slow motion
I have a little headache from last night, and I don't think wearing my glasses is helping. I actually forgot my contact solution in Allgäu this week, and when I went to look for more in Woolworth (Germany's Wallgreens) I couldn't find any! So, I'm trying to write and it is so slow. So laborious. I'm really trying to work on this, but where does all the time go?
The answer, perhaps, is to the 3 times a week I sit through 3.4 hours of German classes. Oh, lovely. This had better amount to something.
But last night was well-worth a little headache today. It's been a great weekend. Jochen left Thursday night, and after my class I headed to meet up with other Ex-pats at a Kneipe. One of the guys from my class, Fitrah, a young Indonesia aupair, was tagging along on the Sbahn. Although he doesn't really speak English I decided to invite the lonely fella along anyway. I couldn't find anyone I knew. So, it was nice to have the company. I bought him a drink and we spoke us some German! Finally we discovered there was another level, where all the obnoxiously drunk expats were. I left shortly after this realization. I had to teach at 7.30 Friday morning, and I think it was a bit shitty. I mean, nothing was really bad about it, but since I was subbing for someone and it was a group of very friendly German women (woah. weird.), it was hard to not just want to chat. And 7.30 - 9.45 on a Friday? I am only a morning person by profession.
I went home and tried to nap before meeting up with Neil to discuss our plans to go to Budapest in the New Year. I couldn't sleep because my feet were cold, so after an hour I decided to get up. At which point I fell asleep. Neil and I spent many hours at a Coffee Fellows in Schwabing, looking trains fairs up online, posting our outrage over a waiter on toytowngermany.com, before finally getting hungry and going to an Italian restaurant called Al Pacino's. Not really sure why it has such a lovely name. No pictures, no nothing. But, pretty good and very reasonably priced considering the lovely Italian energy contained within! Theresa, a girl from Shanghai that is also in my German class, smsed to invite me to a bar where she was with her coworkers. Neil and I both went, had one drink, made some small talk with the crazies, and left. Left quickly. Older drunk Irish, English, men.... so not cool.
Munich was really gross on Friday. Puke everywhere in the subways. I think it's the Gluhwein, which I decided last night that I really don't care for. Nor the Lebkuchen. I thought I liked it..... I even thought I liked it a lot, but no. Not really. It's a little bit better with lemony, white frosting, or white chocolate, but definately not dark chocolate. Maybe I'm just sick of it. What is it, you ask? It's kind of like German bread compared to American white bread... except gingerbread. Oh, and Gluhwein is cheap hot wine with different spices.
So, I met up with Rudi last night.
Rudi is a German that I met one night when I went out with Sarah. We were looking for a disco, but were in completely the wrong place. We were, however, in a very ritzy part of Munich, on Maximillian Straße where the Italian shops are. So, when we saw someone approaching, we asked if he knew where Pascha was. And yes, he did. Why, he was even actually on his way there now! And after living and studying in America for three years, his English was quite good. So, after he gave us a ride, he talked to us for a few minutes, bought us a few drinks, and excused himself because he saw some friends. He'd occasionally return and offer another drink. Very nice and not creepy.
He had been asking to get together for a while, and after I was finally able to casually mention my boyfriend in an sms and he still persisted, I decided that it was ok. We met up at Glockspiel, a restaurant overlooking Marienplatz, where a Christmas market was going on bellow. We had a glass of Austrian wine - vanilla and black currant - before going down into the cold for two mugs of Gluhwein and a Lebkuchen. There was his favorite Italian restaurant nearby that he suggested we go to. We were in Isartor, which may possibly be my favorite neighborhood here. We stopped at a small Italian bar on the way for a Spritz and to save our toes. Then we got smoked out (no smoking policy goes into effect with the new year!), so we went on our way. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but there was one table available for the rest of the night. It wasn't especially Italian. Oysters and goat cheese for appetizers. He had deer and I had skate. Perfectly cooked. Afterwards we went to Maximillianstraße for more Spritz. A classy place.... but too big for my liking. Something about the night was very reminiscent of my times in Milan. We talked a lot about going to an Opera ball in Vienna, where they spin to the left. Ummm....?
And today. Lovely, freezing cold, gray Sunday. I can't wait until Jochen gets back! But I'll probably be on my way out to Wilson's for dinner when he comes in. Wilson's cooking Chinese again. :) I guess it will probably be the last time we get together before Christmas and he goes to Thailand for a few weeks.
The answer, perhaps, is to the 3 times a week I sit through 3.4 hours of German classes. Oh, lovely. This had better amount to something.
But last night was well-worth a little headache today. It's been a great weekend. Jochen left Thursday night, and after my class I headed to meet up with other Ex-pats at a Kneipe. One of the guys from my class, Fitrah, a young Indonesia aupair, was tagging along on the Sbahn. Although he doesn't really speak English I decided to invite the lonely fella along anyway. I couldn't find anyone I knew. So, it was nice to have the company. I bought him a drink and we spoke us some German! Finally we discovered there was another level, where all the obnoxiously drunk expats were. I left shortly after this realization. I had to teach at 7.30 Friday morning, and I think it was a bit shitty. I mean, nothing was really bad about it, but since I was subbing for someone and it was a group of very friendly German women (woah. weird.), it was hard to not just want to chat. And 7.30 - 9.45 on a Friday? I am only a morning person by profession.
I went home and tried to nap before meeting up with Neil to discuss our plans to go to Budapest in the New Year. I couldn't sleep because my feet were cold, so after an hour I decided to get up. At which point I fell asleep. Neil and I spent many hours at a Coffee Fellows in Schwabing, looking trains fairs up online, posting our outrage over a waiter on toytowngermany.com, before finally getting hungry and going to an Italian restaurant called Al Pacino's. Not really sure why it has such a lovely name. No pictures, no nothing. But, pretty good and very reasonably priced considering the lovely Italian energy contained within! Theresa, a girl from Shanghai that is also in my German class, smsed to invite me to a bar where she was with her coworkers. Neil and I both went, had one drink, made some small talk with the crazies, and left. Left quickly. Older drunk Irish, English, men.... so not cool.
Munich was really gross on Friday. Puke everywhere in the subways. I think it's the Gluhwein, which I decided last night that I really don't care for. Nor the Lebkuchen. I thought I liked it..... I even thought I liked it a lot, but no. Not really. It's a little bit better with lemony, white frosting, or white chocolate, but definately not dark chocolate. Maybe I'm just sick of it. What is it, you ask? It's kind of like German bread compared to American white bread... except gingerbread. Oh, and Gluhwein is cheap hot wine with different spices.
So, I met up with Rudi last night.
Rudi is a German that I met one night when I went out with Sarah. We were looking for a disco, but were in completely the wrong place. We were, however, in a very ritzy part of Munich, on Maximillian Straße where the Italian shops are. So, when we saw someone approaching, we asked if he knew where Pascha was. And yes, he did. Why, he was even actually on his way there now! And after living and studying in America for three years, his English was quite good. So, after he gave us a ride, he talked to us for a few minutes, bought us a few drinks, and excused himself because he saw some friends. He'd occasionally return and offer another drink. Very nice and not creepy.
He had been asking to get together for a while, and after I was finally able to casually mention my boyfriend in an sms and he still persisted, I decided that it was ok. We met up at Glockspiel, a restaurant overlooking Marienplatz, where a Christmas market was going on bellow. We had a glass of Austrian wine - vanilla and black currant - before going down into the cold for two mugs of Gluhwein and a Lebkuchen. There was his favorite Italian restaurant nearby that he suggested we go to. We were in Isartor, which may possibly be my favorite neighborhood here. We stopped at a small Italian bar on the way for a Spritz and to save our toes. Then we got smoked out (no smoking policy goes into effect with the new year!), so we went on our way. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but there was one table available for the rest of the night. It wasn't especially Italian. Oysters and goat cheese for appetizers. He had deer and I had skate. Perfectly cooked. Afterwards we went to Maximillianstraße for more Spritz. A classy place.... but too big for my liking. Something about the night was very reminiscent of my times in Milan. We talked a lot about going to an Opera ball in Vienna, where they spin to the left. Ummm....?
And today. Lovely, freezing cold, gray Sunday. I can't wait until Jochen gets back! But I'll probably be on my way out to Wilson's for dinner when he comes in. Wilson's cooking Chinese again. :) I guess it will probably be the last time we get together before Christmas and he goes to Thailand for a few weeks.