Munchen, Germany

Last weekend, I packed my bag, grabed my passport, and headed on the RER out to Charles De Gaulle Airport to begin my adventure to Munich. Of course, I didn't want to be pressed for time, so I made it to the aiport with more than enough time to spare. I went in the little gift shop, and bought my self the book "The Devil Wears Prada" (in English of course). I then sat in the terminal waiting for my gate to be announced. The flight was delayed because of weather, fog I think, they didn't really say. So after having to wait around for an extra hour, we finally left, putting me into Germany later than expected. My friend Rena met me at the airport and we took the train to her house. As soon as I arrived in Munich, I noticed all of the Christmas decorations. The next day, Friday, we got up early, and went downtown and took a city bus tour. It was really nice to see a lot of the city without having to walk. After the bus tour, we grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed out to the Olympic Park. It was built for the 1972 olympics. There is a huge tower (much like the Space Needle for those of you familiar with Seattle). It was kind of overcast, but we still got a pretty good view. On a clear day you can see all the way to Austria (it's only 1.5 hours away). After the tower, we discovered a small aquarium called Sea Life. Seeing as we are both guides, we thought we would check it out. The aquarium displayed the Isar River (the main one going through Munich) starting at its source and ending in the Black Sea. It was really cool. After that, we headed back downtown, to be at the official opening of the Christmas Markets. We only stayed for a little while, as we would be going back the next day. Saturday, we slept in, and then went to lunch with Rena's family to celebrate her dad's birthday. It was lots of fun, and her nieces and nephews spoke english too. Her sister in law translates from English to German for the news, so she was really helpful too. After lunch, we went downtown, we went up the tower of a church and since the day was clearer I got some more pictures of the city. After that, we hit up the Christmas Markets. Never in my whole 21 years have I seen so much Christmas it was amazing. We went to a couple of Christmas Markets downtown, and then went to the one that is where they hold Oktoberfest. This market is more modern, and has less Christmassy stuff, but still has suff to sell. While we were there, I got a ring, a Munich snowglobe, and a cool star lamp with dolphins, that you just put over a bare bulb. After that we went home, and I got ready to head back to Paris the next day. Sunday we slept in, and Rena's mom made a special lunch complete with Rabbit and Spaetzle. It was really good. Then Rena and her dad drove me to the airport. I had plenty of time, so I picked up a few gifts in the Duty Free shop. My flight was delayed going back to Paris, because it was delayed from wherever it was coming from, I think London. All in all it was a really fun time.













The Christmas Market at Marienplaz.




















Totally awesome Christmas Tree!!!
















Me at the top of the Olympic Tower.

Danielle's Visit, and Thanksgiving Paris Style

WOW!!! It's been ages since I've postedI've done lots of stuff. My friend Danielle from Gonzaga in Florence (GIF) came to visit me the week before Thanksgiving. We had so much fun. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night, it was really beautiful to see the city all lut up. We also walked the Champs Elysees, hung out in the Latin Quarter, met up with some other GIF people who happenend to be in town for the weekend, and went to the Musee D'Orsay and then had Greek food for dinner. We went to the Picasso Museum, and Louvre, as well as Notre Dame. I would say we hit all of the highlights. It was just really nice to see a friend from GU, and get caught up. We also drank Starbucks, man was it tasty. After that, we had Thanksgiving. It would be an understatement, if I didn't say that we went all out, and by all out, I mean OVER THE TOP!!!We had roughly 50 people, two turkeys, 5 pies, tons of mashed potatoes (I'm not kidding), 3 different kinds of yams, two kinds of stuffing, and all of the other fixings. It was amazing. We started all of the prep the night before, and continued to cook all day long on Thanksgiving day. Since we only have a toaster oven, the bakery up the street cooked the turkey's, pies, and some of the other stuff too. It was really fun, because each person brought recipes from their own families, so it made it really special. Next stop...Munich,
Germany.












Me and Danielle in front of the Eiffel Tower.



















Eiffel Tower sparkling at night.





















Tim carving the turkey, while Sanjay oversees.