"My mindset is Munich..."

That's a Madeleine Albright quote of which the rest doesn't pertain to me!

I LOOOOOVE Munich! I think after a few days here I feel completely comfortable with the city in terms of the weather (k, not COMPLETELY), the people ( if only I knew German) , and especially the superb transportation system! I don't know if it's because I become more secure with myself the older, wiser and more traveled I am but I honestly feel more and more at "home" when I go places rather than just feeling like an observing outsider who is merely passing through. I think the art of traveling encompasses this. My motto has always been to think and behave as an explorer rather than a tourist and perhaps I'm just getting better at it. This place is great, accessible, clean and really safe. I am truly sad to be departing today but another adventure awaits ahead!

1.25.10

I arrived to Munich in the late afternoon. The view greeting me when exiting the rail station was a picture replica of the set-up and view from the Frankfurt station. I had to search for some dissimilarities before I was convinced I was in the right place and to keep walking ahead. I was unable to secure a couch with CouchSurfing my first night so I booked a bed at Euro Youth Hostel and it was in very close proximity to the rail station. As I was checking in a crew of about 30 Irish guys crammed in thru the entrance and my immediate thought was "AHHHHH!". I was in no mood to be sociable at the moment and really couldn't get my mind off of taking a shower but in their extremely strong accents some of them insisted on exchanging banter with me about nothing other than beer (typical) and eventually I was able to scurry off to my room. For the next few hours I did boring things like shower, brush my teeth, and check my email. As the sun was setting I realized I had not eaten since dinner in Prague the night before so I ventured out to purchase a baguette and tomatoes, sooooo nutritious! haha.

Atfer eating I decided maybe wearing make-up would do me some good so I went downstairs to the bathroom and met another girl while she was applying her mascara. Her name is Cassandra and she went to USC so we immediately had a California connection to which our partnership for the night was formed. She's also traveling alone so we naturally decided to hang out and explore some Bavarian nightlife. By Bavarian nightlife I mean bouncing between a few Hofbrahauses in the area. First we went to a "non-touristy" one and then to the overpriced touristy one. We shared some beers, some conversation, an over-priced cab after walking in the wrong direction,

and people-watching. It was a good way to orient myself into Bavarian society!

1.26.10

I had arranged to "surf" the couch of a nurse named Katherina who lives in the south of Munich. Because of her hectic work schedule I had to be at her flat before 12:30 pm or after 9:30 . I checked out of the hostel at around 10, bid "Auf Wiedersehen" to Cassandra, and made my way to the U1 subway in order to meet Katherina by noon. Good thing I left 2 hours early! Her directions seemed easy enough and make perfect sense now but I was so disoriented when I finally arrived to her street by bus. I keep blaming my mishaps in direction on the snow so let's not make this an exception! I walked the wrong way a half dozen times before my mind went into overdrive wondering where on earth I was going to seek shelter because I was sure to get frostbite any second. Luckily my phone works internationally so with it beeping red and dying on me I was able to reach Katherina and 3 dropped calls later I found my way! ( like a movie, for sure) I was so happy to see her when I made it to her 4th floor flat that I immediately grabbed her in an embrace before I let myself in to defrost. We chatted for about an hour before we walked out together. My destination: The Residenz of Munich, hers: the hospital down the street for work.

When I arrived, assumably where I was supposed to be, in the Residenz area of Munich the damn snow disoriented me yet again. The subway station exit opens up into a huge courtyard, currently covered in snow, that is squared in by 4 very impressive and presumably important buildings that in some way relate to the Residenz-my destination. There were some people walking about but none anywhere near me and all of them were walking away in completely opposite directions. I was definitely alone in this huge snowy courtyard and it didn't take much to come to the conclusion that of course I was alone! There's half a foot of snow on the ground and snow falling from the skies... who in their right mind goes sight-seeing in such conditions? Oh, well... that'd be me. So, I walked around somewhat aimlessly but with the right intentions, in and out of the buildings unsure of what I was actually looking at. I took lots of pics and marveled at the architecture but eventually I couldn't feel my fingers or toes so I had to seek safety in a cafe with the rest of civilization. Tucked in between all of these important Munich buildings, monuments and statues is San Francisco Coffee Company. My immediate train of thought was: "San Francisco? then they MUST have soy milk!" but because it was called something so familiar and was smack dab in the middle of a tourist hot-spot I masochistically kept walking in search of a more genuinely "Munich" cafe, whatever that means. Moral of the story is: Why do I torture myself? San Francisco Coffee Company was warm, hip and gave me a great place to perch and read whilst drinking my coffee for awhile... and there was only one loud American in there who I am 99% sure is from SF!

After I decided I was satisfied with my wee coffee break I set back out into the world to explore some more. I mostly just wandered around aimlessly but with the right intentions like before and once the overcast sky turned to dusk I set my course straight for Katherina’s flat. I’m afraid I don’t have anything monumental to report about the rest of my night in terms of activities or food. I just finished my baguette and tomatoes from the day before as my dinner and had a banana that I pocketed from my breakfast at the hostel for dessert. I can’t afford to take myself out to eat for EVERY meal! It’s either a real meal… or not much of a meal at all, haha, so far I’ve got a good balance going on! 1.27.10 Let’s Go Europe: 2010 describes Café Ignaz as a “rockin’ eco-friendly café”. Nowhere in the description does it refer to Café Ignaz as a vegetarian restaurant but lo and behold it is! I figured so much when I read “eco-friendly” because IMHO meat has no place in being prepared and/or served anywhere where deserving of being called “eco-friendly”. In the snow and cold everything is harder to find, story of my life; I’ve accepted it. So, because of the lack of humanity within sight I felt lost most of the time I was walking to Café Ignaz. To get there you take the U2 subway to Josephplatz and exit on Adelheistr. to the right where you turn right on Georgenstr., walk about 4 blocks and Café Ignaz is located on the right side of the street at Georgenstr. 67. It’s a warm and small hole in the wall that also doubles as a walk-in bakery (none of the baked goods were vegan to my knowledge).

They supply English speakers with an English menu that makes life that much easier! Things are listed as Vegetarian or Vegan. They serve a buffet at both breakfast and lunch that is a much more economical option that ordering from the menu (approx. 7 euro). I arrived in between breakfast and lunch and was wary to wait and order the lunch buffet because I would have no way of knowing what was and wasn’t vegan because a) the waitress didn’t speak English and b) nothing was labeled. I ordered from the regular menu and got myself .4 L of orange juice to hold me over as I waited for my nudel-gratin. The menu had other things that appealed to me like a stone-oven baked tofu pizza, various stir-fries, and risottos but I felt like ordering a “gratin” would be the most German thing to do! In retrospect I wish I had gone with the pizza. My meal was inspiring because it had dates and I’d never think to make a pasta with dates in it but aside from that it was rather simple for upwards of 8 euro. I’ll admit, there’s something left to be desired when there isn’t cheese holding an oven-baked pasta dish together; perhaps I should’ve opted for a potato gratin instead?

All in all the experience was satisfying. I would in no way call Café Ignaz “rockin’” as Let’s Go did… I think quaint and homey are better adjectives for the atmosphere. With a name like Café Ignaz and a “rockin’” reputation I was picturing something with a Latin vibe or something, but it’s not as such. I would’ve probably gone again during my time in Munich to try a pizza or something but the price of my meal was definitely the only thing worthy of being called rockin’, and not in a good way but in a far out price kind of way. I paid just under 13 euro for my food. Check out a currency converter and you will see that that far exceeds the price of a one person meal at a mid-range restaurant ANYWHERE in the states and is much too much for a lone-traveler with no job and only the money in her checking account to survive on. But, alas, I did it for blogging’s sake. ☺ After eating I made my way to find the Pinakotheken. There are three Pinakothek that make up the Pinakotheken; they are: Pinaktothek der Moderne, Alte Pinakothek, and the Neue Pinakothek. The directions I used to get there were fairly simple but failed me. I walked around the snowy streets void of human-life for about 30 minutes before finding an advertisement that led me to believe I was close and eventually I found my way. (If you know me, you know I am not exactly direction-challenged. I have a photographic memory but have an aversion to maps… there’s something to be said about getting lost in this manner, though, how to verbalize it is another thing… )