Sunday, September 09, 2007

Le 80s Childhood in Munich

During my last week in Munich, in the midst of getting all my errands done, I took my camera on a little trip down memory lane to my childhood homes and playgrounds. I began assembling a post for you which I never got around to finishing until today. I know it's been almost three months, but somehow the timing fits. Summer is ending and each day I let a little bit of Munich out and some NY in. It's scary...the letting go. I'm not a big fan, but life moves on whether you like it or not. You can choose to look out the window and watch it as it goes by, or you can stare out the back and watch the past get smaller and smaller while you miss the now at it's biggest and shiniest.

Anyhow, here is my bit of Munich for the day, just for you. Keep in mind the post was written before I came to New York.

Love,
Sabrina
September 8, 2007

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Yesterday I hopped on my bike and took a trip down memory lane. I rode to my old neighborhood and stopped only for photo opps and, well, traffic lights of course. I ended up having a blast and took tons of photos to prove it. Come join me and Jimmy Somerville, I want to show you some of the landmarks of my childhood. Jimmy can set the 80s mood in the background.




Part 1

Welcome to my favorite childhood neighborhood!


For some strange reason, I often associate summer with this area of Munich and the 80s. The 80s were like one long hot summer for me, filled with ice cream, messy hair, Italy, top-notch music and exploring the neighborhood with my friends.



Here is the bridge.



When I moved here this was allllll just a field. I went to a circus here and everything.



The swings



The monkey bars



The bars where we would do turns and flips and stuff. Thanks to that I am still very flexible.



The bench



My balcony. I loved living here. It was a small but happy apartment. I remember that whenever my parents would go out at night my 16 year old sister and 7 year old me would pop in a video tape and dance to this very video:

We would also watch Madonna's Ciao Italia tour obsessively. We had the video tape see, cause they showed the concert on German TV. But the night they aired it we had a blackout and couldn't tape the show. But then my sister got it from her friend Donna who was able to tape it and we would watch it all the time.



Me and my best friend Kashia LOVED Madonna and would do the little True Blue dance.




Kashia's balcony. We were neighbors.



Our door



We used to sit on the bulls allllll the time.



We would try to jump to the island in the fountain without falling into the water. What was even harder was trying to jump on the metal ball without falling in. Turns out I'm still too short to do it.



Kashia had a bike and I had a walkman we would trade and I would ride her bike and she would listen to music. I loved riding down this trail and spray water everywhere.



Shop to buy ice cream



Mountain. You're supposed to run to the top and slide down the white stones



The fountain



Cadillac movie theater! The floors are made of glass and there are posters under them. Soooo cool to walk on because you think you're gonna fall in.



We used to come to this hotel for free candy and to chill out on the leather couches in the lounge.









I used to see these hotels from our living room window. I would look at the lights shining from the tiny windows and dream. Somehow it reminds me of New York.


Part 2


Our next house. Not as happy, but still retaining the excellent caliber of the music. I loved and love this song:

Domino Dancing by the Pet Shop Boys



The view from my window



The place where it all started. That's right, my skateboarding career.



My treehouse



The old wall still old



The fence I would climb. I was really little and remember struggling to get onto it and being scared to go all the way to the end since it was the high part. Now I'm taller than the fence.



The cigarette machine where my dad would get his Camels. I used to come with him sometimes.



The mountain we sled on in the winter and rolled down in the summer.



Barbie's Dream House



My friend Ivona and I painted our names onto stone in tipex (white-out). Traces of my name are still there



My steps!



Our balcony. My mom and sister would throw sandwiches down to me when I was outside playing with my friends.



The big tree



My friend Catherine's house



The kiosk near my dad's old work. My mom would take me to work with her when I was little, and we always stopped here to get white gummi mice on the way.



The place where it all began. The hospital where I was born.


Thank you, hope you enjoyed the tour! Today was my last day of work. And I identify with this child now more than ever. I love that it's summer and I love that I'm going to NYC. I don't know, in my head I picture it a mixure between going to Paris and going to Israel to visit family.

Love,
Sabrina
June 12, 2007

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