Sledding

If I wanted any reminder of why I wanted to come to Europe, this weekend fit the bill. I arrived at the Munich airport on time on Friday and M. had already picked up our rental car since his flight arrived before mine. We got a Mercedes C class... hee hee. Compare that to the what I always get in America - an Alero, a Malibu, or something else not very fun to look at or to drive. Seeing him pull up with a big smile on his face and so happy to see me made my day. For the first time since I started this job, there was someone waiting to start the weekend with me and looking forward to it too!

We went home and got settled in and then quickly headed off for a late dinner with some friends, including M.'s friend, I., who was visiting for the weekend on her way home from India. We had a great dinner and then went out for a few drinks afterwards. I was really happy to find cranberry juice, which is in short supply here, since I agreed to be the designated driver. Twist my arm. I wanted to try out the Mercedes.

Munich is very cute in the winter. The best comparison I can make is that it looks like a winter scene from a train set. The tram rides through the city center and there is a coziness to it even though it is a fairly large city. People were spilling onto the street from dinners and shopping. Snow was gently falling in the big squares and the narrow streets but it felt safe and warm.

On Saturday night we went to some friends' for dinner with I. and then headed out to a lounge downtown. More friends joined us and we ended up having quite a late night but I barely noticed the time flying by. The snow was coming down so hard and we were all inside laughing and enjoying each others' company in the swanky lounge.

Sunday was a quiet day. We had M.'s neighbor and friend down for breakfast. I made ham and emmenthaler omelettes, M. prepared all the side dishes and his friend A. brought a bucket of oranges and a juice squeezer. After breakfast we drove to the mountains and went for a hike and a fun surprise. Sledding! After we hiked to the top, we had some nice soup and then rented sleds to ride back down to the bottom. I was laughing so hard at my inability to steer and my near misses!

On Sunday night I looked back over the weekend and smiled. This is how life should be. I'm really looking forward to next weekend with M. in Munich.



Posted from Basel