a busy few days that i will endeavour to put into words...
first things first, sunday! completely perfect. i can't put it another way...i was just in one of my own-company moods (which people who i've lived with surely know about :p) and this just suited a day exploring by myself, foot to street, on and on until i got to wherever i fancied being. i went here there and everywhere, accompanied by the very best sounds, and after having become used to all the things that i see on an everyday basis my eyes were opened once more to all the strange little charming things that are around...if you have the botheredness to seek them out. the sun was even shining, i've realised this effects my mood quite a lot more than i originally thought but in short, i love being here right now. even the rain and subsequent storm which soaked me on the way home didn't phase...so now for some details, :)
i started off by going out to the nymphemburg palace which was just so much better than any of the pictures make it out...a bit like a german national trust property. pretty easy to find despite the appaling mapping of the tram system here (more on that another day) and when i got there, the gardens were free so i had a wander around, had a sit down and caught up on my postcard writing. there were all these cherry blossoms everywhere and they kept landing in my hair, there was this completely filmic feeling about the whole place which was only ruined by a russian couple sitting on my bench and looking over my shoulder at what i was writing. erm, rude! at this point i thought it wise to move on, people looking at my words unnanounced really gets to me so i saved the inside of the castle for another day (when people come to visit perhaps.. hint ;) ) and made my way back to the tram stop. it then came to my attention that the nympemburg\gern neighbourhoods nearby were really quite swish (and mentioned in my guidebook as worth seeing) so i took a slight detour and saw all the beautiful old houses and tree lined avenues, enjoying not really having to be anywhere.
as the book had been so helpful i decided to consult it again, and sat by the river looking at where to go next. as i'm on a major budget until i get work alongside the aupairing (i'm also trying to save) i wanted things that were free and so i looked at other areas to wander around. There were two areas that stood out from the book's description, Glockenbachviertel and Haidhausing, and luckily they were both on the journey back to my house so I stopped off at one and then the other. Glockenbackviertel was just amazing, all these tiny tree lined roads and streetside cafes (on-pavement seating is really a weakness of mine) alongside lots of interesting shops, boutiques and art galleries. pretty much like munich's northern quarter if you've ever been to manchester, but a lot more european than that. unfortunately, however, as it was sunday everything was closed. germany kinda shuts down on a sunday which is rather le gay, so all of this was more a mental note of where to return on real days. perhaps that made it all the more exciting, the thought that i can actually go back to these places... :)
anyway, then i moved on to Haidhausing (although on the net it says Haidhausen??) which initially i hadn't been so impressed with, perhaps as i'd liked the other place so much. But after a little while of nosing around i found this really pretty park, all these kids were playing football and there were some skating ramps and a basketball court...it was just such a nice atmosphere and there was this tiny outside cafe with red polka dot seats and recliners. i fell in love with it! even the rowdy german tramps seemed like a completely appropriate piece of the jigsaw. i then chanced upon a guitar shop, which was open...shock, and had a caravan shaped guitar which made me smile though i'm not entirely sure why. i am continually finding myself wanting one however. the more time i spent in this area the more i liked it, the book said it was munich's french quarter which i really started to see the longer i wandered around.
by this point it was about half 5 and, in my mind i had planned to head home about this time....the only problem with this was that i really didn't want to yet, and having bought a day ticket it was valid until 6 the next morning (a godsend if youre off on a long night out!). this took me to my favourite part of the day, taking a detour up to gieslastraße and having a wander around the english garden. words can not describe this place! it's simply magical. fair enough, i took the tourist route and ended up paying nearly 5 euros for a pint (!) but it was oh-so-completely worth it. the english garden, anyway, is pretty much like munich's central park and the place i ended up was just massive! it's the chinesischer turm and looks a little like this...
...ok this is it looking a little apocolyptic but on a sunny sunday it was still as striking. There was a german brass band on one of the floors and seats and seats and seats choc full of people, the advertisements for it say it's the largest beer garden here, but not having seen every beer garden i can't endorse that too much :p anyway, i sat here for about an hour, bought a pint and wrote yet more postcards, wrote again in the travel journal i carry about with me, and just existed. it was just the nicest atmosphere, everyone was smiling and laughing, the music was great and there were so many different languages floating about. it just felt really timeless i guess :)
which brings me to this week, again kinda quiet so far, but a lot nicer weather which has resulted in me getting out and exercising pretty much every day. sabine, the mother even said i look really healthy at the moment which is such an inspiration to get right back into the fitness lark. i forgot how much i missed it... :) other than that though, i've started german classes (easy so far but actually interesting to go over the basics...) and opened a bank account, which entailed me and the bank lady and a translator..(!) also, free bank accounts don't really exist over here so every 3 months they take 15 euros from me, for nothing!!! cheers germany...
ok, again i have written far much more than i intended, the rest of this week sees work as normal today but thurs\fri is a public holiday and the family will be going away for a couple days. this means i can explore a whole lot (more castles please) and have a massive house to myself...kinda good but kinda scary... maybe i'll finally pluck up the courage to have a go on their piano, who knows...
x
wah, so much to update! here's to keeping up to date (fail) but i guess i've just been busy living, one can get quite carried away with the days and the moments, you know how it is... :p
first things first, the perlacher forest! its the best thing in the entire world, i just love it and have been cycling there every morning and feeling very pleased with myself being part of the morning cycling crew. we smile at each other and everything! they all have better bikes and cycling gear than me though :p
but either way i can't get over the fact that this pure slice of countryside is on the edge of a massive city...it is exactly like two completely separate worlds side by side, there is just no traffic noise at all when youre there and its a massive escape from the busy-ness... :) i was cycling along the other day with my iPod on and We Can Be Strong by Willy Mason came on, i don't know if anyone even reads this and what their musical persuasions are but this guy is just something special, he's about the same age as me and just writes the most world-weary songs, his voice just knows about life, i love it. long story short, this song means a lot to me (lyricsgay) as i used to listen to it every day on my way to egg, and the words were just sorta appropriate for me at that time but this was the first time i'd heard it since that whole time...and it just hit me how much my life has changed, and in many ways derby knocked a lot of the life out of me, and especially towards the end i wasn't the me i actually am there, and to suddenly realise that i wasn't in that place anymore, and the sun was shining, and the scenery was so beautiful...i guess i just had a little moment. :) i also really have the urge to sleep in the forest one day, but i am completely aware this is probably the storyline to a book or a film somewhere and perhaps something that should not be attempted in real life. still want to..
on the cycling note i have been upping my daily exercise, being at home and doing pretty much nothing had turned me into something approaching a fatty. i worked out four times yesterday! and am already feeling the benefit, even if being outside in the sun too much has left my poor skin somewhat pink and itchy...a rather irritating development as until fairly recently i used to tan quite well, bah >:( fingers crossed it should go brown...blah
i have also sent out my first batch of postcards, and written and stamped the second batch to be sent after i finish this. i am sending them in fours, not really sure why, its just a nice number as doesn't take too long therefore keeps me interested in writing to those who mean the very most :)
on one of my evening runs around the neighbourhood i saw lots of little oddities including the largest hopscotch i had ever seen (100 squares)...this has inspired me to play hopscotch with the girls this week. also, some amazing individual has built a house, with a balcony and a slide coming off said balcony to the gate...what an idea...i would get out of bed every day smiling if that were my house...too cool!
on the subject of oddities there was a man with his very own tree on the u-bahn yesterday...it had all these oddments of ribbons tied to it, a very nice looking tree...and he was very late for the train...maybe the tree had an appointment, i don't know...but they were very keen to make said train and they just got it on time, and then nobody cracked a smile about this apart from me! perhaps trees catching public transport is normal around here. of course, in situations like this when perhaps one shouldn't laugh on one's own, i thought of hannah parker and had to do that silent giggling thing. damn knowing someone who will always find inapporpriate situations as funny as you... :p
which brings me to last night, aka- my first time sampling the delights of munich nightlife. before i lived with this family, a girl called gemma lived with them and she's been really ace in taking me under her wing and showing me about the place, as well as introducing me to some people all of whom so far are rather sound :)
first of all let me just mention (before i forget) that on the way to the station on the rickety old bike (srsly, its the noisiest thing you have ever heard...perhaps this is why the bike people smile...i'm not in a crew after all they're just mocking me... :\) who arrives but the german police....turns out that although its really cycle-friendly around here with seperate bike roads and such, if its night you have to have your lights on or can't ride the bike. mine weren't working...hmm...which lead to a nice friendly ticking off from them interspersed with much "i'm english and i don't understand"-ing from me. all ok in the end as i was actually about 10 steps from where i was supposed to be so, i locked up the bike and went on my merry way...
obviously, this had held me up time wise and i was by this time half an hour late to meet gemma, woops :\ we found each other ok though, AND i even asked for and understood directions in german, from a real german person - so chuffed as this is the first person that hasn't spoken back to me in english... :) so, we ended up going to some of the hostel bars near the main train station - really nice atmosphere, lots of au pairs and such to meet and chat to, lots of travellers just making their way through and more than anything, lots of english to be spoken AND i even found a place that sold cider and blackcurrant at which point my life was made. i only had one though as i felt incredibly typically english for spurning the local ale...so therefore had some Biers as well, which by the way were strong..! we then went on to a rather strange club with Very Laud Haus Musik and a very confusing layout. I was by this point verr tired and so got the Ubahn back to the bike and got in about 5...as before everything is so safe here, it's really not a problem going home by yourself which to me is interesting as i am a massive wimp when it comes to that...
anyways it's occurred to me i've been writing for about an hour now and i really must post these cards. Well done if you got this far ;) have a cookie.
Love
x