Pete's Log: Pete's Munich Christmas

Entry #1418, (Life in General)
(posted when I was 28 years old.)

Merry Christmas!

I spent my Christmas Eve evening wandering around Munich, taking notes:

I'm writing this from the Pizza Hut on Leopoldstraße in Schwabing. I've spent most of today bumming around on my own. Sara met her parents at the airport this morning, so I'm without my default partner in crime. Which is probably a good thing, since I may be starting to take her presence a little for granted. We've been somewhat inseparable for the past two months, which amounts to roughly half my time in Munich.

This is now being continued (fortgesetzt) at the Odeonsplatz station. Sara called me as I was finishing up my pizza, and invited me to come over to where her family is staying tomorrow afternoon. Then I paid. I tipped 20%. The waitress thought she misheard me when I told her how much I wanted to pay: even 10% is a generous tip by German standards. But I was in a giving spirit. So I headed to Giselastraße station and a train heading downtown came before a train heading back home, so that's the direction I chose. I got off at Odeonsplatz to switch to the U5 to get to the Hauptbahnhof. I forgot to stock up on supplies for the holiday weekend (stores are all closed) and there may be some open shops at the train station. Otherwise I'll go to a gas station tomorrow -- another late night/holiday option.

2006 has been an eventful year for me. And a good one. I started the year newly single and with nowhere to live. Annika and Steve were kind enough to take me in until I found a place of my own. The first half of 2006 was a good time for me. I rediscovered independence and who I want to be.

I've made my way to Herkomerplatz. I found a 24 hour store at the Hauptbahnhof and bought a bag full of snacks. I then watched a few trains depart, since that's the sort of thing I like to do. I then took tram 18 to here. While waiting for the tram, I talked briefly with a couple drunk older Bavarians and agreed with them that going home ("jetz gehma hoam!") was indeed a good thing to do. Now I am waiting for Stadtbus 188 to take me the rest of the way home.

I pay 55 Euro per month for an IsarCard for rings 1-4. Rings 1-4 are what the MVV calls the Innenraum -- basically the center of the public transportation system. I live in ring 3 and work in ring 2, but commute through ring 1. Ring 1 is also where Sara lives. But since I spend probably an hour or more per day on public transportation, I find it incredibly cheap. I'm leaning towards not even getting a car. Especially if I move closer to the city center, like I want to.

So that's all I wrote last night. Now it's Christmas morning, and I'm doing laundry, listening to iTunes, and chilling with Gandhi. So the final route wound up being:

  • Metrobus 50 from St. Emmeram to Studentenstadt
  • U6 from Studentenstadt to Münchener Freiheit
  • U3 from Giselastraße to Odeonsplatz
  • U5 from Odeonsplatz to Hauptbahnhof
  • Tram 18 from Hauptbahnhof Süd to Herkomerplatz
  • Stadtbus 188 from Herkomerplatz to Bernheimerstraße

The only thing missing is a trip on an S-Bahn, and I did that yesterday morning.

So continuing the year in revue: I strongly considered moving out of Maryland right after the breakup. But instead I decided to give things a little time and figure out what to do with myself. I learned a lot about what it takes to keep me happy. 2006 has been a high in terms of mental health. Now I switch to list mode.

  • Got a tattoo
  • Went on two ski trips, including an awesome trip to Snowshoe, WV
  • Drove to Niskayuna to visit Branden twice
  • Went to NYC with Mamie to see Spamalot and The Producers
  • Visited Crested Butte twice
  • Organized a DC photo scavenger hunt
  • Spent many fun evenings with Steve, Annika, Rod, Patrick, Michelle, Shanna and others
  • Played my first round of golf
  • Moved to Munich!
  • Three trips to Oktoberfest
  • Visited Donna and Richard in Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Sang Karaoke in front of a crowd in a bar
  • Saw Wicked in London with Sara
  • Visited Steinbach
  • Enjoyed the hell out of life

I don't regret my decision to come to Munich for a second. I miss the hell out of my friends and family, and I find the store hours here irritating. But still, I think this was the right move for me, and at a perfect time too.

Life is awesome, and Sara's just icing on the cake.