Visiting the Home Turf

I have two hours to kill before my flight to Europe. So I thought I could write a vacation anticipation blog entry. 

It's my first visit home in almost two years. Usually when I go home, hardly anything has changed. Which is what I like about it. Although sometimes changes creep in that seem small to people who live there but are huge changes for me. Starbucks started to pop up all over the place in Europe a few years back - followed by CPK, Subway and the like. The Europeans embrace it like they did McDonald's and Burger King. I did not. It's not that I'm against those institutions but when I go back home, I want to see home. Not something I see in America every day. I want the original pizza, the authentic dumpling and the desserts that are specific to each region. I understand that in a globalized world, cross-national changes are inevitable. I just hope that each European city and region can remain true to their roots...

So, we'll see what this trip has in store for me. I'll be visiting Germany and Austria this time. Should make for some good food and interesting cultural experiences. 

More later on...

After a 3-hour layover in Zurich, Switzerland, I finally arrived in Munich - after dark. It rained. No surprise there. My first day there was a public holiday, so all shops were closed. Which was probably good for my wallet. So I went to a museum (Lenbachhaus), the English Garden (one of the largest if not the largest park in Europe) which also has two beer gardens - the Seehaus and the Chinese Tower. Yes, there is a Chinese Tower in the Bavarian capitol. I also stopped for some local food - Kaesespaetzle; which are some time of noodles (but nothing like pasta) with roasted onions and LOTS of cheese. And I stopped at another place for dessert. One must-see for me was the former location of my favorite pub in Munich. An Irish pub called Guenther Murphy's. It was the meeting point for out-of-towners and locals who wanted to mingle with international people. It was also known as a good bar for flirting. I actually met my ex-husband there. So this place had a certain significance for me. However, it closed last year and I had to see with my own eyes that it is gone. It is. Replace by a Greek restaurant. My first day in the old World was completed by a soothing and relaxing massage and dinner at my favorite vegetarian restaurant in town. I came to Germany just in time for asparagus season - no, you can't get them year round here - and so I had a portion of steamed asparagus with fried potatoes and cheese sauce. Cheese is an ongoing theme in all my meals. And the asparagus here is no sissi asparagus like in the grocery stories in the US. They are about as long as a cooking spoon and as thick as a 9V battery. Raw you could knock someone out with it. 

Day 2 was very busy. Since the jetlag is quite intense, I usually wake up between 5 and 6 AM although I go to bed after midnight. I'm staying at my friend's house just outside town so I took the bus and the subway to go to the city center. After a brief stop at the bank, I started my shopping extravaganza. From scarfs, cheap jewelry, birthday cards to tons and tons of clothes, I stopped at nothing. It got so bad that I had to put some of my bags in a locker at the train station because I couldn't carry them anymore. Bad, I know...

Ok, ok... it's over a month later and I haven't finished my blog entry about my Europe trip. So here's a little more. Munich was fabulous as always. After some gloomy weather on the first day, the sun came out on the second and after that is was always over 25 degrees celsius - so over 70 in Fahrenheit. I took long extensive walks, ate great food and took tons of pictures. I took many deep breaths and soaked up all the beautiful architecture around me. One of the things I love when I go back home is the silence and mellow way of life. No one screams. No one raises their voice. People don't have this need to draw attention to them... It's nice.

My best friend and I took a road trip to Salzburg where we talked, drank coffee and ate cake. I love that city. It's so beautiful. A true picture perfect place. It's hard to describe what I feel when I'm there. But it's somewhat close to feeling completely at peace and happy. I hope to retire there someday. 

The following day I left for Vienna. I took a 5 hour train ride and met up with a friend I met here in Los Angeles. Strange how that works sometimes. We went to dinner at an outdoor hang-out called Museumsquartier (museums quarter). Young people eat and drink or just socialize in oddly shaped artsy chairs. So much fun! Vienna has a lot to offer for people who like art and culture - whether it's the modern or the old-fashioned. The next day we went for breakfast and I met up with another friend of mine who had lived in Los Angeles for 10 years. We became friends here and she was married to an Austrian - that's why they moved to Vienna last year. I was completely overwhelmed when I saw her - and I'm not sure why. Maybe because in a way I envy her for being back in Vienna. And often I wish I could live there too. We spent a lot of time together over the next three days talking about our experiences in LA and her new life in Vienna. I admire her open-mindedness for new opportunities in life and always trying to make the best of every situation. 

I went to Schoenbrunn castle which is in my opinion one of the most inspiring places in the world.  Walking the grounds where emperors and empresses have wondered in their royal days. World history was made in those rooms and poetry was written in those gardens. What a humbling place. I also went to see the famous Lipizzaner horses during their morning practice, the quirky Hundertwasserhaus and some other interesting places in town. There is a lot to see and 3 days just don't cover it. Last time I went to Vienna, I spent a whole week there and didn't see everything. I also experienced Viennese nightlife for the first time. I went to the Volksgarten which has an outdoor bar with a DJ and later to a place called the Passage. The Passage used to be an underground passage way for pedestrians which was turned into night clubs. I was there for 80s night. It was a lot of fun.

After three fab days in Vienna, I went back to Munich. On the way there, the train had a 3 minute stop at one of the towns (Linz) where another friend of mine lives. She came to meet me a the train station we had a quick hug took some photos and I got back on the train. So funny. It was great!

Back in Munich I had one more day with my best friend and one more day to eat everything with cheese I could find.