108 posts (pt. 1)

Inspired by Leah's 108 postings and our long conversation last night about the importance of practicing writing, I thought it was time for another post. Saturday morning, I woke up around 8:30, for whatever reason. I went into the kitchen in search of food and found dishes that Luke had left from his 5:00am midnight snack. As I was washing them, I wondered if he had had my orange juice with the meal...I wasn't surprised. Anyways, I decided to make a big day of it. I was awake, it was a nice day out, I was planning on going to Salzburg, as I do just about every other weekend, but never do. So, I went to a local coffee shop that I've been meaning to go to for a while, called the Sip and Dip. I went in, got a Latte Macchiato and the man behind the counter asked me if I wanted it for here or to go in what sounded like American English. I stayed there and read for about 30-40 minutes then got up to ask where the bathroom was (In German) and, in response, I got "Oh, we don't have a bathroom" in English. Hmm... I thought. How curious. An American-run coffee shop with no toilet. I shrugged and was on my way, through the bustling city in search of a toilet. If you're ever desperate for a toilet in Munich, you can always find one in the main train station. However, remember that the air will be thick with the smell of urine, worse than at Oktoberfest. So, after that ordeal, I decided to go to Hersching, by Ammersee. It's on the S-bahn line, so it would be free and only about an hour away. I bought some Brezen sticks and a pack of turkey and Apfelschorle and really good chocolate and got on the train.
I was amazed by the different stops. I take the S6 to and from school everyday so have pretty much memorized the names of all the stops. So, hearing different, exotic names was a breath of fresh air. The views were much nicer too. Farms, mostly surrounded by forests with glimpses of the Alps farther down the line.
I got off the train and felt the warm wind brush past my face, uplifting after the stifling train ride. I walked around the corner, following all the people and there it was, a pristine mountain lake. It couldn't have been more perfectly European. People, young and old, enjoying every aspect of the moment. People on bikes, kids playing by the water, everyone with ice cream, coffee shops, Biergartens, accordion players, hikers, people just sitting on benches with their eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the sound of sea gulls and the music of the wind. I sat and had a turkey pretzel and some chocolate and started walking around the lake.