Walking on sunshine

...and too high heels

I've been accused for having a "flower child" attitude to life, but I find it quite natural when I'm out travelling. There is so much beautiful to discover and so many people to meet, and I like that!

But don't worry, I have my grumpy moments too.

Like yesterday when the alarm went off at 06.45 because Nadine had a really important porject presentation at 08.00, and I was still lost in Never Never Land.

I left Nadine a bit nervous in a big, scary office building, and started walking towards the city center, without knowing in what direction that would be.
That didn't matter. It's spring in Germany now.
The sun was shining, birds singing and people were following the traffic rules perfectly.

Colourful morningchurch

After half an hour of wandering around enjoying the weather, I realised that I had to give up my mission of reaching the center by foot without a map. Luckily I made this decision just as a metro station appeared next to me, and ten minutes later I came out in the busy streets around the main station in München. 

I got some breakfast and took a lot of pictures of nice building, trying not to look too much like a tourist when I did that. I don't like being a tourist. I love travelling, but tourist is a negative word to me. And I've been a supertourist the last two days.

I thought this kind of architecture only existed in Italy. Mistake

Cars

 Sucks to have a statue to honour you memory, and then they use it as a Michael Jackson-altar instead.

 That's me in the other end, taking photos of myself

Gothic shops

Monday morning

3D-pope in the Mariakirche (I think)

Amazing ceiling in the same church.



Washing lady.

I was prepared not to shop, even though München is a big fashion city, and you can see that people there care more about how they dress than uncivilised poeple like me.
They love to show the world that they have money. I do not like that attitude.
But showing the world that you don't have that much is all fine with me, and I was very happy to find a huge shoe shop with wonderful shoes to reasonable prices!
I had a weak argument with the sensible part of my personality about spending money on shoes, which I won easily.
So, after trying around 20 pairs of shoes, wanting to buy them all, my choice fell on these two beautiful torture instruments: 

I know you love me now, dad..

As my other boots were starting to bother my feet a bit, I had a bright moment and figured out that I could just use my new shoes instead. 

Sometimes my stupidity surprises me.
Well, they look good.
But any person with IQ above 70 can understand that it is not pleasant having a 12 cm altitude difference under your feet when you walk, and at least not being a tourist exploring f ex München.

Tower of the dome (I think. I visit too many churches to remember)

 

 Marienplatz with impressive buildings and party on the ground.

Glockenspiel. The figures were moving and playing for something like ten minutes

 Viktualienmarkt - the biggest market in München, which is much more interesting and colourful than this picture shows

 I love church ceilings. Saint Peter's church.

After half an hour it was getting really tough if I couldn't sit down every ten minutes.

Especially when I had the brilliant idea of climbing the highest tower in the city for a lovely view. The other tourists I met in the tiny, steep staircases on my way up gave me some condescending looks as I teetered down the around hundred steps feeling like a good representative for foot binding victims in China, apart from doing it voluntarily.
But the view from the top was nice!

Alter Peter from the top

München

The clock was 12.00 when I finally came down to earth, and Nadine was done with her presentation and tried to find me.

I sat down at the corner of Marienplatz and watched people. It is carnival in Germany, and there was enough to look at. People in funny costumes, sellers, stalls with burned almonds, sweets and chocolate covered fruit, stages where people sang and danced and people in all shapes and sizes.

 

Waiting, watching

We found each other and went to find something to eat. Nadine loves having me around, she says, because now she can do all the tourist stuff that she normally can't.
So we went to a traditional bräuhaus that was packed with all kinds of people. I saw both Superman, Tina Turner and Italian tourists.

Weisswurst und Brezel mit Senf, und weissbier.
This is a traditional breakfast in Bayern, including the beer. 

Fancy chandelier

  These kinds of restaurants are enormous! They just continue in all directions when you walk through.

We had a good time eating and talking. And being hit on by older men. It came as a big surprise to me, but München yesterday was almost more intense than a day in south Italy when it came to guys looking and commenting. 

Of course is it not every day that you see someone with that high heels, but still.
I got a free dessert from one of the waiters, and when we left, he asked us to go out with him that night.
So unprofessional.
And he was probably 45 years old. 

How nice, just our age!

Nadine knows why this happens here:
She means I there are some obvious similarities between me and this:

which is a German porn star who was big in the '90s (google "Gina Wild"), and that's why older men who remember her, comment on me.
Hah, that is tragical.

And I have a hard time finding those similarities a part from the eye- and haircolour (more or less). I suppose it is the body. At least the size of her boobs. Definitely. And the attitude I suppose. I love exposing myself undressed too.

But exposing myself with fluffy somethings in the streets, on the other hand!

We <3 carnival. And it loves us.

Shadowy business going on at the beer stall

People like these make the world a funnier place! I love when people take it seriously, and next time I show up at a carnival, I'll be a exact copy of Albert Einstein or something, I promise.

Time passes quickly in good company, and suddenly we had to go back. After a long trip from München to Bad Rappenau where Nadine lives with her boyfriend Maze, we could drag our tons of luggage up to the 4th floor and prepare some food.

Saving angel

Nadine saved my night by making a good pasta - I hadn't realised until then how much I've missed it since Italy - and serving it in front of an average romantic comedy. Aahh.

Poor girl had to leave for work at seven o'clock this morning, while I could snore heartily into my pillow and dream about sailships until eleven.
Woke up to sunshine and warm spring weather, but was so lost and tired and confused in general that I couldn't get myself to do other than having cereals in front of "The Godfather - part two". 

Nice with a relaxing day.
I thought about meeting Nadine in Stuttgart today, but I gave it up because of the two hours train journey each way.

After 1,5 hours and halfway through the masterpiece, I got up and dressed for a run. Nadine warned me that Bad Rappenau is ugly and that there is nothing to see, but it is beautiful!

Of course the 12 degrees celsius and blooming flowers helps, but the houses are pretty, everything is neat and organised (of course), and there are two beautiful parks that I ran through until I continued over some yellow fields under the blue blue sky.
My phone's camera is not able to reproduce the pleasant impressions satisfactorily.

Schlosspark

During three days in Germany I've had more "woow, futurama!!"-experiences than I would expect.

Here a staircase up to a road.

*Sigh*

..As I walk in fields of gold.

Or ploughed earth, doesn't matter.

I came back after an hour or so (WITHOUT GETTING LOST AT ALL), took a shower, had some lunch and continued my mafioso business with Michael Corleone. 

Ahh, good movie. Really well done. 

Just a shame they are so long, because then I'll never finish them all. I watched the second one two and a half months after the first one.

"I'll make you an offer you can't refuse"
Don Vito kicks ass.
Even though his moral would be a good theme in an ethical discussion.
Shame how power always ends with destroying people's goodness.


Nadine came home at 20.30 with boyfriend Maze and adopted-dog-from-Sicily Motte. I liked both of them immediately. 

Motte is one year old and hyperactive and beautiful, and we are both sleeping on the floor in the living room. I won't be surprised if I wake up with her in my bed.

But that is okay. :)

I, once again, conquered the kitchen and insisted on making dinner despite strong protests. Maybe they didn't trust my cooking skills, but they were happy when pancakes with Mexican-inspired filling were ready.
Maybe I should get a job as a maid. Nadine is ready to hire me, so maybe I should consider that. 

Time to sleep. Nadine is off work tomorrow, so that is great! We wanted to go to Euro Park, but it is closed:(
Well, one can't have everything in life, and Sophie has booked our hostel in Amsterdam, so no reason to complain. 

Gute nacht!