MOVING!

Sorry about the lack of posts....I've been very busy lately, but don't worry, I'll come back! For those of you who don't already know, my au pair family did NOT work out. Luckily, I have found another amazing family in Munich and I am moving tonight! You'll be hearing from me once I get settled!

Gay Pride and the Kocherlball

Last weekend in Munich was quite eventful. Saturday was the Christopher Street Day, or basically what we Americans would call Gay Pride. It was fantastic! And it reminded me exactly of what an American gay pride would be, except with Weißbier and Currywurst. There was an actual parade, but we went to the festival part that took place right down in Marienplatz. There was a stage set up with dancers, singers, and other performances. There was also a special performance of Hairspray........in German. HA! Overall it was such a great experience and I'm so glad we went. Here are some photos.

What Marienplatz looked like from above

Balloons released for AIDS victims

Gay Pride! 

After a long night of partying, we got up at 5 AM to go to the annual Chinese Tower Kocherlball.  The Chinese Tower (Chinesicher Turm) is a beer garden that is smack dab in the middle of the English Gardens. It is one of the most popular beer gardens in Munich (and most touristy). Here's an explanation of the Kocerlball from ToyTown:

The Kocherlball tradition goes back to the year 1880. It is also known as the "Dotschen or Kocherlball". Up to a police prohibition 1904 met here in good weather on Sunday from five to eight o'clock to the 5000 the soldiers, housemaids, cooks, hausdiener and house personnel to the dance. So early, because one had to appear timely again to the work with the rule. These old residents of Munich tradition revives today again. Once in each July here thousands of residents of Munich in costumes of the turn of the century meet at six o'clock early to the dance.

It was a great time, even though I was a bit tired. The traditional Bavarian breakfast of Weißwurst and Weißbier was served, but I only had a beer and a pretzel. For some reason, a Weißwurst did not seem so appetizing at 5 AM. 

This was the turnout at 6 AM at the Chinese Tower. Not bad! 

Au Pairing....the good, the bad, and the UGLY

Alright, so I think it might be time to shed some light on this whole au pairing experience. As you can see by the title, it's not all a walk in the park. For more specifics about the ugly you can talk to me personally...

Overall, it's been good. The work is easy, averaging 6 hours a day, Monday-Friday, and a lot of that time for me is just spent hanging around the kids or taking them to school, basketball, etc. Sometimes I feel completely worthless and don't feel like I'm doing anything at all, but then one of the kids will start screaming at me and calling me names all day and I remember that I need to cherish the easy periods. And that being said, even the bad times can be remedied by cute apology notes written in German and friendship bracelets.

Apology note from one of the kids after he was mean to me and called me names

Friendship bracelet made by the same kid! 

At the end of the day, this au pairing thing isn't too bad. It definitely has it's moments, and I know its only been two weeks, but I think I will manage it. If I'm having a bad day, I just think about those afternoons that I can spend lying in the English Gardens reading and listening to music, and then it's all okay :)

Fourth of July

Fourth in July was pretty great, albeit without fireworks. Julia and I went to a beer garden called Waldwirtschaft in Großhesselohe, a town right outside of Munich. The beer garden had a fest going on this whole weekend, starting on the 4th, called the Little American Oktoberfest. It was hilarious. American flags everywhere, a German singer dressed as a cowboy singing American country music and classic rock, prime rib, WINGS, and lots of Americans. My personal favorite was when the German cowboy sang "King of the Road." I took a video just for you, dad! The quality is crappy, but you get the picture...

If you ask me, it was the perfect way to spend the 4th while abroad :) 

Sailing

Last weekend I had my first ever experience with sailing! My host dad asked if I wanted to join him and M at the Ammersee for some sailing, and I thought, why not. It was soooo cool. My host dad picked up the hobby years ago and has his own sailboat.  The weather was perfect for it and there were tons of boats on the lake. I hope to do it again sometime soon!

There was also a family of swans swimming nearby :)

And the au pairing begins....and surfing!

Oooof! What a week. Sorry for my absence, but it's been busy. Yesterday my host family had a big abschluss party (goodbye party) for Bonnie. It was fun but very exhausting. I got to meet many family members and friends of the family. Now, I start my first day as the official au pair tomorrow. It should be...interesting. Wish me luck!

On another note, it's surfing time in Munich. Yes, surfing! Here in Munich in the beautiful English Gardens on the Eisbach, the river that flows through the park, you'll find surfers. They surf on a standing wave that is about a meter tall and is only for experienced surfers. Apparently people will surf all year round, even in the winter, when I'm sure the Eisbach (ice brook) is deathly cold. Nevertheless, it is very entertaining and the surfers always have a hefty audience. 

SCHLAND!!!!!!!!!

I thought Mainz was crazy during the Euro, but Munich is a whole different ballgame! Last Friday night Bonnie, Kathi, Julia, and I went to watch the Germany-Greece game that would decide which team would play in the Halbfinale (semi-finals). It was insanity. We watched at a beer garden and had to get there at 6:00 PM for the 8:45 game. By the time the game started there were no open spots at any tables in the entire place. Watching these games in the beer gardens is so great because they put up a giant screen and there is so much enthusiasm. Whenever a goal is made everyone stands up screaming and yelling. It is so infectious! I never thought I would get so excited about a sport...until now.

The game finished 4-2 Germany and once the game was over, everyone was singing and standing on tables. Some guys were close to tears because they were so happy about winning...

The next game is Thursday and will be against Italy. Italy played England last night in an exhaustingly long game. They went all the way to 120 minutes still at 0-0, and I couldn't take it anymore so I turned it off. This morning I learned that Italy won 4-2 during the final shootout. So, Germany-Italy this Thursday!

Here are some pictures from the game last Friday.

Hofbräuhaus beer

Kathi, me, Bonnie

Julia! 

What it looked like after we won

Munich

I made it to Munich and so far so good! My family is fantastic and the kids are adorable. I already know that it will be a great year. Although I am already here in Munich, I'm not au pairing yet. Bonnie, the current au pair, is still here and it's been so great getting to know her and having her help me get acquainted with the job. My host family invited me to come ten days early so I could see the Bayerische Oper opera studio put on the Cunning Little Vixen. It was..........interesting! If you are familiar with this opera, it is not what you would expect...at all. There was a lot of blood. That being said, the singing was soooo great. It was also exciting because L (I have decided not to use names or pictures of the children I au pair for on here due to privacy reasons) was in the children's chorus and even had a small acting role. It was such a great introduction to Munich, my host family, the kids, and L's singing!

After this, things got a bit more tricky. We all walked back together to the S-bahn, and after going one stop were told in an announcement that a BOMB from WWII was found and that we must exit the train! Apparently this type of thing happens often in Germany, maybe 3 times a year. Bombs from the war are found and everything shuts down to make sure they are disabled correctly. After we got off the train we tried to get on the tram, but it was no surprise that the tram was completely full and not even stopping to pick up more people. After an hour or so we made it home. It was exhausting but, needless to say, a very interesting first day in Munich. Here's an article (in German) about the bomb:

http://www.welt.de/regionales/muenchen/article106682679/S-Bahn-wegen-Fliegerbombe-stundenlang-gesperrt.html

Yesterday we watched the Germany- Greece Euro game and we (Germany) WON 4-2! I will write about the game sometime soon. In the meantime, I will enjoy this

and watch the France-Spain game for a relaxing night in. Bis später! 

Das Rheinland

On Monday, Julia and I spent the day in the gorgeous Rheinland. We first went to the small town St. Goar, which is about an hour northwest of Mainz. St. Goar was so beautiful and quaint. The population is less than 3000 and is frequented by tourists. We walked around and stopped in a tiny wine shop (very touristy) and sampled tons of Riesling, eiswein, and flavored brandy. The eiswein was definitely the best but the cheapest one was 80 euro for just one bottle! Eiswein is made in the winter from grapes that are frozen on the vine, and you need very many grapes to produce only a small amount of wine, causing it to be so expensive. Although I couldn't buy a bottle, I was glad I got to try it. After our wine tasting we walked along the Rhine and then stopped for a glass of Riesling at a cafe on the river.

Along this part of the Rhine is the famous rock the Loreley, which marks the narrowest part of the Rhine from Switzerland to the North Sea. Because of the Rhine's width by the Loreley, it is known as a spot where many shipwrecks have occurred. The German poet Brentano (the same author of the Brentano poems set by Strauss, my singer friends) wrote a story about the Loreley that was adapted throughout the years, most famously by Heine. The story goes like this- there is a beautiful woman who sits at the Loreley, singing and distracting the ships passing by, causing them to crash into the rock. Cool story!

Anyway, after St. Goar, we hopped back on the train to another small town, Bacharach. This town is even smaller than St. Goar, with about 2,000 residents. By the time we got there, around 6 PM, everything in the town was already closed except for bars and restaurants. Even so, it was a beautiful place to stop. We had another glass of Riesling, and then headed back to Mainz. It was a fantastic day.

It's asparagus season in Germany!

Vineyards 

Ruins of a church in Bacharach

creepy wine man

Have you ever visited the Rheinland?? 

Deutschland vs. Dänemark

Wir haben gewonnen!!!!!! What better time to move to Germany than during the 2012 UEFA Euro Championship. Last night Germany played their third game of the tournament against Denmark. They already won their first two games, making last nights game even more exciting for Deutschland. Julia, her friend Enrica, and a few others gathered at a local Mainz pub called Porter House to watch the game. We wore German flag sweatbands and face paint, doing our best to fit in with the other German fans. The game was definitely intense, but so much fun to watch. We won 2-1, ending the "group stage" with 9 points- the highest you can have at this point in the tournament. On our walk home, cars sped through the streets honking their horns and yelling. It was great!

Julia and I are going to go to the England- Ukraine game tomorrow night to keep up with the EURO! We spent the day in the Rheinland, but I'll post about that another time :) 

I made it!

After many months of anticipation, I am finally here! I packed up 2 bags and headed first to NYC to see friends on the 12th, and then to Germany on the 14th. At the moment I am in Mainz, a city along the Rhein that is only 20 minutes from Frankfurt, visiting my friend Julia! I will be here until Thursday, at which point I will head to Munich and meet my Au Pair host family.

After a sleepless flight, I arrived in Frankfurt yesterday at around 9 am, found Julia, took a nap for a few hours, and then got to it! I had the privilege of seeing Julia in Così fan Tutte last night, but have to say that, although the singing was fantastic, it was a bit of a struggle to stay awake. After the show we had a few beers with one of Julia's colleges and by that time I was very ready for bed. I slept until 2 PM today! What a waste, I know, but it was a gloomy day anyway. After lazing around for a few more hours, Julia and I ran some errands which included buying some German flag paraphernalia that will make an appearance tomorrow night when we watch the Germany v. Denmark game. So far Germany has won both of their games, so I hope they continue in this direction. I'll be sure to post about the game later. Another exciting thing I did today was buy a German sim card! I now have a German phone number but just need to figure out how to unlock my iPhone and all will be well...I've already spent many hours on this issue.

Tonight for dinner Julia and friends took me to a fantastic restaurant in Mainz called Kamin. It is known for having the best Flammkuchen in town. Flammkuchen was entirely new to me, but I'm so glad I got to try it. It is basically German style pizza that has extremely thin crust, is covered in crème fraîche, and topped with onions and bacon pieces. I got this one, Der Klassiker, because it is the typical Flammkuchen, but there are lots of other topping combinations you can get too!

I was so hungry that I wasn't able to contain myself and take a picture before having my first bite... 

Anyway, it is 4 AM here (I got woken up by a bunch of loud kids in the street) so I think I will try to sleep some more. Stay tuned!