Hello everybody,
Friday we got to Munich with the night train (formerly called sleeper train, but sleep is not exactly what you get when they pack you in like sardines and jerk the train to a stop every half hour). We exited the train rubbing our eyes, but I was glad to be back in a place where I understood the language. We took another quick train to Moosburg after which we called Christine and were picked up by my uncle Josef and my cousin Jacob. Coming back to Mauern was wonderful for me. Memories of previous visits came flooding back and I started to get that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you come back to something pleasant and familiar.
After some warm greetings, we were given some lunch and this is when I knew for sure that we were back in Germany. A large assortment of breads, some warm Leberkässe and delicious potato salad were offered along with questions about what kind of dinner we would like that evening. These are my kind of people! After lunch we went to visit my Grandparents to have cake and coffee and Brian got the pleasure of seeing several photos of me in my younger "afro" years. Even though he got to see embarrassing pictures of me, I did feel kind of bad for Brian since a lot of the time I simply forgot to translate for him. There were also a lot of times when I would become involved with the discussion and then minutes would go by before I would "sum up" what was being said. Instead of seeking a better translator, Brian has decided to take the burden of learning some German upon himself, much to our amusement. He is making some progress, though, and it'll only be a short while before he'll be able to say some short key phrases such as, "Hallo. Mein name ist Brian. Bitte schlage mich sehr hart ins Gesicht." I taught him that one myself :-) (check it out with Babel fish if you don't speak German.)
Aside from actually doing our laundry, eating well and seeing all my relatives we've been making plans about what we want to see down here. Today is my grandfather's birthday, but next week we plan to travel to Munich so that we can drink and sing in the famous German beer gardens. Oh, I mean to see the wonderful museums and, uh, majestic castles and, ummm, see the Olympic park and... drink and sing in the beer gardens! Yay. (maybe I am a bit of a raging boozer, but then again I don't feel so bad about it now that Brian's sexuality is being questioned again.)
Seriously, though, we're having a great time down here and it's hard not to feel welcome when you get the amazing hospitality that Christine and Sepp give out without thought. A big thank you from both of us for everything!
I hope that everyone's summer is going as well as ours thus far and if anybody out there wants some postcards, just e-mail me and let me know your address and from where you want it.
Take it easy,
Markus
P.S. We had some technical difficultis yesterday (Christine's computer froze on Brian after doing a LOT of work. As a result, istead of throwing though the window, he prudently decided to go to bed.) Pictures will come after my Grandfather's Birthday today and we'll have a smaller version of them for all you poor dial-up users out there.
Posted by Markus at June 1, 2003 11:08 AMBoys.
Hope you have fun at the Beer Gardens. For god's sake, take some pictures there for me and Steve. Oh yah.... don't forget the hookers.... especially the drunk ones.
European Tip of the Day:
Never go to a translator that was linked from a porn site. These are the results, "Hallo. Mein name ist Brian. Bitte schlage mich sehr hart ins Gesicht" translates to "Hello. My name is Brian. My sausage might be hard is green."
CHEERS.
Posted by: M-Prime at June 1, 2003 03:51 PMMarkus, don't pick on poor Brian, but do continue to question his sexuality!
Brian, all you need to know to say is, "Guten Tag, mein Name ist Brian. Ist der Bier hier?" My German isn't wonderful, but I'll never forget this phrase. Oh, "Wo ist die toilette?" Might also be helpful, after all the beer. Keep in mind that if you would like to keep any of your dignity at all, "Ich bin warm," is NOT the translation for "I am warm." Usually I would be telling you that it was the translation, but hey, I guess I figure you deserve a break with all those Germans picking on you. You owe me one!
And next, stay tuned for The Daniel Report.
Posted by: Shannon at June 1, 2003 10:40 PMTHE DANIEL REPORT
This one is to save Markus and Daniel's mom some work, and goes out to all their friends and family.
What you'll all been hearing is true! Daniel has found himself a woman, and he has most definitely been bitten by the love bug. If I have any say in it, he will never return to the cynical, and relatively depressed person to whom you all must have become accustomed. I will be visiting him in Dryden for the last week of June and the first week of July. We're all very excited about this. From the evidence I've been presented with so far, there is no doubt in my mind that you will all hear stories about that as it is happening or afterward. I just hope Daniel hasn't painted a picture of me that will be impossible to live up to.
Stay tuned ...
Posted by: Shannon at June 1, 2003 10:50 PMMike, we should be hitting up the beer gardens in Munich in a few days. There's one that combines drinking beer with sunbathing. Maybe we'll satisfy your picture desires. In exchange, you must send us pictures from Canada of you and Steve dressed up in pigtails. No pigtails, no deal!
Posted by: Brian at June 2, 2003 11:48 PMHey Shannon! Thanks for the advice, it's great that you're looking out for me once in a while. :D Though I miss being Invader Zim-style enemies, with our diagonal black bars of battle! What does ich bin warm mean, then? I'd ask but I think I might get embarrassed...
And the first issue of the Daniel Report is also the best. I've heard bits and pieces so far about Daniel's current state, and I'd guess right now it lies somewhere between the "really, really excited" and "bouncing off the walls" states. I'm extremely happy for you guys; it's enough to warm my heart of ice. You better post a weblog while you're there!
Anyway, later.
Posted by: Brian at June 2, 2003 11:58 PMYAY, Daniel! Shannon-time! Shannon-time! Hey, maybe we can actually see Daniel when you get here!! :D
Congrats, darlin' ~
Jill
Wow... Dan, if you're reading this, I'm so happy for you. I told you it would all fall back into place... it is, and THEN SOME! :) Hope y'all are havin' a blast in Dryden and will do so when Testy flips the whole town upside-down. :) See ya!
Posted by: Éric Gagnon at June 3, 2003 07:01 AM