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Published: October 8th 2007
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Germans? Nope.
Cindy and Luke Well, after a year away, I'm home. I was like a kid in a candy store on the airplane as we landed in Toronto. Looking out the window, grinning like a fool, and thinking of all the things I've missed. No idea how long the thrill of being home will last, but it's good for the moment.
My last few days were spent in Germany and they were great. I flew into Munich and spent the night in the lovely airport. I spent it beside some crazy woman sleeping in the chair next to me wearing a dress and trying to look respectable. Needless to say, it didn't really work and she kept popping up just as she was falling asleep. Too funny, except she kept waking me up.
Headed into the city and wandered in the pouring rain for the day, the airport didn't seem so bad after awhile. Decided to leave Munich in the afternoon as there wasn't a single place to stay -Nuremburg sounded good, it was close jumped on the train and was off. Got one of the last two beds in the city. Thank goodness, I really didn't feel like sleeping in the train
station.
Saw the markets in the main square which were fantastic - from kitchen supplies to bags to ceramic mugs and food. Bought my mom a birthday gift and chatted with the guy - he ended up giving me a little ceramic pig for her for free, I love the Germans. Had to find a different place to stay for the next night so went searching for the other hostel in the city. I was so close to giving up and sleeping out in the street in the rain it was so difficult to find. I knew where it was on the map and knew it had to be with in two minutes of where I was standing but couldn't see it. I must have walked past it a total of four times turning just before getting to the front door each time, massive hostel and only one little sign above the door. Did explore the whole castle grounds where it is located, two birds with one stone sort of thing. Was very happy when the owner told me they had a bed. Had a room to myself when I went to bed and when I woke up there
were two more people in the room. I was not concerned, it was better than an airport.
After a few days it was back to Munich. It was still raining madly when I headed to the campsite. Mud everywhere. Rolled up my jeans and wandered around just like that. Style I tell you. Met up with people I travelled Europe with and some that I travelled Scotland with. It was great to see them all again. Except they were mostly Australian - just can't get away from them, ever.
Every morning at camp I would head to the cook tent slightly slower than I usually move to get breakfast and the cook would say hey Saskatchewan and all the workers would start clapping and saying Saskatchewan (most of them had no idea how to say it or what they were saying or what it actually meant). It was great, Munich must be the only place that Sask is the coolest place to be from. Mostly because they were all Australian and have never been there or heard the bad stuff all you guys say about the best province in Canada. I ended up giving Danni my Sask t-shirt
Mark, Ryan, and I
Reunited for the first time since May it was like Christmas for her - now she's almost as cool as I am.
Headed into Munich and got amongst it. Oktoberfest here we go. It has to be one of the coolest festivals in the world. A massive amusment park meets carnival meets beer drinking. People everywhere, food and smells and souvenirs. The traditional German outfit has to be one of the coolest I have seen; the greatest part is that everyone wears them, from the Germans to the tourists. The beer halls open at 10:30am and close 12 hours later. If anyone could actually last that long they need an award. You have to search for seats at the tables - and there are many tables with many people sitting at them. There are also many different beer tents sponsered by the different German beer. The first day we attacked it we sat at a table in the Lowenbrau Tent with about four Italian guys and the four people I was with. It was a great day. Steins and pretzels, pickles and radishes. It really doesn't get much better. You sit at the table and people walk by with the food and the women bring the
beer - they can carry about 10 at once. Amazing, most of us had to use two hands to drink - especially at the end of the day...You sit at a table all day but you wander, talk to all the people around you, it's great. The tent we were in was mostly Italians, we sat with some and more joined and left and that continued the whole day. I had one guy tell me that I could come to Rome and stay with him anytime I wanted (probably to cook and clean and have babies). Well he didn't actually tell me that as he spoke no English, but he got one of his friends to translate. The last day was the best I think. We got to the tent when it opened at 10:30 and got right into it. I think we may only have made it until about 7pm but that's a pretty good effort when you are drinking beer by the litre. We were surrounded by Germans, Australians, Americans and Canadians. There were two German girls sitting at the table with us dressed in traditional style, it was funny all the guys at the table trying to
chat them up but mostly too shy. They were great, Anna and Natalie. I also met a Canadian that was on the same flight as me the next day back to Toronto, his friend was wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey so I had to go and chat with them. Great days. Early nights though as most of us had way to much to drink and were in bed before 10pm...
The last morning up for breakfast (got the usual clapping), packed my backpack which I am surprized didn't explode as the zippers were stretched to the max. I think it weighed 26 kgs. I'm sure I have one bigger arm than the other just from lifting that massive sack onto my back almost every morning. You have no idea how happy I am to be home just for one reason - unpacking.
And that's it. I was away from home for 1 year and 39 days. Sometimes it feels like forever and sometimes it feels like I never left at all.
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