FUN-travel: Munich, Germany – Oktoberfest Opening Day
September 26, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Munich, Germany – Oktoberfest Opening Day
Day 6 – Saturday, September 21 – Munich, Germany – Day 2 – sunny w/light clouds & 60’s
What I LIKE
- 8:00 wake up – fairly good sleep
- nice breakfast w/fresh fruit – even fresh OJ
- 10 am – walk to Oktoberfest grounds
- only 5 mins
- location, location, location!
Inside of Tent
- elaborate fronts on tents (looks like the Del Mar fairgrounds w/only beer & brats)
- lots of nice smells lingering – caramel corn, butter toffee nuts, brats, all kind of meats, etc.
- 11:20 – parade starts – splendidly decorated horse teams of the breweries & bands that play in festival tents
- 12:00 noon – cannons go off – official opening of Oktoberfest
- turn around and walk into closest tent area
- smartest brilliant idea! (hordes of people, held back by security, can’t get in & have to stand & wait)
- see table w/only 6 people (holds 8) ask if we can join
Could You Carry 8 Liter Mugs Filled With Beer?
- they say yes!
- testosterone is flowing – lots of liter beer chugging cheered on by group
- *guard posted @ exit to stop anyone from entering w/o waiting
- 3:00 – nursed my liter of beer & ready to go
- walk out for Bratwurst – actually ox meat
- 4:00 – walk to train station for car strategy pick up tomorrow
- 5:00 – hotel room R & R
- 7:00 – walk to Flemings – found on walk to get car (across street from station)
- shrimp pasta & white sausages w/Alleshverloren Shiraz – South Africa – $88
- meet nice couple from Maryland
- people watching on sidewalk table while finishing my wine
- nice 10 min walk back
- arrive hotel to a “1 Adam 12” – fire brigade on site – quite exciting! someone hit the fire alarm
- so many drunk people
- meet one guest who “paced herself” only to find roommate passed out – she’s ready to keep partying
- 9:30 – time for bed
What I DON’T LIKE
- another teeny, tiny shower
- weak water runs between hot & cold w/no control
- *bathroom line is unbelievably long
- starting to hyperventilate w/so many people squeezed in
FF (FUN-fact) – Oktoberfest is the world’s largest fair; more than 5 million people attend the Munich Oktoberfest every year. It’s an important tradition in Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810.
More FF – Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Bavaria on October 12, 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. To honor their marriage a parade took place for the first time..
My take on it: It’s basically just another excuse to drink like St Patrick’s Day with lots of out of control beer chugging.
- Picture taken at 2:00 pm with our new best friends from Australia that shared their table they procured at 5:30 am Munich time. The free seats inside tents were all taken by then! (Photographer wanted 8 Euros for a picture) This complimentary from my love!
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #477: Self-ish
September 26, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #477: Self-ish
Self-ish – to not disregard your own advantages and welfare over those of others.
Do you remember the last time someone told you, “You’re selfish?” Was it because you were not doing what they wanted you to do? Do you often shove your needs aside and honor other people’s priorities, at your own expense? When was the last time you did something just for you?
This week’s WOW is for my “sister.” I purposely changed the spelling of the word because I want to focus on the word self. The following story comes from one my dear friends who is no longer living and I think of her often. Let me know if you can relate to any of this.
“The ethic or value that ‘it’s a bad thing to be selfish’ is taught to us when we are really young. And that ethic of ‘don’t be selfish’ is perpetuated by reactions that you get from siblings, and parents, as you age. There are several examples in my adult life, where members of my family, and in my case, my siblings primarily, really drove that point home.
In 1970, I was 27 years old, married, and living in South Bend, Indiana. In the summer of that year my sister 
Sandi and I had planned to take our very first trip to Europe together. About one week before we were supposed to leave, my husband and I decided we needed to get a divorce. I was devastated emotionally because I wasn’t really prepared for it to happen and realized that this was going to be a life changing event. I decided that I would want to move from the area, find a different job and that I needed to begin working on that right away!
Immediately I called my sister and told her that we would need to delay the trip and cancel this one, for the time being. There weren’t any financial repercussions. In those days airline tickets could be refunded. My sister was very upset and said very little to me at that time.
On my birthday, December the 12th, of that same year, I was now living in Lansing, Michigan. I had just moved there twelve days prior, and did not know a single person in the entire area. I went to my mailbox and found a letter from my sister. I was delighted because it was my birthday and I thought for sure she was sending me a card and good wishes. WRONG!
What I found when I opened the envelope, was a 10-page diatribe about how selfish I was. She included a list of grievances that went back 25 years of things I had done wrong in her estimation. In addition, she listed a full page of things I owed her for, including the cost of a Frommer Guide for Europe, and misc. other things from over the past ten years that I had selfishly neglected to take care of. I will never forget this! I even remember the dollar amount, $28.68. Bottom line, I was devastated. I spent my entire birthday in tears. I couldn’t believe how uncaring and mean she was.
It is my opinion that when people tell you, ‘You are selfish’ it is because you are not doing what they want you to do. I also believe that it has a lot to do with control. They want you to do something you don’t want to do, or they want to blame you for events that happen, rather than taking responsibility.
Being self-ish simply means you don’t allow yourself to be left out of the mix. You can still serve others – however you make sure you are served in the process. It’s keeping things equitable, instead of sacrificing your desires at another’s request.
This week’s focus is on being self-ish. Do you believe that it is okay to value your needs and rights, occasionally putting yourself first? Maybe it is time to finally take a step back and make sure that you are taking care of your “self.” Are you?
FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic to Munich, Germany
September 22, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic to Munich, Germany
Day 5 – Friday, September 20 – Prague, Czech Republic to Munich, Germany – cloudy, overcast, 50’s
What I LIKE
Oktoberfest Opening Day
- 7:15 – hot cappuccino
Oktoberfest Opening Day
- 8:30 taxi to station
- only takes 5 minutes
- *nice railroad worker wants to help us
- taking the train & not flying
- 9:05 – board
- 9:15 – depart on time
- 1st class Eurail pass
- 3:45 – arrive Munich
- taxi easy to Munich City Hotel
- only 5 minutes away
- *Daniel @ front desk gets us a bigger room – 5 ft longer (50 sq ft makes a difference)
- 5:00 – Happy Hour @ Hacker-Pschorr – litre of Oktoberfest beer & Nürenburg sausages w/sauerkraut – just so-so – $22
- 7:00 – dinner adventure begins – 1st stop Italian – only has 1 kind of red wine & turns out to be owned by Hacker-Pschorr
- 7:05 – head back to hotel for recommendation – told to head north down the street for Italian restaurants
- 7:30 – stop @ Best Western to ask for more directions
- 7:45 – stumble upon Pipasa – great server & food – pizza diavolo w/spicy sausage, jalapenos & red onion & Mediterranean salad w/olives, peppers, tomatoes, onions & feta – Collefriso Zero Montepulciano d’Abruzzi – VG! Only 47 Euros
What I DON’T LIKE
Oktoberfest Opening Day
- 3:30 am wakeup – not staying asleep
- *it’s a shakedown – wants 8 Euros (that won’t happen again)
- train is full of tourists going to Munich for Oktoberfest
- we have no seat reservation & 1st class is full (luckily we got 2 seats)
- train is 40 minutes late arriving
- 5 minute taxi ride costs $14 Euro
- *room is teeny, tiny – no room for luggage (seriously, this is smaller than a cruise ship cabin)
- head back downstairs to front desk to inquire about another room
- this is the most expensive hotel room we’ve ever had (I know it’s Oktoberfest, but 3 X’s mark up?)
FUN-fact – The TV Tower is 70 stories high and has a richly furnished “6 star” hotel room offering breathtaking views of Prague for only 1000 Euros a night which includes a limousine and driver.
Oktoberfest Opening Day
FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic – Day 2
September 21, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic – Day 2
Prague Castle
Day 4 – Thursday, September 19 – Prague, Czech Republic – Day 3 – clouds, mixed w/some blue sky peaking through, sporadic rain – high 50’s
What I LIKE
Castle Guard
- 7:30 wake up
- 9:15 walk to Hop On, Hop Off bus
- only 20 Euros each
- 9:30 – get on green line
- 1st stop – Lesser Town Square – St Nicholas church
- 2nd stop – Nerudova – walk up to Prague castle
- sights include St Vitus cathedral, St George’s basilica, royal palaces & gardens
- 3rd stop – Old Town Square – historic Prague w/shops, church, horse drawn carriages, restaurants
- 4th stop – boat ride included w/bus
- 5th stop – downtown – short walk includes – Municipal House & shops
- 6th stop – change to red line – 1 hr drive – highlights include old walled city & TV Tower – world’s 2nd ugliest building
- 4:00 – last stop supermarket for wine & water
- 5:00 – happy hour turns into dinner @ Pivovarsky dum brewery restaurant for typical Czech meal – roast & smoked pork, sauerkraut, bohemian dumplings, sausage & beer – VG & only $16
- relaxing in room before packing up
What I DON’T LIKE
Old Town Square
- didn’t bring rain coat
- missed river boat tour – next one 90 minutes
- horrible graffiti all over!
- not sleeping very well
FF (FUN-fact) – Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world. The complex is 45 hectares (roughly 112 acres) and includes churches, gardens, alleyways and royal residences.
More FF – The historic city center of Prague became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992.
Old Town Square
FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic – Day 1
September 20, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic – Day 1
Day 3 – Wednesday, September 18 – Prague, Czech Republic – Day 2 – thick, dark, ominous clouds – steady light rain – high 50’s
What I LIKE
St Vitus Cathedral
- wake up 9 am – acceptable machine cappuccino
- hotel has umbrellas
- 11:30 – set out for nice long walk to Staropramen Brewery – 2nd biggest brewery in Czech Republic
- 12:30 arrive – tour starts 1:00
- do beer tasting first
- (not as good as Guinness in Dublin, Ireland)
- Save 30% w/hop on bus and didn’t even buy tickets yet!
- 1:30 – walk to Railroad Kingdom – 2nd largest model train set in Europe
- 2:30 – lunch @ Corleone – pizza w/mushrooms, garlic, ham – just so so w/house wine & water only $16.00
- walk back to Boutique Hotel 7 Days for nice nap
- 8:45 – dinner @ hotel – Greek salad & asparagus risotto (actually rice)
- have first ever Czech merlot Vinohrad $23 – not bad
- *wanting to explore & learn new things
- *the element of surprise
- 10:30 pm – after much playing around Chris refigures iPad settings and gets email to work!
Staropramen Brewery
What I DON’T LIKE
- teeny, tiny shower
- *not knowing (I know, it’s conflicting!)
- Apple store set up my email incorrectly
FUN-fact – Boutique Hotel 7 Days was built in 1888.
St Nicholas Church