From Europe, With Love: American beer is like having sex in a canoe ... its freaking close to water!

I have arrived ... in Munich. This week I have been staying with my friend, Eli, who visited me a couple years ago in Pennsylvania and it was definitely time for me to come and see Bavaria. My first day was the hardest and busiest. We saw and did so much all while I was super jet lagged, landing at ten in the morning with about 3 hours of sleep on a plane, little did I know I was in for a lonnngggg day. First we made it over to the Marienplatz which is the town square in Munich. We went to visit a few churches and I am fascinated by the fact that one can take a bus or metro, walk a block or two and turn the corner and there is a Baroque church dating back to the 1700s.

Also I was lucky enough to be able to try on a traditional dirndl and I may have to come back for OKTOBERFEST one year just so I can have a reason to buy one. Anyone want to join?

Later we spent the evening at the local BEIR GARTEN and ordered some pretzels which after trying a few traditonal bavarian dishes may become my main source of nutrient while in Germany. I also tried a Ridler which is drink that is half lemonade, half beer and although I am trying to acquire a taste for beer while in Germany I still haven't found something I like, but I am willing to "SACRIFICE" my tastebuds for the moment and keep trying.

Yesterday we paid a visit to Nymphenburg Castle which was maybe a 20 minute bus ride from the residential area of the city and in the very center of everything. The last living descendant of the family is actually still living in a small part of the castle and it is a beautiful residence. Touring the castle I felt very much as if I was in my natural habitat ... just sayin.

Today we went on a small hike to Plengberg a small part of the Alps and it was very pretty and definitely something I will never do again. We mistakeningly took the wrong trail up and had to step over rocks, mud, cow poop, fallen trees and it was thundering and raining the whole way up. I actually was wearing my winter coat and although I was the most inappropriately dressed for hiking I was the only who stayed dried the whole time ... you would never think I would be the one to outsmart MOTHERNATURE. I felt like a true hiker my friends even gave me a wooden stick to use while going up the mountain and the only other thing I would need to seem GERMAN would be a cigarette ... only in Europe do people smoke while they are hiking.

FROM MUNICH (GERMANY), WITH LOVE GRACE

MarianPlatz