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"Expat"...what's that mean? Well, I'm an expat, as are many of my friends, even my boss. The word "expat" stands for "ex-patriot", which sounds a lot worse than it really is. It just means that you're a citizen of one country while living in another. Wondering how the expat's barcrawl? Well, I'm going to let you in on one little secret barcrawl that my friends and I always keep on the backburner when we can't decide what else to do. We call it "dirndl night" because we usually wear our dirndls, but you can call it something as equally lame or keep the same title!

First, you start off at the Hofbräuhaus, which is why we call it "dirndl night" as we'll gladly go to this tourist trap no matter what as it's always acceptable to wear dirndls :). The most important part is to pick a table where you can meet other people, whether Germans or travelers. Every time we go, we always pick up some random travelers who end up spending the rest of the evening on our barcrawl. The dirndls help as women and men alike love them, albeit for completely different reasons. Have a couple of beers at the Hofbräuhaus with your new friends, dance around to a few Bavarian tunes, but don't go overboard as you've just started your night! Then, leave the Hofbräu with your new friends in tow and head over to Münchener Freiheit to a lovely little bar called Peaches.

Peaches is a smoking bar, so when you get in, you have to pay a Euro to become a "member", then you get a little card and now you can smoke in the bar. Due to the anti-smoking laws, you can't smoke in a bar unless it's a "smoking club", hence the fee and "members". Whatever, it's a Euro and it's a souvenir, right? Anyways, find a table, enjoy the awesome music from the every decade except the one we're in now-- I had an awesome time showing my British friends how to dance to Hammer Time-- and order. The reason we go to this bar besides the free, unlimited self-serve popcorn is a drink called a Zombie, which is litereally three kinds of liquor and a splash of fruit juice that is served in a bucket. I'm not kidding, it's literally a bucket-o-liquor that is placed in the middle of the table and you drink out of with two foot, neon straws. Depending on how many you are, choose a size for your Zombie and enjoy! Thank goodness they provide some free munchy food for you. After you've successfully had your fill of Zombie, there are a couple of ways to finish up your barcrawl. You can either head into one of the many, random bars that are all around you. Depending on your mood you can choose any of the following: a) Dance Club- Pure, on Leopoldstr. b) Chill bar- The Schwabinger Sieben c) Hookah Smoking Club-- The Green Room, on Leopoldstr, or you can head over to Shamrock's Irish Pub. 

I wrote about Shamrock's Irish Pub in an earlier post, so look for it to get directions. Shamrock is a guaranteed good time because if they're not having one of their live music nights, kareokee or game nights, they're always playing great music for dancing! Get yourself over for the friendly atmosphere of Shamrock's for some good drinks and meeting new people. So, you get a mix of the chilled atmosphere with a dance area. 

If you've decided that you've had enough of Shamrock's and want to go to one more place, head over to any of the above, or Barschwein, which is open until about 4 or 5. Either way, you'll have had a great time and not spent a ton of Euros!

Enjoy!

P.S. I've written about many of the bars that you see above, so just look around in my reviews for their locations, or look them up in the search function of toytowngermany.com  

So, you might not make it to Oktoberfest because you're here now, and let's face it, you probably won't be able to take enough time off of work so that you could be here until the end of September. So sad for you :(

Well, maybe not!

Here comes what many call the "mini-Oktoberfest" otherwise known as the Olympia Park Summer Festival that continues on from now until August 23rd. Concerts, game booths, shopping, water competitions, fairground attractions, side shows, children's theather and of course plenty of beer are all brought together with some traditional highlights and under a fabulous canopy of nighttime fireworks. Starting at around noon and ending at 11pm, you can spend all day enjoying everything that the Summer Festival has to offer. Make sure you stay for the fireworks as it is a mindblowing arrangement of dazzling in the sky timed with music and lazers. 

Enjoy!

U3 to Olympiapark 

With this gorgeous weather that we've been having, I'm sure that a quick dip into something cool would be just about one of the best things you could think of doing. As we're in Bavaria, I can't say that there is a "beach" anywhere close by, but that doesn't mean we're facing a lost cause! Munich is filled with fantastic public swimming pools all around the city, just look one up on the internet and you'll be on your way to some poolside lounging and catching those rays. Yet, I have to say, it all sounds a bit boring ála neighborhood public pool, don't you? So, let's do it the way the Müncheners do. Block out part of your afternoon and head over to the Isar river, you know, that long, blue squiggly strip that goes down the side of the U-Bahn map? Now, the water isn't too deep over there, so depending on where you end up choosing to camp out for the day, you might just be deep enough to cool off your knees, so let's try something a little bit better. There is a branch of the Isar river in the Englischer Garten, starting at around Odeonsplatz that weaves in and out of the park. Take the U-Bahn to Odeonsplatz, then ask anyone where the Englischer Garten is, or, the American Embassy as they're right next to one another . Or, you could simply find Von-Der-Tann Straße, which isn't far from the U-Bahn stop and walk on down. You'll reach a bridge, either before or after that bridge, turn left and there you are! Walk through the Garten to the little creek/river branch and pick out a spot to laze. NOTE: There will be plenty of nude sunbathers all around, as it's widely known that this is the spot for that sort of thing. Just don't stare! So, after you've picked out a spot, throw off your clothes and jump into the river! The best part about the river, besides being incredibly refreshing, is that is flows southward, making it a sort of lazy river...only a little faster. Don't worry about wanting to stop, just simply stand up!

If you're hungry or thirsty, you have 3 options. 1, you can bring your own snacks and drinks, 2, you can wait for the people who usually walk around with beer or ice cream to sell, or 3, you can head on over to the Chinesische Turm and grab some beers or food while someone from your party watches over your things.

Have a swimming good time!

You may not be able to read the German language, nor do you know how to pronounce the letter ß (sounds like "ss"), but that doesn't mean that you should pass up the opportunity to own some pretty amazing antique books. I may be one of the few, but I absolutely love antique books whether 50 or 500 years old, I love them all! These items can only grow in their worth and it's also a great way to preserve some of our shared past through literature. You might even be able to find some antique books in the English language as well, just ask the store clerk. One of the best places to find these fantastic doorways into the past is the area around Universität, especially down Amalienstraße or Turkenstraße. Stop into any one of the many antique bookstores lining the streets and have a look around. You'll find some 100 year old copies of Shakespeare or equally enticing etchings of scenes or people of the past. Small collections of fairy tales, the writings of Karl Marx or love stories fill the pages of these books, just waiting for you to take them home! Simply browsing through can be really interesting as the shop keepers are usually really excited to share their knowledge with visitors. The whole experience makes for a relaxed afternoon that ends in one of the incredible little cafés all around the neighborhood.

Enjoy!

What are you doing this Saturday? If it's anything else other than attending Munich's 850th Birthday, I think you should scratch your plans. No one parties like a city, and no city celebrates its birthday as fantastically as Munich. You can beleive that the beer will be flowing, the music will be blasted, the performers will be jaw dropping and the citizens of Munich will be partying themselves into a coma. The area between Marienplatzs and Odeonsplatzs will be filled to the max with processions, performances and vast quantities of delicious Bavarian food. Beginning at 10am on Saturday until 11pm and uc and running again on Sunday, Munich's 850th birthday is something you'll regret to miss!

I'll be there of course, in my fabulous dirndl, along with my friends, so keep an eye out and feel free to say hi!

Today there will be a protest at Marienplatz against the expensive public transportation tickets. It seems that the MVV (Munich's Public Transportation System) was in talks for the past two years with the universities to create a semester train ticket as the Technische Universität München is quite far, costing far above the amount that many university students pay in other cities. Apparently the MVV changed its mind and decided against creating a semester ticket for students, so the students are having a protest.

If you want to take a look, go on ahead as it won't be dangerous, it may just be a bit inconvenient if you plan on doing some shopping or so as it'll be even more crowded than usual.

You may think that it is a bit too early to be planning for Octoberfest, but in actuality, it's about time to start booking! Hotels all around Munich book up way in advance, and of course, flight prices will skyrocket.

Book your hotel...TODAY. Check out the various hostels, pensions, hotels etc as there are many many many in the city. If you want to go for your standard Marriot or Holiday Inn, that's fine, but note that their prices will be higher than normal. Take any web browser and start searching. Don't worry if it's not that close to the Fest as you can always take the train in, or, my suggestions is to take a train to an area nearby, and even walk the rest of the way as the train cars will be packed and you could spend up to an hour waiting to board. The Octoberfest is held at the Theresienwiese on the U4/U5, so maybe avoid those train lines and get off somewhere nearby. Last year it was nearly impossible to go down the escalator at the Hauptbahnhof to the U4/U5.  You can easily walk there from any of the stations surrounding it, or even take a cab.

As soon as you get into town, get yourself a Dirndl or Lederhosen as you will wish you had one when you see the thousands of men and women sporting theirs. A fashion for women now is to wear men's style lederhosen, but with shorter shorts. I'm looking forward to getting myself a pair of those as well! There are many shops all around the city, so just find one online. I suggest going to Toytowngermany.com and typing in the keyword "Tracht" into the search. You will then find discussions about tracht as well as a helpful description and store locations with prices. Mind you, I paid 50-60€ for the actual dress, 17€ for the apron and 17€ for the shirt. Lederhosen are a bit more expensive ranging from 150€ and up. Check some of my past articles where you can read more about Tracht and become an expert yourself!

Enjoy!