Willkommen in Munchen!

The vacation recount begins...

On our way to Greece, Alex and I had a long layover in Munich (5 hours). So we decided to make the most of it and head into town to pass the time. It was a quick trip but a great idea!

The S-Bahn (train) runs directly from the airport to Marienplatz: the center of town - right in front of the Rathaus (townhall), home of the Glockenspiel. The Glockenspiel is essentially a giant cuckoo clock in the center of town - a tourist trap that plays at 11am (and noon and 5pm in the summer). Without having to make a special trip, we emerged from the train stop just as the Glockenspiel began to chime and managed to watch it for a few minutes before deciding we had better things to do. :)

From the Glockenspiel, we explored Munich and saw as much as we could of its distinctly German architecture.

Then we made our way to the Frauenkirche - Munich's cathedral (visible in the first skyline picture above).


We got up close and personal with the Frauenkirche's domes by climbing to the top of one of the towers.


We took in the view from the top.

And then, because a trip to Munich without a beer is an incomplete trip to Munich, we went to the Hofbrauhaus.

Biere (Beers)

Biergarten (Beergarden - isn't this helpful?!?)

Alex and I in the Biergarten.
I may not look like it here, because my hair did a nice job of surviving the travel and I photoshopped some color into my skin, but I was deathly ill during this adventure. On the train into town, more than once, I was certain I was going to be sick and it wasn't going to be pretty. I gave serious consideration to whether ruining my sweater or my jacket was a better idea and decided on my jacket because (a) it was less expensive, (b) I have another jacket that is perfectly fine at home and (c) it would do a better job of protecting the commuters I was sharing the train with. Yeah, that bad. Fortunately, through the powers of serious concentration and deep breathing, I was able to save the commuters of Munich from a miserable morning. Is this too much information? Anyway, none of this stopped me from having a beer at the Hofbrauhaus, because (a) how can you go to Munich without having a beer in a beerhall? and (b) well, I'm an idiot.

Real Bavarians!

I survived Munich, barely, and we were back at the airport, without a hitch, in time for our flight to Athens. I'll tell you about that later.


P.S. Hope everyone had a happy 4th! Click here to read more!

We're leaving today

on a vacation! And I still have a couple pictures left from our trip to London! (technically, outside of London, but whatever.)

After our adventure at Blenheim and lunch in Woodstock*, we made our way by bus to Oxford, which wasn't far away and was the best place to catch a train back to London.

And then it occurred to me - we were going to Oxford, as in Oxford the school. We should totally see that before we head back.

To the train station? Or to the University?

And Graham complied.

So Alex and I explored the campus of Christ Church, one of the largest colleges in the University of Oxford. It was really beautiful.

Upon seeing the dining hall, I said to Alex - This makes me think of Harry Potter.
Turns out that this is the dining hall from the movies.
I'm, like, soooo observant.

Any Lost fans out there?

I'm glad we took the time.

Rowers were here!!

We're headed to Greece this evening (hooray!) for a real (i.e., more than 72 hour) vacation. You'll hear from us upon our return.



* Oh, and the Pimm's cup (as featured in the last post), in case anyone cares, is essentially (in concept more than in flavor) British sangria.


Sort of. No, it's not made with wine. But it's refreshing and is served with chopped up fruit (and cucumbers). Essentially, it is Pimm's (a gin-based liqueur that is infused with herbs) mixed with lemonade (and possibly something fizzy like ginger ale), infused with mint, and topped with fruit (in this case, amazingly sweet, fresh strawberries) and cucumbers. It works, you'll just have to trust me on this one. Click here to read more!

Blenheim Palace - some culture during our London Weekend

Our bonafide touristy trip while in London involved a trip to the countryside, to Blenheim Palace. Blenheim is a beautiful home, surrounded by acres upon acres of beautiful gardens and grounds.

Graham was our tour guide.

The gardens were stunning...

...and the house wasn't too shabby either.

But we spent all of our time at Blenheim walking around the grounds. There was so much to see - here is a sampling...

I got a huge kick out of this sign - sometimes my humor is so simple!

And Alex, knowing that my humor is simple, entertained me with some goose-chasing. (Sorry dear - you chase it, I post it.)

After a really nice walk around the palace grounds, Alex, Graham and I had a relaxing, enjoyable lunch at The Feathers in Woodstock - the town adjacent to the palace.

Woodstock

And Pimm's cups! Oh, Pimm's cups, you are so tasty (and pretty)!

Click here to read more!

London Weekend

So last time, I told you I was in London for the weekend, visiting Graham, Alex's brother. We had a terrific time: meeting some of Graham's friends, searching for flats (apartments, not shoes, sadly) and squeezing in a little time for sight-seeing.

I really enjoy sight-seeing in London. Because we are often there to visit family, it can be easy to skip, but Alex is totally happy to join me in making a point to see at least one touristy thing while we're across the Atlantic.

This time, we did two (!) touristy things, the first of which was a visit to the Borough Market - a favorite of ours.


Borough Market is London's oldest food market. It has its beginnings in Roman times and has occupied its current location for over 250 years.

Cheese and chocolate - does one really need anything else? :)

It's a wonderful place to browse and discover,


with vendors who are nothing if not modest. ;)


And it's an even better place to eat lunch - specifically a greasy lunch of fish and chips! If you like that sort of thing...

I'll write about the second touristy thing next time. Click here to read more!