Julia's July round-up
Last week wasn't so fun. I was feeling a bit like this guy that I stumbled across...
The week before I had had a problem at my flat. A problem in the sense that my new flatmates expect me to move out in October so that their friend can move in. Not exactly fair, especially since I had lived here before them. I felt ripped off to say the least.
In addition to this, I have been feeling pretty anxious about the whole "finding a job in the real world" situation. And to top it all off I was just plain and simply missing these two:
It was tough because whenever I tried to distract myself by going on yet another little Munich exploration, all I could see were the happy couples and families enjoying the city and its parks as a unit. Adventures are great, but they're best shared with others. So I was missing my unit.
Thankfully, that's what friends are for. While I was wallowing in a shallow pool of self-pity my friend Rachel (aka my "Ray of Sunshine") sent me this:
What a wonderful thing to wake up to!
Another one of my wise friends reminded me:
Stressing less is key. If the last year has taught me anything it's that whatever will be will be, and we deal with that when it arrives. Until then sit back and smell the roses.
Let me tell you, she has had a tough year, so I can only trust her advice and get excited about the fact that she is touching down in Munich town on Sunday!!! And I already always smell the roses! See...
The week before I had had a problem at my flat. A problem in the sense that my new flatmates expect me to move out in October so that their friend can move in. Not exactly fair, especially since I had lived here before them. I felt ripped off to say the least.
In addition to this, I have been feeling pretty anxious about the whole "finding a job in the real world" situation. And to top it all off I was just plain and simply missing these two:
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| Papa & Mama SoulFood |
Thankfully, that's what friends are for. While I was wallowing in a shallow pool of self-pity my friend Rachel (aka my "Ray of Sunshine") sent me this:
What a wonderful thing to wake up to!
Another one of my wise friends reminded me:
Stressing less is key. If the last year has taught me anything it's that whatever will be will be, and we deal with that when it arrives. Until then sit back and smell the roses.
Let me tell you, she has had a tough year, so I can only trust her advice and get excited about the fact that she is touching down in Munich town on Sunday!!! And I already always smell the roses! See...
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| Some Swedish roses I smelled! |
Apart from missing my unit though, the distractions I found were pretty lovely. On my regular runs through the Olympic Park, I passed through the final days of the 'Tollwood' festival.
This is a festival that unites all the prominent cultures from around the world, showcasing their arts, crafts, performances and of course (a huge part of culture), food!
Considering it is a festival, I think it's quite expensive to eat there though, although everything is organic and GM free, so you do get what you pay for. However, since I don't really get any pleasure out of eating by myself, and was supposed to be "taking it easy" calorie wise that week, I stretched on top of a hill, overlooking the eclectic collection of people that streamed between the stalls. Not before having conquered the 'Olympia hill'!
They view from up there is spectacular! A 360 of the city, and on some days all the way to the Alps. I did take the camera, but decided against posting any pictures here, because I want you to come to Munich and experience it for yourself!
Last week on of my "little" cousins turned 18. It was a two day celebration, one for the extended family and neighbours who got to devour this tin of goodness made by my aunt:
And a "real" party consisting of girls, boys, alcohol, and a mass of raging teenage hormones. It certainly makes you feel old, when you are expected to supervise the party...Nonetheless it was a fun-filled two days with my "German family unit" but of course, that made it all the more difficult to return to me, myself and I.
Since the weather was super hot when I returned to the city, I sought shelter within the walls of the 'Old Northern Cemetery'.
Yes, I do realise this sounds somewhat morbid, since in New Zealand you would never think to hang out in a cemetery. I must admit, it's still an amusing thought to me. But this cemetery hasn't had anyone buried since 1939 and is just used as a contemplative park these days. But it is also popular with joggers since one round along the perimeter of the cemetery equals around 750 meters. This means that one can easily keep track! I have been for a run there, but find it quite boring to run in circles, or squares as it were.
Monday came and I was pleased to be catching up with these two beauties!
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| Caro & Theresa (obviously saying something funny!). |
Together, they even managed to bring a smile back to my lips. We hung out in the English Gardens for a few hours, before heading to a pizzeria that Caro (who moved out of the flat just as I arrived), had been wanting to take me to for months called Passparola!
As tempted as I was by pizza, I felt like something more refreshing, and was torn between their octopus salad and the seared scallops on salad. In the end I went with the scallops.
They were seared to perfection, but I feel like the balsamic dressing was a bit too intense for the poor wee fellas. Perhaps they would've been happier with a white wine vinegar dressing? Theresa ended up taking the octopus salad, which I also got to try (zesty and delicious!),
as well as a slice of Caro's pizza. She got one with seared raddichio and spicy fennel sausage. I didn't eat the sausage, but the spicy, smokiness had soaked itself into the pizza so I almost got the entire, very satisfying effect!
I would've been keen to try one of their desserts but the waitress was a bit slow, and we were all exhausted from the sun, so we headed home instead. But that was a very pleasant day indeed!
On another exploration tour I found:
Wednesday I went to a party with my German uni friends. One of the girls was having a flat party, so we missioned there together and had a unexpectedly hilarious night! Unfortunately no photos of this yet... but will get onto those!
Since I only had four hours sleep...I was a bit whacked out yesterday and spent a good part of the day chilling out in my cool room. I was still craving "cool" food, and feeling inspired by Passaparola, I made myself a scrummy salad with prawns cooked in herb butter. It still wasn't refreshing enough for me though so to "pep" it up a bit I chopped up a white peach to throw into the mix. I must say, it was quite a winning combo! I would've loved some raspberry dressing to make it perfect though...
To finish the day, I accompanied my friend Julia (who is bravely partaking in a triathlon on Sunday!), for a swim in a local lake.
To Julia's dismay, we got a bit lost along the way, so the sun was almost set by the time we got there. But for me it was a calm way to finish the day, and happiness...
...came back into focus. Thanks Julia!
Yours truly,
Fräulein SoulFood x
They were seared to perfection, but I feel like the balsamic dressing was a bit too intense for the poor wee fellas. Perhaps they would've been happier with a white wine vinegar dressing? Theresa ended up taking the octopus salad, which I also got to try (zesty and delicious!),
as well as a slice of Caro's pizza. She got one with seared raddichio and spicy fennel sausage. I didn't eat the sausage, but the spicy, smokiness had soaked itself into the pizza so I almost got the entire, very satisfying effect!
I would've been keen to try one of their desserts but the waitress was a bit slow, and we were all exhausted from the sun, so we headed home instead. But that was a very pleasant day indeed!
On another exploration tour I found:
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| Another lush foliage-covered building. |
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| Although this one wasn't bad either...Notice that Bavarian-blue sky again, how it exactly matches the Bavarian flag flying in front?! |
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| More roses to smell! |
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| Not quite "Julia's", but the "lovely Mama, cute child and happy home" parts definitely rang true. |
Since I only had four hours sleep...I was a bit whacked out yesterday and spent a good part of the day chilling out in my cool room. I was still craving "cool" food, and feeling inspired by Passaparola, I made myself a scrummy salad with prawns cooked in herb butter. It still wasn't refreshing enough for me though so to "pep" it up a bit I chopped up a white peach to throw into the mix. I must say, it was quite a winning combo! I would've loved some raspberry dressing to make it perfect though...
To finish the day, I accompanied my friend Julia (who is bravely partaking in a triathlon on Sunday!), for a swim in a local lake.
To Julia's dismay, we got a bit lost along the way, so the sun was almost set by the time we got there. But for me it was a calm way to finish the day, and happiness...
Yours truly,
Fräulein SoulFood x
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