Ulm, Oktoberfest, and Passau

One weekend, Chris and I went to Ulm (or actually Senden, a small village outside of Ulm) to visit Nancy and Timo and their son Joshua. Nancy is an old friend of Carrie's (my sister). Ulm is a smaller big city west of Munich: 1 1/2 to 2 hours by train. It has the tallest cathedral in Germany. Nancy and Timo were wonderful in driving us around to see the area. First we spent awhile driving through many small villages that they had not seen before. Whether or not it was because we got lost or just wanted to take the scenic tour, one won't say. It is a great way to see places you wouldn't normally see. The countryside they live in is so beautiful and breathtaking. We went to a festival in one of the villages. It was fun to see the locals in their scene. We ate lunch there and walked around the booths. It was held in the courtyard of the cloister there. We then drove to Ulm. It was more modern than I was expecting. The cathedral was impressive but not much different than any other cathedral we have seen. The stain glass is beautiful and it was very simple because it was not Catholic. One way of knowing instantly if it is Catholic is the detail and amount of artwork. Catholic churches are packed with decoration. We went to an old hotel that was sinking into the river. We had dinner at an Indian restaurant and headed back to their place. We stayed the night at their wonderful home and left after breakfast back to Munich. On the way back we had some time in Ulm before our connecting train left and so got a peak at a marathon race that was taking place through town. We had a wonderful time visiting and sharing stories about Germany and living here versus the US.

Oktoberfest started and people in there lederhosen and dirndles were walking about once again. This year the weather was very pleasant. I think about 80 percent of people dressed in their Bavarian outfits. Last year it was much colder and rainy. I wore my dirndle as well. It was the thing to do. I am still amazed how casual it really is to dress in the outfits. We see it here and there but during this time it is expected. We had several kids in the Kindergarten come in with their outfits on. Makes it more difficult to go to the bathroom but hey, it is a lot more fun. I also think it is interesting how many heart cookies they sell. The booths selling them are packed full and all over the fest. People go around wearing their cookies too, though we haven't seen anyone actually eating one. Chris and I walked around and went into the tents this year to see what it was about. We didn't try last year. It is what they say, packed full in every tent, with people standing on tables or sitting and eating and drinking. Dancing, singing, laughing, and having a great time. They know how to party that is for sure! Bands are playing on stage. Each tent, which looks more like a building then tent, is decorated in its own theme. They put a lot of effort into it.

Chris went to his work's retreat at Chiemsee from Saturday to Thursday last week (yes, it started on the weekend, and the monday was a national holiday too). Jia and I went to Passau that Saturday. We both heard about Passau and thought to go take a look. It is a small town two hours east of Munich, on the border of Austria. We walked around. It was again another city more modern than we expected. The streets though were cobblestone and narrow. It turned out Saturday was another holiday so the town was closed and empty. We went to the cathedral and this one was definitely a Catholic cathedral. Very decked out, but mostly the ceiling in this one. The columns were solid white to make you look up and stare at the ceiling. It was impressive but too much as well. We went to the point of Passau, as Passau is a small pennisula. It is where three rivers meet, the Inn, the Ilz, and the Danau. It is fun to see the Danau (Danube) at different points of its journey. It was nice just to go some place new. It may not have been that exciting but a nice day to walk and talk. Sunday, Jia and I went swimming and then to the Oktoberfest on the last night. It was fun. We went on a couple of rides and had cotton candy. It was fun to see it in the dark with it all lit up.

It is now turning to fall. The temperature has done an up and down dance. I don't mind the rain, but this up and down drastically is really tiresome. The leaves are turning color and falling. It is gorgious. I love that we have seasons here. I am not sure I like the sun going down before 6 though and definitely not looking forward to the temperature going below freezing. We actually had our first snow this past week. I'm pulling out the winter wardrobe.