TUM, München (22-23 Jan 2009)

Visit to TUM for the 2nd time.

Too bad the day was rainy and cold, so didnt stop over at Marienplatz to Alois Dalllmayr. Disappointment :(

My 1st time taking the 1st Class ICE. The return train was nicer, with free treats: pretzel, Ferrero Rondnoir and biscuit. But the coffee costed me 2.90€. So throughout the 3h trip, my teeth was constantly active! Though the in-seat TV was nothing like Krisworld, it only had 2 channels, both was the Deutschebahn homeshopping, lol! They ought to learn from SIA.

Kaiserslautern Fritz Walter Stadion (19 Jan 2009)

1. FC Kaiserslautern vs Bayern München (0:2)
There was close to 40, 000 people (abt 20,000 in the Fan Zone)...wow!!!!!!

Despite it being cold and windy, the fan crowd did not falter.

Luckily I ate dinner and bought my own Pringles and Rittersport, coz the food stalls did not accept cash, only fan-cards......bleh.

It was a fun night seeing the huge FCK fans cheering for their team throughout the 2 hrs!
Of course, me sitting at the 3 row and very close to the field allowed me to see the players. The only sad thing is that the fotos didnt turn out right, coz the players were always moving and the lightings were very strong. I think I wanna go for a real Bundesliga Match......(Hoffenheim perhaps)

Freiburg & Triberg (17 Jan 2009)

1st Hiking Trip in Winter!!!
Went to the most Sunny city in Deutschland, Freiburg (Breisgau). I guess the most famous sights are the Bächle (& luckily I never fell into one of those drains else I might not be able to leave this city......)
Then, hiked up the Schlossberg to the 2 towers there, one is a modern one, and the other one is a hmm, watchtower? The view up there was superb, could see the whole city and of course, the Schwalzwald. The manmade watchtower was taller, and was located at 431m. Gosh, I was totally exhausted when I reached the Schlossbergturm. The metal watch tower was another 50m, it was pretty small & narrow. I had no jelly legs this time, maybe coz I was too tired to be bothered by it. But then, when I was at the very top, the metal support was shaking coz of the strong winds...I couldnt be bothered and sat there on the steps, enjoying the cold air & the nice surroundings.....

I think I have a little tan now...haha!
Oh, but hiking in winter is rather dangerous. The icy ground was so slippery that I had to hang on to the rocks and handrails all the time. Even the dog who walked in front of me (he had 4legs ja!) had difficulty keeping his balance.

TRIBERG

After lunch, I went to Triberg which is IN Schwalzwald. Here the Cuckoo clocks are the world famous ones, very pretty and nice, but damm expensive. The real ones work on weights and doesnt need any batteries, and the Bird comes out every 1/2h and will turn round every hr. I couldnt buy one bcoz I am sort of broke now....:(

Then, went to the tallest Wasserfall, but that place was closed bcoz of snow, so I could only walk to the bottom of the waterfall.
After that, went for foodhunt, for wat else except a slice of Schwalzwälder Kirschtorte, all the restaurants says das Original, so much for publicity. I went into one that was not deserted (this is a small town ja, so there was not many people on the streets.) The cake was like soaked in Liquor and was very moist and delicious, and of course, the cherries were there, inside the cake.

To Sg bakers: Stop putting blueberry jam inside the Blackforest cake, be a bit more Pro can or not?

Then I took the ICE back to Mannheim for dinner. It was a tiring but nice trip, and the weather was perfect for a little walk. But how many more of such sunny and warm days till 27Feb?

Oh, and Bayern Munich here I come......

Bonn, Köln, Düsseldorf (10 Jan 2009)

BONN

First stop: Bonn, hometown of Ludwig van Beethoven & the ex-capital of West-Germany. A quiet town, & River Rhein looked very pretty on a cold sunny morning.

KOLN

2nd Stop: Köln, the Kölner Dom waved proudly to me as I stepped out of the Hbf. Looked similar to the one in Strasbourg though. The climb to the top was rather killing for me, esp when it was so cold. The final ascent to the peak was abit scary though, coz I had to climb the metal staircase & it was almost unbearable that I could see how high I was hanging in this miserable cage whilst climbing. (or maybe i am aging, so this fear of heights is biting me?, I was happy to get off that platform!). The aerial view at the top was superb. The Hohenzollernbrücke, with the view of River Rhein, was proof that this was a big city. Then, I visited the Schokoladenmuseum & saw Lindt's chocolae production & many impressive chocolate dispensers of the 50's. I bought 15 bars of chocolates I have never seen b4 as winter companions at home. The guide told me that there is a Rittersport museum-factory near Stuttgart (I am now trying to find how to go there in Jan, as a shopping place to pick up these cute square blocks to bring back to Sg)

Last stop: Düsseldorf, the shopping paradise of Germany. I was bombarded by a huge shopping crowd that brought back memories of Orchard Rd(between Ngee Ann City & Paragon). Yup, nothing fantastic abt this city, except for throngs of high-end boutiques & many clothes shops. The view of Rhein was nothing as impressive, coz no one was sitting outside at the terraces. And me as usual, went shopping for all kinds of pastries & cookies(Ja! they also have bakeries like the super-ex Breadtalk & Baker Depot).

Cuddling at home on a Sonntag, coz this crazy weather isnt getting any better, -14°C isnt getting me anywhere near the door. Luckily I bought many foodstuff yesterday in Köln & Düsseldorf so I can party today at home :)