well, i am in munich now. its our last night here. there are no pictures of germany on this site! i tried to find one in the list and there are none. that seems very wrong to me. anyway....so before munich we stopped for a day trip into salzburg, austria. its very much like a fairy tale city. they filmed 'the sound of music'here. there are tours for it all over, but you can rest assured...i did not go on the tour. rodge and i couldnt put our backpacks in a locker at the station because they were all filled so we walked around the city with them. not the most comfortable but, luckily, the city is small. there were tons of outdoor food stalls selling all sorts of goodies. including, importantly, pretzels. everywhere. huge, gigantic pretzels. including one the size of a christmas wreath. that big. really. i am in pretzel heaven. which is dangerous because i have no limit. ive eaten one or two each day for the past few days. i am one big, walking carb. salzburg is lovely and enchanting in a way, perfect for a side, day trip. then...we were off to munich. and hey, in case you didnt know...world cup is going on. and the europeans love their football. especially the germans. and especially when the germans win a game. which they did, the night we arrived. i dont know who germany played...but they won that night...and the city went wild. it was so cool to see. at first, i wanted to avoid germany when the games were going to be held here. but now, i am so glad i got to see it. the people were so excited. everyone ran out into the street...because everyone had been inside watching the game. everyone. they were singing, cheering, clapping, drinking, honking horns. people were bonding and hugging. it was quite the sight. i just remembered that germany won against argentina. in case you really needed to know! so we walked around that night and soaked it all up. the city was lively, fun, and colorful. the hostel we are at is nice and clean and basically brand new. the bread and jam at breakfast is excellent in my opinion. the austrians and germans know how to do jam for some reason. so...then the next morning we went on a free walking tour of munich. we went all over the city. went to an outdoor food market and beer garden. you order food/beer and take it to any spot on of the long picnic like tables and just sit and eat and drink. very cool and very casual. and beer is a favorite here. i must say, its really really good. i got half a liter of the weiss beer. they come in half liters and liters. they are big! walked around more with the tour. saw lots of sights. walked through the hofbrauhaus, which is the famous beer hall here. that day, there was a big rally in the main square. it was a peace rally, against racism. we found out that actually, a nazi-party rally was supposed to be held there at that time. but they cancelled and the anti-nazi rally was held. sometimes, its easy to forget that its still a real part of the world, and some people still function in that way of life and hearing that bit of information really put it into perspective. and then, factor in that we are in germany and in a city that has been very much affected by those issues. and before i move on, i have to say...the germans are some of the nicest people i have encountered. they are friendly, welcoming, and i havent once felt like a 'dumb american'...they seem, to me, to be a really great people. really fun and open. today we did laundry. that took awhile. we booked our hostel for berlin, which we are leaving for tomorrow morning. then we walked to the munich park, the english gardens. the park is amazing. its very big and very clean--which i should add, munich is very clean as well. and the transportation system is superb. so...in the park, this is unbelievable...there is a river running through it....it has to be manmade...because it turns into these fast rapids almost. its really hard to describe. but the water moves so fast and people can jump into it and float down the river and swim. and people were laying all over the park enjoying the sun and then we got to this point, were in the water...there were these big rapid-like, wave-like parts and people were surfing! i am not making this up. its just a small part but you are able to do surf tricks and moves and its right inside of the city park! ive never seen anything like it in my life. moving along through the park, there is a giant chinese tower and around it, a large beer garden. there are beer gardens all over munich...but this one was packed and very spread out. we sat down for dinner and beer. rodger does not like beer, so i suggested he try a strongbow, which is a cider type beer. he ordered it...and the man behind the counter did not say a word...he just laughed a bit and shook his head. he was not happy that rodger did not order beer. relunctantly, he poured the cider and handed it over. he then said to rodger---'in germany, we drink beer!' it was one of the best things ive heard in a long while. and really, in germany, especially here...they do indeed drink beer. i really like munich. i like it a lot. more than i thought i would. the vibe is excellent. the people are lovely and fun. the lifestyle is relaxed and approachable. the city is vibrant and some of these buildings are absolutely beautiful. oh, and in the park, there is a section where...apparently, its OK to be naked. we walked by one section and amongst the many people relaxing in the park sun, were a few random sprinklings of naked individuals...just living and laying around along with everyone else. there are so many interesting things about munich. im so very glad to have experienced this city. but...its time to move on. we are on to berlin tomorrow! its a bit of a train ride, but...im looking forward to seeing the city. so for now, thats all ive got. i think ive written a lot here in this entry. hope all is well in the states. ill update again from berlin! xoxoxo.