Holly's Terrific Traveling Tips

Welcome all to Holly's final blog post during her 2012 Munich stay! Holly is presenting to you all today:

HOLLY'S TERRIFIC TRAVELING TIPS!

1) Bring your own food! Yes it's allowed! As long as it's not in liquid or paste form, bring whatever you'd like. Apples, bananas, energy bars, cookies, candy, pretzels... the possibilities are endless and the best part: you know what's in your food and you don't have to touch airline entrees!

2) Know how to kill boredom! Let's face it, bringing a book is fun and all, but it doesn't take away that feeling of being in an airport or airplane. Movies are good too if you have decent battery life on your computer or iPhone/iPod, but personally I suggest anything pencil and paper oriented. Crosswords, word searches, sudoku, nonograms, coloring books, anything that will stimulate your mind with more than just your eyes.

3) Sleep? What's that? Here's another thing that most people don't do: sleep enough. This is especially difficult before and during long flights. If you can't get enough sleep beforehand, and I know it is difficult, don't fortify yourself with coffee or sugar. Take little walks around the airport or airplane to get blood flowing or get yourself some whole nuts or dried fruits to snack on. Or, if you want to try to sleep, bring your own pillow! No one cares. I can't sleep on moving objects but it does help me to feel relaxed.

4) Carry-ons are great! Sure, they're a bit annoying sometimes, but think about it: feel like your checked-in bag is over the weight limit? Your carry-on bags have no weight restrictions (probably because no one wants to carry 50lbs. of stuff) so this means you can pack to your heart's content... as long as it all fits in the required size dimensions. Plus, you're only carrying it from place to place... the rest of the time it's on the ground or in the air.

5) Patience is more than a virtue. It's a way of life. It's the way to help the time pass smoothly. Anxiety can be a problem for some people, but stressing about something you can't control will only make things worse. Just take a deep breath and relax. Everything will be fine.

6) Airsickness can be avoided. If you're truly prone to it, take a Benadryl or Dramamine beforehand. Otherwise, just don't eat within two-three hours of take-off. And before that time, eat something with pro-biotics like yogurt and possibly pre-biotics like oatmeal. Avoid eating or drinking on the plane. Long flight? Desperate? Nibble, and I mean nibble, on crackers or pretzels (both contain baking soda which helps the tummy) and sip, yes I mean sip, water.

7) Stretch! Even if you want to stay seated, just push your legs out a bit and stretch your arms. It will prevent you from knotting up.

That's all I've got for today! I have to leave around 6:30am tomorrow morning, a change in my schedule because of when my host father leaves to go to the airport. It's almost 11:30pm here and I have to get up at 4:30am or so! I have to get some rest!

The Squishables Trio will relay travel information when we return home!

My List is Now Complete... With a Visit to Lake Starnberg

Hello!

As all of you had known, I had one final thing on my list to do before I felt as though my visit to Munich was complete. And that was to visit Starnberger See, or Lake Starnberg in English. The lake has a lot of rich history stemming way back to King Ludwig II who died in this lake and it's also worth mentioning that I believe he died during the construction of the castle in Neuschwanstein.

Anyhow, I loved my visit there although the weather wasn't exactly perfect and I didn't stay very long. I took a few pictures and I walked around quite a bit. It was a nice enough day to go for a nice walk along the water and there were several people swimming but with the amount of dark clouds swooping in I decided to head out after an hour and a half or so. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

I could have taken a tour on this boat but I wasn't sure if I felt up to being at sea today. This was also the first thing I really saw when I got off the train.

This building holds some kind of historical significance though I'm not entirely sure what. I liked it though!

I always think it's funny when I see the German (left) and the Bavarian (right) flags flying instead of the U.S. flag and the respective state flag.

I thought it was kind of cool that I saw this military vehicle during my walk around Starnberg.

Here is the actual lake. This is probably the best picture I got. It is a very nice lake.

There was this little statue of abstract-type art in the water. There was a little sign with the history of the monument but I didn't take a picture of it.

I also did my other final two minor things, one was to purchase a bag of tea, and the other was to eat one small bowl of organic ice cream... which was delicious but some may argue that the "sorbet" I had was technically not "ice cream." I didn't take a picture of the ice cream, but I had mango on one side and strawberry on the other with a waffle circle on top! Very pleased with myself.


I also finished packing today. I thought it would take me much longer than it actually had which is why I started and inevitably finished today. However it does free up my schedule a bit for tomorrow and Monday so that's one less thing to worry about. Plus I am allowed to have two checked bags which takes a load off my mind. That's right... tomorrow and Monday. That's it before I leave. I'm still in denial. I love Munich so much and I do hope to come back someday... but I know it's time for me to go.

Despite my sadness, which is pretty sizable and comes and goes in waves, I will post at least one more blog entry (my Holly's secrets to making flying fun) and I believe the Squishables would like to report on the homecoming experience. But until then...

... have fun!

The Countdown Continues... Six Days Remain

Hi Everyone,

I made a vow to myself to do something unique or otherwise special every day while I'm still here. This means things that I cannot do elsewhere for the most part. For me, this largely involves food but does include other things.

For one thing, I saw another Marlboro advertisement. Disappointingly, it has the typical Marlboro slogan on it but with a new picture. I've decided to share it just because I've been such a longtime fan. (I'm still hoping for one more new one before I fly away on Tuesday!)

Don't Be A Maybe. Be Marlboro. Become a Rockstar. Be Marlboro.

I have really loved the Tollwood Festival. It ended yesterday (tear) and I did make a point to stop by not only last night but also on Saturday. I want to start by saying that there is just SO much to do there. Natural and handmade clothing, authentic ethnic organic foods, music, jewelry (natural and handmade again), and so much more. Best of all for me was the food, of course. It's very difficult for me to find food I can eat, so when I find it, organic and regional no less, I really take advantage. Many of you recall me having Turkish and Indian food, but I am now adding Middle-Eastern, African, and Thai. Traditionally made and all fabulous, I have shared pictures of the edible delights below.

Falafel wrap. Traditional of the Middle-East. Hummus, lettuce, two tomato slices, three "patties" of falafel, and sesame sauce on top. Yum.

African open-fire (I watched this) roasted pork. With some kind surprisingly non-spicy sauce on top and a dash of what I think was cayenne or something similar.

Thai vegetarrian dish. I believe it was called pag pak or something along those lines. It was essentially cabbage, carrots, maybe some spring onions, made with a very light sauce and served over rice. Of course I added a touch of sweet and sour sauce and some spicy sauce too. I love Thai food. Probably my favorite ethnic food with Mexican and Indian tied as very close seconds.

Continuing on with food, I have discovered the deliciousness of a new food: dragon-fruit. I will say this about dragon-fruit, it was not at all what I was expecting. I looked up the best way to cut it (thanks About.com) and then I proceeded to cut and taste. The first surprise was that a pinkish-red fruit was white inside with black seeds! The second surprise was somewhat more intense for me. I was really expecting a tropical flavor since it has roots in Thailand and the like, but it honestly tastes a lot like a sweet pear... only softer somehow. Pears often have that very slight tang to them. This had no tang whatsoever. I liked it but it was on the expensive side (6,99 Euros for one... yes I know that's a lot of money) so I may not have it again in its raw form. I have included some pictures just for fun.

A perfect specimen.

Cut it open... and look! White! I guess that some dragon-fruits are red inside but I haven't seen any obviously.

Scoop out the guts and you have a perfect medium for cutting. It's such a soft fruit. Very tasty, just subtle.

As of today I have six days left, but considering I plan to go to bed earlier than normal I'm really saying about five. What are my plans?

For starters, I have already planned out my meals for the last days. Breakfasts will consist of muesli, either crunchy (like granola) or non-crunchy (like cold oatmeal/cereal, it's delicious this way) with a non-dairy milk, lunch will have the traditional yogurt and fruit - peaches in this case (with the exception of Saturday... I have plans for Saturday's lunch) and dinners will consist of finishing my lasagna and also using up the rest of my barley which I plan to make with a vegetable medley. I leave the house around 11:00am local time, so before I leave I plan to pick up my last Bavarian organic pretzel before I head to the airport. More packing and airplane fun Holly factoids in a later blog post.

As far as plans go, I have one final, final thing I want to do and I plan to do this on Saturday. I do have my special Holly lunch/treat on Saturday as well, and I also will be picking up a special bag of tea to take back with me to the States (black currant... my fiance's favorite fruit flavor... say that five times fast). I also have the boring things to do, like closing my German bank account and doing my own recycling. I'll keep everyone posted. Other than that it's packing, packing, packing for the most part.

I plan to do at least two more blog posts before I head out of Munich. One will be on my weekend and status updates and one will be my Holly's Fun Flying Factoids (the letter of the day today is 'F,' but only good words please). The latter will be my last blog post while I'm here in Munich... this time around anyhow. I'm denying my sadness.

I hope everyone things of something to be happy about today.

Schönen abend!

Picture Day #6 - The Munich Residence

Hallo!

I unexpectedly had the rest of my day off and I decided to do one of the two final things on my list: go to the Munich Residence. The Residence has been home to famous Bavarian kings, queens, emperors, and empresses, and consists of not only the Residence museum but also (with appropriate ticket) the treasury and the "Cuvilliés Theatre." Honestly, my favorite part of the experience was the treasury and you'll see why when you get to the pictures.

Since there were three distinct parts to the experience, and since I viewed them in a specific order, my pictures will be separated into groups accordingly. I took over 330 pictures of this experience and obviously can't put them all here so I have selected the best pictures from the trip, but be aware that there is much more beauty where this came from! I have provided as much description as I can remember, much of the information was on audio tape and my brain isn't good enough to store all of the info, plus they made me put my bag away so I didn't have my pencil and paper with me. Enjoy!

As always, I have included a picture of the entrance/front of the museum.

Part One - The Treasury

Introduction: I discovered that the Munich Treasury is one of the most comprehensive of all the treasuries in the world. This means that they do not only have crowns, priceless pottery, and general items from Bavarian kings and queens, but also things from Paris, England, Italy, Greece... I was quite impressed. I truly wish I could share more than the pictures below as this was my favorite part of the entire experience. In fact, if any of you are ever in Munich but only have time for one of the three exhibits, do this one. (Note: All of the information that I use for descriptions is of course provided by the Munich Residence.)

I have included several pictures of "crown jewels," if you will. The gemstones are almost all authentic, some I remember hearing were replaced with imitations because of loss or selling of the gemstones way back in the day.

Many of these crowns had connections with French and British royalty, which I found interesting. Circa 1280.

This "magnificent chain" as it's called in German, was in the small room labeled "Saint Georg." Only the above and below displays were in this room. Year was listed at about 1575.

You can see the card in the corner. I found the detail truly amazing and comprehensive.

The top shelf was labeled under "ruby jewelry" and all the items belonged to Queen Therese of Bavaria in about 1830. I believe the bottom row of pear based jewelry was hers as well, but I don't remember.

Okay I'm really mad at myself for not taking a picture of the little card, but the above and below pictures symbolize, from what I remember from the audio guide, the power that the Bavarian royalty had at one point and time.

This crown is unbelievable.

After passing through the crystal displays, I ended up here in what I will call the "semi-precious rock and other" displays. I loved this display of utensils. Especially the spoon.

I love the idea of using a seashell as not only a work of art, but as a cup to drink from. I don't remember what the item on the right is, but it is very pretty.

I'm not really sure how this could ever be used for anything other than decoration, but it was certainly the most elaborate "plate" I saw here.

Part Two - The Residence Museum

Introduction: Quite honestly, I had forgotten that I was in a museum and thought I was in a palace! The Residence is almost a palace because Bavarian royalty did in fact stay there, however it appears that when they stayed there it was primarily for business matters. I was able to see rooms, pottery, paintings... it was a very interesting experience.

These are two painting that I saw pretty much as I walked into the first part of the museum.

This is "Grotto Courtyard." It was inspired by Italian gardens.

This is the fountain. I thought the shells that are embedded into the stone was pretty neat.

The Antiquarium. Built for Duke Albrecht V for all of his antiquities, hence, "Antiquarium." There were many statues in this hall. This had later been a bit remodeled so it could also serve as a banquet hall.

The "Black Hall," so called named for the four black scagliola portals, was built in 1590 by Duke Wilhelm V. I love the illusionistic painting on the ceiling.

Chinese covered vases and fishbowls made in the end of the 18th century. You may be able to read the card on the table.

You can definitely read the side description here, however I will mention that both the above picture and the one above this were a part of a hallway exhibit exclusively dedicated to the pottery and such purchased from China and Japan.

This room was called the "Elector's Bedroom." If you recall my earlier photos from the Nymphenburg Palace, the dark green bedroom set that I had shown resemble the set-up here. I prefer the ivory colors though.

These portraits were in the room called the "Puille Cabinet." King Ludwig II had these portraits put here. The reason why I'm including these is actually because if you look at these portraits in comparison to other portraits done in other kingdoms at that time (18th century), these pictures look much more pleasant. Even with a slight smile. You don't see that many other places, including the States.

I loved this room. Very tastefully decorated. It's called the "Reception Room" and contains portraits of the family of the first Bavarian King, Max I Joseph. (Early 1800's.)

I included this picture for no real reason other than to include it. I loved the furniture that they used to decorate these rooms and I particularly liked this one because of the deep red color and the intense decorating. The fact that it has flowers on it helps too...

I included this picture to give you an idea of the size of these crazy doors. As obnoxious as they are impressive, I kind of want them for my future house.

This is the ceiling of the literally titled "Ornate Chapel." The chapel itself (not pictured) was not nearly as impressive. I love the blue. I think to myself, how were they able to develop such a rich blue paint without the use of chemicals in that era? (Dedicated in 1607.)

This is the "Porcelain Cabinet." Quite a magnificent room.

And this was the last hall I walked through, the "Ancestral Gallery." Contains, obviously, portraits of previous royalty. Very beautiful.

Part Three - The Cuvilliés Theatre


Introduction: Named after the architect who constructed it, the theater is still under use today but at a much smaller scale. It is truly beautiful, but I will say that the theater I was in (which is practically next door to here) for the ballet was very similarly built and much, much larger. There are not many pictures as it was a pretty straight forward "exhibit," if you will, but it was still magnificent.

Here is the best shot I could provide that offers a decent view of everything. I had a really hard time getting a good clear shot. I wasn't allowed flash in the other areas of the museum, so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to use it here. It's still a pretty magnificent theater. I saw advertisements for performances of a Shakespeare play, but I can't remember which one.

Here ends the picture tour of the Munich Residence. I hope you enjoyed your virtual journey. Over the weekend I am going to attempt to do my final experience, but we'll see how it goes. I just found out today that friends of the family are coming here this evening so I am unsure what my schedule will be like.


In any case, think positive and find something to look forward to!


Chao!

Good-Bye Presents, Last Recipe, and a Final Craft Idea (for here in Munich)

Dear Readers,

It is a sad and strange time here for me in Munich, Germany. I am completely torn between wanting to leave right this minute and staying forever. I love Europe and I have decided that someday I would like to live here for real, but until then I have to continue to follow my dreams of traveling around the world and seeing new places. I have decided on a place I would like to go next, but I would rather wait to discuss that in detail at a later time.

Meanwhile, I have been working on cards and good-bye gifts for the children. (I also made the host parents a card.) For gifts, I crocheted teddy bears, of which I do not have pictures of (they are already wrapped) but if you go back to the post I wrote a while back on the first one I made, they look just about the same except in different colors and one is a different style of yarn. I do, however, have pictures of the cards, which I worked very hard on. I decorated the envelope, the front of the card, and on the inside of each card I put a picture of an animal that I had associated with each of the children. (For example, I asked my mom once what animal I most reminded her of, then after a while she said "hummingbird." So I would be "Hummingbird Holly" although the alliteration is unnecessary, meaning the first letter of the animal doesn't need to match the first letter of the name. Mine just happens to work out that way.) Of course I wrote each child a note which I made unique to each card. I'm very proud of the work.

The front of the cards. I added those little photo corner things and tried to write as neatly as I could.

Sequins (because everyone loves them, even those who deny it) glued on the front of the envelope. Each letter represents the first letter of their names.

Tiger.

Antelope.

Monkey. (How did I do these pictures? Keep reading!)

You will likely recall how I said that I would do my vegetarian lasagna and possibly the stuffed onions. I just won't have time to do the onions. So I decided to pick up lasagna ingredients, which were fairly cheap (not as cheap as the chili recipe, but still), and decided to make it all on my own. Therefore, here is the final recipe as of Munich, Germany:

Holly's Vegetarian Lasagna!

Okay, I'll admit this pictures doesn't look that great. The sauce started cracking because I didn't par-cook the noodles like I have described below, so the noodles sucked up all the moisture. The detail picture below is better.

Ingredients:

One Package or Nine Large Lasagna Noodles (you can find these gluten free)

One Large Jar of Herbal or Plain Tomato Sauce (I used a medium jar and it was a bit small, I'd say 400ml or 1 3/4 cups to be on the safe side)*

One Tub (they always seem to come in tubs) of Ricotta or Mozzarella Cheese**

One Medium Yellow or Green Zucchini, sliced into medium thick circles

Eight Medium/Large Mushrooms, stemmed and sliced medium thick

One Bag Frozen Spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained***

*Note: Can't have tomato sauce? Here's a solution: PESTO! Tastes great and is good for sensitivities.

**Note: Obviously, ricotta is authentic for lasagna. But I do happen to know someone who doesn't like ricotta, and I know others who are sensitive to milk products. Cheeses are actually lactose free for the most part because of enzymes present in cheese (and usually yogurt) that aren't present in regular milk, but it's still a milk product. For those who just don't like ricotta, the first suggestion would be mozzarella. For those who are sensitive to cows milk, don't buy that horrible fake cheese stuff. Even if it is organic. Go out and buy some goat cheese. It's delicious, has the consistency of a combination of feta and ricotta, and would taste just fine with the lasagna. Goat milk sensitivities are not as common and goat cheese is actually very easy to find. Just go up to the cheese counter at your local grocery store. (But organic is better!)

***Note: You can use fresh, it's just a little bit more of a pain to use. Chop it into small strips before using.

Directions:

1) Lasagna is not known for being difficult to make. However, there is a serious debate as to whether to cook or not cook the noodles before layering it in the pan. I followed the directions on the box of noodles, which said to leave them uncooked, and I ended up having to add water. At the same time, cooking the noodles completely can water log everything else and leave the noodles soggy. This is what I suggest: cook the noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes to par-cook them. Drain on paper towels, then you have a safe noodle to work with.

2) Preheat oven to recommended temperature on your box of noodles (they do get that right... every noodle is made a little differently, but if you're unsure 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius.). In rectangular glass dish large enough to hold your first layer of noodles (usually three side-by-side), place about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce evenly at the bottom. Add your first layer of noodles. Top the noodles with a layer of cheese. Add mushrooms on top of the cheese then add some of the drained spinach on top of this. Finish this layer with an even coat of tomato sauce.

3) Top the previous layer with another layer of three noodles. Coat these noodles with cheese, then add the zucchini slices. Top with spinach and an even layer of tomato sauce.

4) For the top layer, place remaining three noodles on top. Spread leftover cheese on top of the noodles. (If you have leftover spinach and would like to use it up, put it on now.) Pour the rest of the tomato sauce evenly over the lasagna. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, poke a few small holes, then place in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

5) When the lasagna appears to be heated through and the tomato sauce is bubbling, remove the aluminum foil and continue to cook for about 10 minutes or until the top layer of sauce begins to brown slightly. (The browning is optional. If you don't want it to brown on top leave the foil on.) You know the lasagna is done when the edges of the lasagna begin to turn brownish.

6) Let cool, covered, for about 30 minutes, then enjoy!

Mmmm... much better. Love the yellow zucchini.

Lastly, I have a final craft idea. The pictures of the animals you saw above came about in the method I will show you below. But here's the basic idea: don't have a printer? Want that picture on your screen for a project or other use? Some people may have realized this method but I'm going to describe it anyway. Your computer screen makes an excellent light box which means it's great for tracing. Check out the steps below!

Step One: Find a picture, preferable a coloring page or black and white picture, that you would like to have or use. (I found this picture from Google Images, I'm not sure what source the picture above came from, but I don't claim this image as my own.)

Step Two: Cut a piece of plain white paper to the size you'd like for your picture. Turn up the brightness on your screen if necessary. If needed, tape the paper in place on your screen. Use a pencil to roughly trace the picture (it doesn't need to be perfect yet).

Step Three: After the picture is traced, like above, remove the picture from the screen. Take a Sharpie pen or other thin, felt tipped marker, and go over your pencil lines, making it as even and as exact as you'd like. You don't need to follow the pencil lines exactly, as the tracing will likely be a little off. (As you can see in my picture.)

Step Four: After the Sharpie pen layer, let rest for three minutes or so to let the ink set, then take a good eraser and erase over missed pencil lines and such.

Step Five: Admire your tracing, then color or decorate as you wish. True, your picture won't be exact, but it's better than not having it! (Plus it's fun to make!)

Step Six: Appreciate your final work of art! Just don't claim the image as your own! Copyright is a serious thing. You wouldn't want to have someone steal your ideas would you?

Close up of final image. Not perfect or exact, but I really enjoy doing these. So much so in fact...

... that I've done a whole bunch! To me this is the best idea I've had in a while. I don't always have a printer on hand and now I can color whenever I want to! And it's fun!

I haven't done anything else this week, just a bit of shopping and such, but I still plan on doing my final two things! I'm very excited about it and will post pictures as soon as I can of these things. (Likely Saturday.)

By the way, even though I still have 12 days remaining here, I want to thank all of the people who have read even one post of my blog. It means a lot to me and I do plan on keeping this blog up and running because I plan to do more exciting things, even if it's only in the States!

Take care everyone!

Sincerely,

Holly