Oans, Zwoa, Drei Gsuffa! Oktoberfest 2011

September 23, 2011 8:00AM

McCall Peltier and I began one of the most memorable journeys of our lives to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest.

It started with a six hour bus ride to Madrid. Followed by a two hour flight to Zurich, Switzerland. In Zurich we had a ten hour (overnight) layover, which left us sleeping on benches for the night... uncomfortable, smelly benches......

This is what we looked like in the morning........

EW! But even with our very few hours of terrible sleep and nearly broken necks we were SO excited to arrive in Munich and get to Oktoberfest!

We FINALLY arrived in Munich at 8am on Saturday morning. We were so fortunate to be able to stay with my beautiful friend Laura Reidner for the weekend, so she picked us up from the airport and took us to her house to clean up (we obviously needed to).

After much anticipation we finally made it...

Being there felt unreal... like we were characters in a movie. EVERYONE was dressed up in their authentic costumes; women in their "dirndls" and men in their "lederhosen". The other thing about Oktoberfest is the place to be is in one of the beer "tents"...I'm not sure if tents is a very accurate word considering they hold thousands of people... Anyways, people make reservations for those tents months and months in advance. We had no reservations. Fortunately, Laura has plenty of German friends and they helped us sneak our way in... so after escaping past the security guard, we found ourselves in a sea of... how else can I say this... wasted people dancing and singing on top of the tables.

I'm not one to drink beer, but considering we were at this cultural event..................... PROST! (cheers)

The beers were so big, that when we took a drink our faces were nearly completely covered, and my right hand (my beer holding hand) was bruised from the weight of the mug... it ended up being a good bicep workout too.

After meeting many wonderful Germans, plenty of dancing, and too much beer, Laura took us to the main center of Munich which was a really cool place. I would love to show you pictures, but unfortunately my camera lens had some beer on it and could only take blurry pictures :(

Needless to say McCall and I were exhausted at the end of this day... we fell asleep on the metro ride home, and had a wonderful nights sleep... But unfortunately we still didn't feel all too well in the morning. It made for an interesting/ miserable journey home....

Well I was the miserable one... McCall was "happy as a clam" as she likes to say.

Oktoberfest was such a fun and amazing experience that I will certainly never ever forget. Thank you Laura for letting us stay in your house and giving us an authentic experience. It was the adventure of a lifetime!

Una Dia Preciosa

This....

Is where I live.

It hasn't sunk in yet, which is a strange feeling because at the same time it feels like I have been here much longer than just over two weeks. Already, I have seen and experienced such amazing things....

The Royal Palace in Madrid

Toledo. The city that is straight out of a story book...

          

Loved the cobble stone.

The Alcazar...

 Not only have I already gotten to see some of the most beautiful sights in Spain, but I get to wake up every day and walk around one of the most gorgeous cities. 

Seville is amazing. The main city is picture perfect... small alleyways, cobblestone streets, quaint shops and cafes, romantic balconies, horse carriages... there is no way for me to explain it that would even begin to give justice to it's beauty...  I can't believe I am living here :)

Life here in Seville is so slow-paced and laid back; it is such a refreshing (and much needed) change from the constant hustle and bustle that I have always known in the US. People take their time to enjoy their mornings, they stop the business of the day to have lunch as a family and take a nap, and they return again for dinner as a family later in the night. They embrace quality time with their loved ones, and they value their time to rest. I often find myself wondering why life can't be this way at home... 

Now that I am in a more routine schedule with school having begun, there are two times of the day that are my absolute favorite:

1) My morning run in "El Parque de Maria Louisa" with my good friend McCall and

2) Siesta time :)

Every morning McCall and I run at 8am in the most beautiful park in Seville. It sits directly in front of the Plaza de Espana (one of the most famous plazas in Spain)...

It is so peaceful and refreshing. The streets are still quiet, the sun is just beginning to rise, and the air is crisp and cool (which I value because it has been over 100 degrees everyday!). We are able to see the park and the plaza before they are filled with viewers (both local and tourists)... everything about it is perfect. And on the way home, I always pick up a free newspaper and choose one article to read during breakfast :) I really can't imagine a better start to my days. 

I don't really know if it is necessary to explain siesta time.... I LOVE my naps. Some days... okay most days, I take more than one... and I plan on bringing this habit back home with me :)

The title of this post, "Una Dia Preciosa," I'm sure you can figure out means, "A Precious Day." One morning when I was eating breakfast and talking with my host mom about my plans for the day she was talking about how great the weather was supposed to be, how fun the activities would be, etc. And then she said "Es una dia preciosa!"  And it just shocked me how absolutely beautiful that was... "It is a precious day"... I don't know if I have ever referred to a perfectly normal not out of the ordinary day as "precious," nor do I know if I have ever heard anyone from home say it either. I am learning to value the unique beauty of everyday... even the normal, non-extravagant, regular days. There are so many things to be appreciated... some are things that will always be there, and others much more temporary.

I had been enjoying every second of my trip, but ever since that morning I have been learning to truly and simply embrace every precious moment, person, mess, smile, frustration, and aspect that my day brings me.

I am looking forward to all of the precious days to come, and wishing the same thing for all of my loved ones at home :)

xoxo

Last Week in the U.S.

In less than a week, LESS THAN A WEEK, I will be moving to Spain for almost four months. The closer August 28th comes, the less real everything feels. I have no idea what to expect... all I know is my entire world is about to be drastically changed, and I am never going to be the same. I have a million things to do, and a million different emotions running through me! When I sit and think about the adventure I am about to be taking I lose my breath, get hundreds of butterflies, and sometimes even feel like I am going to throw up haha. One thing that keeps running through my head is the following from my program's orientation booklet:

"Are you ready? Go time is just around the corner. Your life as you know it is about to change. How you think. How you feel. How you live. It's time for a big dose of the world. Smells will be different. Sights with be different. Sounds will be different. You'll come back a new person with a whole new view of the world. Isn't that exciting? Cherish this opportunity. Learn from it. Live from it. In a few months, you'll look back and thank yourself." - API Passport


AHHHHH!!!!!! I am more excited than words can express. 


Last night I had a farewell bbq with my family and close friends. It was such a fun time, and so encouraging to see all of the support I have from so many amazing people. 

I have absolutely wonderful parents who have always pushed me to be my best and supported my decisions as I have grown up. There is no way i would be getting this experience if it weren't for them and all that they do for me. And I have the best brother and sister who are always there to give me their love through the ups and downs of everything!

These girls have been here the past months as I have nearly lost my mind from the stress of everything, and the support and laughs they have brought me mean more than they will ever know :)


In six days I will leave behind all of the comfort of home and everything that I know. I will be beginning the adventure of a lifetime and while I am going to miss my home and my loved ones so much, I couldn't be more ready to go. Like Mark Twain once said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."