'we are from the south...of america." - tribute to c.davis

the BEST juice ever!

*explanation of blog title: this was cydney's answer to a german who was asking where we were from. i know that she meant to say 'we are from the southern region of north america' or something similar, but the way it was worded was really confusing!

Today (1.27.10) was my first 'hard-core' train experience. We woke at 5:45 AM to get the rest of the room packed and make it to the metro by 6:30 AM. Somehow we even made it to the train station early – and caught a train 30 minutes earlier.

Train-ing 101 (trust me- its worth the read)
We got on the train at its first stop. With plenty of room available and almost all vacant seats we sat at a table that had 4 comfortable seats around it. Cydney and I decided to get some breakfast, and lucked out with a great 'American' option. Scrambled eggs and german sausage (okay maybe not totally american) and a bread basket. For my beverage I chose what I thought to be apple juice, my taste buds were quickly intrigued after the first sip.
Europeans are not fond of sugary sweet juices(nor am I), so they 'water' the juices down with mineral water. This creates a great taste and fun fizz! Soon the landscape became quaint towns with adorable architecture (I felt like I was training through peter pan!). All the snow outside the train looked so pure, fresh and white – I was dying to frolic in it with my boots! But all great things must come to an end. After the gentleman sitting across the aisle realized that we were not native he began practicing his english. A few minutes into the small talk he politely asks where we are from. Cyd decides to answer with, “We are from the South...of America.” (thanks for that catchy title!) After the laughter had subsided he informed us that our seats said at the next stop the window seats were reserved. Cydndey and I moved across the aisle so L. Mikus and L. Norton could still be close by. After having two people awkwardly crawl over us to the reserved window seats, the train began to move. Our new younger german friend informed us that our train was 'defective' and having 'electrical issues' which was requiring us to be rerouted to a new station to switch trains. GREAT. Not only was it a complete chore and near death experience lifting a 50lb bag above my head – I was unsure that I would have the proper strength to control lifting it back down in an orderly fashion. Somehow with teamwork (and help from the ever so friendly europeans!) we made our way on the platform.

cydney bringing to everyone's attention that she is from the USA.
i feel i should note that her blue bag weighs 50lbs.

L.Norton looking glam getting off the train,
while L.Mikus brings up the rear.

The was covered in chunks of snow and cold while we waited for the new train. Once it arrived the passengers returned to their previous seats. It wasn't long until I was informed that we were switching trains AGAIN. Our first german friend was the most help out of everyone we met today. He got us off the train and helped us to our connection! I was sure we were home free (this was the only original connection we were supposed to make – it would take us straight to munich). Once again I was WRONG. After running down two flights of stairs with all our luggage to go directly back up we were all out of breath and exhausted (like we didn't already draw enough attention to ourselves), and we quickly realized that a bunch of people we crowded around the terminal where the train to munich was coming. Long story short they ran out of seats – so we literally sat on our bags in a corridor on the train, while the workers yelled at us in german (no comprende, habla ENGLISH!) probably telling us to move to a non-existent seat.

traveling in style.
'titanic' style that is. here cyd and nortold sleep on their bags in the hallway.
riding 3rd class...

Thankfully we only rode like that for an hour (a large chunk of the people on the train were simply going to the frankfurt airport). We thought we would try our luck at attempting to get a seat. With only cydney and I lucking out. The people I sat with were friendly (just as expeceted) and helped us find our way all the to munich! Predicted arrival time was 2:00PM and we arrived to a 20degree temp around 3:30 – I wonder if we would have taken a later train(like we had originally planned) if we would have had a much smoother experience. Hummmmmmm

LOVE the hostel in munich. Its called wombats, ive only been here for 30 minutes and I would already recommend. They take plastic (hard to find people that take cards), have a cool 'interior design,' and the rooms are clean. Cydney and I did some immediate exploring on the deck of the rooms...

yay! snow!

the evening consisted of L.Mikus and L.Norton and I going to to bar and getting a beer for happy hour and then heading out into the cold and grabbing some local bavarian food. and i sampled a native beer that is served mixed with lemonade. initially i thought it was a strange combination, but i actually like it and would order it again.

first 'bavarain' meal.
german sausage over 'sour cabbage' aka sauerkraut with boiled potatoes

Then back to the wombats hostel for a shower and an early night to bed.