Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Munich and Sweden!

Its be such a busy few weeks that I haven't had time to update on any of our trips! Two weekends ago, Bobby and I traveled to Munich, and last weekend we were in Gothenburg, Sweden visiting my second cousins! Both trips were incredible. We saw so much in Munich, including Marienplatz, the Glockenspiel, Nymphenburg Palace, the Olympic park, and the BMW museum and factory. The first night we had dinner at the famous Haufbrauhaus beer hall where you sit at long tables and everyone sings and dances in German outfits. I kept thinking that it felt like Germany in Epcot! There were people playing tubas, and girls in drindls with big baskets of pretzels. It was quite the German experience. The second night we went to dinner at another German restuarant near our hotel. It was nice to have some good, hearty food for a change. Then we went to another beer hall where we ended up meeting some American backpackers who were fun to talk to for awhile. The sights in the city center were great to see but it was freezing! We definitely were not prepared for the weather. Our second day instead of walking we did a bus tour that took us to the palace, olympic park and bmw museum. It was really cool to see the olympic park from the 1972 olympics. It was a beautiful area to walk around. The BMW museum was great too, it was huge and had a building next to it called BMW World with even more interactive exhibits, the newest model cars to look at, as well as restaurants and a big store. It was a lot of fun to see all the nice cars and Bobby loved it. I especially liked the art cars exhibit, in which famous artists had painted different BMW models. Here are some of our Munich pictures!

                                                                    Nymphenburg Palace
                                                                      Haufbrauhaus!
                                                                   In the BMW museum
                                                       One of the cars in the Art Cars exhibit
                                               Olympic tower and the BMW Welt (World)


After we got back from Munich it was just a few days until we were off to Sweden! I've only met my second cousins there once before, but we were very excited to stay with them. Their home was beautiful and they were so incredibly welcoming! Our first day there Bobby and I went into the center of Gothenburg and rode the Wheel of Gothenburg, overlooking the city. We then walked around the center of town which is right on the water and found a Swedish restuarant and had delicious meatballs for dinner. We then met the girls in town to go see Eat, Pray, Love, which just came out over there. I was so happy that it was in English with Swedish subtitles! The girls bought us lots of Swedish candy to eat during the movie (they really do have swedish fish there!) After that, we headed home and hung out for awhile talking and drinking tea until it was time for bed. The next day it was pouring so we went into Gothenburg to check out some of the museums they are famous for. We ended up meeting up with one of Jessica's childhood friends and went out for a late lunch and drinks and then to an adorable Italian coffee bar. We decided instead of going out in the rain that night we would stay in and make a big dinner and invite some of their friends. We sat around chatting for quite awhile until we realized we should probably go out and get food for the big dinner we kept talking about. Vanessa took Bobby and I to the store so we could get a Swedish food shopping experience. On the way there she took us through parts of Gothenburg with huge houses and we drove up a large hill of houses that overlooked the entire city. It was so nice to get a personalized tour from people who have lived there for so long and truly love the city. The store was huge with so much great food. Not only Swedish foods, but lots of American brands which was great to see for a change. The girls love being American and it was definitely nice to be around a more positive attitude than we get in London. The store even had an aisle called "American Cuisine" with Kraft mac and cheese, Jiff peanut butter, Campbells soup, and lots of other American brands. Vanessa bought us everything she could that she thought would be Swedish for us to try. After spending a long time in the store we headed to pick up Vanessa's friend and then went back to the house. By the time we got back it was already around 10:30! The girls started cooking dinner and we all sat around eating snacks and drinking all different wines. The girls gave me and Bobby Glugg, which is a warm, spiced wine that they drink at Christmastime in Sweden. It was so fun getting to try all their Swedish things and having them show us all their traditions. We finally sat down to a feast of steak, potatoes, vegetables, bread, and salad right as it was midnight but we couldn't have been happier. We spent a long time eating, drinking, and then having dessert over Swedish songs and toasts, as well as stories from them all about their holidays and traditions. My cousins were so wonderful and I loved getting to know them and their friends. We had a blast and I definitely plan to go back to see them!
                                                        Walking around the city center
                                       Overlooking the main street on the Wheel of Gothenburg
                                                   Our home made dinner on the last night
                                                               Vanessa, Jessica and I

I will try to post again soon, I can't believe its November already!!! Lots to look forward to but also lots of schoolwork coming up. Miss you all!♥