Eurail Part 1

Out of the concern for my readers, I will put you under no illusions that all entries titled this way will be less exciting then some, as it is in fact, a day spent vastly on a train. That said...

This morning was a good morning. I got up and showered, and had breakfast with Alfred and Corinne. Over the coarse of the meal (the main coarse you might say) I asked Corinne and Alfred about any suggestions they might have about what to do over my short time in Paris. They gave me a bunch of good tips. My favorite was, "When you're in France... don't drink the beer." I suppose I'll stick to wine.

After breakfast, I moved into the living room where I would begin my list of things to do before departing. This list began with collecting my laundry from downstairs and folding it. Then next logical step is obviously to pack said recently folded clothes... so I did. But, packing was a bit of an ordeal. I went through everything I was carrying around from previous countries and threw out the things that I thought were just taking up space. I then reorganized how I packed my backpack and shoulder bag, so that I would only be carrying around the things I wanted to be. Corinne walked in at one point, as I had thoroughly consumed Bruno's floor... and she had to laugh. So did I...

Anyway, packing took me a while, and afterwards I was able to briefly help Corinne prepare lunch. French fries are SO easy to make! Defiantly going to make them more often when I return. We also had some pork that was roasted with carrots and shallots... but that's for later. I then had time to make a brief call to my beloved parents before lunch, which is always a pleasure (lunch that is... :) ). But, lunch was actually a pleasure too, being the roast with veggies and fries as mentioned with a bit of gravy.

And as lunch passed, my trial approached. Through the morning I had made my farewells to Elena and Victor, and now I made them to Alfred and Bruno. Corinne then drove me to the train station, where I made my farewell to her. I then boarded my train without difficulty, though it took me a bit to figure out how to know which seats were reserved... and then we left Munich.

I'd hoped that the train would give me some good views of Europe, but I neither had a good window seat, nor was the weather providing scenic views. But, i'm ok with gloomy weather today. A few hours later I arrived at the French border in Mannheim. There I grabbed a pastry and a cheese/veggie sandwich and found my next train to take me to Paris.

This one started off a bit rocky, as there were some miscommunication about reserved seats. But, in the end it was all worked out without issue. The rest of the ride was less exciting then the first bit. Partly because it was now black outside... So, skipping to the end of the ride, I arrived in Paris.

My first reaction was pretty good, as I spoke to two people who helped me figure out where I needed to go for the subway. Of that, my first reaction is that it looks fairly simple, though I also felt that it looks less clean then some of the systems that proceeded it. But, 4 stops later I was where I got out. I got out, and used my phone's map to finish the remaining 10 minute or so walk.

The hostel is definitely not one of the better ones I've stayed in, but I'll not dwell on those details. As midnight was approaching, I decided to just climb into bed.

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Into a Fairy Tail

Well today had some pretty awesome sites. Breakfast was crescents with jam and coffee... nice and simple. The rest of the morning was mostly dedicated to watching the news and reports on Japan. I am VERY grateful that I am no longer there, am hoping to hear from my newly made friends, and am keeping the country in thoughts.

As for my day, myself, Alfred, Elena and Bruno headed out around 10. We got in the car and drove for about an hour and a half northeast of here to the edge of the Alps. The drive took us along the Autobahn for a while which was sort of crazy. The fact that there was no speed limit in many places resulted in pretty drastic speed variations. I do not think I liked this as I felt a bit sick a few times. We then proceeded through some flat lands all the way to to foot of the Alps. This resulted in some beautiful views of the snow crested mountains. Also fun on this drive... people driving on the right again! It feels so...right.

As for what we were doing at the foot of the Alps... we were visiting a few castles of King Ludwig. Specifically Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Hohenschwangau we never toured, but got some great views of the outside. It is the castle that Ludwig and his family lived in for quite some time. Conversely, Neuschwanstein we did tour, and Ludwig spent very little time there. Much of the reason for that is a result of his death though. This castle however, is most commonly known because it was used to model Cinderella's castle.

The ticket office foe the tours was at the foot of the mountain, and is set up so that you can arrive at the castle whenever you want to control your waiting times prior to your tour. So, we had a quick lunch and then started the walk up. Its not that difficult of a climb, ascending a road that is not too steep. However, when we reached the top the views were spectacular. We could look out, away from the castle and just gaze over the miles of flat plains towards Munich. Even more impressive was the view towards the mountains behind the castle. There we could look down into a gorge and raise our eyes to see across a white frozen lake and then up into jagged, snow-capped peaks.

Lastly, we could look at the castle itself, with high white walls and tall, round, pointed towers. The courtyard was small, and was very much built to be the size of a waiting/greeting area. That said, it was still quite lovely.

As our tour began, we were explained that very few of the rooms of the castle were finished by the time of Ludwig's death. So, the tour was going to take us through those few rooms that were. Also, apparently Ludwig build this castle as a dedication to Wagner, who was Ludwig's favorite composer (and more as rumors would have it). But, as the tour progressed it became very clear that this castle was designed for Wagner.

Out first stop was in the throne room, which was funny because there was no throne. That said, the chandelier was a 2000 pound masterpiece, shaped like a crown. The room had a grand marble staircase leading to where the throne would have been placed. The walls on either side were pained with the 12 apostles. The back wall held paintings of the 6 sainted kings, while the ceiling over the pedestal was painted with Christ, displayed as 'King of King's. The floor was a giant mosaic depicting the plants and animals of the world and the remaining walls were painted with the tale of one of the sainted kings slaying a dragon. (One painting also had a castle drawn in it, apparently Ludwig's fourth planned castle, though it was never started.)

Our next stop was Ludwig's bedroom. At first the room seemed far less grant then that of the throne room, but closer inspection said otherwise. Here, apparently 4 woodcarvers worked for years, every day before completing it. The wooden canopy over the bed, as well as the carvings on the sink and reading chair were breathtaking, carved to resemble towers and arches of cathedrals and churches. Here, his walls were painted to depict scenes from one of Wagner's operas, though I forget which one. I also liked that the sink, with a faucet carved as a swan (the swan is everywhere!), had running water from a spring further up the mountain.

We left the bedroom through a secret (and yes... I would not have known it was there... the wood carvers were indeed good) door that led through his dressing room into his library (or a room that served that purpose). This room apparently surpasses all others in terms of swans. The room was decorated by hundreds. The walls were subtly carved in pictures and patterns using them. The door handles were the necks and heads of swans. The swans appeared in the paintings around the walls. Again, the paintings were of a Wagner fairy tale.

We left this room and passed through an artificially constructed cave. The cave was a memento of another of Wagner's works (noticing anything?). It was also crazy how real it looked. I was surprised. And this led us into the final room of the tour, the singer's hall. This grand room had a stage, with the back painted as the magical forest that surrounded the magical castle that held the Holy Grail. Meanwhile the rest of the room was painted of Wagner's works. The acoustics were terrific, as the ceiling was constructed with a large number of individual wooden pieces. Again... a beautiful room. Every time I thought I'd taken the whole thing in I noticed something new... like the trees, carved into the corners of the ceiling to ease the transition from the walls... This room also held the coat of arms of Ludwig, the only sign in the castle that connected it to his family, as there were no portraits of him or anyone else.

Thus ended the guided tour, but we then walked out of the castle through the kitchen, the last and final completed room. Sandy, far less exciting to discuss. We then headed around the gorge to Marien Brüke (Mary's Bridge), that spanned the gorge leading up to the castle. Here, if you could not guess, we got some more outstanding views, of everything previously mentioned. And that should have been the end, but the way down was more exciting than it could have been.

Rather than taking the regular and clear path, Elena proposed taking the ... less beaten trail. Which was fine for me, as I was in boots, but the snow and ice caused more trouble for... her... as her footwear was less ideal. This made the way down slower then it could have been, but also more entertaining. And, by the end, nobody had fallen, so all a success. This route also led me to the best view of the day of a different section of the Alps, and my favorite view of the mountains, so I was pleased. It also led to one of the better quotes of the trip. We all know that I love penguins, so, when Elena said, "I feel like a penguin", with a few 'penguin-like' gestures as she crossed the ice, I was vastly entertained.

We then returned to the car and back to Munich, with much the same effects and thoughts of the car ride. Back in Munich we watched a bit more news, I did some laundry, and we had dinner of salad and quiche. My evening was then vastly dedicated to figuring out hostels for Paris and Italy, which I am now gratefully done with and hope it all works out. However... I miss the hostels from my previous countries... they were all so easy to set up and arrange. Grrr. But... yea... today was awesome!

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Beer in Bulgaria

My day out and about the city started at about 11. This lead to my first adventure which was... buying a train ticket. I was able to switch the machine into english, but still found myself having trouble locating the day pass. Luckily I was able to ask someone and they helped me find it.

With a ticket in hand I was now able to board a train into the heart of the city (legally). So, I took the strain first to central station, where I would find out my options for train travel to get to the next and remaining few countries. It was remarkably difficult to get to the right place but eventually I got there. I then found what I expected and learned that a Eurail Pass would be cheeped than a set of individual trips. So, I purchased a pass for 4 countries and 5 days of travel, which will be more than I need to finish my trip. Lastly, I made the necessary reservations for my approaching trip to France.

I then got back on the train and returned to Marienplatz. From there, I headed out on a walk towards the English Gardens. This walk ran along a few rivers and streams in the city, all of which had some pretty lovely waterfalls. Unfortunately, I found myself mistaken about which river I was walking along, so I actually walked the length of the garden before getting to it. But, I arrived at the northern tip, and then got to walk back to the city through the garden.

The garden is huge! It has multiple restaurants, a beer garden next to a chinese tower, a big lake, and a couple large fields where people were relaxing or playing sports. That said, despite being named 'garden' there seemed to be very few flowers. Perhaps its a result of the time of the year, but I feel 'park' would have been a much more suitable title. It was however, quite a lovely walk on a day with quite lovely weather.

I returned to Marienplatz just before 5, which was perfect. As the clock (all 5 of them visible from the square) chimed, I got to watch the Glockenspiel preform. It is a bit entertaining how many people show up to watch it... but then again... I did it myself. My favorite of the objects going around are the two knights how look very much like they will successfully lance each other.

Anyway, at 5:30 I moved the short distance to the base of the Glockenspiel, where I met with the guided/walking Beer and Brewery tour. Now, by the end I will say that this is much more of a beer tour, and not that focused on the brewing process. So, our first stop was to Schneider Weissp. Here I had my long awaited dark wheat beer. It was so good! I've been trying to come up with the flavor I'd use to describe it... but have been struggling. Its sort of a rich, mapley, sweet, deliciousness. Apparently this beer house made these as their specialty.

From there we were headed a bit further so we went down to the train station. There, we took advantage of the lack of an open container law. We purchased a bottle of Augustina each (a german lager) and had that as we trained our way to our next stop. Rumor has it that this is the most popular bottled beer in Germany. It was pretty good, so it is a rumor that I would believe.

This brought us to Paulner Müchen. Here was the small part of our tour dedicated to brewing. But, we did little more than see the equipment, and I feel learned very little of the actual process. But, upstairs we were served samples of their 3 main brews. They were (in order) a light wheat beer, a lager, and a dark wheat. The dark remained my favorite, but they were all good.

Since we were a small group, we were ahead of schedule. So, our guide took us to a small room which is apparently the back of a restaurant. That was...interesting. We then ended our tour back at the Hofbräuhaus. This place is crazy on a friday night. Its absolutely packed, and everyone has a stein. There's live music blasting and people yelling and beer drinking. Its pretty crazy, and a lot of fun. Here is also where we had dinner... and a bit of me wishes that that occurred a bit earlier in the night. That said, it was a pretty great place to end the tour. At this point I paid my bill, and trained back where I prompts went to bed.

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A Day at the Museum

Today my breakfast was a roll with jelly and a piece of toast with cheese. aside from that the morning was fairly uneventful, but many mornings are, and that's just fine. Good time for relaxing.

Morning aside, today was my day with Bruno. Just before 11, we headed to the train station, same as yesterday. Same line, though this time one stop father. This took us just past Marienplatz, and to the train stop closest to the Deutsch's Museum. From the train station the museum was only a few minutes walk away, and an easy one at that. From the outside, you might not notice it, apart from the signs pointing towards it, but the building itself just seems to blend in.

That said, the museum is HUGE! Its like 5 large floors and absolutely packed with stuff. I only saw a few exhibits and felt exhausted by the end. So, that said, Bruno and I bought tickets, checked in our coats, and I followed his lead at first.

First we went to the room, front and center, is known as the Shipping and Marine Navigation exhibition. This room was full of ships, ships everywhere. We first went downstairs, where the exhibit was mostly about the mechanics of ships. So we looked at a series of different motors and propellers. When I could, I tried to explain the differences between different engines, though sometimes needed a few words translated.

We then went up the the main floor, which was focused less on the mechanics of the ships, and more so on the different types of ships and boats that exist. So, we saw different kinds of canoes, kayaks and rowboats, and how they have become better through the years. The same is true for sailboats, but I thought some of their older versions looked really cool, while the old kayaks just looked...impractical. Then there were some models (no room for the real thing) of submarines and cruise/freight ships. No military vessels though, which I think could have been fun to compare through the years.

From there we headed a bit further in to the aeronautics exhibit. Again, the exhibit rose a few floors of the museum. I would have expected it to be more about the development of flight, but it seemed more focused on different varieties of flying ships through the years. My favorites to see were the gliders, that had no motors and were able to be steered but relied solely on wind and their currents. Again, we found a few model engines, which were fun to examine close up. I also enjoyed that amount the midsts of all the planes and gliders, there was one section dedicated to a missile, which is indeed a flying craft of sorts. The caption said that it has since been used as a model for design of space rockets, and that was not sunrising. They looked identical.

From the sky we decided to head underground. We headed back towards the main entrance where the mining exhibit was located. This was interesting. Rather than an open exhibit that displayed the tools and the like, the exhibit was designed as a mine, where we walked through small passages to see scenes of what it was like to work there. The worsts part of this is that I always felt like I was going to hit my head, and were I any taller I think I would have...

Anyway, the exhibit itself was regally cool, and showed different kinds of machines, cranes, drills etc... all in their working environments. There were also sections that dealt with different mined minerals and their various sorting devices. (Mom... I thought of you at this point and those sorting experiments you'd bring to school) The exhibit then progressed to show more modern mining equipment. It was interesting... up until this exhibit, I had no memory of ever being here. However, about halfway through, there is a room, where the floor is a flat narrow path, but the scene is of a narrow, open slope, angling at about 45 degrees. At the bottom you could see a few workers. I walked into this room and my only thought was, "I've been here before..." So... yeah. I guess I've been there before and just didn't remember. It would not be the first time this trip.

We then had energy for 1 more exhibit, so we went to the robotics one, as it made me think of Rob. Unlike the last few things we saw, this was just a single small room. My favorite aspect was reading about how different types of robots were modeled after different living organisms. There were also a few robots on display that have formerly been on robotics soccer teams... always cool.

So, with that we headed back to Corinne's house, where the small remainder of the afternoon was quiet. Dinner was salad and rattitouie (spelling?). I have really been enjoying my dinners here. After dinner, Corinne, Elena, Bruno and I played an interesting dice game. You rolled 5 dice and could roll a selected number another 2 times. Then you had to score your roll in 1 of a few categories. Once every category had a score, the highest total won. It was fun, and we discovered that the older you are, the more you value low scores. Golf rules! I had also decided that it was long since time that Choupette (the cat of the house) and I should become friends. So, by the end of the evening this problem was rectified. Hurray for kitties!

With that, the evening pretty much came to a close. A movie was put on, which I sort of followed, and only sort of payed attention to. I also spent time trying to figure out my last few days of plans (at least in terms of what cities I'd be in. I think I know at this point, but I'll need to tie up a few loose ends in the next few days... but, that will be for then...

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Good Food, Good Beer, a Sky was Clear

And so began day 1 in Munich. I got up and met Corinne downstairs. She gave me complete rule of the kitchen to make my breakfast, which was nice... I made some toast with a dark bread full of seeds and the like, on which I spread some Brie-like french cheese. Onto of that I made a few fried eggs. I will say, the type of cheese used has an enormous impact on the flavor of these breakfast munchies.

So, the next bit of morning was sort of splotchy. I was originally working on reading my way through a guidebook, but every time I began to get into it, I found myself drawn into conversation with a member of the household. Usually, the conversation included what I should do/see while I'm here. So, it all worked towards the same general goal, but it was very jumbled. That said, by the end of the morning I think I had a pretty decent plan.

That said, around 12:30, Victor, Elena and I all headed to the train station to ride into the heart of the city. In this case, I refer to the heart of the city as Marienplatz. We walked out of the train station and as I emerged from underground I was greeted by the sun, and the tall clock tower of one of the old town hall. We took a few minutes for me to gather my bearings. From where we stood we had a great view of the new city town hall, a few churches, and the pillar of St. Mary (whom the square is named after).

Before seeing any of these sites though, we cut straight to the important things. (I bet my brother guesses this without me saying) So we wound our way through some of the alleys around the square to Hofbrähaus. Yes... the brewery (one of the 6 biggest in Munich) and in this case... indoor beer garden. We walked inside and were greater by a room full of large wooden tables and benches, a live band of woodwind instruments, and the employees dressed in traditional (?) German attire. So we took a seat and discovered that there were menus in german and Russian... we all thought that strange.

Anyway, Victor and Elena translated a few things for me, and the Schweinhaxen and Knödel were described as a good traditional Bavarian meal. So, Victor and I each ordered that (and a beer of course) and Elena got a type of pancake-like powdered sugar things. It looked good but I did not try it. As for my meal... it was awesome and just what I wanted. The beer came in that oh so memorable 1.5 liter stein. Meanwhile, the Schweinhaxen was basically a large slab of meat from a pig and the Knödel was some type of sticky potato ball. It was all served with a bit of gravy and was so good!

After lunch we walked through some of the back shopping streets and returned to the main square. Here we went first to St. Peter's Church (Alter Peter?) which is the tallest building in the square. From the top of the tower we could see all across Germany. So, Victor and Elena pointed out what they could. That included the sight of the former Olympics, far on the edge of the city, a nice view down into Marienplatz, and where the Alps should be. Despite having clear skies, we could still not quite see the mountains. So, from there we spent a good amount of time looking down into the square, where we looked at the pillar from above and the old town hall. We spent the most time looking at the new town hall and the Glockenspiel, the clock tower of said town hall. Sadly, we never got to see it in action, but from above the view allowed us to see many of the figures that decorate and move when the clock does chime.

After out time on the tower we continued through the square to Frauenkirche, or the Lady's Church I believe. When we went in we could sadly not do anything. While my details are a hit hazy, the translation I received is that a high ranking church dude was about to give a talk/sermon. So, Victor told me the legend about the devil I think, stamping a footprint into the floor in anger of its beauty. So, outside the church is always windy because the devil is running around it. I feel not so confident on the accuracy of that report... but that's ok.

So we left Marienplatz then and walked a little ways to Odeonsplatz. Here (and with 2 of Victor's friends that we'd met a bit earlier) we sat outside for a bit of a snack and just relaxed. On the walk, and while here I began to notice that there were tons of people sitting and playing the accordion. So many people. I thought of my dear friend Kenny (I hope you're reading this Kenny!). Anyway, as the sun got lower, the air got cooler and we decided it was time to be off.

So, we headed back by train. While on the train I discovered I was far more fatigued then I realized. But, that was ok. We then each hung around the house a bit before dinner of spaghetti and another awesome salad. I need to completely rework my views on salads. They've been so good! And, after dinner, Victor, Elena, Bruno and myself all watched a movie and called it a night.

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Bonus Issue: London Calling

Should you find yourself with the urge to visit London (or the greater England area), I will do what I can to provide tips. I did not ever have to do much in terms of researching lodgings. Courtesy of my grandparents I was able to stay in the Flat of some family friends. That said, while at the flat I decided that its location could not be better. When looking into where to stay in London, I would say that the most important thing is to be near the subway (locally called the Underground or the Tube).

That said, the London Underground is terrific. Tickets are priced by the following 2 options: 1) Is it one way or a day travel pass and 2) how many of the zones will you be traveling in. I will dress these separately.

In my experience, it was almost always worth it to buy the day pass. I found that it was very easy to use the subway more than once in a given day, and the day pass allowed much more freedom in the ability to do so. That said, 1 day pass is less expensive than 2 one way tickets, so I think the day pass is almost always worth it.

As for zone travel, simply be aware of the system. Any of the subway maps are labeled, but in total there are 6 (I believe) zones. Aside from travel to London Heathrow Airport, Everything I saw was withing Zone 1. The only exception was my trip to the Fan Museum, but the day pass for zone 1 was the same price as the pass for zones 1 and 2. Moral being... day travel passes are good.

As for seeing London... Sometimes I try to avoid the stereotypical tourist locations. However, I visit them in London and found them quite satisfying. Westminster is stunningly beautiful, and if you visit St. Paul's Cathedral it is definitely worth going to the top (if you can) if the weather is clear. That said, they warn about lots of steps and narrow spaces, and the warnings are valid, so do keep them in mind. Other than that the Globe Theatre, London Tower, and Tower Bridge are all fun to see too. Many of the sites can be walked to from one another by following the Thames. The walk along the river is very nice, but it is worth being aware that there are some random patches where the path ceases. But, you can usually head up the road, around a building, and immediately return to the water.

Other than that, be prepared for the weather. Rumor has it that England has beautiful springs, and perhaps I was just a bit too early in the season... but, its always good to be prepared for rain... no matter where you go.

As for Oxford... My number 1 tip is to have yourself an Emily. That way you have a historical wavy guide, who loves to go around and show you stuff while also being able to help you plan and the like. But, some of this is to help prepare those who do not have such a contact.

That said, on a nice day, just walk through the city. Get a map in case, but don't look at it. For an hour or so, just wander the streets and let your eyes be your guide. If you like old architecture and castle-like buildings, you will have a lovely sunrise on every street and around every corner. That said, if it is a nice day do use the map to make sure you get to climb the University Church of St Mary the Virgin. It has some pretty great views of the entirety of Oxford and from there you can really appreciate just how many spiring towers there are in the city.

I realize that this is only a few comments on the few places I visit, but I can hardly speak for the locations that I did not myself see. Hope this is helpful!

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To the Mainland

Well the morning started off better than I thought it would. After staying up to an hour that is likely far later than I should of, I managed to still wake bright and early. It was however, pretty convenient this time. I had a chance to have a fairly relaxed breakfast with coffee, repack and check out.

All said and done I actually arrived at the train station to catch the 9:30 train instead of the 10. The train ride was uneventful, a single train, returning from Oxford to Paddington station in London. There, I transfered to the Underground and took the tube a few stops to my terminal at London Heathrow.

Unlike some other trips through airports I've had on my journeys, this was remarkably painless. I pretty much walked to the counter, loaded my bag and was handed my boarding pass. With very little queuing, I proceeded through security without hassle. At this point I had about and hour and a half before my gate was announced and 10 pounds to spend. So, I wandered from store to store to se my options. I opted for a coffee, hot wrap, and a set of double A batteries, since I'm on my last 2. After that I was down to 42 pence, and decided that was satisfactory.

By the time I was done wandering and eating, my gate had been announced and I went to sit there to wait for boarding to start. There, a woman approached me, working for the airport, and requested if she could ask me a few questions. I obliged and she proceeded to inquire about my experiences in London Heathrow Airport over the last 24 hours. The question were all very simple and were I think designed to survey what people like or want improved in the terminal. I thought it was very painless and if acted on, good research to do.

With all interviews out of the way, I boarded my flight. Once seated I basically passed out. I stayed awake through takeoff, and just long enough for a drink and snack. I had coffee and chocolate cookies. They did little good though as I then promptly fell asleep. I awoke again as landing was announced. The landing itself was likely the smoothest I'd ever experienced, as (while awake) did not notice when we made contact with the ground.

Post landing, the trip through security and baggage claim was uneventful. Once through, I walked through the door and quickly found a woman with a sign, "Tom Brown". With that I walked over and met once more with Corinne. We got to her car and left the airport for her house. (Parents... should you think of answers to any unknowns I may mention... feel free to enlighten) We talked a bit, and tried to remember what year I was here last, as neither of us recognized each other. But, we enjoyed talking about the visits to the beer gardens that we did both remember.

We arrived about 30 minutes (maybe) later at her house. Inside, I was greater by Albert (Corinne's husband), Elena (daughter) and Victor (older son). It was a warm welcome, and while I didn't remember Elena or Victor, and Alfred only vaguely, conversation started up quite quickly. Elena showed me where to put my things and we went back downstairs for dinner.

Dinner was not what I normally think of as dinner. That said, it was really good and not something I would have thought of, but plan to make sometime myself. There was a salad, with lettuce, feta cheese, tuna and french dressing. To go with it was some bread, cheese and thin bacon(?) slices. I thought it was a great dinner were they in season, tomatoes would be a perfect addition to the salad.

Unfortunately, Alfred and the three kids (Bruno had arrived) were headed out to a concert. So, Corinne and I Stayed and chatted for quite a while. We talked a bit about travel and life, and had some wine with our cheese. After a bit Corinne got some pastries out, which seemed reminiscent of very fancy doughnuts, and they tasted like really fancy doughnuts. Along with these, she found a scrapbook of her year in the US.

The scrapbook was gold! I saw pictures of our old house with the basement set up for parties, as well as the back porch under construction. Pictures of both Samantha and Geraldine, who I always like pictures of. I saw photos of Aunt Colleen and Uncle Steve's wedding. I saw a picture of Aunt Colleen with hair longer than I'd ever seen and that was a bit of a sunrise. I also saw some of the single most hilarious photos of my dear brother Rob.

After photos, wine and dessert, we cleaned up the dining room and the kitchen. Corinne gave me a tour of the house and found a guidebook I could use to look up various facts and sites about Munich. That lead to a bit of quiet remnants of the evening, and then a long awaited time in bed.

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