Happy Birthday, Gavin

Happy Birthday, nephew Gavin! I called Rochester today to talk with the birthday boy. He says he's got a Mohawk haircut - I want to see pictures!

We putzed around the apt in the morning, after lunch we headed into Munich. This weekend is the celebration of Munich becoming a city, in 1158! There was a big festival at Marianplatz, lots of craft booths and food vendors. And thousands of people. It was like walking in Manhattan, we had to queue to cross the street.

We stopped into a couple department stores to look at what they offer. Kaufhoff had wonderful kitchen knives and pots. In their basement, in the food section, we counted 4 deli-style counters selling meats, one for cheeses, the bakery, the butcher counter, the seafood counter (including lobster tank), the deli salad counter, plus the cold cases holding pre-wrapped meats, cheeses, salads, and mild products. Amazing variety. Wine too, of course, with – my favorite – a Veuve Cliquot bar! I will have to plan how to buy stuff there and carry it home. We found both lactose-free milk and vintage port, two things I have not been able to find yet anywhere else. I may need to make the trip back there with a carry-on suitcase so I can roll all the stuff home.

We wandered to Munich east that evening, for a ToyTown event. ToyTown is a great web site/forum for English-speaking people in Munich. (They let Americans in, too.) Thanks to Nancy, who sent me a link for a ToyTown drinks/dinner meet up, for the ‘over-30’ crowd. We met at Lisboa, a Portugese restaurant on Briesacher Strasse. Which, coincidently, is the same street we were on last Saturday, for the party at Kims house. We met several new people, had a great dinner and wine, and got home on the S-bahn. That is so cool. No worries about driving.