A Day in the Alps

 A few weeks ago, a few German friends and I decided to go hiking in the Alps for a day. We got up early, drove out to the mountains and began the trek to the first Alm (a mountain hut that serves Bavarian food and beverages) but were dissapointed to see that they were closed for the week. Instead we hiked on to the second Alm, pictured above (which hadn't yet opened for the year). Still, the view from the Tegernseer Huette was absolutely beautiful, and the the fact that it wasn't open just meant that we had the mountain almost to ourselves.
The path up the steepest I've ever hiked. We ignored the signs the read "Dangerous Path" and continued up the cliffs, holding on to steel cables wherever there the a chance. Surprisingly we made it up to the Rossstein Gipfel, the very peak of the mountain where we had a chance to sign the Gipfelbuch, a type of Summit book that most people sign after reaching the top of the mountain. The weather was beautiful, the view was incredible, and it was well worth the nine hours of hiking. I can't wait to return when the Almen are open!
On a different note, the reason it's been so long between posts is that every time I try to upload pictures, they either appear with an x in the place of the photo, or they're distorted beyond recognition. I have to delete the selections and re-upload each photo individually, which is so time consuming! Does anyone know how to fix this?

The Wait

The night before the Faschingsparty we stood in line for over two hours to get tickets, which isn't nearly as bad as it sounds when the they serve hot spiced wine for one Euro and the weather is so beautiful. Spring has finally arrived in Munich... students were grilling in the courtyard yesterday and the crocuses have come up everywhere, which is surely a good sign :)

Fasching!

I just got back from Paris late last night, and there are a whole lot of pictures waiting to be posted from that trip, but the weekend before I left, it was Fasching in Munich! Fasching is Munich's version of Karneval, where everyone gets dressed up and the city turns into a giant party. Going out at night was great, but even before noon, Marienplatz was full of confetti, blaring music, stage performers, and stands selling wine and cocktails. Too bad this holiday only comes around once a year...

Andrea comes to visit

A few photos I snapped while my friend from Karlsruhe came to visit for the weekend. We're planning a trip to Istanbul for the spring.. just waiting for that cheap flight to come along ;)

New year, new adventures

A collection of photos from the last two weeks: A visit to Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau (two very beautiful castles in the winter time), making homemade gnocci (a tradition since my stay in Rome) and Chardonnay to go with it. A nighttime Fleamarket, a visit to the Hofbräuhaus for Deutsches Bier, admiring artwork at the Brandhorst Museum (a must see if you're in Munich), and a walk in the English Garden. Now it's back to classes and all the work that goes with it. It has been unusually warm lately.. all the snow has melted and people are losing the winter jackets and eating outside. We can only hope for an early spring! xx