Ein Prosit!!

Ein Prosit- a form of cheers in German/Bavarian song.

Wow, what an amazing weekend we had in Bavaria, specifically Munich.

The adventure started with a car ride up to Fussen, Germany where we stayed with
our grandparents in a hotel at the bottom Neuschwanstein's Castle. From our porch window you could see the castle all lit up, quite dreamy. That night for dinner we enjoyed some traditional German fare - bread dumpling, raisin pancakes with applesauce, sauerkraut, and pork roast (all of which have much cooler German names that I a.) can't remember or b.) can't spell).

After saying "farewell" to Grandma and Grandpa on Saturday morning, Sondra and I boarded a 2 hour train to Munich. Our goal was to make it in time for the 200th Oktoberfest opening parade. Out of pure luck, not only did we make it in time but we also stumbled upon it after walking less than 5 minutes out of the train station. Seeing the Bavarians decked-out in their traditional costumes (lederhosen-female and dirndl-male) made me really wish the U.S. had more festivals that celebrated our culture in a fashion that EVERYONE participates, gets dressed up, and comes together for a common purpose. The Bavarian clothing was seen on infants all the way up to the elderly. Everyone was a part of the festivities.

A second lucky aspect of our adventure was getting into a beer tent! The fact that it was a Saturday, the first day of Oktoberfest, and the 200th anniversary made this feat seem almost impossible. But, only after twenty minutes of waiting Weezer and I entered our beer tent. For me, it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Not because I'm some crazy beer lover (although I will add that this beer puts Coors and other mainstream American beers to shame), but because of the decorations, size, and number of people congregated. (Video shown is from our first beer tent of three that we visited during the weekend)

Aside from the Oktoberfest activities - we were very fortunate to stay with my friend Kiersie from Huntington University and her fiance, Andi who lives outside of Munich. This was one of the best, if not the best, experiences Sondra and I have had so far on this trip. It was great to stay with the locals (Kiersie, I'm going to call you a "local" now:) and learn firsthand how they live. Kiersie and Andi were extremely hospitable. For breakfast they made us a traditional Bavarian breakfast - wiesswurst, also known as "white sausage" for apparent reasons, pretzels (brezel), beer for Andi, and a special hot chocolate, oh yes, and mustard of course! I fell in love with weisswurst! I loved it so much that when we returned to Lugano, I went straight to the grocery and found a small package (not as large and inexpensive as in Germany, but I'm just glad I found some). I can't wait to find some in Indianapolis to share with friends and family.

Next blog: Venice (from two weeks ago & Florence/Pisa = this weekend's trip)
Next, next blog: Brittany is expanding her computer capabilities - this is monumental if you know me and my computer skills or lack thereof. I swear I was born in the '50s.