Day #274 - Munich, Germany

Munich - Christmas markets

Marienplatz market

Major crowds - throughout streets of Munich

Awesome window display

Another market - 9pm

Monday, December 13th

You know why I like Germany - large coffees. Well, one of the reasons anyway. Today, I spent a leisurely day in Munich. I slept in after staying up half the night working on the computer.

I went out for a 1-1/2 hour run early afternoon. It's cold here. Right now, it's 21 degrees F. I'm training for the last event of my year off. On February 20, I leave for Antartica. I will be running the Antartica Marathon on February 28th with the group from Athens (minus Kim). My goal is to use the first 2-3 months of 2011 to get re-engaged into society. This will truly be a year at this point, as I officially resigned from my company on February 5th, 2010. When I return from the marathon - full speed ahead. Hopefully, I'll be starting a new career in a new location (what & where - still to be determined).

The month I took off from running after Athens has really helped me. I feel alot better. I'm going to just get miles in the next 2 weeks and then follow a more stringent plan when I get back to the states. The temperatures in Antartica where we'll be running are typically between 10-30 degrees F. Today was ideal training - I just need to get comfortable with it.

Munich is awesome this time of year. I spent a couple hours this afternoon and then again tonight walking around. One of the reasons I came to Munich before my return - to see the Christkindlmarkts. These are holiday markets scattered throughout the city. This place screams Christmas. Endless booths filled with ornaments, candles, wood-carved toys, and traditional figures. The music is playing in the background. There are endless food and drink stands. People are everywhere - all the better that it's cold and snowy.

Probably the neatest market can be found at the Marienplatz. This is the central square in the middle of Old Town. A huge Christmas tree stands in front of the Rathaus - the Town Hall. This is the take-home site in December in Munich. Incredible. When I think about the holidays in the future - I will likely think back of today.

Back in the hotel, going to call it an earlier night tonight. Going to try a day trip tomorrow.

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Alright, in keeping with my 12 Day's of Christmas theme, the country making the list in the #11 position as my most favorite country during my Gap Year 2010 ----- ICELAND.

Israel (#12)
Iceland (#11)

ICELAND (#11)

I only spent 5 days in this country, but it was great. I'm including it here - because it's a place I really want to go back. Reykjavik has a small city atmosphere - located right on the ocean. It's an easy city to walk, with some unique sites. People speak English everywhere. But, the main reason I'm including it - the day trip options available to tourists, as well as the Ring Road. The Blue Lagoon is a nice day trip from Reykjavik. Also, there are endless whale watching trips available. Then, rent a car and drive around the road that circles the country. I've had plenty of conversations with folks who've done just that, all agree - the natural sites are nothing short of incredible. It's not really as cold as one would think either. I just checked the temperature, it's currently 40 degrees F in Reykjavik - it's 20 degrees colder in Munich. For all these reasons, Iceland comes in as my #11 selection as my most favorite country.