So the previous day we got 3 emails from Expedia that Lufthansa had cancelled our flight from Munich to Los Angeles. Huh? Ok, so I log into Expedia and yep, there is no flight on my itinerary. But there is from LA to El Paso and a note saying wait 24 hours and check back again. So this morning, I log in and still nothing, so I email them. Later I get a basic form email saying Expedia doesn't control the airlines. What? Ok. But we prepaid for it through Expedia, so please figure something out. Still waiting on the reply to that email. So we are either stuck here(oh darn) or we are going to have to get another flight for what I imagine will be substantially more money.
I'm feeling hung today...I got up at 8AM and I guess the extra sleep I had been getting the previous couple of days was helping me from feeling hung over. Tried to get the iPad connected via WiFi to see if adding the plan again would work, but no luck. There was another dude in the hotel lobby and he couldn't get his iPad connected either. Peace out.
Now that is a truck! So we hop on the tram and head back to Marienplatz to Deutsche Bank again. And we see this...oh how nice, they are displaying an old brewery truck for the tourists!
Wait a minute...this is actually delivering kegs of beer! Now that is cool.
Even though I had a good healthy breakfast, I am still hungry for some reason. So we wander around Marienplatz looking for a place to eat. There are a lot of places, but I need something quieter than what we are finding. We end up walking through this open air market and it really strikes me how unreal it seems to be. I mean, when you see Los Angeles portrayed in the media, its all bikini-clad hotties rollerblading around the sunny beach which couldn't be further from the truth, but Germany is really as cool as I have seen it on television or in the movies.
So we spot this place and decide to stop here for a little bit. Cafe Lotter-Leben
I ask for ice water...immediately realizing my mistake and the waitress says "what is that?" Two mineral waters it is.
Colleen orders a vegetarian wrap which she liked until she got to the avocado cream sauce.
I forgot what mine was called, but its one egg on top of 'bavarian meat loaf' (which is like bologna) and potatos. It was excellent and exactly what I needed. Oh yeah, and a little hair of the dog And then we proceeded to just hang here for a couple of hours and take in the city. We stared at the cars, we stared at the people(politely) and enjoyed an afternoon in Germany.
I love the sound of their sirens. And the two workers both had folding rules in their pockets...now that is old world!
And then back through the market All the kids we have seen are very well behaved. And then more wandering...
And man these guys are experts at parallel parking.
Looks like a pipe shop, wonder if they have cigars?
Got out of bed at noon today...jet lag is fading. Tried to get in contact with AT&T about the data plan for the iPad, but that was fruitless...the international number was disconnected! Chatted with someone from liveperson.net who told me the account was 'invalid' to which I asked what 'account'? The credit card or the AT&T account? Here is the transcript:
(and no this isn't the first time I masqueraded as a woman on-line, geez it's what the InterPipes was made for!)
info: Thank you for choosing AT&T International Care a representative will be with you shortly. Please note: Protecting your personal information is one of our highest priorities; hence, you will be required to provide account related information to ensure whom we are working with. Data encryption is also enabled to protect your personal information during this chat session. For more information please go to http://www.wireless.att.com/privacy/ or http://www.att.com/privacy/. Please wait for a site operator to respond. info: You are now chatting with Amanda Arellano. Amanda Arellano: Hello! My name is Amanda Arellano and I am an International Care Representative. I’m reading your inquiry and I will be right with you. Colleen Williams: Ok Amanda Arellano: How may I assist you today? Colleen Williams: I would like to know why my iPad won't connect to the local provider Colleen Williams: But both of our iPhones do just fine Colleen Williams: The iPad always displays "No Service" and there has been zero data usage since we arrived Amanda Arellano: Did you add an international data plan before you left on your iPad? Colleen Williams: Yes Colleen Williams: 50MB Amanda Arellano: I'm sorry for the delay. I'll be right with you. Amanda Arellano: To better assist you may I have you verify your 10 digit mobile number, the name on the account, and the e-mail address associated with this account, please? Colleen Williams: xxx-xxx-xxxx Colleen Williams: Colleen Williams Colleen Williams: email address Amanda Arellano: Thank you, allow me a moment to retrieve your account. Amanda Arellano: Currently your iPad shows that there is no international feature active. Amanda Arellano: In order to add one you will need to go to a WiFi location. Colleen Williams: I have a confirmation email Colleen Williams: And the device itself says i have a plan Colleen Williams: Of course I am not at a wifi location right now Colleen Williams: I can forward the confirmation email if you give me an address to send it to Colleen Williams: You have purchased the 50 MB of data for 30 days for $59.99 international rate plan. The plan will become active on 09-20-2010 Midnight Eastern Time. Your credit/debit card has been charged $63.85 Colleen Williams: From: sdc@connect2.wireless.att-mail.com Subject: AT&T International Data Plan Purchased Date: September 18, 2010 11:34:10 AM MDT To: Colleen Williams: Are you still there? Amanda Arellano: The notes state that the plan was not added because the account was invalid. Colleen Williams: What account? Colleen Williams: The credit card account? Amanda Arellano: I'll be right with you. Amanda Arellano: All it states is Invalid Account Type. Colleen Williams: That is not helpful to me Colleen Williams: What am I supposed to do? Colleen Williams: Are you a real person or a bot? Amanda Arellano: You can try adding it through in a WiFI area. Colleen Williams: Ok, I will check my credit card to see if the original charge is there first Colleen Williams: But the confirmation email should never have been sent if it wasn't activated Amanda Arellano: I apologize for any inconvenience. info: Your chat transcript will be sent to at the end of your chat. Colleen Williams: Ok, thank you
Note this 'chat' took 22 minutes! Just added to the frustration. I then 'chatted' with someone from liveperson.net for Bank of America, which took about 3 minutes and 'Zane' directed me to Deutsche Bank to get no fee withdrawals...so AT&T is the fail here, not liveperson.net.
So we head out to the tram, which we only had a €10 and €50...the day pass is just under €20 for two, so we ride it illegally for 3 stops to the central station(Hauptbahnhof) and go buy zwei Becks (Und Beck's!!!) to break the €50 and then realize we don't need to buy the 'entire network' day pass since we are only going to be traveling in one zone. So we could have purchsed that with the €10. Oh well its only €40 if you get caught without a valid fare. So I also buy a Cuban cigar...(damn U.S. embargo!) and then over to Duetsche Post to buy some stamps for the postcards we bought the day before. The machine only takes coins or their brand of MasterCard, so Colleen waits outside with our Beck's(yea, you can drink in public...I am having a hard time justifying not moving here.)
Und back to the hotel because we forgot the camera.
Und back to Marienplatz to Deutsche Bank which is right by Alter Peter (St. Peter's church ) which we wanted to go back to during the day and get some pictures. This is the same area with the Apple store and Hofbräuhaus we were at the day before. We arrived at 5PM local time and the bells were going off and the 'figurines' were moving.
We are just kind of wandering around taking tons of random pics and check it out...we see a black Jeep Grand Cherokee....from a distance it looks like the SRT-8, but its apparently a European version. Jeeps are pretty rare here, but I think this is the 4th one we have seen, so not too rare. You know what is rare? Excursions and Hummers and the like. And almost all the taxis are Benz...we saw one 300M and one Prius taxi, but the vast majority are Benz. We also saw a G320 convertable...didn't even know that existed. And some funky little Ford thing, I should have snapped a pic. Either way mostly VW, BMWs and Benz around Munich. Its cool too...in the states if you drive one of these cars its probably because you are a prick or have a little one(or most likely both) but here it is because they are built here and are just fine automobiles.
The tags say S Limited and CRD...also note the marker lights in the bumper. Very cool. I don't think it has a Hemi though. And I don't see the back up camera. So we find ourselves back at the corner of Hofbräuhaus and Hard Rock Cafe(yuck!) Note the cream Benz taxis in the background. Its about 3PM and we are starving and sober-ish. And we also needed to get a stein for Tom, so I text him to find out which kind and how much does he want to spend? Because there are glass, ceramic, pewter...lids, no lids, mugs...€10-€800. But really...it's all about the beer! Lets get to drinking! So we stopped at the Augustiner am Platzl. Oh yeah, I guess some food is in order as well. Colleen got the cheese spätzle, which was good, just not as good as Hofbräuhaus. And I got the boiled beef with potato salad. And after eating here for 3 days, I have to say I feel totally ripped off by the 'German food' I have had back in the states! I am not kidding, this potato salad was so good, I don't ever want to eat it at the Red Lion again! We stopped at Hofbräuhaus to pick up some souvenirs since the little souvenir shop was closed when we left last night.
I love these cool open air markets that are everywhere here. Und back to the hotel to drop off the souvenirs und we also go to the little grocery store to buy some stuff for breakfast and munchies...Colleen is craving German chocolate. And some Underberg and Spaten of course. And then back to Oktoberfest Jå! Again, we opt to not go inside the main 'tent' because its after 8PM and everyone is hammered and its too crowded. So we grab a spot outside. Btw, I keep typing 'tent' because these are not tents, but huge wooden structures built to resemble tents. I was wondering how they could erect a tent to hold 20,000 people and now I know ;-)
Besides, I want to smoke this sweet Cuban and this is the first year you are not allowed to smoke inside the 'tents.'
And here is my Popeye impression apparently.
And our table friends last night...I think they were from the UK, but after drinking 5 litres, one 20 oz Becks and a bottle of Spaten at home...I am not sure. I remember the one blonde girl that was with them was from Australia or New Zealand...I think. Und Beck's!
And then we hopped on the subway, got lost and then grabbed a taxi who proceeded to take a very long route back to our hotel. Oh well, the price you pay for being a drunken foreigner I guess.
Finally got out of bed at 3PMish local time. Front desk called and said Lufthansa delivered our luggage, that is a good start! After fetching the bags and emptying them, we shower and walk to the Hauptbahnhof, not realizing we could pay for the tickets on the tram...oh well, nice day for a walk its 70F/21C and clear. Bank for more Euros, some postcards and then back to the hotel because I forgot to put on deodorant...don't want people to think I am French ;-)
The iPad isn't connecting to the cellular network, so its useless beyond a WiFi connection, so we hop on the tram to go to the Apple store. Get off on the wrong station, and then because its after sundown, we head the wrong way and walk to just a block from our hotel! Why the hell doesn't Google maps have a compass? Now I wish I had my marching compass! Oh well, walking around Munich lost is still pretty cool. Back on the tram and this time we get off on the right station, but because the 3G coverage is pretty lame, we think we are not at the right location. So a little wandering around and we finally head in the right direction. We find the Apple store and are completely amazed at how useless the Genius Bar people are...cute, but useless. Like many of Apple products ;-)
JesusPhone, help me! Nevertheless, we carried on to our final destination, Hofbräuhaus! We find a seat and order a couple of litres...
...and the waiter brings us menus in English, nice but not necessary since this is day two of our total immersion and we are completely fluent...ha! After the biers arrive, a South African couple sit down at our table and regale us with their whirlwind travel stories. They just arrived from Amsterdam after Greece and several other European stops and are only here for two days and then on to Italy, London and then back home...only staying two days in each location. Too much travel for me...I can't get enough after a week or two in one spot, let alone just a couple of days.
And we were talking politics here...he doesn't hate Americans or me despite the stern look. I think?
A little Facebooking and Yelping...
On to dinner!
Salad, yeah, yeah... Bread, yeah, yeah.... Pork! Ahhh Yes! "Roast pork from Bavarian production with crackling in natural gravy, served with a grated potato dumpling" Menu pdf. No, I have never heard of 'crackling' but somehow I knew what it was...its a piece of skin with about 10mm of pork fat still attached, skin side fried. Yes, this is like a pork rind, but the real deal. I could hear my Dr. grumbling as I savored every last bite of that deliciousness. Yes Emeril, pork fat does rule! And Colleen's cheese Spätzle was awesome...if I hadn't just gorged myself on pork and dumplings, I would have ordered my own! We also got a tureen of "Bavarian onion soup with marjoram", but I guess we forgot to take a picture of that. You can see it in the bread photo.
After our meal, we asked if they had Underberg, and they were out. So we ordered Jägermeister at the behest of our South African friends. But they also wanted to know where we got our "Emergency Underberg" tin, so we told them Smallflower.com and gave them the tin. We have a bunch at home and the missus really seemed to like it. Fortunately, we are in Germany so all the local stores have Underberg on the shelves. In Los Angeles you can get it at the Red Lion and bulk at BevMo.
A couple more litres... And now for a little drunken vandalism...it's time to leave our mark...Und Beck's!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMTYn9ycm3o
Woke up hung over from pre-Oktoberfest celebration...err, training ;-) Cab showed up 10 minutes late even though I called 30 minutes prior to pick up. United is having some glitch in the system, so check-in takes about 20 minutes. We check two bags and are on our way. 1PM MST.
3+ hours later and we are in Chicago. We make our way to our gate to catch the next flight to Brussels, and are bumped to a direct flight to Munich. Thats cool. While on the Boeing 777, the captain announces that those of us that were originally on the flight to Brussels don't have to worry...our luggage will be waiting for us there. What? Wait, so we ask one of the flight attendants if our luggage is going to be in Brussels and she assures us that it will make it's way to our final destination in Munich. Und Beck's!!
9 hours later and we touch down in Munich at 9AM local time, 1AM MST. We got about 2 hours of sleep on the flight. iPad rocks for watching movies on the plane. Way better than the laptop as far as battery consumption is concerned.
So we head down to baggage claim. No luck. We head over to the Lufthansa baggage tracing kiosk and ask about our luggage and she informs us that they are not in the system. So we hang out for 2+ hours waiting for our original flight from Brussels to land and see if our luggage is on that flight. No luck. Back to file a claim...she is confident they will have it to our hotel by the next day. No big deal, all our important stuff was in our carry-on...except our emergency Underberg, Jå!
First stop is the bank to get some Euros. There are 4 of them in the airport, so that is pretty convenient. $300 US dollars gets you just under €200. I still call them bucks.
So now we head out to the train to get to our hotel. But first some currywurst and bier! One of the fräuleins didn't speak English, but we were able to order anyway. Then her cow-orkers were giving her scheiße for not being able to speak English. And right behind us was a group of Spanish dudes that ordered in English too.
On to the hotel, Citadines which is about 5 minutes from the central train station, so we walk it. Traffic is getting kind of crazy, but its not quite rush hour. Check-in, nap for about an hour or so, then out to the local grocery store behind a Hostel, where some teens wave at us from the 6th floor.
Oh wait, first I plug a power strip into the power converter, but it was set to adapter mode sending 230v into my 120v power strip. Ahh, the smell of burnt electronics! Fortunately the converter has a built-in surge arrestor, so everything is fine. Its not really necessary since everything we have is dual-voltage, but instead of buying 4 adapters, I bought one converter/adapter and a 4 outlet 120v travel strip. Works just fine.
Post naptime, we head out to Oktoberfest to get a glimpse of the madness. We bought a day pass at the airport, so we are good to travel on all public transpo. The tram stops right in front of our hotel and right in front of the central station(Hauptbahnhof), where we transfer to the U4 to Theresienwiese, otherwise known as Oktoberfest! But its only a 15 minute walk from the hotel, so it would be easy to hoof it.
So we get to the Theresienwiese and its massive! It is about 7:30PM local time, so most everyone is already tanked. The first English we hear is from a Brit yelling "Fuck off you whore" to some dirndl-clad girl.
So we are walking and taking pictures, and I am pretty happy considering I am completely sober and jet-lagged.
Colleen is pretty excited too!
But lets not kid around, I am here to drink! Prosit! After walking through a couple of big 'tents', it is insane! We are too sober and they are too drunk for this to work out, its standing room only and everyone except some of the oldies in reserved sections are standing on the benches singing to horrible cover songs by the Umpapa bands.
Time to withdraw and head to one of the smaller beer halls that are serving food. Out of the Paulaner tent and into the Paulaner beer hall to get one of those roast chickens and a bier!
Colleen got the cheese platter.
But the jet lag was catching up to us. After 4 litres each, it was time to say gute nacht!
So here I am, it's midnight to me, but 8AM local time and the beer tents open at 10AM. We want to get there early today...I want to be one of the pissed ones we passed yesterday on the train, prosit!
Wait a minute...this is actually delivering kegs of beer! Now that is cool.
So we spot this place and decide to stop here for a little bit. Cafe Lotter-Leben
Oh yeah, and a little hair of the dog
And then we proceeded to just hang here for a couple of hours and take in the city. We stared at the cars, we stared at the people(politely) and enjoyed an afternoon in Germany.
All the kids we have seen are very well behaved.
And then more wandering...
And man these guys are experts at parallel parking.
Not only do they have cigars...
But they also have a nice selection of scotch!
And more wandering
