Aaaaaaaaaaaand....we're back!

Sorry it's been so long between drinks, but holidays are holidays!

Me and the mountain men went home for...wait for it...TWO MONTHS!!! YEAH! I am now crushed under 27 thousand million trillion disks of photos. I am scared...very. I open a folder and all the albums fall out on top of my head...(you know what I mean).

Anyway, we have only been back a little while. We arrived in the Australian summer, and came back to...winter...a very deep Bavarian one...I have already worn my snow boots...its only November..this does not bode well. I love the seasons, I really really do...just some...more than others..you know?

Allow me to illustrate.

Last week.

This week.

Last week.

This week.

Last week.

This week.

Last week.

This week.

Hold me.

Spacey Jumpsuits.

Remember when I wrote about the lovely package I got in the mail?

I thought I'd share with you the end result.

Who likes to party?.........

WE LIKE TO PARTY!

Don't they look like they're in one of those space flight simulator things???

......Zero gravity man...... 

....Oh no, grab my hand!! Pull me back down!...

I'm floating over heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeereeeeeeeeee....you're floating over thereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....

These space suits are awesome.

 Thanks Oma!

What you don't know about your Ma and Pa.

You think you're alright.....you're doing your thing....the world is your oyster...

You go to uni....learn new stuff...... stuff that you think your your mum and dad don't know...

You go travel a bit.....see stuff......stuff that you think your mum and dad haven't seen....

You buy your clothes..... think you're lookin pretty good...... thinking your mum and dad would NEVER have been as fashion conscious as you....

You fall in love...and try not to think about your parents' courtship....you know we SO got dropped off by the stork...

And then......you find pics like these....

And you realise.....

You know NOTHING child....

I love you.

Roads in Italy.

As we were driving, I took some snaps to show you what it is like to drive around some of Lake Garda.

We were driving north, on the western side of the lake, away from the sun....I fear.... I fear much when I hear myself think in terms like this.

Here is an Italian road...mmmm hmmm.

And here is another one.

I must say, I'm a little disappointed that I didn't catch more of the precarious moments of this drive...but I had to maintain my position as backseat driver you see and I don't multi-task well when I'm feeling carsick.

The speed limit along here is mostly 50 km/h....thank goodness, Germans like clear roads and big motors.

 Just us...and the lake...

 ....and a castle...

and rusty old guard rails...

...and Polish delivery trucks.

 Cool tunnels...

...for cool people.

 So majestic.

And that is what it looks like when you are driving along Lake Garda in Italy.

The End.

Tres Chic!

I'm sorry I haven't posted for a bit, but we just got back from our holiday in Italy...darling. We drove down....with two children...and a packed lunch...and a geeky box attached to the roof...and a bicycle...I almost felt Dutch.

ANYWAY, I took an embarressing amount of pictures which I downloaded onto T Man's computer that I am momentarily unable to get my mitts on. But the last bunch of pics I saved on mine. These photos include an afternoon well spent on a little motorboat that made us feel like a poor man's J-LO for about four hours.

 I was a leetle bit nervous motoring out because, number one, T Man was at the wheel, not that I don't trust his manly abilities, but it's not like we do this regularly...oh she of little faith. Two, we had Mega O with us...mothering instinct was rife and three...I'm PETRIFIED of SHARKS...I know, I realise we were on a LAKE..... in ITALY...but still...

Well, here we are setting out...nervy, wonky, bit on edge, I was grasping onto Big O for dear life...

It's lovely though, isn't it?

How I could I doubt this man for a moment?



Now just so you know I have come to realise, that no matter where I go, if you are meant to be cool, chic or somewhat presentable, I, inevitably...am not.

Ummm, wait...where are the lifejackets?? See, here I go again, everyone else was lounging around all cool like, and I'm being all safety first and lets make us all look like geeks...Do you see anyone out here with life jackets on??

Umm, no...but I'm not everyone! (oh hello mother, you have inhabited my body again.)

So while I was shimmying into my little life jacket number, and wrestling Big O into his, I made T Man take a couple of pics...

 Life jacket, what do you mean, life jacket? I have been swimming the breadth of this lake every morning for the last 50 years! Old school...

 La Dolce Vita....No life jackets....no bikini tops...Russian School.

There were no daggy life jackets to be found anywhere, thank goodness I showed up and injected a dose of reality..

Hi there!

And hey, if you can tread water and lug a two year old after you, you need to try out for the olympics my friend!

 Mr T thought he could do it without a life jacket, and I said he couldn't.....and he said yes,he could...and I said no, he couldn't, so he did it...and it got ugly....So then he got his geek on too....and I was all smug.....like a good wife.

Yes, that is a schwaaaan, a very very large schwaaaan.

 Back on the boat, you can see some provisions I packed...most people believe they can pack provsions for themeselves..I disagree and froze and packed 6 large water bottles for 4 adults...we were only gone for 4 hours...but anything can happen..you know, like on a three hour tour. Please note, I purposely invest in cheap, plastic bags. They are far more practical than say a large, glossy, gorgeous Louis Vuitton carryall that would just get wet and ruined anyway...THAT is why I choose to remain un-chic...weep...really.

 Ship shape. Plastic bag...cossies...children's shoes...policevomit vans...wallets...

And above all, chic, cool, and somewhat presentable...did someone say cheese?

The Mewnick Files.

You know, before I got all worldly and travelled, my biggest dream was to live in a fairy castle filled with ice cream and ponies overseas. I wanted to know what places were like. I needed to know what Mexico was like, people lived in Mexico, and I had never seen it.

For the record, I got to Tijuana.....I know....but at least it's across the border...right? Right.

I've been living in Germany for about nine years now...three of those have been in München. I feel I am now qualified to give you a virtual one of these!

I went out specially for you guys on this glorious day.....No, I lie, Big O needed some new trousers (I know, calm down) and I snapped these on my way to the city...but at least I stopped and took piccies yes? Yes.

Moonick Sightseeing Tour Number One is now under way!

It took me about ten minutes to walk into the city today, Mini O slept the whole time, bless his cotton socks (which he wasn't actually wearing, because it was too hot see, so I just stuffed them down the side of his pram and...ok, whatever).

So I was able to concentrate and do some of my best photographic work for you!...dubious.

Main drag- Ludwigstrasse, which turns into Leopoldstrasse, and I never know which bit I'm on (hmmm)... busy busy busy...not.

And looking towards downtown...ooh, a car!

And then.....this!

YEAH!

There are garbage trucks in Munich.

 and scooters...

 and bikes...

You know, some of these poor bikes stand here all day.... some of them even pass out....

Should I call someone?

........

You can buy a newspaper, you just chuck your money in the slot and take one.



 And then move on to Starbucks to read it.

They serve wonderful strudel here.

 And have chairs like this to sit on....comfy!

And you can look across Ludwig...or is it now Leopoldstrasse...?? ...and admire the beautiful old Theatiner Kirche....while you eat strudel. Oh, and by the way, they have a strudel with Marillen apricot....i think...I should google that...delightful.

Moving downtown, and you see this....

And this....

And him...

There are actually 4 lions, see that little gold face at the bottom? You rub it for luck....as you can see, all the rubbing has kept the face clean... people are counting on him...pressure man.

 This is Odeonsplatz...(the side of it...I was rushing a bit...sorry).



 I had to hurry down here...I was trying to beat the lunchtime crowds...

 No such luck though...

And just why did I have to beat them?...Ummmm...I really don't know....I just felt in my heart that I should and one must always follow ones heart.

 Pretty in pink!

 You know, I only just noticed the big garbage bin??? My powers of observation knows no bounds! Guten Appetit!

 And when only Armani will do, there is Cafe Armani.......they asked me to move along, I mean really...

 Looking towards the centre of the city and the SHOPS!!!....many rivers to cross...

 Was startin' to feel the heat by now, and was eyeing off these bikes...I could just tie the pram on to the back couldn't I.....with my Macgyver shoe lace.....that I didn't have.....huh?

 Speaking of prams, is this not organised and considerate? Becuse there is work going on on the footpath, pedestrian traffic gets directed onto the road, and so you don't bump, bang, crash your pram wheels down the gutter, there is a temporary ramp! (too bad you get run over by Autos...)

This is Marienplatz, where, if you're a local and have more than two brain cells to rub together, you don't go to for shopping between 9am and 11pm on any given daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.....('specially Sundiy....cause they're shut...) Fortunately my one brain cell was on holidays or I would never have gotten Big O's trousers...

 And in case, like me, you're feelin' the heat...you can hail youself one of these!

 Here are some tourists on a tour, learning things that I already know.

 And the city hall, which in German is called Rathaus.....My father would agree.

In between last photo and this one, I made my purchases and had to hightail it home. I'm now standing on Odeonsplatz looking away from the city (looking North actually...my husband talks like that, so I have to know what he's talking about......which.....I don't.....it's better that way).

So, that's that. That's my Walk into Town tour. Next time, I think I need to do a Walk to the Day Spa tour...

You know.....that....is inspired!