Apparently you can have your Zimtschnecke and eat it too:)

Yesterday or today, depending on what time zone you are in when reading this, I spent my first full day in Munich.  And when I say full, I mean full. I

ended up walking around for 16 miles yesterday taking in as much as I can.  I guess this also counts for taking in as many carbs as I could too! The Brezels and Zihmsweke did not disappoint.

To start off the day I headed to the English Garden for a very jet lagged run. After making my way through the congested streets and sidewalks (thank goodness for bike bells), I found myself in what could only be described an oasis. One minute you are surrounded by the noises of a busy city street and the next it’s the sound of silence. As soon as I was inside running along one of the many paths, I kept thinking I could get lost in here all day. Funnily enough, as I mentioned there were all those paths and yeah I did get a little lost but didn’t mind one bit. I couldn’t get over how lush, green and quiet it was inside the canopies of all the trees. At one point it started to rain (hence all that green) but it was one of those special rain showers where the sun is still shining making it feel only that more magical.

One of the traditions I started when I was in Greece last year was going for a run and then getting a Starbucks to see how they would spell my name. It’s hard enough in English, but I became enamored with seeing it in another language. Here in Munich, I am “Kellen”. While the general idea for my name was there, I think there was something lost in translation. However, if you asked my brother to say my name up until about 5 years ago he’d never pronounce the ‘t’ and I was always “Kay-Lin”, so I guess “Kellen” isn’t that far off.

I spent the afternoon making my way to Olympia Park to see all the stadiums, swim centers and ice arenas. I stumbled upon what felt a little to me like a Flea Market and I immediately thought how much my cousin May would love it and for her sake did a once around. As luck would have it, my walk around led me to a Biergarten that was showing the World Cup Match and I decided to sit down with all the German fans and cheer on their team. At halftime (Is it even called halftime in soccer? My brother would be so disappointed that I don’t know this), it started to thunder and storm and for a few minutes I thought “ahh this will pass, I can hang”. But, as I listened to the thunder get louder, I realized two things 1) I’m not even German and 2) With the exception of the World Cup, I’ve probably watched like 5 matches in my life sooo I’m really not that invested and it’s totally acceptable to take cover.

The rest of my night was not that exciting, save for the fire that happened outside of my hotel. Luckily it was quickly put out and only marginal amounts of smoke.   I did have another realization as the Polizei and Feuerwehrmann started to show up with their sirens blaring. I think part of me was also somewhat expecting the likes of Jason Bourne to show up. I guess the European siren for me means massive car chases down narrow streets. In case you were wondering, no Jason Bourne and not even an Ethan Hunt in the lot. There’s always tomorrow I guess.

Stay Tuned for More traveling adventures!