London & Munich in July!
Things to do today:
- Add to Remix (current word count: 400)
- See Only Lovers Left Alive
- Do rainy day chores
- Tell you about SUMMER VACATION
a.k.a. There is going to be one. At laaaast. I haven't taken a vacation beyond long weekends visiting friends/family since 2008: the summer I quit my job and went to grad school; the week I met roga and kassrachel abroad and deelaundry when I got back.
Fittingly, Dee and I are taking this trip together. Well, the first half, anyway. We are going to London for about six days in mid-July, and then I am going on to Munich for another six days to visit my friend A., who moved there from D.C. with her husband and new baby the same week I moved to Boston.
First question: Do any of you live in or near these places, for possible meeting-up purposes? Other than the usual suspects (*cough* catilinarian & M.).
LONDON
I've lived a bit in London and have gone back several times, although that was a while ago now. Dee has never visited. So our itinerary is going to be interesting. :) So far our loose list includes things like the London Eye and tickets to Richard III (set to star Martin Freeman), for Dee's Sherlock BBC fan purposes; a couple of markets and museums; and a sprinkling of off-the-beaten-path stuff I haven't seen before, like perhaps the UCL zoology collection (Jar of Moles!). Plus, of course, a lot of walking through various neighborhoods and passing-by of landmarks. And keeping an eye out for what festivals and performances might be going on that week. Further suggestions welcome.
Second question: Do any of you have favorite places to eat in the city?
MUNICH
I've never been to Germany. Researching Munich seemed intimidating, but the Wikipedia article actually helped a lot to start; now I've got a Google Map plotting lots of museums and famous buildings to check out. Third question: Opinions on what's over- or under-hyped there? Priorities for me are Dachau memorial, Viktualienmarkt, Deutsches Museum, Egyptian Museum, Pinakothek der Moderne, and the loop of sights around Marienplatz. Probably Olympiapark. My friend A. thinks we might be able to take a day trip to the Alps or Salzburg, too, but I'm not sure how much to bank on with the one-year-old and everything.
Fourth question: Any tips for picking up some traveler's German? Albeit with the understanding that (a) Bavaria is its own entity and (b) it sounds like most people there have good English. I can puzzle out written German about as well as any native English speaker with an affinity for languages, but listening comprehension and speaking are another matter.
IN CONCLUSION
Taking more than two days off work, having the opportunity to go to Europe for the first time in six years (when after college by living with my dad I used to be able to save up enough to go almost every summer for cons and whatnot), the combination of nostalgia for London and excitement about visiting somewhere new, and sharing the time with friends are all lighting up my life right now. As time passes since booking the flights and hotel, those things are more successfully outweighing the cost of traveling in peak tourist season, eek. I am also watching out for the usual "we must pack all our days as fully as possible!" instinct and working instead to just be chill about the whole endeavor.
\vacation/
- Add to Remix (current word count: 400)
- See Only Lovers Left Alive
- Do rainy day chores
- Tell you about SUMMER VACATION
a.k.a. There is going to be one. At laaaast. I haven't taken a vacation beyond long weekends visiting friends/family since 2008: the summer I quit my job and went to grad school; the week I met roga and kassrachel abroad and deelaundry when I got back.
Fittingly, Dee and I are taking this trip together. Well, the first half, anyway. We are going to London for about six days in mid-July, and then I am going on to Munich for another six days to visit my friend A., who moved there from D.C. with her husband and new baby the same week I moved to Boston.
First question: Do any of you live in or near these places, for possible meeting-up purposes? Other than the usual suspects (*cough* catilinarian & M.).
LONDON
I've lived a bit in London and have gone back several times, although that was a while ago now. Dee has never visited. So our itinerary is going to be interesting. :) So far our loose list includes things like the London Eye and tickets to Richard III (set to star Martin Freeman), for Dee's Sherlock BBC fan purposes; a couple of markets and museums; and a sprinkling of off-the-beaten-path stuff I haven't seen before, like perhaps the UCL zoology collection (Jar of Moles!). Plus, of course, a lot of walking through various neighborhoods and passing-by of landmarks. And keeping an eye out for what festivals and performances might be going on that week. Further suggestions welcome.
Second question: Do any of you have favorite places to eat in the city?
MUNICH
I've never been to Germany. Researching Munich seemed intimidating, but the Wikipedia article actually helped a lot to start; now I've got a Google Map plotting lots of museums and famous buildings to check out. Third question: Opinions on what's over- or under-hyped there? Priorities for me are Dachau memorial, Viktualienmarkt, Deutsches Museum, Egyptian Museum, Pinakothek der Moderne, and the loop of sights around Marienplatz. Probably Olympiapark. My friend A. thinks we might be able to take a day trip to the Alps or Salzburg, too, but I'm not sure how much to bank on with the one-year-old and everything.
Fourth question: Any tips for picking up some traveler's German? Albeit with the understanding that (a) Bavaria is its own entity and (b) it sounds like most people there have good English. I can puzzle out written German about as well as any native English speaker with an affinity for languages, but listening comprehension and speaking are another matter.
IN CONCLUSION
Taking more than two days off work, having the opportunity to go to Europe for the first time in six years (when after college by living with my dad I used to be able to save up enough to go almost every summer for cons and whatnot), the combination of nostalgia for London and excitement about visiting somewhere new, and sharing the time with friends are all lighting up my life right now. As time passes since booking the flights and hotel, those things are more successfully outweighing the cost of traveling in peak tourist season, eek. I am also watching out for the usual "we must pack all our days as fully as possible!" instinct and working instead to just be chill about the whole endeavor.
\vacation/