Hello All,

The weather is spectacular...okay...not really. I would truly hate to be a meteorologist in München. Last Friday I looked at the weather forecast and it said at that time it was rainy like a mad man, only my window captured the blazing sunlight. It is virtually impossible to forecast the weather here mainly because of all the mountains surrounding the city. Doplar radar is useless here. No wonder people like to talk about the weather so much here (or maybe it's just me), it's just plain luck that you get a good day for grilling by the river.

So it's Monday, I had a short quiz in class today and it's official...I need to study more. Vocabulary is not what it needs to be...I know the words but translate them wrong from my head to the hand...oh and that's because I pronounce them wrong as well.Grrrrr. TY For tomorrow's lecture, my teacher recommended that the class take a comprehesive exam to see where we need more polishing. My comprehension is like a cubist painting :-( um help!

Speaking of paintings; yesterday Alex and I visted the Pinakothek Moderne gallery (check it out) It's pretty inexpensive when you visit on Sunday, 1 Euro, baby! Normally its 9 Euro. I picked up some good ideas from the black and white photographs taken in the citystreets of Paris. I also enjoyed the few paintings displayed of Pablo Picasso. It really is a mystery why I like it now because they looked too strange when I saw them in a book. But face to face with the real thing, it really is beautiful.

Saturday night, Alex and I joined some friends, Geli and Axel, for a bite to eat and listen to "A Tribute to Stevie Wonder" jazz concert. Yeah, I know, Stevie Wonder...this artist has published music from 1962 to the present and yet the Sextett choose rare music from the albums:  Fulfillingness' First Finale, 1974 and Stevie Wonder's Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants, 1979. The singer wore a moo-moo and beautifully sang the words without having a clue as to what they meant. That's right: imagine a VERY german hippy frau singing the lyrics to "Boogie Reggae Woman"...um...ja, I ain't feeln' Tha Funk. Ahhhh, however the dinner was excellent at the Barista Restaurant, located at the Marienplatz. Apparently, we delighed our bellies with Europäisch cuisine and I had the opportunity to show off my conversational skills, go me! I had duck served with an excellent plum sauce,  I am still dreaming of how to mimic the recipe. I finished my entire plate so you know it was good :-), hehe.

A rainy weekend, but I lovely one just the same, especially when I get to spend time with Alex. It is an indescribable feeling of finally having the opportunity to share more time with him, not just a vacation. Sometimes it's overwhelming and other times it just feels good to be myself around someone outside of my own head. I am happy to feel that lovin' feeling...

...Um...oh...yeah, Anyway, below are some pictures that I sent to people via email last week. For now, its time to study...less than a month before my big exam. Crunch, Crunch!

Statue named "Bavaria", one can see busts of people who served Bayern.

Bayern's Beauty with her Löwe (pronounced Lou-ve).  Luckly, I like this  Tier (or animal) because you can find him everywhere. You'll see what I mean later...

It seems as though München (it's still hard for me, but is pronounced something like "Mewn-hen") is not immune to the painted animal craze you can also find in Venice, FL with decorated pigs or in Tampa,FL with dolled-up Manatees. I found this one while taking an Einkaufsbummel (or window shopping) in the Mariensplatz. Bring your fat wallet here; there is plenty of shopping for all the latest fashions and sampling the Bavarian beer and food.