The Day After

Well, I admit it. I was too tired last night to do the blog entry for yesterday (Monday the 13th). So far Derek and myself have kept it consistent, alternating the blog each day, which usually meant one of us staying up late at the hotel, typing away and trying to keep y'all updated. Wow! The things we do for you folks back home... :-)

Anyway, I'm on the train to Switzerland right now, and just thought I'd give you a quick run-down of what happened yesterday then I'll shut up (finally!, you're thinking) and let some others (you mean it's not just Derek and Kyle?) who are on this trip write some stuff.

So Monday we went on a tour of the city and our first visit happened to be the München Assembly Hall, affectionately referred to by locals as "the Mushroom." You'll see why in the pictures. Inside was even more interesting; in fact, I'm not even going to try and describe it. We took some pictures and brought home some information about it that we can show you when we get home. Aesthetics aside, the people were very warm and welcoming and served us more food and drink (no beer this time) in the cafeteria.

Our next stop was Nymphenburg Palace. That place was pretty cool. Unlike the first palace we visited, I thought this one was more tastefully done, albeit extravagant at the same time. It wasn't a copy of Versailles; it had its own distinctive features that made an enjoyable visit.

After a traditional Bavarian-Franconian lunch at the Ratskeller (more sausage, potatoes, sauerkraut, and beer anyone?) we did some shopping and finally got to see the sights of München from the crowded sidewalks to the bustling squares. Our dinner included a stop to the famous Hofbrauhaus near Marienplatz. Yes it was sort of touristy, but hey! we are tourists!

And so after what seemed like too short of a night of sleep, packing, and dragging our luggage to the central station, here we are en route to Switzerland for a few days, then to Italy. I'm kind of doubtful that we will be able to continue the daily blog, actually. It's going to be a little difficult to get everything together each day, plus have a stable internet connection that is free or very cheap. We will still make an effort though to post entries when we can.

OK! I'm done! Now I'm turning over the computer to my parents...



The Parents speak:

What? You brought a computer on this trip? You guys have been hogging it the whole time!

We would like to comment on the International Convention. Wow, what an experience! It was like a spiritual festival. Much more social and lively than our normal district conventions. Here's an example: A "quick" visit to the restroom during the session went like this. Once our international badges were spotted, people in the corrider rushed up to meet us. We got fancy origami gifts from Japan, had our pictures taken several times, more gifts from German children, unintelligible conversations with Greeks ending with hugs and handshakes, etc. When was the last time your visit to the restroom was like that?

And we were impressed by the traditional dress from each delegation. Kimonos, liederhosen, sombreros, and on and on. What would we northwestern Americans wear? Paul Bunyon lumberjack outfits? Here's some advice for you all heading to Paris later this month...stockpile handfuls of Euro coins! You'll need hundreds of them for tips, train tickets, treats, etc. Trust us on this.

How's our German? Not very good. Once we botch our first German word, the people smile and immediately switch over to English. English is very accepted in Germany, unlike France. Munich is a very interesting city. There's a train or a street car every block. And yet they still they have traffic jams of BMWs and Mercedes every day. But, the bicycles rule everything. Step on a bike lane and you'll be run over in a New York minute.

Well, our train is nearing the station, so that's all for now. We will try to upload this entry as soon as we can find a wi-fi hotspot again. In the Swiss Alps? Hope we can find one!

Jeff and Brenda



EDIT from Kyle: So it's about twelve hours since we wrote the above and I'm happy to report that we arrived in Lauterbrunnen safe and sound. It's absolutely stunning here - think Yellowstone Valley on steroids! Derek will have more pics soon. (Oh yeah, and we have free wi-fi here...wahoo!)

Now some pics from our last day in München:

Standing in front of "the Mushroom"

Pretty interesting, eh?

The Palace

Where we ate lunch

I promise no more beer pictures! (taken at HB)

Hey what do you know? I thought your dad was into rocks and sand, not owning hotels?