Day 3 - Gratitude Challenge

For day three of the gratitude challenge, I am supposed to write about something I feel grateful for in my life today. There are so many things that I am grateful for and so it's hard to decide which to pick. There are some things that go without saying – my family, Mr. Schnitzel, my friends, my health. I thought that maybe I would blog about something a bit less than obvious, namely, my (current) hometown, Munich!

I have been living in Munich for over 4 years and I LOVE it here. I was always one of those people who enjoyed visiting cities but got bored of them very quickly. I would visit other people and think "what a fun city – but I don't think I could live here". Munich was always different. From the very moment I set foot here four years ago I loved it and could picture myself staying. Here's a quick list of the reasons I am so GRATEFUL for Munich:

1) The lovely "small town/city" combination, the feeling that there is always plenty to do and take part in but at the same time it's not overwhelming. I never feel like a nobody and I constantly run into friends around town.

2) Being able to "escape" the city into the Alps so quickly! A 30 minute train ride is all you need

3) The central location within Europe – Austria, Czech Republic, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, France, Poland, Denmark, Luxembourg – all bordering – and the other countries are just a step farther!

4) The delicious food (like cheese, wonderful breads, amazing local fruits and vegetables) and (of course) Beer!

5) Oktoberfest, which just ended yesterday :(

6) Embracing the seasons! Every time of year brings new traditions, new delicious food and fun celebrations! I especially love how Munich embraces the COLD by placing blankets at outdoor cafès and serving mulled wine and tea. No hiding indoors for us!

7) The AMAZING public transit network that makes it totally unnecessary for us to have a car

8) The myriad of activities available – from hiking in the Alps to beautiful public pools and saunas, to theater and film festivals – I could never keep up with it all if I tried!

9) Winter sports – beyond skiing, you can go sledding (on big beautiful wooden sleds), skating (on amazing giant frozen lakes), cross country skiing (through wintery alpine paths) and so much more!

10)Tradition Tradition Tradition! Dirndl and Lederhosen, Bavarian Blaskapellen, Alphorn players, alpine huts, men riding the Ubahn wearing bavarian hats with giant goat tails… the list goes on.

11)Grilling on the Isar with friends, with cases of beer floating in the river to stay cool. My ultimate favorite summer activity in Munich.

Phew. So that was only a small taste of why I love it here so much – and writing all that reminded me to GET OUT THERE and enjoy it all as much as possible!

Thanks for listening out there. What do you love about where you live?