What to do when a Schwartzkatze crosses your path

One speeding ticket, one dead cat (not ours), one car accident, and we are back from Basque Country! The beach was great, though I especially enjoy just wandering around new cities to see how days are spent, what food is eaten, what clothes are worn (or not).

Most of our time was spent in Biarritz, which is a beach/family resort type town on the Southwest coast of France—a Cadillac was named in its honor.

The Beach:

Fireworks in Biarritz:


We also wandered into neighboring cities, St. Jean De Luz (a small fishing town), and Bayonne (home of French chocolate and the Bayonet). We went to San Sebastian, Spain for a day, which was especially fabulous. It was just a 30-minute drive from Biarritz, yet so different.
A) It is in Spain.
B) There is definitely Basque pride (This may be an understatement).
C) There are Tapas bars.
Amazing. Someday, I would like to have more time there.

San Sebastian:


Additionally, we spent a day in Bordeaux. We wandered around the city (very nice) and then went to Saint-Émilion, a medieval city famous for it’s wine. We (accidentally) went four-wheel driving through a vineyard (oooops, damn French signs!) to a Chateau where we received a very nice tour of the winery, and an opportunity to taste and buy some great wines. Oh la la.
Saint-Émilion:




So, back to the dead cat. I guess we were crossing the border from Germany into Austria, when there was something in the road. From a distance, it looked like a black garbage bag, kind of waving in the wind. Well, it wasn’t. It was a black cat, on it’s back flailing its little cat legs in the air. I guess it had been hit pretty badly. By the time we noticed that it was indeed a cat, Todd had put it out of its misery with our Hyndai SUV. I was horrified, and responded with hysteric laughter. I don’t know why, but I sometimes react totally inappropriately. The whole thing was very sad, and I wondered the whole week if JoJo and Fish would smell blood on our hands when we got home. Apparently, they are none the wiser.

Anyway, we are back home. Home? Well, back in Munich anyway. We were rear-ended on the Autobahn about an hour outside of the city. The rental car company required us to call the Polizei, so this added another hour -wait to our already long road trip. We were welcomed back with lots of rain. Holiday officially over.

In this tone, there was so much rain while we were gone, that Munich experienced some flooding. You can read about it here.
I went out on Wednesday morning for a walk around the Isar to capture the madness with my digital camera.

At one point I was squatting down to take some pictures of ducks swimming where once there was a bike path. A man politely waited while I got my shot before crossing in front of me. He started up a conversation (though I am really not much of a conversationalist in any language, and especially not in German!). As it turned out, Michela is here from Egypt. He is the second person I have met from a Muslim country here in Munich, and the second person to carefully follow that fact by assuring me that he is not Muslim. Sigh.
“Or-Toe-Dox,” he said, tapping his sternum with his hand.
I smiled and nodded.
“Christo?” He asked, like he was offering me a cup of coffee.
“Nein.” (I’ve been preached to enough for three lifetimes).
“Nein.” He repeats, sadly shaking his head.
Michela took two steps down toward the Isar. “Come.”
So, I followed him right up to the edge of the Isar. He bent over and put a hand in the water. “Jesus Christ,” I thought, “this freak is going to try to baptize me right here with muddy fucking Isar floodwater. Just calm down, and back up…”
“WAS-SER.” He then points to the sky, “HIMM-EL”
I guess he just wanted to give a little language lesson. I thanked him, and headed back toward home.

Here is a photo of the Deutsches Museum, about a two-minute walk from our house. I've highlighted the areas where you can see water being pumped out of the bottom floor:


Assuming we don't float away, I will post more soon....

Tschau!

Mugs n' Jugs

Oktoberfest is coming and the people of Bavaria are outraged. First, rumors were rampant that this year, beer would be served in plastic Maß (giant beer mugs to you and me). Yes, plastic, as opposed to the 20 pound glass Maß, that once filled with a liter of beer needs two hands for lifting, feet firmly planted on the ground, and two men to 'spot' you as you take a sip. Perhaps the plastic wouldn't bruise your forehead as badly each time you take a drink, but I'm still partial to the glass mugs (somewhere on this blog is a picture of Heather and Abby each with a Maß of beer, if you need a visual).

The second point of contention is regarding dress. It seems there was a move by the European Union to protect Bavarian breasts from skin cancer, with threats of outlawing the Dirndl in beer gardens. Now, as it turns out, it seems the Dirndl can stay, but it's fun hearing folks get riled up over it. Hopefully we did not show up in Munich a year too late to enjoy glass mugs and cleavage-stay tuned. You can read about the fiasco (and get a visual) here.


Speaking of Fests (as Munich is full of them) last week was the Jakobidult, in a section of Munich known as the Au. It was the 100th anniversary of this fair, which is kind of an antiques and house wares fair, but with rides, food and carnival games.

According to the official Muenchen.de website, “the name "dult" is derived from an old German word meaning 'observance': it was originally a fair in connection with an ecclesiastical celebration, attracting junk dealers, quacks and performers.” The festival is held in the plaza in front of Mariahilf church, and today seems to be a healthy mix of carnies and Catholicism. I went myself, and picked up a couple German B-movie posters from the 60s. One was for a movie called Das Dschungel-Mädchen, have you seen it? (The Jungle Girl auf English). Praise the Lord.



What else can I tell you? I passed my first German Language course, and am on a bit of a hiatus until I start the next. Additionally, I finally managed to get in touch with my internship supervisor, and have a meeting this coming Thursday to discuss possible projects, start date, and work hours. I am ready to start working, but also little nervous about diving into a workplace where English is not spoken. It is a good learning opportunity…it is a good learning opportunity… repeat as necessary.

Last weekend I went for a three-hour run along the Isar. I've befriended a girl who is training for the Munich marathon, and joined her for a training run. I have to say that I am unceasingly awestruck by all of the green space in Munich. I head out my door and in two minutes, I feel like I am miles away from the nearest city. Of course, on this particular run, it DUMPED rain after I was out for only half hour. I was completely soaked from head to toe for the remainder of our run, puddles in my shoes and everything. A cold soaked Dschungel Mädchen running through Munich's own enchanted forest. It was actually kinda fun.

This coming weekend, we are headed to French Basque Country! There are a handful of us going, and we have rented an apartment in Biarritz, France. Everyone surfs except me, but I may take a lesson when we arrive. I have started doing a bit of research, and am looking forward to seeing the sights, learning a bit about the culture, slipping into Bayonne (the nearby heart of the French Basque region), and hopefully San Sebastian, Spain as well, which is just a short drive from Biarritz. It will be a road trip, and I'm sure there will be much to take in during the ride. The next time you hear from me, hopefully I will have lots of good stuff to share.

Wort Auf!