Ich bin schon da!

So, nearly 24 hours of travelling and one lost bag later, I made it to Munich and finally found a helpful German to set up the internet on my computer, since it seems to take quite a bit of careful negotiation.

This is my fourth day in Munich, after having arrived around 2pm on Monday. Yesterday, I finally got my second checked bag back from the airlines, who originally left it in Frankfurt. (note to self: avoid US Airways in the future)

Unlike most of the other 20 or so students in the study abroad program, I didn't arrive early in the weekend, so I still haven't had much time to explore the city. Our language course began on Tuesday morning. Mostly, I've only had time to unpack, buy various things to furnish my dorm room, and try and catch up on the sleep I lost to traveling. So far, everything has gone pretty well--even the lost bag hasn't really dampened my spirits, as I am incredibly excited to be back in Germany.

Most of what I have seen of the city is from the bicycle tour that we went on Tuesday afternoon. We left from the Hauptbahnhof, and went past several of Munich's landmarks.

After leaving the Hauptbahnhof, we stopped to learn some historical context in the Königsplatz.


Karolinenplatz--Hitler gave "private" speeches in the houses here after being banned from speaking in public.


A fusion of old and new architecture at the home of the Bavarian Chancellor.


The Englischer Garten, one of the largest urban parks in the world. It runs all the way from the Stadtzentrum (city center) to the Studentenstadt (where I live), and beyond. It has something for everyone, from lakes, to grassy fields, to rivers, to biergartens.


There's even a spot where one can practice some version of surfing (though it's officially "verboten").


Half of the group of students went on the tour with me, and the other half will go on Friday.

The bike tour was also a great chance to see the amazing biking facilities in Munich, which make it incredibly easy to get around town by bike. I can't wait to find a second-hand bike, which I can add to the thousands and thousands of others that crowd the sidewalks throughout the city.

And, one final thing worth mentioning--last night, I went to my first biergarten, a beautiful spot on Kleinhesselohersee (a small lake) in the Englischer Garten. So, I'll end with a photo of the Seehaus Biergarten.

-TG-