Community

Ein Prosit--enough beer to last a lifetime

Sprechen zie Englisch Bitte?
by Kim G. (in Wabeno on Aug 20, 09)
Share
Last year a good friend of mine since elementary school was going to be in Munich during Oktoberfest, which made me think, “Well, why not go if I know someone there and have a place to crash?”   So in September of 2008, I started planning an impromptu trip to Germany.   In addition to Munich, I wanted to hit up Nuremberg, Berchtesgaden, Cologne and Frankfurt (since it was the cheapest place to fly in and out of).   In order to do it, I would have to fly from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Frankfurt to Washington, DC (for two very good friends’ wedding) and back to Wisconsin.   I calculated that I could afford the plane ticket and 2 weeks of roughing it in Germany.   However, I would probably arrive back in the States with maybe a buck left in my account.   While I would have been fine coming home without any money, I couldn’t afford to arrive in DC with a lack of funds. I still had to rent a car, buy a wedding present and have enough to have some fun for the days that I would be there.   Long story short, I shelved a trip to Germany in 2008.   (On a side note, I had an absolute blast in DC and am glad that I had money to my name because I had to fly back to Wisconsin a few days early so I could make Game 4 of the Brewers/Phillies playoff series, since I had a ticket!)                
Fast forward a year and the above-referenced friend is going to be in Munich during Oktoberfest again, this time interviewing for a research position.   She would also be heading to Zurich afterwards, to interview for a position there.   This time, I had more than enough money to go, as I had been saving to apply for a working holiday visa to Australia.    However, I had one more loan to pay off from college, and it turned out to be more than I thought it was, so I paid that off and had to shelve Australia, but I still had that urge to get out of the country.   Sure, there were a lot of places in the States I still wanted to go, but since I wasn’t doing Australia for a year, I needed some sort of self-satisfaction of a larger-scaled trip abroad.   Well, call me Brett Favre, but I decided to take my trip from the year before out of retirement and do it this time around.   Unfortunately, I couldn’t work it out to be in Munich the same time as my friend, but I could start out and meet her in Zurich.   I had also been upset that I was unable to make it to Interlaken my last time in Europe, and this seemed a good a time as any to hit it up.   I would have to make some variations from the trip I thought out last year, but I would still be able to see the places I really wanted to, especially Oktoberfest.   The best part of it all, I wouldn’t have to wear a Minnesota Vikings uniform to do it!!

Intended Itinerary September 22nd – October 7th:
Green Bay, Wisconsin – Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich – Interlaken Interlaken – Berchtesgaden, Germany Berchtesgaden – Munich
Munich – Nuremberg
Nuremberg – Berlin
Berlin – Green Bay

So it looks like I’m heading to Switzerland and Germany…bier bitte…
Leave a comment for Kim