Spring Weather Has Visited Munich!

Welcome to March everyone!

I was pleasantly surprised to encounter spring weather this week! Thursday through Saturday (yesterday) was just astonishingly gorgeous, with it being the nicest on Thursday, and dwindling down to today where is is actually rather crisp (about 44 degrees Fahrenheit). I was blessed with sunny, clear, blue skies and upwards of 65 degrees. So how did I enjoy all this beautiful weather? Well I will tell you.

I went for about a two and a half hour walk where my goal was to find out where the trains take me. Now, I wasn't going to walk all the way to downtown Munich, but I did want to see where I was going. (For those of you who don't regularly take public transportation, it's like being picked up and dropped off someplace only knowing how to get there by that particular route and no other. I like knowing where I'm going.) It was amazing weather for a walk, and I got to discover a new Marlboro sign (my favorite so far), and where two of my frequented health food stores are (surprisingly close to each other). I now know how to walk to these places, or bike if I so choose (and I will when it gets a little warmer), and I also had a great time just walking around.

Something else I did that was a lot of fun (for me anyway) is I went past the place where I nervously fed the goats, and discovered there is an actual walking/biking trail. This trail leads past a farm or two and leads right up to a park/forest area. I walked around a bit, but I was on a time restriction so I will be exploring more later. I got to see that there are people who walk and ride their horses in this area, and I would like to go horseback riding at some point (it would make my day or maybe even month or year, I love horses).

Yesterday the mother was gone for most of the day, leaving the father, children, and I. The father decided that he wanted to go for a bike ride with the children and I was invited to go along. Now, I hadn't been on a bicycle in four years or more but I did really want to go, so I went. We biked to this beautiful little nature walk, and then walked along the Isar river, which is the main river here in Munich. I skipped some stones with the children, and got to talk to the father a bit, whom I enjoy talking to. We then walked back, biked a short distance further and I had my very first Biergarten experience. For those of you who don't know how a beer garden actually works, there is pretty much one to every restaurant that has a small or medium piece of land. When the weather gets warmer, there are picnic tables set up outside, and a small hut that you can drop off your dishes in. Now what you do is you walk into the restaurant, order what you wish (small note: you can actually bring your own food as long as you at least buy drinks, traditionally, of course, being beer or wine), then it's pretty much self-service to bring your food to the table, and eat outside. Also, you will find that tables are shared here, so you may sit next to someone you have never met before if there is no more room. This particular beer garden was very nice with a little playground and chalkboards lining the fence for the children. The father had a non-alcoholic beer (he gave up alcohol for Lent, and apparently here in Germany alcohol free beer tastes almost exactly like the real thing), and the children had Apfelschorle (apple juice mixed with sparkling mineral water, very traditional here). I didn't have anything, although the father offered to let me taste his beer, which I declined. After the beer garden experience, we went back towards home and went to my very first traditional German restaurant. So traditional that the waitstaff was wearing Lederhosen and Dirndl. I, being organic, had the safest option I could find, which was whole grilled mackerel with herb potatoes. It was pretty good, although mackerel isn't the best smelling fish on the planet and also has some pretty irritating bones in it. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of this day, I had left my camera at home because I am used to it being in my coat pocket, which I wasn't wearing at the time. But rest assured I will be going back to the Isar and I will also have many more beer garden experiences, especially because there is a restaurant around the corner which is a beer garden and also happens to be Indian food, which I love.

As far as everything else here, not much has changed. I know that I will be doing a lot more work outside as the weather gets warmer, which doesn't decrease my inside work amount at all unfortunately. I was supposed to get paid I believe on the first of this month, but I wasn't and I am now officially sitting on only six euros and two public transportation stripes, which will get me to and from school tomorrow, and if I don't have money after that I have no idea what I'll do. This also unfortunately means I can't get to church today like I normally would because I can't afford to buy another set of stripes. I know what many of you are thinking: well just go and ask when you'll get paid. The bad news is, I already mentioned to the mother I don't have much money left and she said that the host father should have taken care of it and to check my bank account, which I have since then and still nothing. I have a small reserve which I am saving for my two weeks of vacation, which I am very excited to be planning. The first or second week in April I will be going to Paris as I've said before, and after looking at ticket prices, I will most likely be taking a train. And buying a small English-French dictionary if I can find one, or picking up a little French online. Oui-oui!

Speaking of languages, the father told me that as far as the number of people in Europe goes, German is actually the most common language, followed by French. Sehr interessant (Very interesting.) It makes sense when you look at the size of countries.

As far as plant life goes, my avocado pit met an untimely demise... my own fault. Kind of split the avocado pit a little too much... anyway. I also got rid of the pear and clementine seeds because I was skeptical on both to begin with, the pear because they were a little too shriveled to begin with, and the clementine because I'm not in Florida. I also replanted the little apple trees in individual pots. Wait until you see the pictures below... I also introduced a new craft with the children! You can do it too with some garden stones and acrylic paint. Practically a free project!

No new food stories, I still have two servings of tortellini soup and three servings of chicken pot pie left. Cooking all that food was a great idea! I had meant to make peanut butter cups with the children... but somehow an entire jar of peanut butter disappeared within three or four days after me buying it... I have no idea how that happened...

That's about it. I've had a nasty cough for the last few days, and I'm waiting anxiously for it to go away. I've been drinking lots of tea and chicken broth, and trying to eat extra healthy. Hopefully it will be gone by my next post!

The father and the kids went to see a German movie in the theater today. If you'd like, take a look at Yoko.

Take care everyone! Enjoy the pictures!

Maybe Never Found A Way. Be Marlboro.

Just past the goats. Very pretty fog.

The entrance sign to the park. Der Forstenrieder Park.

Just past the sign. There were some log piles around. There was a sign in German as to why, but it was beyond my vocabulary.

German forest trees. Very different than in Maine!

Recent plant picture! See the new craft?

Aren't they cute? My little stone bugs. (Bean plants to the left, pepper to the right.)

I love my stone bugs. The children loved the idea so much they started doing way more than bugs. I did one too... (Apple plants left and center, pumpkin right.)

Another Blogger rotation error. It's supposed to be turned clockwise 90 degrees. But, care to guess what it is? (*Answer below!)

The newest Elephant & Piggie Book. My grandma bought it for me and sent it to me. I love Elephant and Piggie!

*Ice cream cone!