olympic area is designed with futuristic-buildings surrounding a lake and grassy hills. Joggers and dog-walkers casually passed the giant space needle as I couldn't look away from it:
We managed to find Karli a Munich patch (she had been collecting them from each city we visited, but because so many shops had been closed throughout our stay in Munich, we hadn't found anything). That lifted her spirits a bit. I suggested we take the U-Train (the subway), back into the city. We passed the BMW museum while following signs to the Metro.
The train only created more confusion because their subway system is poorly labeled for easy foreigner access. Once we were finally sure in which direction to go, Karli was up for one more tourist site: the Nymphenburg Palace.
It was another long walk, this time up along the side of an immense water -way, built for this palace. It surround the palace, and stretches for about 3/4 of a mile in front of it.
Behind the palace walls is a gigantic park, which holds Munich's botanical gardens, and several other buildings including a small village that operates the water-flow:
After exploring a little longer, we took our final pictures in the backyard, before catching a trolly back to the main station.
Nymphenburg Palace backyard:
We returned to the room for a quick rest, watched some MTV in English (Tila Tequila if you really must know), and soon left for a drink, and then dinner. We decided to try out another Augustiner establishment, this place the site of the official Augustiner Bier garden. It was too cold to sit outisde in the Garden, so we had a couple of biers inside. We reviewed the long and intense journey we had been on, talked about our favorite moments, and finished our big liter biers.
The Augustiner restaurant and bier gardenThe sun began to set, and we had not yet received word from our friends. 
We assumed they were still in route back from Fussen, so we decided to spend the last night together...at our favorite bier hall: the oldest one from our first day in Munich. We found our way back there, ordered some dinner and beer, and made some friends: two guys from Munich that gave us a lesson in Bavarian counting, and another couple who studies in Spain (Bilbao and San Sebastian) and was traveling in Germany. We all had a good time eating, talking, and drinking, but soon we left to go to bed.
We assumed they were still in route back from Fussen, so we decided to spend the last night together...at our favorite bier hall: the oldest one from our first day in Munich. We found our way back there, ordered some dinner and beer, and made some friends: two guys from Munich that gave us a lesson in Bavarian counting, and another couple who studies in Spain (Bilbao and San Sebastian) and was traveling in Germany. We all had a good time eating, talking, and drinking, but soon we left to go to bed.
Our German friends. Can't remember their names...I wonder why...
oh well, we exchanged email addresses. I think.
oh well, we exchanged email addresses. I think.
The next day was our last. We had a few hours to kill in between check-out time at the hotel, and when we needed to be at the airport. So, we had some bagels (a rare opportunity, since we live in Spain) and sat at an internet cafe for a while. Then, sadly, we left Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, and Budapest behind.
Here is the Final Leg video for Munich:
This was an awesome and epic two weeks of my life (as I'm sure reading this blog post has been). I want to thank my parents: this was an amazing experience that you supported. I only hope that I've been able to share that experience as well as I can.
Here is the Final Leg video for Munich:
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