Number 2: Oktoberfest

So I think I may have had more fun at Oktoberfest than.... ummm... maybe anything else I can think of in my entire life.  It is everything it's cracked up to be... and more.

I'm really glad we were lucky enough to be able to reserve a table.  We did this all pretty blindly.  We didn't really know which tent to choose... what kind of table to reserve.... what time to reserve... or if it was even possible to reserve a table.  I'm telling you... This is the only way to do Oktoberfest.  It's worth the money.  We all said we wouldn't have done it differently, and that's surprising considering how clueless we all were.

We ended up getting a table in the Hippodrom.  In my opinion, the best tent.  Also, it was on a Monday, so the weekend crowd was gone.  Bonus** It was raining that morning so we could all imagine that people put off going until the rain stopped.  It really made for a great time because there weren't huge crowds like everyone had told us beforehand.

I can say now that I still don't even want to look at beer.  After, I can't even tell you how many, liters of beer we all had, I can't bring one to my lips.  Seriously, who would have thought?

This was how our reserved table looked before we sat down.  We feasted like Kings... and let me tell you, I can't even look at duck either... (not that I ever really ate duck, but consuming a whole duck just wasn't the right decision, though delicious at the time).

Number 1: Munich and The Neuschwanstein

I got back from Munich Saturday and am completely worn out.

Who knows the difference between traveling and a vacation??? I do!  They're not the same.  We fit so much into one week that I look back on it and cannot believe we got it all in.  However, I wouldn't have it any other way because there is so much to do and so many amazing things to see!

Let me recap for you all in pictures... I'll be giving a few posts just on this trip because just like during the trip, it's information overload...

(note: these picture in no way give the places I went and the fun that we had justice)

We started out with Mikes Bike Tours.  I suggest this to anyone traveling to Munich.  It was one of the highlights of the entire trip, and an amazing way to see all the hotspots in Munich in one day.  The tour guides were fabulous and we really lucked out with such a beautiful day!

The one and only Hofbrauhaus

The English Gardens... (This was the naked quarter to be exact.  Not a pretty sight)

The Chinesischer Turm Beer Garden (The second largest in the world)

The right way to drink your beer!

 

They are seriously surfing in the middle of Munich

We then took a train to Fussen.  This is where King Ludwig II built the Neuschwanstein Castle and the Hohenschwangau Castle.

The most dangerous bridge I have ever been on.  It's built out of wood and was moving from wind.

The other castle in Fussen built by Ludwig II... Hohenschwangau Castle

Beautiful!  Walt Disney sure knew which castle to choose from!

Stay tuned for Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest Here I Come!

Sooooooo

I'm currently up at 5am (this is sleeping in for me!) and getting ready for my flight to....

MUNICH!

I know what you're thinking.... I will be at Oktoberfest...

Family and friends are flying from the U.S. and we're meeting in Munich!  I could not be more excited.  It's about time to see some familiar faces from home.  We'll be spending a few days in Munich and then driving to Salzburg, Austria.

I'll be back in a week!

Until then... celebrate the Oktoberfest holiday with a few beers! (And by a few, I mean a few liters of beers)

Pie is Pie

Pie.

Pie is one of the stars of the baking world in America.  Pie controls a lot of the baking world in America.  It's can be compared to "Kuchen" in Germany.

Pie is delicious.

Pie is absolutely amazing.

Pie is everything I want in a dessert.

Pie is comfort food at its finest.

So why does no one in Germany really know what I'm talking about when I say the word "pie?"

It almost doesn't exist here.  How can something so popular in one country not exist in another?  Especially something as good as pie.  I want to compare it to Kuchen... but it's not... Because pie isn't cake... Pie is Pie...

Got it??

If you were to survey Americans what the best type of pie in the Fall is.... you would, of course, get this answer:

Pumpkin!

Naturally, when I was asked to bring in a recipe for Halloween/ the Fall season to test in the bakery... I chose pumpkin pie.  

If you haven't grown up with pumpkin pie, it sounds weird.  I know, I get that.  I got a lot of funny looks when testing out this recipe.

In the end, the pie did not turn out as planned.  But it 's okay... because that's what tests are for!  Let me explain:

We make a pumpkin bread (delicious!).  However, the pumpkins we use are an enormous, German type called, Gelber Zentner.  We came to the conclusion that this type was certainly not the right kind for pie.  It matters which kind of pumpkin you use when you are using fresh pumpkin... trust me.  The taste was too vegetablly (is that a word?).    What I should have used were a sweeter type of pumpkin that is typical in pies, desserts, and Kuchen.  So... lesson learned.  It just means that I'll have to try again!

Meanwhile I was lent a book on pumpkins from my boss to find the right type of pumpkin needed for a phenomenal pumpkin pie!  Who knew there were so many different kinds?!

Crazy-Town

So I came home to a piece of mail from the city of Bremerhaven.  Apparently, they are charging me 76 Euros...

For what?!

I can't think of one reason why I would owe the city money... and I can't imagine why they wouldn't put the reason on the notice...

After 3 calls to the office (thanks to my roommate who speaks German) I come to find that I'm being charged for leaving trash on the street back in April.  Also, and here's the kicker, this is the final notice and if I don't pay today, someone will come to my apartment and take my possessions...  I'm not kidding...

How crazy does this sound????

1. This was the first notice I have received
2. How could they possibly know that specific trash on the street is mine, even if I did do it?
3. I followed all the rules while putting my furniture on the street back in April by calling the trash company.

So what do I do... because there is no way I will or can pay this money... that little negative sign in my checking account proves it.

First, I call my father and cry because I know he will tell me how ridiculous this is and give me the courage to go down to the office and fight this.

So I do... and what happens while I'm sitting in the office talking to the man?  I completely burst into tears...

He must have thought I was nuts... But let's think about this:
I have been stressing for 6 weeks with Vodaphone over my internet
I woke up at 3 am, worked 8 hours and am, therefor, exhausted
I don't speak enough German to be able to carefully explain my problem and why I shouldn't pay this money
I'm in dire need of some familiar faces... stat

So with all those reasons combined... I think there was no way avoiding the tears...

Sometimes I swear I'm living  in Crazy-town and things would be so much easier if I spoke the language fluently and I knew how things worked.

So in the end I have to wait 3 weeks to see if I have to pay just because "someone" said that the trash on the street was mine... which it most certainly was not...

Der Tag Des Handwerks

Der Tag des Handwerks!

The day I spend in Bremen presenting, selling and making pastries and cake went great!

Yes I was nervous of not understanding people, but there were enough other people working there as well that it turned out to be no problem at all.  If I didn´t understand, I just looked at the person next to me and they answered for me.  All in all, there weren´t too many people who came by to buy our sweets and ask questions... Most of the people who did actually stop by were collegues of my teachers and/or friends from the others who were working.

Here´s a little  run through of the day, and you can get a feel at how "hard" I really worked...

Once we got there, our teachers almost instantly asked us, "Would you like some Sekt?" (Sekt is sparkling wine/ champagne)

Which we then, of course, replied with a "Yes please!"

After a little decorating of our pastries it was time for our free Bratwurst... 

Then after eating, drinking, and trying other products around the festival, it was time to decorate a little more and chat it up with our teachers and other guests.

Then our teacher came by with two enormous cones of ice cream... "Would your like?"

"Well we can´t say no..."  And we continued to eat the delicious strawberry and yogurt ice cream cones...

So after ice cream time the day was almost over and we cleaned up and headed out!

It really was a pretty fantastic day... Who wouldn´t want to do that while earning money and browny points from their teachers?

The end of school

I'm happy to say that school is finally finished.  I'm also happy to say that it ended fairly well with some good scores on my tests!

On my ice cream test I'm proud to have gotten two 1's ("A"s)... and in German I was able to snag a 3! Which is impressive to say the least.  

I hate how everyone in the class is way to anxious to find out what I'm getting on my tests to compare to themselves...

Case in point:

"What did you get on your German test?"

"A 3... and you?"

"Oh. A 4... well they grade your tests easier than they do the rest of us..."

Well, whatever makes you feel better!  Listen, you don't have to put me down in order to make yourself feel good.  In reality, I should be getting the worst grades in German.  It's not my fault that I scored a better than you even though you've been speaking German for 20 years... that's 19 years longer than I have.

However, the same can't be said for my Politic class.  As I looked at the first question of the test I should have had a panic attack and been on the verge of tears... But... I am now apparently immune to that.  Only knowing 1 or 2 words in the ENTIRE question has no effect on me now.  I just stared at the question and chose the answer I thought could possibly be right.  No biggie... This form of technique does not prove to be very effective... I can image the grade on my test will be a 5... It's progress though!  Not in a sense that I'm receiving better grades in Politic, but in a sense that I don't freak out when I don't know what's going on... Now, if only the teacher could agree with me...

TOMORROW! I will be in Bremen at Der Tag Des Handwerks.  What the heck is that??? It's some sort of festival for the handy work and my profession is one of them!  I will be presenting small Teegebaeck (small, pastries and cookies typically served with tea) and Petit Fours.  I don't really know what to expect from this day, but from what I was told it will be some sort of question and answer deal.  I told my teacher, you do realize that I may not be that good at that?  Apparently he's just happy that I volunteered.  It'll be an experience!

I would like to write that I am writing this from the comfort of my own home... I am extremely sorry (well more extremely angry) to say that I am not.  My appointment for my internet to be installed didn't happen today because they decided not to show up.  What's the reason? I have no clue whatsoever.  My anger and frustration with these people has risen to an all time high.  5 weeks without internet?  It's awful...