Tuscany On A Cloudy Day

I know, Unique Munich Part 2 was supposed to be next, but I had to put a brief entry about something else travel related.

My friend Kelly, who I mentioned in my first ever blog post, has a blog. It's crafty, it's outdoorsy, it's creative, it's awesome. http://www.done-well.blogspot.com/ is the place to go and I personally recommend it.

Kelly loves to sew and a long time ago she started making these things called Birdie Slings. The original design is by Amy Butler (http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/patterns_display.php?id=37) and Kelly has gone really creative with crazy fabrics and cool themes.

Also a long time ago, I asked Kelly to make me one. I had been looking for a bag with the same type of design for a while and when J and I were on our honeymoon, I paid 8 euros for something similar.....it promptly fell apart the more we travelled and I never use it anymore.

About a month ago, Kelly finally told me she was going to make me one and I was so excited! She had some questions, though, like what colours did I want and how 'loud' did I want it. I told her that I wanted a Tuscany themed bag, with deep reds and browns and oranges. Well, Kelly happened to see a picture of Sorano (in Tuscany, Italy) by Roland Gerth (http://www.corbisimages.com/Search#pg=Roland+Gerth&ri=42-15405430&rin=15405430) and it was this amazing photo with a cloudy sky. The colours involved deep greys, a touch of rust, and grey-browns...hence the new theme "Tuscany on a cloudy day".

I had also asked her to make the inside a bit crazier, since I love it when things like coats and purses have a crazy inner fabric. It's like a surprise everytime you open it. To make the inside crazy, she went with a wine bottle print. The outcome? Amazing!

Thanks, Kelly!!! It's bagtastic and slingsational!!!

Unique Munich Part 1

DAS BOOT! I know, it doesn't mean "The Boot!" like I always thought it did, but it's the only thing I think of when I see the above picture. Ever seen Beerfest? Rent it sometime.

In 2008, J and I went to Europe together for the first time and started our trip off with a visit with my friends C and S in Munich. Neither one of us had ever been to Germany and we were excited! So excited that the jet-lag took over and we overslept, missing our reservation for the walking tour of Munich. Quickly, we checked the internet for another tour, but alas, couldn't find where the meeting point was at the train station and ended up missing that one too. Helen likes to plan. Helen like to know where she is going, especially day one in a new country. Also, Helen gets grumpy when she is tired. J saved the day! J paid attention when C was talking about various things we could see in Munich. You see, Helen was having a hard time staying awake and missed most of the conversation.

After walking a bit aimlessly, a bit culture shocked since we didn't really know any of the language, we decided to sit down for coffee at the San Francisco Coffee Company. San Francisco Coffee Company? They have to know English. But no, it's just a name after all. No worries, Cappucino is the same in many languages, as is Croissant! We sat down, opened the map and looked at where we were. Then J says all of a sudden "The Residenz! We can go there!" and then I said "What are you talking about? How do you know about this place??" and he said "Remember? C said it's an old palace...". And off we went! And am I ever glad that J had paid attention the day before. This place was amazing! Chandeliers, gold-plating, paintings, the typical historic things you want to see when you go to Europe. We spent about 2.5 hours there and it passed by like that! (imagine me snapping).

The Glockenspiel in Marienplatz is also one of those must see things in Munich. Much like Orloj, it gathers a crowd when it strikes a certain hour and it's a fantastic site day or night.

At some point in our visit, S mentioned that there are 4 things that you have to do when you visit Munich: see Allianz Arena, visit the Hofbrauhaus, go to Marienplatz and attend Oktoberfest. Unfortunately, Oktoberfest is in September/October, so naturally we'd just have to come back!

After our day of wandering around and seeing the city on foot, we went to....wait for it....the HOFBRAUHAUS! I had no idea what to expect, but what I saw and what I experienced, I LOVED. This place was a true beer hall. There were these huge picnic tables and you sat where there was room. People were singing, it was loud, the food was great, and we ended up meeting two people that I knew by 2 degrees of separation!

Don't tell the authorities, but we now have one of those huge glasses in our cupboard at home. Brings back the memories of great beer and bruised index finger knuckle from holding it all night. A drunken stumble home, involving green licorice, a tram, and a camera, and we all fell asleep exhausted.

J's favourite soccer team is Bayern Munchen and he had to take a tour of Allianz Arena, so off we went. An hour tour and we got to sit in the bleachers, go down to the field, see the 100 sq.m. big screen and then visit the gift shop where J got himself a scarf, a shot glass and a fridge magnet/bottle opener. Awesome!!!

The sun came out and eventhough it wasn't the warmest weather, off we went to a biergarten! Outdoors, sitting at picnic tables, eating huge pretzels....what a great time. We need to have those in Canada. Somehow, sitting on a patio just isn't the same. At one point, C went off to get the drinks and when she came back, our jaws dropped....how on earth was she carrying three litres of beer without even breaking a sweat???? Must be the extra muscle tone you develop after living in Munich for a few years!!

Unique Munich...they barely rhyme in the English pronounciation, but if you are corrected in the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and are told to say "Moo-nique", then they do rhyme.

It's old like Prague, a city that I've seen a dozen times, but it feels special somehow. Some things were lost during WWII and it's had quite the past, but there is a really great atmosphere and we definitely want to go back. No, we have to go back. And we did, 2 years later....for Oktoberfest! Stay tuned for Part 2!