First Month Recap: Welcome to...Austria?

…OR That Time We Moved to Germany

…OR Where to Stay When Oktoberfest Prices are in Effect and You’re not Going to Oktoberfest

I think the best way to “catch up” on blogging my Germany experiences is to post recaps of each month and then create themed blogs when something comes up that needs, or warrants, more explaining. The only way I will actually do this is if I make myself post the recaps in between relatively “on-time” posts. Since I already really want to blog about four or five events in the last week, here is my first month’s recap.

September 2010. While researching where to stay when we arrive, we confirm our suspicions that hotels in Munich are really expensive during Oktoberfest. The four of us fly together from Baltimore to Munich (through Detroit, because the Navy travel office must have thought the kids needed a longer flight). We immediately rent a car at the airport and travel to Kufstein, Austria, where hotel prices have not skyrocketed. (Perhaps it is because some of their "buildings" only have one wall, like the greenish one below.)

The next day my Mom flies to Munich and meets us in Kufstein, braving the regional DeutscheBahn train allein in true globetrotter fashion. It is complicated to explain why my Mom did not fly with us in the first place, but we’re very glad she shared this part of the adventure! Patrick flies to Berlin and Naples (yes, Italy) to complete our check-in process. Kufstein is beautiful

and has nice walking paths

and playgrounds.

And the Riedel Glass store. And a cool organ in an old castle built into the side of a large hill…

and a daily concert on said organ.

And a River, called the Inn, that runs through it. No Brad Pitt, though.

And a delicious gelato store where you can get a single scoop cone or cup for less than a buck! Finally something cheaper on the Euro. Patrick returns, and my Mom flies back to Maryland. We “move in” to our new house (both newly built and new to us), inhabiting only the third floor open room and ground floor kitchen, while work continues on the rest of the house. Oktoberfest starts,

and so does our company…Patrick’s brother James visits for about five days. We explore downtown Munich, our neighborhood and Oktoberfest. Pretzels, beer, Obazda (more on this later), and various other Bavarian specialties abound…YUM!

We celebrate Molly’s 3^rd birthday

with new bikes for both children and various other Spielzeug to take up the large house that is gradually being turned over to us.

There is so much more I could include, but unless the Magic Blog Fairy is going to leave some Euro under my pillow to write this, I need some sleep. As I'm sure I'll do many times over the next few years, I want to send a special THANK YOU shout-out to the Olmsted Foundation for affording our family such a wonderful opportunity!

Until next time, thanks for reading...