Barcelona: 5 Munich: 0

4/7/09
LESSON#6: Travel with a (mini) world map. When meeting so many people from so many diff places it would help to have a reference.

FYE: The inevitable happened early this morning. I locked my keys to my locker INSIDE my locker. But HEY! I made it nearly 4 days....Initially I was pretty panicked. We were already rushing around. Australia set her alarm but instead of any of us waking up to it, we assumed someone's phone was ringing and our only action was to privately curse the ignorant individual. Being well versed in the ways of a hostel, my roommates calmly told me the guys at the desk could just cut it off. So I went downstairs and told the guy what happened. He reached behnd his desk and handed me the most monstruous tool I'd ever seen. It was at least 20 inches long and weighed about as much as a small child. What makes this especially funny is that my locker lock is no bigger than a lock you put on your luggage. So tiny! Ironically, however, we had a heck of a time trying to cut through it. After many efforts from myself and my roommates, the lock was finally cut free. We then made a mad dash for our train which consisted of many many flights of stairs and twisting hallways. But we made it!!! See my "What I'm Up To" note for a full run down on the day's events!

FYE: Obviously the tea in Europe has been out of this world. I’ve enjoyed at least one cup everyday. What I do have a hard time finding is honey for my tea. You either have to ask for it or BYO (I guess). So you can imagine my excitement when I found small amber colored tubs (about the size of a single-use creamer) at the condiment station of a café in BCN. I grabbed one and headed for the outdoor seating. As I began to pour the contents of the tub into my tea I thought, “that’s awfully thin for honey.” With that I glanced at the half peeled back cover on the top. It was in Spanish but I my eyes went right to “Aciete” OIL!! The packets were olive oil for salads. I looked into my tea cup to see oil pockets bobbing around my delicious, but now completely ruined drink. I was too devastated to do anything about it. Also, I didn’t like what I anticipated the conversation with the barista to look like in my novice Spanish.

I miss Barcelona!! That is a city I will def be making my way back to. The vibe of the city is so alive…but in such a carefree manner. Everyday is like a Sunday. And ever since I left the Germany leg has been one flop after another. It started as SOON as I left my Hostel in BCN.

I was walking down the front steps with my suitcases when the handle warped and would not slide back down (I had said just the night before that this would be my last trip with this luggage). The taxi driver and I tried to force it down to no avail. So we shoved it in the trunk and headed off to the airport. It was a depressing ride.

So now I arrive to the airport with a broken suitcase. They told me at check in that I had to check the bag somewhere else because of its awkward size (with the handle sticking up), and I would have to sign a waiver should the suitcase break. All I wanted was to ditch this massive, broken bag and, instead, they are sending me all over creation with it. Thankfully, I had somehow managed to downsize my luggage in Barcelona (such is the magic of Spain). Even still, I was tired, sore, and already dealing with a heap of emotion. I walked to the other side of the terminal only to be met with a blank stare by the receptionist. She spoke very little English and had no idea what I was talking about. She led me to the security check point…upstairs. Once there, the man guarding the section spoke NO English..none. I had no problem understanding him, but my Spanish lacked the capacity to explain my situation. As luck would have it, a woman (from Spain!) walked up and offered to help….mins later I was walking BACK downstairs to check in. At this point I was so overwhelmed I took matters into my own hand and snapped the entire handle off the suitcase. Now it was not oversized and they would not be concerned with breaking it. They checked my suitcase.

Nothing exciting happened from then on. One thing I will say about flying outside the US; they still serve meals!! Even on short flights.

So here I am in Munich. The hostel was actually very easy to find and there were no (major) flops on the way. My room is shared with 7 other girls. Many of them are from the US…thank god it’s only one night! I haven’t been able to access their so-called “free” internet on my itouch or laptop….so I paid E.50 (about a dollar) for 20 mins of internet. It was an interesting experience because the keyboards in Germany are quite diff. The z and the y keys are switched, and I could not find the “@” key. That got old real fast. But alas, I had a pretty good night’s sleep and took a walking tour of Germany with a guide from the Hostel. Nothing super exciting to report about Munich. What I did learn from the tour you can find in “What the world is teaching me.” I also had some German sausage or “wurst”. It was delicious!!! Passed on the beer though…especially after I learned that 1L of most German beer is equivalent to consuming half a loaf of bread (ughhll).

LESSON#7: Munich hates me. Stay away!

LESSON#8: If you ever visit Spain again, don’t leave!

German:
Ausgang=exit
Halten=stop
Bahn=train
Munchen=Munich
Flugzeug=plane
Am=near
Dom=cathedral
Glocken=clock
Spiel=play
Reich (sp?)=power

LESSON#9: Germany is a baby! Only 138 (or something) years old.

LESSON#10: As oil is referred to as “Black Gold”, Salt was once referred to as “White Gold”. It was used as trade, and taxing it made Munich one of the richest cities in the world. The world “salary” was derived from its root “salt”.

So I’m about to begin the final leg of my journey to Cape Town! I’m so excited to settle down and dive into the program at RCCH. My adventure has only just begun!!