Doin' Munich In Style Part II - Ruth

...We also went on a huge ferris wheel and got to enjoy a SPECTACULAR view of Munich & Oktoberfest! Caroline and I went on a sweet ass super fast rollercoaster together. Then all of us but Jack went on this RIDICLOUSLY high swing ride that was AT LEAST 10 stories high!!! Seriously the fucker was HIGH and we were merely sitting in these tiny swing seats with our feet dangling down, strapped in with a loose seatbelt and held up by four small chains! I sat with Caroline because I knew it would ease my fear of heights. I am so glad I confronted my fear! If I hadn't I would have missed out on a completely unforgettable, thrilling-ass-crazy experience!!






We left Oktoberfest around 6pm and I trekked to the grocery to buy toilet paper and bananas while everyone else slept. I enjoyed strolling the streets of a forgeign land alone.




Around 8pm Jack and I went to the Hauptbahnhof to upgrade our Eurail ticket from a Saver to a Flexi so that we could wouldn't be tied down to a schedule for the rest of our trip, but unforunately the Eurail office was closed. We will go back Monday at 11am to change it and then we will take a train to Salzberg.

Saturday night we ate at an Italian restuarant in the University District. Aaron and Caroline ordered pizzas that were four times the size of their faces!




Today (Sunday) we took Aaron to the central station and had breakfast together before giving our farewells. I am so, so glad he came to Munch to see us! It was so great to see him and I love how Jack and Caroline could see what a great person is he and vice versa! Aaron told me he really liked Caroline and thought she was very cool. The other night he said Jack was "the fucking man" and that he totally admires him! I even saw them hugging at Kultfabric!!

After a short nap Sunday we met a friend of Michelle Estebon, named Michael, for lunch. We ate outside in downtown Munich at a wonderful restuarant called Medon.




Michael is very nice! It was great to get to know him! He spent the entire afternoon with us - we saw an Egyptian exhibit at a museum, walked through the Hof Gardten, saw the surfers again at the Englischer Garten and watched a brass band there. We saw two accordian players playing for money downtown and a very talented violinist at the Hof Garten. We ended the visit with a hearty meal at the Chinese Tower in the Englischer Gardten - Caroline ate two brats, I had a decliously seasoned chunk of beef and onions with seasoned potatoes, Jack had a huge pig knuckel (which I had some of and it was very good, tender, juicy, the whole 9), Michael had plums and a powdery, doughy dessert, and all three of them drank Radlers (Sprite and Pilsner mixed together).
















As soon as we got back, Jack and I started planning for this week's jaunt before Muelhaussen. Care, Jack, and I totally yucked it up tonight! I love how we all can enjoy and appreciate each other's sense of humor! Love, Love, Love them forever! I'm so thankful Aaron came. I'm so thankful Michael showed us around - he was a very informative tour guide and he even offered to take a day off work when we come back to Munich in a few weeks to drive us somewhere! So nice.

I am so thankful I have such a wonderful, beautiful, talented, smart, funny , warm, thoughtful, loving sister!! Seeing her has been beyond amazing!

And I am forever thankful to have such a wonderful companion to travel with! Jack is the best, most relaxed, flexible traveller I've ever seen. I love spending this time with him and I can't wait for more adventures to begin! He is simply incredible, innovative, tenacious, warm, loving, and thoughtful!!!

Doin' Munich In Style -Ruth

Sun, 9-20 10pm
After the taco & fajita dinner at Brooke's apartment the other night, we had some time to kill before meeting Aaron at the Ubahn station. We took the StrassenBahn toward downtown to check out more of the nightlife. We went back to our old stomping ground, Maxi Doner, where Care & Jack drank beers and Jack & I each ordered a Hahnshenschnitzel & pommes (breaded chicken & fries). I asked for a dressing to dip some of my food in and they provided me with a yogurt-based cucumber sauce, which is the standard sauce in Germany, Caroline informed me. It looked like it had dill blended with it. There is no official name for the sauce, as it is something that is served pretty much anywhere. It is only called Sosse (pronounced zozeh) which means "sauce." The Maxi Doner serves this awesome dish titled the "Maxi Box" which is a box filled with lamb meat, lettuce, sauce, and fries all mixed in together. (There was a running joke throughout our time in Munich about how Jack's favorite thing to order is the Maxi Box..)






I forgot to mention that on Wednesday, the night we arrived, when Caroline, Jack and I were walking around downtown Munich, we came across a four person acoustic band playing by the doorways of a storefront in the main shopping district. There was an upright bass player, 2 acoustic guitarists, and a percussionist that played a rectangular-shaped cube that provided both a bass drum & tight snare sound. They all took turns singing lead and harmonized very well! We heard an upbeat song in Spanish & then covers of Outkast's "Hey Ya" & Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Californication." It was actually really nice to hear the acoustic takes of these songs. They were very good musicians and showmen. One of the guitarists sang "Stand By Me" with the bassist playing only. He encouraged the crowd to sing along at the chorus. There were about 40 people watching & it sounded like everyone sang along! The acoustics were perfect in that spot.

ANywAy, on Thursday night (Caroline's bday) we were at the Hauptbahnhof waiting for a train to take us to meet Aaron when he called Caroline's cell from a payphone like 100 yards away from us! It turns out we had walked right past him down the stairs to sit on the platform and neither of us noticed each other! As Aaron came down the stairs, Jack walked over to greet him & give him a welcome beer I had stashed in my purse from the taco party.

It was so great to see Aaron again!!! I couldn't believe that after all our planning & emailing over the past few months we were finally here!!! I hadn't seen him in 5 years but we've kept in touch a lot ever since Berklee via phone, AIM, email, text, & myspace. I LOVE the modern times we live in! There's no way we would have stayed as close of friends if we lived in former times. Our friendship has totally developed and matured as we have. Aaron and I see eye-to-eye on so many things -- and Jack & I do too. THuS I figured that Jack & Aaron would totally hit it off -- and I was SO RIGHT!!! Like, more than right --- They ended up talking until 4 in the morning that night, a lot about philosophical, political, & existential shit. I was in & out of the conversation because I was very, very tired & feeling sick from the infection I had, but I could hear them discussing & laughing and I was so happy that they clicked like I had predicted and hoped.

The next morning we slept till 11am or so. Caroline & I walked to the UBahn bakery & ordered an assortment of treats. We brought back big pretzels & big pretzels stuffed with butter, cherry danishes, a few other pastries with poppy seeds, and a Quarktasche, which is a doughnut-type croissant with this wonderful tasting cheese in it! It was my fav. The cheese reminded me of farmer's cheese, which my mom uses in her homemade Pierogis. The breading was heavily glazed - mmm...it was absolutely perfect!

When I ordered sandwiches by myself the first day we arrived, & walked around the grocery store & bought items, I was SO THRILLED even to simply use the limited German I know! When with Caroline I am constantly impressed with her fluency and mastery of the language! Even though I don't understand most of what she and someone else might be saying to eachother, I could listen to it all day!

We took the goods back to the studio and grubbed out before booking it to the Oktoberfest grounds to scope out the pre-festival set-up. It was so cool to see the get-ups while the area was nearly empty. It was easier to take in every detail than it would have been in a sea of people. The bier "tents" were really large warehouse-like buildings that looked like they had been assembled months in advance! There were many rides: rollercoasters, haunted houses, super high spinning rides & 'power tower' drops! Everything was very large & ellaborate & there were many mechanical statues & signs. It really amped up the anticipation we already had to be there & see everything up close! Caroline said that three years ago she came on a train during one week of Oktoberfest, staked out a tent, sat at a table with friends, & drank from 7am to 7pm! Tabatha (whom Caroline works for) later told us that some ment bring buckets to keep under the table to piss in so they don't have to lose their seat!




We went to Tabatha's apt around four and joined her, the kids, & Martina (the kinderfrau who helps them with their homework) for cake in celebration of Caroline's birthday.



We were so excited about Oktoberfest that we decided to go shopping for a Dirndl for me & Lederhosen for Jack! He looks SO GOOD in his Lederhosen!! haha :) We picked an orange bandana to go with. It's supposed to be worn around the neck but Jack tied it around his wrist, doubling it up, & it looked way more fashionable (anything helps when you're wearing lederhosen...)

Unfortunately I was swimming in the smallest women size, so we had to look through the children sizes at a department store. At first I was disappointed because the child dirndls were, of course, less sexy than the traditional ones. But Caroline and I ended up finding a cute blue one that Jack really liked. When I stepped out of the dressing room to show him he helped me tuck in the collar which gave the dress a nice, sexy low cut! :) Jack wore his Lederhosen out of the store. We walked around the city a bit, pointing out the highlights to Aaron. Before shopping we ate at a different Doner place. Jack tried this Turkish drink that was absolutely terrible, in my opinion. He managed to finish it, even though it tasted like sour yogurt & curdled milk (which is pretty much what it was). It was extremely bitter & watery.

Earlier in the day we came across "The Walking Man," which is this huge white statue of, well, a man walking. It is 6 stories high! I had seen it in a Top Ten Guidebook of Munich the other night (under top ten sights in the Schwabing & University District), so I was happily surprised to come upon it unexpectedly on our walk!



Friday night Caroline took us out to Kultfabrik, the assortment of clubs (18 of them I think) for only 5 euro! I wore my Dirndl & Jack his Lederhosen. We saw many guys out that night in Lederhosen, as it is the fashion in Bavaria (we see many throughout the city wearing them. Dirndl wearing is not so common, except during Oktoberfest, and I was the only one out that night wearing one, of the people we saw. A couple of people mistook me for Bavarian because of my dress and started chatting with me in German! I had to switch the conversatino to simple English before parting ways.

Jack just told me I'd probably be interested in an Austrain techno group from Vienna that started in the late 90s called Kruder & Dorfmeister. Earlier, Aaron suggested I should check out Disasterpiece, a dude who writes videogame-esque music. At the time we were listening to Holy Dang Dance Party's latest album, Blippity Hoo Ha, at Caroline's place. It was jammin'.

Anyway, Kultfabrik was mad fun! The first club we went to played only German dance/celebratory music. Caroline and I swung on a porch swing inside the club! We got right down to the music! Jack got into it right away, dancing and cuttin' loose! Aaron, Caroline, and Jack immediately started downin' the drinks!

Next we went to a club called "Q." Every club was really nice - highly stylish and very well decorated. The D.J. at Q was the fucking shit!! Aaron and I were so excited because he was playing the most badass mixes! Britany and her German boyfriend Manu joined us, along with Phil, a German friend of Caroline's. Everyone in our group was mostly standing around, talking and drinking...They were enjoying themselves but with the amazing tracks that were booming overhead I just COULD NOT wait any longer and HAD TO jump down to the dance floor (which was huge btw). I convinced Caroline to join me, which was fucking amazing and we simply went WILD! I was bouncing abuot, flailing my arms, and spinning around in my Dirndl! Even though I had been feeling feverish earlier, it felt SO GOOD to dance so energetically to those awesome beats. I felt like I was sweating my fever right out!

Caroline and I even climbed this "dance podium" where we danced together way up high for a few songs! (Jack shot a lot of video of this and it's a shame our memory card took a shit). I stayed on the dance floor for fucking EVER even if I was only by myself. Most of the time Aaron was out there getting lost in it with me, when he wasn't throwing back hella drinks! haha. Everyone around me was getting real tanked.

The last club we went to was hella fun also, but I forget its name. They played mostly American mainstream dance and pop songs but there were a few popular German dance/pop tracks thrown in there. Jack totally let loose and danced his fancy footwork all around! I LOVE seeing him dance freely! I LOVE when he is truly lost in the moment and fully enjoying himself!

Aaron drank quite a bit but it was way, way, all good. He is so nice and thoughtful and awesome! At one point he told me how extremely happy he is to see me with Jack. He said his parents are totally in love and always have been and because of their good example he can definitely tell that our "love is real." He said with utter confidence, "I KNOW that as long as you guys are alive, you will always be in love."

Um, true love to that.

I think it's awesome that both Jack and Aaron came up to me separately just to talk about how cool the other is.





Saturday, September 19th - First Day of Oktoberfest

---WAM BAM BIGGALO---

OKTOBERFEST - POW!!!

The morning after Kultfabrik I got a mozarella sandwich from the UBahn bakery and the rest of the hungover bunch got coffee or coke...

Caroline brought us near the gates of the Oktoberfest grounds and we got a REALLY GOOD SPOT watching the Opening Day parade! The parade consisted of a float from each Brewery, pulled by ornately decorated horses, and filled with people who were already drinking from huge clear mugs. We all yelled "PROST!" (cheers) to each other and some threw out flowers. I put a big wihte rose in my hair. Each brewery also had its own "oompaband," as Caroline calls them. Each band was very good! I took many photos and movies. The floats all had barrels and kegs on them. There were at least 20 breweries and possibly even more floats. Many of the horses wore sleigh bells, or jingle bells.








I saw two instruments I had never seen before - a trumpet thats valves were on the side rather than the top and were in the french horn style. I also saw a metal xylophone positioned in two vertical rows that lied within a metal framework that looked similar to a conductor's score music stand.





The festival afterwards was definitely crowded but not packed shoulder to shoulder (like Halloween in the French Quarter). We were all really surprised at how quiet this huge mass of people were! The tents were the opposite though - densely packed and riotously loud. We got into two tents (they close the doors at full capacity) but there wasn't a place to sit. The tent situation looked futile so we wandered around the grounds taking in the scene. We bought expensive food and rode the expensive carnival rides instead.Jack had roasted chicken and I tried a bit - it was savory and delicious. Caroline and Brooke ate brautwerst and Aaron had curry sausage.

Jack and I went on a haunted house ride! We sat in this cage/pod on wheels and it took us into the "depths of hell" haha. I was a little freaked actually haha -- I definitely clung onto Jack very tightly the whole time! The ride was good! Especially for a traveling amusement ride! Funny part: Before the ride even began we started making out...Once inside, J had his hand down my dirndle top and I had mine inside his Lederhosen "access pocket"! (Don't worry the story doesn't get any more graphic than that..) But at one point during the ride there was this incredibly bright flash and a few moments later we were looking at a picture of OURSELVES projected onto a LARGE screen in front of us!!! It was fucking HILARIOUS! His hand was so obviously down my shirt and mine in his pants! Hahaha! At Cedar Point they take these pics of you during the scariest or most thrilling point of the ride and then post them on video screens outside, like 20 pics at a time, for EVERYONE to see! Then they offer the photo for purchase. We laughed SO HARD at the possibility of our picture being shown to everyone outside!! But luckly that wasn't the case for this ride.

Caroline's Bday n' Such -By Ruth

9-17 12:20am

Happy Bday Caroline!! Tomorrow we will celebrate with a morning run and Friday with some cake at her au pair family's house. Friday we might go to an open stage drum circle at a coffee house, and top off the night with an 18 nightclub jaunt at Kultfabrik.

Today we landed on time (11am) & Caroline took us on the train to her studio. I was so exhausted I couldn't think straight! Jack caught a cold over the fight so he rested for a bit when we first arrived while Caroline and I took a short stroll around the blocks of her 'hood. At 1:30 Caroline rode her bike to work and I walked around the nighborhood streets. I bought sandwiches for Jack and me from a local bakery, wandered around a nearby garden and park, roamed through a grocery store, and sat on some benches to watch the scene. People were milling about all over - walking their dogs, pushing strollers, bicycling, running, etc. The city was abustling and it was a beautiful scene to witness. The weather couldn't have been nicer - a colorful, bright fall day in the 60s. After bringing Jack the sandwiches (a delicious salami and tasty fresh mozerella) we curled up together and took a nice, deep nap!


We awoke at 5pm, freshened up, and took a long walk to and through the Englischt Garten together. The city was very clean and very vibrant! Many people were riding bicyles. The architecture here is intricate and majestic! The city is very lush, the air very fresh. Many people drive smart cars (the small, electric cars).

At the park we watched surfers ride rushing waves that poured out from under a bridge on the river. There was SO MUCH activity at the park! Besides the surfers there were people jogging, bicycling, playing soccer, volleyball, badmitten, frisbee, and a few different people were tightrope walking on tie-down straps wrapped around two distant trees. We came across a drum circle and we clapped our hands and watched them play and dance. That's when we were invited to the coffee house Friday night.

All in all it was a beautiful day. Jack and I returned around 8 & we left with Caroline to eat Doners (uufkas) downtown, just a few UBahn stops away from her place. We sat outside and talked about all her experiences since being in Munich, including her boy adventures! It was very fun. Then we got ice-cream... I had a scoop of cookies n' cream & one scoop of banana. It was delicious and I couldn't help notice the portions were absolutely tiny in comparison to America's serving sizes, but I appreciated that. We wandered around the city until almost midnight. Caroline showed us some very beautiful buildings: the courthouse & this one particular church were absolutely gorgeous.

Now we are crashing. I have a pretty sore throat and am hoping very much that I'm not coming down with something. Poor Jack is still getting over a rough cold. Aaron arrives tomorrow at 2pm. Caroline will open her gifts tomorrow! That will be much fun! I am so thrilled to be here, espcially with Jack! I LOVE Jack with all my heart and Caroline is amazing!


9-18 1:40pm
Yesterday was a BDAY BLAST. Although I suffered a severe sore throat from something I caught on the way over, I made the most of the day. Caroline and I went for a 3-mile run in the morning in the rain. We ran through the city, in and out of the Englisch Garten & along the river, running over and under bridges in a lush, nature-filled, beautiful scene! At one point, while trodding down a wet, gravel-covered hill, I felt the immense splash of a single rain drop explosion on to my scap. It fell sqarely on the middle of my head, directly where my hair parts, where I could inextricably feel its coldness, wetess, size, and pressure. I was so aware of it, I could picture its burst as it hit me, and I reflected on how it seems that every time I'm in the rain I feel a cool drop on this area of my head at least once, on my part. I shared this thought with Caroline as we jogged along and she remarked that she too has experienced the same thing. I wonder how many others experience or even notice this occurence while they're in the rain? I imagine most people are trying to keep their heads covered. And this is exactly why i don't: because I enjoy EXPERIENCING the rain. The awareness of that single pronounced drop is a moving moment because in that moment I am fully in the present. There is no other thought, no other feeling but the awareness of that cold, wet splash that seems as though it were aimed so perfectly at the middle of my scalp in order to seize my attention. If the drop fell a milisecond too late, or my footing was an eighth of a step behind, I would never have been awoken to this experience of awareness! This seesms to happen exactly once every time I'm in the rain, and what a beautiful, peaceful moment that is!

After our runs we showered & emailed Chris Lison to try to plan an earlier arrival in Muelhaussen. We took the U-Bahn to Odeonplatz then walked 1/2 a mile to Marineplatz to catch this "Running Sushi" joint where for 10 Euro you can eat all you want within an hour. The food rotates on a 2-level conveyor belt and from where we sat we could slide open the glass doors, reach in, and pull out whatever food we wanted! It was fun - our plates were stacked so high! I've never had so much sushi for so little price!

After lunch we wandered around downtown Munich, Caroline as our tour guide. We got to get a feel for the Munich city life: the shops, the trains, the hustlin's and the bustlin's...We stopped by all the little tents in the markets & were taken aback by the breathtaking beauty of the flower shops! The colors were so vivid & even one petal could hold an array of shades that melted into each other. We took many pictures, that unfortunately were ruined. It was much fun though - Jack bought a few postcards & we stopped at the hardware to get batteries for his mini flashlight.

I didn't talk much because my throat was burning with soreness. It was very red & inflamed - it felt like a block of lumpy cheese was stuck in the back of my throat. It looked and felt like a throat infection. Caroline, thankfully, gave me a treatment of antibiotics that she fortunately had and offered to me!! I was so grateful!! Even though I had terribly achy muscle and felt feverish, I still enjoyed myself. I just didn't have the usual energy to be overly enthusastic about anything. And within days, the antibiotics knocked that infection right out.

The architecture in Munich is incredible! Each building is a force to be reckoned with - they are mighty stone palaces covered with intricate carvings and sculptures as well as towers, terraces, archways, etc. The courthouse we saw the other day was especailly beautiful. There are many streets that are for pedestrians only. MOst streets & all sidewalks are made with brick or cobblestone. Every structure, including lampposts, were constructed with the utmost delicate detail. Everything looks as though it took a significant amount of time to create and was built painstakingly. Needless to say it is impressive and gorgeous! The most impressive structures by far are the churches. The complex design of every square inch is mind-blowing. To think that many of these buildings underwent some kind of renovation after World War II is crazy to imagine, as it must have taken an incredibly long time to restore!

We wanted to make it back to Caroline's studio by 3pm because that was when we were expecting Aaron to arrive from Nice. When we got there & he wasn't around I checked my email to see if I had sent him Caroline's cell # (which I hadn't). I discovered he had written three times to tell me that he had not only missed his plane from Amsterdam back to Nice the other night, but that he had missed two trains that would have taken him from Amsterdam to Munich! Despite all the turmoil he was still determined to make it to Munich & so he would have a lot more luggage with him than he had initally planned. I was so happy he had decided to still make it out! I met him at Berklee and, although we've kept in touch, it had been 5 years since we've seen each other! I was able to touch base with him via Gmail chat & I gave him Care's cell & info on how to travel from Hauptbaunhauf to Caroline's stop, Prinzpergentenplatz. We aranged to meet at P-platz at 1:15am.

While Jack napped, Care & I went to the grocery down the street to get cough drops, apple cider vinegar, and milk. We came back and TOTALLY YUCKED IT UP!!! Shared stories, caught up, etc. and did a couple rounds of full body massages! Earlier today she opened her gifts. This is what Jack and I got her:
-Burned CDs:
-Gang of Four "Return the Gift"
-Joan Osborne "Relish"
-The Streets "Everything Is Borrowed"
-A two disc compilation of mainstream techno that I am currently loving that I call "Club Bum 1 & 2"

-A tee shirt with Fischer Price "Townspeople" on it that reads "Chilling with my People" Dude, she is f'ing IN LOVE with that shirt!! :)

-A Holy Dang Dance Party black zip up hoodie that is a little big (men's small) but fun nonetheless and she loves it! :)

-A bag of sunny side up candy gummy eggs

-edible candy teeth, or "Teef" that make you look like you have crooked, decayed, & missing teeth when you wear it

-A Bottle Beer Bong that jack picked up for her in Grand Bend, Canada. She used it twice that night and Jack and Care's friend Britany used it as well! Hella fun!

Around 7 we left for the cheapest grocery store near her friend Brooke's apt so we could gather beer, wine, & taco ingredients. Jack bought a bottle of scoth for Sean Brants called "Old Keeper" 'cause Sean has a dog named Keeper who's pretty old I guess.

We enjoyed tacos at Brooke's which was very, very fun! Company included Britany, Brooke, Caroline, me and Jack. Britany baked Caroline a cake! We had an extremely nice time getting to know on another. Everyone was very nice, very funny, and very sociable. Brooke is from Virginia and Carline met her at an English-speaking social gathering a few months ago. Britany went to MSU and studied in Freiburg with Caroline two years ago. They are both here working, but Brooke's internship ends in November. I really felt very fortunate to have met them! It felt like we were all old chums by the end of the night!


Beautiful Churchy



HDDP sweatshirt on a hot model

Ruth's Blog Entries from DAY 1 of EuroTrip!

Alright, so it's been exactly a week since we've been back in this American madness that we love. Therefore it's about time for me to update the blog with all the journal entries I kept during our month-long trip!! Unfortunately our first memory card committed suicide within the first few days we were in Munich, which included pictures Caroline's birthday and our night out at the clubs! :( Thus the photos posted here will begin on the first day of Oktoberfest. I have two little black journals chock-full of entries so whether you like it or not here it is starting from day one!

9-15-09 5:45pm EST
So here we are!!! Sitting on our plane, waiting for take-off! Jack and I just roughly sketched out our travel plans while sitting in a Chili's before boarding. He had a couple beers in order to feel more relaxed during the flight. I couldn't be more excited!!!
At the moment we know we're seeing Munich, Muelhaussen, & Nice. We want to circle around by Eurail in a 15-day period and see as many countries and cultures as possible within that time! This definitely will include Rome, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Romania (Dracula's castle!), Czech Republic, Sicily, and possibly Poland. We want to rent bikes at least once and sleep outside too - hopefully on a beach; Jack packed a big tarp to sleep on and wrap over us. My hiking bag is PACKED to the brim...I have everything we could possibly need including 1st aid and TONS of food, mostly energy bars, granola, and dried fruit.
Well here we are taking off! I'm gonna watch the earth fall below us now!.....

9-15-09 5AM GERMANY time...
Wow, this flight is going by FAST! We've been on board for four hours now but it seems like less than two! I started off reading H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds" whichi s super captivating, extremely well-written, and has me pondering many things (i.e. what is the prevailing theory on the age of the planets in our solar system?How do we theorize their creation?) It also reminded me of this episode of a somewhat existential program I watched when I was very young, like five years old or something. In it, the main character had spent his entire life trying to grasp life's meaning when he finally discovers that he is only a figment of someone's dream. He proceeds to frantically try to find some way to make sure the person who is dreaming him and his friends - his life - never awakens. I forget how the episode ends and am incredibly interested in trying to find it and watch this again! It's a cartoon and I believe it was narrated by James Earl Jones...or hosted by. Sound familiar to anyone?
Anyway, even as a child I was able to understand the underlying philosophical concepts and I remember being truly mystified. In fact, I still am! What are we, really? Where and how did we really come to be??? The character's existence - everything that was meantinful to him - was about to vanish in the blink (or rather, opening) of an eye... I understood even then as I understand now that our lives and deaths are no different than that cartoon's. Everything we hold meaningful will some day disappear in a mere instant, never to be thought of, felt, or experienced again.
Whew.
Welp, on a lighter note we ate a very nice meal on this flight. I had lentils & rice with water chestnuts and raisons in a tasty gravy! :) With that I had a roll w/ butter, crackers & cheese, salad w/ ranch, a coke, and two cookie brownies (Jack gave me his brownie).
While I ate I began watching this independent film called "Sunshine Cleaning" about two sisters who go into the business of cleaning up biohazardous waste and remains after a crime scene or suicide. I had seen a preview for it in the theater months ago and remember wanting to see it simply because I thought it would remind me of Caroline and myself. As it turns out the sisters weren't anything like us (well, who is really?) although their tight-knit relationship was similar. I really enjoyed the movie a lot though. It was very good.
Now I am writing, we are flying over the Atlantic, and I think I may catch some shut-eye before picking up my book again. This trip seems so unreal! I can't believe we're actually doing this! This is going to be such a wonderful, unforgettable experience!
P.S. Earlier today I admired Phyllis & Burt as they danced to 40s music off the XM Radio. They started in the dining room & danced their way into the living room. It brought some real solid tears to my eyes. It was such a beautiful thing. Burt may not fully understand what's going on around him a lot of the time, but he will always understand (& remember) the familiar tones of the 40s and the loving touch of his wife. Communication through music and through touch will never break down. It will always be healing and familiar -- and that is a beautiful thing!

This picture was actually taken on our way through Munich heading back to Detroit, but it captures the essence of the fun we had!!

book shelf in the hostel




glowing sink in the mens room


technical room. This is for you, Mother in Law.



wall hanging at the hostel

they even have funny shadows here



hostel common area. I'm totally stealing this idea for the bahamas.



powdered toast man, the mascot of the breakfast at the vienna hostel "wombat"



seating at the free breakfast at the vienna hostel. Check the booths.





Joe strummer graffiti. thanks to whoever put that up. My hero.

vienna

actual cheese sandwich actually eaten by my actual wife. Some crazy idea she had to save money on toilet paper.



old tile church roof in vienna



my new favorite artist




This totally reminds me of Bomber and his backpiece. He had this massive demon leading these two hounds of hell coming out of, well, hell. I miss bomber.


Fountain in the same place, square in Vienna. Ruth and I went to an AMAZING mask exhibit there. They had masks from around the world, of any kind you can imagine. They literally had any kind I could think of, for any purpose, except the dreaded klan hood. They had everything else, from all over the globe. Very impressive.

vienna

dinner in vienna



ride/walk




vienna trainyard



reminds me of Vesna's cooking at the Vienna cafe on Mack in Grosse Pointe Park. If you've never eaten there, EAT THERE. I guarantee it will blow your mind.


Ruther and her schnitzel

lights burning in memoriam of the murdered


the execution room. this was the real device used to hang people. They stood on a block with wheels, then a guy put the noose on and tightened it and secured it, and then the block was kicked out from under.




propaganda b.s.



communist cartoons