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!