Munich and home

So I arrived in Munich with a little under 5 hours to see the city. I made a detour (2 1/2 hours) just so I could experience the Bavarian capital. I was expecting pretzels, sausage, and BEER.... and that’s what I got - with a little surprise.

I know it was 60 years ago, but it kept nagging at me that Munich was the birthplace for the National Socialist movement - otherwise known as the Nazi party. It was a hotbed for right-wing activity and I don’t know - it bothered me a little. However, the Munich I saw was not the Munich of the 1940’s. It was bombed 71 times by the allies and rebuilt as a new city afterwards. I guess that gave me solace that it was not the Munich of 1933 I was looking at.

I made my way over to the main square where there was TONS of activity... tons of people walking around, shopping, including my FAVORITE store in the world. The APPLE STORE! It opened last year as the first in Germany. I was very excited and bought an iPhone case just because I needed to buy something from my first international store. Of course I made friends with a few specialists - and like McDonald’s, it looked like any other Apple Store. The place was packed, so I was super inspired.

I decided my Munich trip could be complete with a visit to the Apple Store (sic), but should see other things. I went over to the cathedral and a smaller church. Walked up the top of the steps to throngs of people. Munich was SO crowded today... I left the top of the clock tower quickly because I was claustrophobic. Went to a market, bough a pretzel and then... it...was...time... for... Hoftbräuhaus! Talk about throngs of people - like a million people were there drinking beer, having a good time. Since I was alone, I slipped into a table with people at it. One liter of beer I ordered - like everyone else, including the 16 year old girl next to me. It was delicious. I also ordered weißwürste on the direction of my new Bavarian friends I met in Vienna (see other blog). It was good, except someone had told me it was made of cow eyeballs and lips, etc... I ignored it and ate it anyway -- I mean there has never been a sausage I didn’t like. It was ok - rubbery and white... but the BEER.. delicious.

Then, an elderly couple and his sister sit down next to me. They order a liter as well and the man was wearing leiderhosen. Found out one of them was from the states and we got to talking about everything from Munich to world history. It was nice to meet them.. They urged me to enjoy another beer (NOT a liter this time)... by the end of my chat, I was 2 1/2 sheets to the wind and time to go to the station.

Now, I’m riding a long journey from Munich to Prague (6 hours). It’s amazing how when you cross the border, a lot immediately changes -the architecture, the language, the train conductors, the food.. I’d like to go back in time to see how these borders with absolutely no natural barriers were able to create such a cultural divide. Not just how they talk, but even the way people are. I found the Czechs, Austrians, and Germans all strikingly different... they way they dressed, their mannerisms, and the vibes of their respective cities.

It’s Saturday night and thinking I had a hell of a time in Europe. I got to do a ton of things, accomplished a dream by going skiing in the Alps, relaxed, SLEPT, had a chance to reflect, and now am energized to get back to Mexico City... and back to work.

Skiing the Austrian Dream

I always envisioned what it would be like to ski the Alps... Log Chalets on the sides of the mountain... beautiful tall blonde women with expensive ski wear... Large gondolas going from peak to peak... steep rocky peaks that natives master.. Yes, that’s how I pictured skiing in the alps.

Well, 75% of what I envisioned was true. I got off the train about 9:00 PM and walked through a quaint village with small shops and taverns lining the way. NO Panera bread, NO starbucks, NO TGI Fridays. I don’t think the people there would tolerate it. I walked a bit further into town and saw my hotel, literally 200 feet from the slopes. It was exactly what I wanted. The accommodations were minimal: no phone, clock, or couch. There was a bed, a shower, a toilet, and internet. But even better, I could see the mountain right from my window.

I asked the front desk where the best place for dinner/ drinks were after hours, and she directed me to the little Mexican joint down the street.. I thought no I can’t do that - I promised to stay away from Mexican, but decided to anyway because I think it was the only place that was open. Of course it was completely different than what we eat in Mexico (Burrito Stroganoff??).. so I was ok with it. I started talking to a doctor who told me all his stories of death and injury on the slopes, which totally made me feel great about skiing the next day.

At 8:00 AM the next morning, I headed off to the slopes. Filled myself up with a breakfast dominated by what else - PORK, got my ski rentals and lift ticket. It was much much cheaper than my previous trip to Lake Tahoe ($120 instead of $275 in Tahoe). Up the hill on a gondola that made two stops - I was ready to ski.


My observations: the trails are more groomed... Europeans don’t like snowy trails. All the slopes were blue (red in Europe) - intermediate. If you were learning to ski, this terrain would not be right for you - and only two black trails. There were four mountains to ski on - all run by separate companies but skiable on one pass. That was pretty cool - especially the journey from one mountain to the other on easy flat trails.
There were over a dozen different places to eat and drink on the mountain, all run by what seemed to be separate families. Some of the restaurants were smack in the middle of a trail and others at the base or peak of the mountain, like you’d see in the US. That was pretty cool -stop for a beer mid trail at so many different stops. Now I DON’T condone drinking and skiing, but I did have a beer each day at one of these taverns (everyone else was doing it!) -- and believe it or not, my skiing improved dramatically right after the beer (or at least I thought it did).

Being a ski country (and very successful in the olympics), Austrians were naturals.. There wasn’t one person on the mountain struggling with skiing. Children of all shapes and sizes were burning me on the difficult slopes. The view was amazing - the Alps were breathtaking. It was the final week of the ski season, so conditions weren’t the best on the first day. The slopes were slushy and icy at some parts, especially by the base of the mountain. On the first night, it snowed... so day 2 was ski heaven for part of the day. When its 40 degrees outside, it doesn’t help sustain the snowy conditions.

The nightlife was ok - I don’t think I made it out to see the apres-ski in action... I was told by a local that it doesn’t start until 10-11 PM, but with my mission to relax and sleep... that was not in the cards. The night of day 2, I sampled something called Kaisershmeer...
I was told a number of times to try it, so in my last night in Austria, I would have to. It was good - french toast with applesauce... nothing to write in my blog about (er), but I enjoyed it. The Austrian soup with veal I ate on the mountain was much, much better.

Well... I’m now on the train to Munich. I decided to stop there on my long journey to Prague. Never been there before, so I thought I’d check it out. I have a five hour layover, so will have to do as much as possible. I hear its a big city, so it may be a bit difficult. We’ll see!

The hills are alive in Salzburg

I had about five hours to explore the birthplace of Mozart and the setting of The Sound of Music. The movie was actually filmed in Salzburg, so I’d be able to place what I saw in the movie in real life... My destination was the Salzburg Fortress, the home of Archbishops for 10 centuries. I locked up my bags in a locker (which later would be problematic) and headed to the city. The area was as majestic as I thought it would be. Spires, domed basilicas, and mansions graced the skyline. A river ran through the center, dividing the city into new and old. There was a town square filled with carts and grass as green as I’ve ever seen it. I walked down the streets, passing a few pubs along the way when I ended up in my first and only Sound of Music scene... where Uncle Max ran into Herr Heller and the children to ask where Capt. Von Trapp was.


Anyway, I made it up the cable car to the fortress where we were were greeted with an incredible view of the Austrian Alps.. I then toured the fortress, the state rooms where the archbishops had guests and some museum stuff. I was walking through history, except it got disrupted by a group of 250 marching band students from Shaker, Ohio, who were touring at the same time. Yeah - I know I used to be one of these kids, but it was annoying... I got over it, finished the tour and walked back through the town..


A few hours later, it was time to leave-- I looked for my ticket to retrieve my backpack, but WHOOPS - I couldn’t find the damn thing. Had to call security, they had to open a few lockers and thank god they were able to retrieve it before my train left. Now, I am on a 1 hour and 45 minute journey to Schladming for a ski adventure in the alps. While I’m typing, I’m glancing out of the window to take a peek of the amazing scenery outside the window.. Snow capped mountains, winding train tracks through tunnels, passing small Austrian villages over babbling brooks. I’m pinching myself as we speak. The train broke down for half an hour, but I think we’re on our way again.. hoping to arrive at my hotel in the mountain village at 8:30 PM. I can’t wait to hit the slopes tomorrow!

Wien and Wine

At 9:00 AM the next morning, we were on our way through Austria to my next destination, Salzburg. Everyone was feeling surprisingly good after a night with a bit of the local drink. On our way, we’d have to make a stop at a winery to buy a few bottles for their parents for Easter.

About an hour into the drive, we turn off the road and make our journey to this winery. We get to this tiny village covered in green grass and cobblestone streets. It was out of a storybook. We arrived at the winery housed in a structure built in the 15th century.. It was amazing. The wine dude must have been lonely or something, because he gave us this impromptu talk (in German, so I didn’t understand a thing) about the history of the winery and some other things (I had no idea what they were saying). I had to purchase a bottle because it was sooo cool that I was in the middle of nowhere in Austria at a winery - one of those moments I don’t think I’ll ever forget. I felt like I was in some kind of european movie that takes place the countryside - it was THAT picturesque.

So what was a few bottles turned out to be 8 CASES of wine being delivered to our car. I asked them how long it would last - they laughed and said as they thought it would be a year, it often lasts only 6 months and they have to make another run to this village to pick it up. I love Europeans and their ability to enjoy the good life - good wine, good talk, good friends. I wish we were more like that in the US.

We were again on our way and talked the entire hour and a half that was left in the journey. I learned that people from Bavaria distance themselves from the rest of Germany and think they’re an entirely different race! We talked about our stereotypes of both cultures and enjoyed a few laughs. We ended up in Salzburg around 1 PM. We exchanged numbers with a possibility that I would join them again in their town (about an hour from Munich in Bavaria) on Saturday.

An excellent Viennese Adventure

After a few days spending time with my friend and his wife, I was ready to begin adventuring on my own. I love spending time with people you know and are close with, but you get to meet so many new people by being solo.. also they wanted to go to McDonald’s and I was NOT having that!

So I left for a small bar down the street from the hotel that I had passed a few times before. It looked lively and quintessentially Viennese - exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to have a big glass of beer, a local delicacy, and have a great rest before leaving to Salzburg the next day. What was going to happen at that restaurant was not what I had ordered for the evening.

I was catching up with my parents on the way when I was sat down at a table next to two English speakers. After I finished the call, I leaned over and asked where they were from... Vancouver! We got to talking and also brought in a German couple at the next table. We drank more, they kept buying shots, and well, you can imagine how the night ended.

The couple from Vancouver were quite dysfunctional - around 40-45 years old, she was a fitness instructor (stunning!) and he a very wealthy contractor. I think he got lonely or something and flew her out to meet him in Vienna after he spent two weeks in Prague and Venice solo (he was bragging about the girls he ‘met’ while he was there). After like an hour, she started bad-mouthing him to us and later we found out that he was doing the same (I noted to the German couple that I was pleased they were from Vancouver and not Americans!). Anyways, we all went back to my hotel and had drinks at the bar when we were met by a group of rowdy Greeks -- young and old. It was 1:00 AM when I was dancing some kind of Greek dance with someone’s grandmother. We were singing, dancing, laughing about the dysfunctional Canuks - a perfect way to end a great two days in Vienna. I found out that the German couple was leaving at 9:00 AM the next day and passing through Salzburg, my next stop. They invited me to drive with them - and I was psyched to save 40 euros.

Palacio Hierro :)

The next day, we woke up early and had a breakfast filled with -- you guessed it-- PORK. Pork everywhere in central Europe. We made our way back to St. Stephens to climb up the 386 stairs to the top of the spire where we got an incredible look of Vienna. There were a number of downtown clusters with tall buildings as well as old fancy structures as well. It was a hard climb, but I needed to work off the insane amounts of bacon I ate - especially the guilt (well not so much) I felt with it being passover.


We then went to the Schamburg Palace - the summer palace where the Hasburgs lived for centuries. Being the history buff that I am, it was the highlight of my day. We went inside the residence of the palace to look at the ornate rooms, including the private study and meeting room of the last Emperor - Franz II. I was stricken with how humble and hard working he was before he died during WWI. We also learned about his wife, Sisy, who is a legend in Austria and Germany. Story was that she was forced to marry Franz when she was 16 and resented it her entire life. He absolutely adored her and longed to see her, but she travelled extensively throughout the world and was never home. She was also anorexic. Anyways, when she was 61 years old, she was stabbed and killed by an Italian anarchist and died. Franz was devastated.

We finished walking around the palace grounds and headed back into the city. Our afternoon was capped with a visit to the national history museum, billed one of the best collections of fine art in the world... We saw some very interesting art from famous painters and artifacts from Greece and Egypt.

A quick glance at the Danube River (absolutely filthy whose walls were FILLED with Graffiti) and back to the hotel for a rest.

Wein, Weiner Schnitzel, and Music

The four and a half hour ride from Prague to Vienna was a fun, but relatively uneventful trip through a time machine of a nation’s communist past. Every city had an industrial and communal look - tall gray apartment complexes, standard architecture, and little character. After getting my head bit off by the Czech girl working in the cafe car for not having change, we arrived in Wein (Vienna in Germany) - and everything stale and communist turned to beautiful, eccentric, classic, and cool.


We dropped our things off at a great hotel and began our walk through the city. Literally building after building after building had this incredible classical look to it. Big with molding, statues, and carving into the buildings. We could not believe how many of these we saw as we walked into town. In town, we were surprised by how expensive things were, but stopped for a frankfurter. I had a beer, my travel companions had coke and water. Believe it or not, my beer was cheaper than their beverages.


We did a walking tour, stopping at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the music hall, museum quarter, the spanish horse stables, Parliament, the national library, national museum, and the Rathaus (City Hall). I could not believe how many beautiful buildings there were. We went for dinner at a pretty classy restaurant underneath City Hall - I had my first weiner schnitzel. Jair had the Goulash. We walked back through the majestic city and went for an early sleep. I was so freggin tired.

We were trying to book a ticket to the philharmonic but there were a few problems, it was expensive, I only had jeans, and the only ones that were available were the touristy ones and not the Vienna Boys Choir or the Vienna symphony. So we decided not to do it.

The other side of Prague

More work on Sunday - but we got out at 12:00 and it was time to explore the interesting Jewish life in Prague. The museum was very unique, a collection of buildings that was formerly the Jewish Ghetto of Prague. Before 1850, the Jews of Prague faced oppression and were forced to live in the area that was no more than 10 blocks, tiny in a city with small streets and alleyways. Because of this, the size of the population dimished and by 1850, there were about 100,000 living in the city. At that time, the restrictions were lifted and the community began to flourish. Buildings were demolished and new fancy apartments were built. New synagogues were build on the site of old ones. The Ghetto transformed into a beautiful area of Prague and still is to this day. Unfortuantely, the Nazis invaded Czechslovakia and the majority of the population was put to death during the war. Today, there are only about 6,000 Jews still living in the city.


We walked into the cemetery and a few synagogues. It was striking, because the synagogues were lines with gold and beautiful walls of artwork. It was the first time I saw a jewish religious house that looked like a cathedral. We made a few other stops, including the Jewish cemetery that contained headstones from the 16th century, and a few museums. A return to the restaurant we ate at the first night to try a Czech pot roast, a local delicacy.

I liked Prague a lot. It was a beautiful city full of old buildings and lights, but I have to say that the people were not nice... and because I live in the city with the nicest people in the world, I’m spoiled and expect that. They did not want to help you if you asked on the street, small talk was not accepted, and the waiters were just not willing to communicate and would get angry. I don’t know if it had something to do with communism, but I was so disappointed that they were so blase about communicating with us...and most of them spoke English.

On being Czech

Saturday was a work day -- so not much going on, except for an interesting conversation I had with someone who was very fluent in Czech history. The story is that my great grandfather came to New York on a ship from what was then Czechslovakia. On this trip, he met my great grandmother. He was from the countryside and she was from Prague. They did not understand each other well as they both spoke a different dialect of Czech. A few years ago, my dad and I spoke with someone from the region - he had told us that he was not from Czech regions, but from Ruthinia, an area bordering the Ukraine in the east that was part of Slovakia and the Ukraine at different times. Well, speaking to this teacher, he backed up those assumptions. Because of our language (mixed with Yiddish), the type of religion the family practiced, and our family’s last name, he said that it was most likely we were Ruthinian, who live in what is now western Ukraine, an area that is very dangerous because it is an entry point to the EU - a place with tons of smuggling and is one of the poorest regions in Europe. I don’t have enough information to distinguish my grandmother and grandfather - but it was a start and a good feeling that I knew more about where my family was from.

If Walls Could Talk in Prague...

It was a unique medieval city with a progressive introduction-to-the-west like attitude that was gleaming from its walls. It was a city populated with people and a culture I knew little about, except for its star hockey players and the what little I learned from my dad and grandmother. The city was quaint and eclectic. The cobblestone corridors of the old town were narrow and the walls were gray and cold. Yet there was something about the city that was bursting out of the cavernous halls. I know that communism was ended 20 years ago, but there was something about this clash of totalitarianism, monarchy, and democracy that made it interesting.


I left on the 8:00 PM flight from Mexico City on Air France, my first time on the airline and my first time on a 777. I was very excited and was surprised to see personal video players with on demand video. HOWEVER, I was pissed that before we took off, the flight attendants sprayed insecticide on everyone! As a newly minted Mexican resident, I was quite offended, but to be honest, it made sense that I was flying Air FRANCE. The flight was relatively uneventful, with a 30 minute walk gate-to-gate through De Gaulle airport to transfer to my Czech Airlines flight. Along the way, I spotted my personal hell - a tiny room with an occupancy of about 10 filled with about 20 smokers puffing away before their next flights. My flight from Paris to Prague was quick - I had a warm Czech beer on the way and touched down at 5:00 PM.

That night, I met a few colleagues for dinner. My meal was delicious - meat dumplings. We also had a ham appetizer which was funny because it came with two slabs of butter that I could have SWARED looked like cheese.. Three people at the table took a bite out of it and had to spit it out finding out what it really was. One of the people at the dinner was a curriculum director working in a NYC school and living on the Upper West Side. We got to talking and decided to take a stroll the following day.

Breakfast was PORK, PORK, and more PORK.. Sausages, bacon, you name it, they have it. Now being fond of the meat, I was pretty happy, but it wasn’t the most kosher of breakfasts. We left on the Metro (which was relatively clean) and headed out to the main square. With no destination in mind, we just walked around the city, looking at the architecture, and admiring the feeling of quaintness... Everything was in walking distance. There were a ton of tourists, which surprised me, but I paid no attention. We must have went into 6 beautiful Catholic churches with ornate statues and paintings. A few more hours of walking around town, it was time to stop at the Easter market for something to eat. We ordered the Czech Kielbasa and Prague ham... the Kielbasa was absolutely amazing.. but I think so far, I ate about 1/4 of a pig.


Friday evening was the highlight of the visit. We were invited to the Lobokowitz Palace for dinner with the “price” of the Czech Republic. To make a really long story short, the family was royalty for many years, but were kicked out when the Nazis took power and had all their possessions confiscated during communism. After the Velvet Revolution, William Lobokowitz came back to the country to collect the possessions his family lost, including the palace located in the Prague Castle Complex, tons of artwork, and other collections, including Beethoven’s original copy of one of his most famous works. It was a great evening.

Reflections on my first month in Mexico City...

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Reflections on my first month
I've been thinking a lot lately about all the differences between Mexico and There have been a lot of adjustments to the life and culture here; 'ahorita' could mean five minutes or next month, the biggest meal of the day is lunch - it starts at 2 and usually ends by 3:30-4:00 (15 minute lunches in NYC are MAX!), people don't go out to the bars until midnight and usually stay until 6 or 7 AM, bottle service at a table is like $70 as opposed to at least $300 in NYC. The traffic makes Los Angeles look uncongested - drivers DONT yield to pedestrians. The weather is absolutely amazing. NO is NOT in the Mexican vocabulary (and beating around the bush is common - major difference coming from a NYer). Family is VERY important - I've never been around such a warm and inviting community - I feel like a 'chilango' already (the name for people who live in Mexico City).

I've also finally moved into an AMAZING apartment in La Condesa, a very artsy & trendy neighborhood in Mexico City, just 20 minutes walk from my office. I have two terraces, a roof garden, and am minutes from at least 100 restaurants and bars. As expected, this apartment is WAY less than a comparable one in the Big Apple. The area reminds me of everything great in New York all consolidated in a ten block radius. There's the club, the local pool hall, the sports bar, restaurants from every ethnicity you can imagine, and of course the most incredible tacos (El Califa) you can ever eat.