London & Munich in July!

[bironic]

Things to do today:
- Add to Remix (current word count: 400)
- See Only Lovers Left Alive
- Do rainy day chores
- Tell you about SUMMER VACATION

a.k.a. There is going to be one. At laaaast. I haven't taken a vacation beyond long weekends visiting friends/family since 2008: the summer I quit my job and went to grad school; the week I met roga and kassrachel abroad and deelaundry when I got back.

Fittingly, Dee and I are taking this trip together. Well, the first half, anyway. We are going to London for about six days in mid-July, and then I am going on to Munich for another six days to visit my friend A., who moved there from D.C. with her husband and new baby the same week I moved to Boston.

First question: Do any of you live in or near these places, for possible meeting-up purposes? Other than the usual suspects (*cough* catilinarian & M.).

LONDON

I've lived a bit in London and have gone back several times, although that was a while ago now. Dee has never visited. So our itinerary is going to be interesting. :) So far our loose list includes things like the London Eye and tickets to Richard III (set to star Martin Freeman), for Dee's Sherlock BBC fan purposes; a couple of markets and museums; and a sprinkling of off-the-beaten-path stuff I haven't seen before, like perhaps the UCL zoology collection (Jar of Moles!). Plus, of course, a lot of walking through various neighborhoods and passing-by of landmarks. And keeping an eye out for what festivals and performances might be going on that week. Further suggestions welcome.

Second question: Do any of you have favorite places to eat in the city?

MUNICH

I've never been to Germany. Researching Munich seemed intimidating, but the Wikipedia article actually helped a lot to start; now I've got a Google Map plotting lots of museums and famous buildings to check out. Third question: Opinions on what's over- or under-hyped there? Priorities for me are Dachau memorial, Viktualienmarkt, Deutsches Museum, Egyptian Museum, Pinakothek der Moderne, and the loop of sights around Marienplatz. Probably Olympiapark. My friend A. thinks we might be able to take a day trip to the Alps or Salzburg, too, but I'm not sure how much to bank on with the one-year-old and everything.

Fourth question: Any tips for picking up some traveler's German? Albeit with the understanding that (a) Bavaria is its own entity and (b) it sounds like most people there have good English. I can puzzle out written German about as well as any native English speaker with an affinity for languages, but listening comprehension and speaking are another matter.

IN CONCLUSION

Taking more than two days off work, having the opportunity to go to Europe for the first time in six years (when after college by living with my dad I used to be able to save up enough to go almost every summer for cons and whatnot), the combination of nostalgia for London and excitement about visiting somewhere new, and sharing the time with friends are all lighting up my life right now. As time passes since booking the flights and hotel, those things are more successfully outweighing the cost of traveling in peak tourist season, eek. I am also watching out for the usual "we must pack all our days as fully as possible!" instinct and working instead to just be chill about the whole endeavor.

\vacation/

Comments

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Vacation! \o/ Have a fabulous time! Also, I owe you email!

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

The "medical thing" I vaguely remembered having read about was the Wellcome Collection, free admission and free tours on Sat & Sun at specific times. \o/

I am relieved to find out the Jar of Moles contains the little animals, because I was picturing the items that grow on people's skin and was getting grossed out. If we go see that, we'll also have to see the Bisected Heads (and perhaps form rival rock bands with those names).

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Eeee! I'm enthused about the pair of you getting to see Richard III, lol. I'm not quite keen enough to want to travel, but I'm very interested in how he'll do.

Main post: Enjoyed the OLLA review - I'm intending to see it, but just haven't had time. I got the general impression from reviews that it was 'slow', but you don't seem to have thought that?

[bironic.livejournal.com]

It was quite slow. But I like slow. It's slow maybe like Stranger by the Lake was slow - for a reason. To set mood, to reflect the mindset of the characters, etc.

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

I see. "Leisurely", then ;)

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I am trying to have my friend side outweigh my fan side and not force Bironic to see Richard III, but EEEEE, I want to see him on stage SO BAD. I think, MF being just a slight bit more famous than RSL (*ironic eye roll*), it might be tougher to get tickets, so it may not happen.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Nah, we're good. You like MF and I like Richard III! It'll be interesting to see who else joins the cast as well.

[ellen-fremedon.livejournal.com]

Munich! I only got to spend about a day and a half there, but I can highly recommend the Deutsches Museum. And there's a good botanical garden, too-- I can't remember what it was called, but I do remember the meticulously laid-out, beautifully-groomed, neatly-labelled plots of noxious garden weeds. Highly educational.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Hm, could be cool. I never did make it to the botanical gardens in DC.

*researches* Could it be... the Munich Botanical Garden (http://www.botmuc.de/en/) at Nymphenburg?

[elfy.livejournal.com]

I'm, compared to Boston, very close to either Munich or London ... actually, I think pretty much in the middle (Cologne), but I fear that means we won't meet at either place :-/
I think the choices for Munich are pretty good, I will ask a friend who actually lived there.
Picking up german ... well, the bavarian dialekt is a pretty strong one, so learning "normal" german will only get you this far. You would be understood, but I guess it wouldn't help you that much with understanding people (unless they speak high german) ... I guess it's a bit like learning a bit of english and going to Texas or something. You would be able to read german just fine, but I'm not sure how much learning it would help with understanding the local dialect. In germany, basically everyone speaks english to some degree, the younger, the more likely (with age-range 20-40 you can hardly be wrong). But that's my experience and I'm not sure it holds true in Munich.

If you want to do a day trip, I recommend this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle
With a car that should also be doable in half a day, maybe, but not sure.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all of that! That castle looks fairy-tale gorgeous, and it's for sure on the list of places to suggest if we're able to do a day trip or two.

[amnisias.livejournal.com]

Lol, I am from a place (relatively) close to Munich (actually, the town where Neuschwanstein Castle is), and now I live (relatively) close to London.

In most touristy places (e.g. hotels and museums, you'll find people speaking english (albeit with a strong German accent). You don't need to worry about Bavarian dialect, if people notice you're a foreigner they'll try to speak 'proper'. And as a major city Munich is full of 'zugwanderden' (nonbavarians) anyway. Do stay away from Hofbraeuhaus. The Olympia Park is not that interesting, I think, a couple of stadions and lots of lawn, unless you want to visit the memorial plaque for the Israeli team. The Pinakotheks are both worth a visit, as is the Deutsche Museum. Viktualianmarkt is very pretty (though expensive) and just around the corner from Marienplatz.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tips! Hofbräuhaus did sound like a tourist trap, although it may be worth walking past just to say I saw it. Beer is not my thing but I suspect I'll have to at least try a wheat beer while in town. :) And, interesting about Olympia Park not being as compelling as photos suggest. It's more out of the way than the other sites on the list, which are more or less close to my hostess down by the Technische Universität, so that may be a strike against it as well.

[amnisias.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess the Olympiastadion to us is just a stadion, since it's been there for 40 years now, it's where you go to see Bon Jovi, basically, or - in the past - football. I suppose it might be interesting if you're into architecture, because the way they constructed it was quite innovoative at the time.

[zulu.livejournal.com]

You guys will have a great time! I really enjoyed the river walk along the Thames.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

South Bank walk will be happening, for sure. Thanks!

[cincodemaygirl.livejournal.com]

OMG, that all sounds awesome! I hope you have the very best time!!!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Yay, thank you!

I will be excited again when I have a workable Remix draft. D: :D