Munich, Germany: Day 1

Hallo from Germany! Our first full day in Germany was perfect! Great weather, great food, & interesting shopping...  

The view from the balcony of our hotel room! Yes-hotel room. We decided ditch the hostel idea & go all out for Oktoberfest weekend. (Although us four did cram into a two person room)   

Disney-themed street art. Julia, Alex, & I seriously considered buying it for our new place in Athens. Would have been a big hit.

 The new Town Hall

Apparently, this newly built Town Hall was constructed to look old. And the older Town Hall was just refurbished to look really new. I know-I didn't get Munich's logic in it either.

All confused by "Wormland." Apparently its a pretty popular department store.  

We got to the town square right at noon, so we got to see the little show these characters put on. If you miss it while in Munich, don't be too upset. You didn't miss much.

But, of course, we still all took plenty of pics of it. 

Shopping for dirndls at the local mall. Who knew such an ugly dress could be so expensive?

Seriously considered stopping by here & having a drink! Unfortunately, we were on a schedule.

Shopping & a little champagne? Great combo.

Ben's Cookies

I had heard about Ben's Cookies even before I got to London. I knew from the start that I definitely needed to go, but I put it off as long as possible. Why? Because I knew once I tasted how delicious they were, I would want to come everyday. And ohh boy I was right.  

Yummmm

My first pick: The Milk Chocolate Orange

I got the Milk Chocolate with orange opposed to the regular Milk Chocolate, because we have this Gingerbread cookie recipe with my family that has orange peel in it too. I had to taste to see if it rivaled. Let's just say... that cookie was devoured. 

If you know me well, you know I LOVE Roald Dahl. He wrote The BFG, The Witches, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, etc. Anyways, one of my favorite parts of his books were the illustrations by Quentin Blake. So, when I walked in to Ben's Cookies I noticed right away the similarities between this illustration & the ones by Quentin Blake. 

After drawing the connection, I pulled out my phone & Googled it. I was right! The "Ben" of Ben's Cookies was drawn by Quentin Blake. And from that point I feel in love with Ben's Cookies even more!

I think you can tell how happy I am...

nomm

My second pick: Triple Chocolate Chunk

And if you are wondering if that is a HUGE chunk of white chocolate in the middle, you would be correct. And after nibbling on both of Julia's cookies & my Milk Chocolate Orange cookie, I determined that this baby is my favorite!!

Too full to write anymore. I'll be taking my nap right about noww. xoxox

A Walk in the Park

Since we have arrived in London, Julia & I have been making it a regular morning routine to take a little stroll through Kensington Gardens & Hyde Park before classes. (We are loving not starting until 1:30 everyday) Typically, we walk near Kensington Palace and the path near the pond. But today we took a different route-and I'm glad we did. 

The Helmut Tree in the Flower Gardens

We could see Prince Albert's Memorial peaking out from behind the trees & flowers. So pretty.

The weather today-along with most days- was fantastic! I came across the pond expecting constant rain, but it has been quite the opposite. 

One thing London has in common with UGA- all of the squirrels get a little too close for comfort.

Never a complete day without selfies

A palm tree in London?

A little water fountain for all of the puppies that run around the park. So cute! Reminded me a bit of my adorable dog, Wally, back at home. 

After a nice, long walk, Julia & I headed over to Nandos for lunch. 

So many different sauces! Yummm

At Nandos, you decide between a chicken pita, wrap, or sandwich with whichever sauce of your choice. Delishh

All gone!

Before walking around today, I had forgotten how big Hyde Park really is. Julia & I have been walking through the park everyday, but somehow still had missed this gorgeous garden. Maybe I will discover even more on tomorrow's walk! xoxo