train train train

good morning, sunny berlin! aren't you looking fine today!

when we left france it was raining lightly. we had an early morning train, taking most of the day, with two transfers, and arrived in munchen/munich some time around 7pm. it was not quite raining, but not quite not raining either. still, the city seemed welcoming and we decided rather quickly that we would like it. this decision was aided by a sign in the tourist infor office window which read:

'munich loves you'

aww, munich! aren't you sweet!

we wandered to our hostel, where we were told that there would be a beer tasting very shortly at the bar, ad we would be welcome to join. handy timing, us! so we unloaded in our room (meeting the first of our roomies, a brit named michelle) then headed down. there were twelve people (us included) at this tasting, plus our completely charming and wide-eyed bar tender. we made fast friends with them all. two fellows from la, chane and carrey. two boys from wisconsin, aaron and tom. two british girls, michelle our roomate, and natalie. an australian chap, owen. an american girl from an undisclosed state, nicole. and a couple who's names i never was told. we sampled three beers. a lager, a weissbier (wheat beer) and something not quite stout. all lovely. the middle was my favorite. then our new friends of the bar informed us that they were all headed to some massive german bar with much beer, and wondered if we would like to join? we would. so we did! the bundle of us wandered into the munich night.

the bar was huge. massive. all long tables of heavy wood. there was an oompa band. with a concert harp in. seriously! most of the servers wore collar shirts with vests, but some wore leiderhosen (?). we sat in the garden. it was rather packed, but we managed to jam ourselves around an empty table. a waiter came by and said

'beer? how many?'

to which we replied 'twelve!', and off he went. no size or type choice. just. beer. a short while later a man came carrying all twelve beer himself, six to a hand. i should say that these beers were not your average pint-sized beers. nay. that would've been a tricky enough carry. but instead. they were 1 litre mugs. made thick enough that a very drunken bundle of tourists could smash them together shouting 'PROUST!' and sloshing beer every which way and not break them. it was impressive. this man. these twelve mugs... we made him stand holding them as we took photos.

social times! singing! making friends with other groups in the garden! running into two girls from mads... really? yes!

we had two rounds of these insane beers and then stumbled our way home. everyone in the group made it home safely. all is well!

the next morning we slept in a smidge, getting out of the hostel just before 10. it was raining. oh, munich, you said you loved us! we found our way to a little modern art gallery, the name of which i keep forgetting. some very interesting stuff including a video about the 1972 olympics. then we figured out the underground and tram system enough to find the nymphenburgh palace: birthplace of king ludwig the 2nd. it was quite spectacular. there was the palace itself, which was not SO huge, as far as palaces go, and then there were the grounds. the park. a huge expance of green with rivers and lakes, and gardens and forrests, and some truly amazing trees. i decided, while wandering along the cold rainy paths, that of all plant life, trees are my favorites. trees win! and there were a series of small buildings around the grounds. a bathing hall. a pagodaburgh we decided was sort of the glamourous answer to the tree house. a funny little chapel made to look like a ruin.

HIGHLIGHT! in the chapel there was a side wing which had very fine old floors. and to walk on these floors you had to put on these MASSIVE slippers, over your shoes. and then the floor was uber slippery, and we had a lovely time of it! oh, we loved it very much.

we spent a good few hours wandering the grounds and buildings. we were a bit on the freezing side by the time we left, and very hungry. we bought cheese pretzels in the underground station on the way home, and it might have been the best thing either of us had ever tasted.

bought groveries. made a very fine stir fry in the hostel's tiny kitchen. ate alongside a very friendly and talkative australian woman and her eight year old daughter. then went to the lobby and ran into owen (the australian) and a fellow from toronto. we used the torontoite's computer for internet, and hung out for a while, then called it a night. we were right tuckered.

got up ealry the next morning, and packed and checked out. attempted to see st. peter's cathedral before catching our train, but there was a service going on so we looked around a swaroski crystal shop instead. then back on the train for a five and a half hour direct ride.

we sat next to an elderly german couple who spoke some english, and we chatted with them for a good portion of the ride. they were very kind and funny, and from lepzig. they pointed things out on the landscape worth seeing.

OH! back in time... highlight from the train into munich. in some small town we passed through there was a huntertwasser building at the top of a hill. i grinned for the next hour.

we arrived in berlin to sunshine! berlin! you charming devil! we walked to our hostel and got settled, then checked the email from iain gillis of 'shows worth seeing in berlin'. and lo, there was one on that very night! it was 6:49, and the concert began at 8, so we ran like crazy pants to get ourselves in order, and trained our way to postdamerplatz. there we found ourselves in a lovely square with the sony centre and many other impressive buildings. the berliner philharmonie (our destiation)was not far off and we found it without too much trouble. the concert was a string quartet playing debussy and ravel, and then they added in a pianist and solo violin for some chausson. lots of tickets left. hoooray!

no dinner, (or lunch really) so we turned once again to the pretzel to save us. and it did. blessed pretzel. these ones had butter in. they were brilliant.

and so was the hall. stunning building. the stage itself is in the round. all beachwood chairs. no bad seats in the place. beautiful light. beautiful accoustic. the quartet was charming and lovely. three men and one woman. each very much the type of instrumentalist they ought to be... the first violinist very much a first violinist, etc. the woman was the violist. she wore green. they played beautifully. the third movement of the debussy made the hair on my arms stand on end. the audience was shockingly still and quiet. it was a spectacular concert. the kind that makes me want to o home and play viola all night long.

during the intermission we had champagne. we moved up a bit closer to the stage.

the pianist was very much a pianist with bouncing wirey white hair. his page turner, a woman, matched him.

we trained and walked home very tired and very hungry, but had no luck finding takeaway food. so we went to bed instead. natalya blew a fuse in our room, but it wasn't her fault. she simply turned on her beadside lamp. apparently it sort of exploded. i was in the washroom. i missed it. in our room there is only one other girl right now. jennifer. from the states, but she lives in paris. she works as some sort of design scout or something. she is here on business.

today we are off on a walking tour in the afternoon, and something this morning, although we don't know just what yet. but we've been fed and coffeed, so we're ready for the new day and its adventures.

and it is sunny. and that is a very very nice thing.