putting the est in Oktoberfest

The next stop after Melbourne was Abu Dhabi, where I managed to escape unmarried and untanned. It was a long flight, and after an 8 hour stop over, i was fine to get back on the plane for only another 7 hours of being waited on all the way to Munich. I flew into Munich where Sonja (my exchange student from year 10) and her boyfriend Andreas picked me up. Their apartment is very near to the city, so bike riding around and getting lost in the streets was quite eventful... I was nearly run over twice. There are bike paths, and lots of bikeriders, but not a helmet to be seen.

We visited the famous English Garden, just North of the city. It was very scenic, and is apparently very famous... maybe you've heard of it- but I hadn't. Europeans (much like Aussies) love getting a tan, so on the sunny 25 degree day at the garden, you can imagine that some people had either few, or no clothes on. Whether you're skinny dipping in the little rivers that run through the garden, or just walking around starkers, you're welcome to do what you like. Sonja and I however just opted for a clothes-on picnic.

Tuesday 29th Sep. The visit to Dachau, the first concentration camp constructed in Germany, was intense. Finally I felt I was getting an actual clasp on the reality of it all, after many years of studying WWII and the holocaust, I was standing in the middle of where part of it took place. Sonja and I went on a guided tour, and saw some really horrible images, which played over in my mind as we visited the prisoners cells, gas chamber, crematorium. I guess I can't say much more about that, it kind of leaves you left for words.

(work sets you free), gate, Dachau.

Wednesday 30th (September), was spent at Oktoberfest. Where every second female is wearing a dirndl, and most the men wear Lederhosen. So everyone looks... well, German. Sonja and I shared a 1/2 chicken, and managed to down a maß each, (roughly a litre of beer, and they're not called 'biersteins' much to your disappointment) at 8,50 euro each. The festival is like a huge show, with rides and all, and amongst it are numbers of these massive buildings which can probably seat around 5000 people at any one time. The beer halls get really busy after 5pm, and it's hard to get a seat inside without reserving a table. But all in all it was plenty of fun, and wearing a dirndl made me feel like I was fitting in okay.







I arrived in Heidelberg on Thursday 1st Oct. Eventually I managed to navigate my way to where I had to register with the uni for my room and keys. So I set up shop later that afternoon at my new place, where I'll be spending most of my next 4 months. The view is probably the best part, overlooking the Neckar River, which comes off the Rhine. The housemates are cool, one girl from Peru, and another from Germany. So we're all speaking German which is good practice.








Heidelberg as a city is stunning. It's impressive alright, with the old ruins of the castle overlooking the university area in the Altstadt (old city). I can't wait to discover more over the next few weeks as uni commences, I'll keep you posted.

The language is proving difficult, it's amazing how much confidence one loses when you're in a foreign country, and although I can understand what people are saying well, it's just not working so well when I open my mouth to try and respond with a german sentence that'll make sense. Anyway, it can only get better.
Thanks for reading