Friday, January 6, 2012

Hold on to your hats!

Day 2 in Munich was much better. I slept for 10 hours and woke up feeling like giving Munich another chance. It was so windy on the walk to my class (which I knew from the day before) that my hat blew off my head and flew into the middle of the street. The cars were stopped in all of the many directions they were headed, and I raced into the intersection to retrieve the hat before it was run over. It was all very dramatic, and I was laughing as I brushed the water off the hat and stuffed it my bag.

The dance studio was called Tanzprojekt, and I got a discount for my first time at the studio. I realized how comforting it is to take a ballet class in the midst of all the strangers and unknowns I've been encountering.

I had left my umbrella at a coffee shop the day before (you place them in stands at the entrances to stores.) I was sure it would be gone forever, but when I went back the next day, there it was, still sitting in the stand. I couldn't believe it!

Also noteworthy about Munich: people wait for the crosswalk to indicate when they should cross. Even if no cars are coming, and the light takes forever, no one darts across the street. I was surprised that in such a big city people aren't in more of a hurry, but I guess rules are rules.

I took the train back to Zurich last night. It was a very crowded train, and the seats face in toward each other in those four-person groups. The people across the aisle were extremely loud, and people kept telling them to be quiet. But, they were bullies who kept talking at the top of their lungs, clinking beer bottles, and playing music on full blast. It's hard not to stare when you can't understand the language and are trying to know what's going on. So, when police officers dressed like civilians brought each of these guys to the vestibule to check passports and luggage, it was like a game trying to figure out what was happening.

Finally back in Zurich, I'm excited to be somewhere where I know my way to a few places, and people are really nice. I have a class tonight at 6:30, and the Zurich ballet audition is tomorrow morning. It's time to find somewhere to do laundry, and maybe I can do some more exploring tomorrow!

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