ok here I go again. Last night I wrote about my experiences of Munich, Germany at 12:30pm but the website quit on me at 1:45am. So now I have to recreate my composition...ugh! Where do I begin.

Ok. after cutting my trip short across the Swiss Alps on Wednesday due to inclement weather and a broken tooth...oh I might not have mentioned on my last blog. I cracked my tooth on a frozen Snickers bar while on the mountain. Because I have been burning so much calories especially on that grueling hike i had to eat and drink often before the body crashes. So about half way up the mountain I broke one of my back right molars. Now a sharp point cuts through my tongue causing me to talk with some slight discomfort. Fortunately, I bought some health insurance in case anything like this would happen. So on Monday I have a dental appointment in Basel, Switz. with my uncles' dentist.

It is now Wednesday and I was supposed to be on the mountain entering Zermatt till Friday but since that trip was cut short I had 2 days before I was to return to Basel where my cousin MaryJo and her husband was dropping by on route to Paris. My uncle said it is a good opportunity for a small family gathering around dinner. I agreed. Therefore what was I do in two days. I consulted my hiking friends and they said Munich is a place to go. That to I agreed.

Just a little sidebar note here. My uncles' place have been a place of comfort and refuge during this week. It's nice to know that if anything happens I have a place to run back to recharge, refuel, reconnect, and reorganize. I will miss that next week. They have been wonderful hosts. We would have great conversations around the table with wine, bread, cheese and jelly. Such a European cuisine and lifestyle.

So on Wednesday evening around 2.30pm I finish writing my last blog of the Swiss Alps adventure. I realized that it was the start of the biggest party of alcohol consumption in the world next to my fraternity days....Oktoberfest! I frantically looked online for any open hotel and hostels...I found none. Shoot! Does that mean I need to find another city to go to..eek. Hey I have camping gear. I brought it for a reason… right. Alas, I found "The Tent"online and attempted to reserve a small space on the grounds to set up my little bastion of refuge. You can see the place online at http://www.the-tent.com/ I knew it will be cold and possibly wet, so I needed to prepare.

I had about 3 hours of nap time before my train to Munich leaves Basel. I walked to the station and took the 6am tram to the trains. It was dark and cold that morn and in an unknown city is was colder and darker. I fumbled in trying to use the ticket machine before quiting hoping that I wouldnt get caught using the tram without paying for it first. Besides I dont think locals pay either. Getting to the trains I was about an hour early. I was blessed with a blue umbrella someone left on the bench next to me. I had I feeling that I might need it on this leg of my trip for some reason.

Now with a Europass, I get to travel first class and boy does that make such a difference. On my first week I traveled 2nd class because I, would you believe, was misinformed by a ticket agent. Bigger and wider seats, quiter and cleaner trains and toilets, better classier people, etc. This is really the way to travel.

The countryside was beautiful. Very green, very charming, very simple.When I got to Müchen or Munich, the station was huge, and alive with people scurrying from one place to the other. It was a frenzy of human activity. Everything was in German of course. And I, with my big green packpack on, say to myself quietly "ok Borja what now, where do I go?"

I found the tram that leads to The Tent and off I went. The Tent was a place where "younglings" from all over the world would either camp out with their own tent or stay at the large community tent. I felt young again talking with New Zealanders, Australians, Argentinians, Germans, Italian, and some American "younglings"eager to immerse themselves in worldy debauchery before work, marriage, family and adult responsiblities get hold of them like a python sucking the life out of its victim until it's eyes pop out of its sockets and blood .... oops sorry i didnt mean to get personal here.

I set up my tent and took the tram again back to the center of town. Münchin, wow amazing. so alive and vibrant. The architecture like in most European cities are a mix of old world elegance and new world modernism. It is a balance often lost in many American cities. The old ways, though, are being pushed aside by modernity. I suggest that you all see Europe before globalism, McDonalds and the steel, glass and concrete of tomorrow further relegates its forefather's stonework to the forgotten yesteryears.

The shopping center is a hub for the best of the best. Hugo Boss, Armani, Prada, H&M, Dolce and Gabbana, and all the best retailers can be found here. My mouth gapped and drool splattered amongst the cobblestone steps as I saw European fall fashions. Damn if I only brought my Platinum credit card. It was an enough incentive for me to move back to Chicago where I can layer with fashion and look good in the frigid air. I vowed to return with empty luggage and a high limit credit card next year.

At about 8pm, I was famished and fatigued. My long day of gawking and touring was at an end. I was ready for a cold, sleepless night. And as I thought, that is what occured. I wore every piece of clothing I brought. I wrapped myself in a two layers of thin blankets hoping that they would be suffis to repel the cold shiver of the night. Revelers returning from Oktoberfest often interrupted my slumber. The cold did as well. Then the rain came around 4am and it came and it came hard. My tent took in water. My shoes, socks, blankets, mat, and pillow got soaked. I was finally awoken at 8.30 with a stiff neck, a sore hip and bad hair that would not concede to neither hair gel or brush.

The rain greeted my day. And as I sloshed thru the puddles and mud, I battled for my space in the crowded bathroom and in the small cafe for a simple breakfast and coffee. mmmm coffee sounds good.

The rain was relentless, thunder cracked and as I stacked my wet gear into my wet pack, adding extra weight to my already aching back, I had to decide the course of my stay. Boy, do I feel frayed. Rain was forecasted for the remainder of the day. I say: "Rain, rain go away. Do I go or I stay? What to I do, what do I do, Ray?

I put on my poncho over the pack on my back. Opened the umbrella and walked to the tram station 3 blocks down. Ok thats it I heading back to Basel for a good night sleep and a warm meal. Besides tomorrow I was due back in Basel anyway. See ya Munich till another time.

Back at Basel by 8pm. I cooked fried spam, eggs and rice. Its been over 10 years since I ate that. mmmm. So good...so bad...so WHAT!