Ikea - Macabre and yet oh so hilarious!

At the end of a long week (could be considered 2 weeks) at work, I was gloriously happy! Why? Because I was finally making my long awaited trip to Ikea Munich! Now, for those of you who know me well, know that Ikea has always been a favourite place to visit. Michael used to make a deal with me each August, that I was allowed to visit either the Ekka or Ikea - it was never an easy decision. And Michael could never decide which was worse for him (or his wallet!).

So, add this love of the Swedish design store to the fact that I am now living in a home that somewhat resembles the display homes you find inside Ikea stores, and whatsmore living in a European country - of course you can imagine that I was more than just a little excited!

Sadly, in the lead up to what was set to be a HUGE adventure (trust me, it was going to be epic), I developed a HUGE headache. And not just a little 'oh it will go away soon' kind. This was the result of 6 weeks on a european pillow. One of the main reasons we were travelling to Ikea was to buy proper pillows for the sake of my poor neck! I doubled the pain by also falling backwards into a wall and unfortunately smashed my spine.... So Friday night I was not feeling my best.

Entrance!

Saturday morning, I awoke with a mixture of excitement, and agony. However, being that Saturday was our only day to visit (and I clearly needed that new pillow), I soldiered on and we made it out to Ikea at Eching. I was surprised that, despite some clear similarities to Ikea Logan, it was still different. Their floor space was almost slightly smaller than that of Brisbane's, and yet, I swear there was alot more stock. More things than I have seen in each and every section.

Most exciting though was the discovery of a paper and gift wrapping section! It is amazing! Some of the most beautiful gift bags, tags, ribbons and wrapping paper! And there was also some cool stationery with fancy sticky notes, notebooks and paper clips (Carlie - just you wait!).

This was the paper section!

So naturally, being at Ikea we had to stop for a bite to eat in the cafe. For those that knew my father, he used to almost beg my mum to take him with her when she went to Logan - just so he could sit and have his Ikea breakfast for $2.95. He called this his Breakfast at Tiffany's. So for me this is all a part of the experience that is Ikea. While I did not have the breakfast, I did enjoy a lovely piece of Laxlasagna and thought of dad as I sat in the cafe.

The iconic Ikea trademarks - these bags are recognisable in any language!

Harmless enough...

However, you may have noticed the interesting title of this post. This comes care of a toy that we discovered as we were about to head into the cafe. Michael and I stumbled across what looked like a harmless stuffed wolf. A wolf wearing overalls and a plaid shirt. Kind of like a lumberjack. Ok, so some people might not find this so harmless.... lumberjacks tend to make some people a little jumpy.

Anyway, we were picking this wolf up from the bucket of toys, and another toy came with it. This toy was a cute little old granny. And this granny did not detach itself from the wolf either. It was at this point we realised they came together. We said 'Awww, cute. Its from Little Red Riding Hood! Its the wolf and Granny!'. Of course if you know the story, you will also know that Granny and Wolfie aren't the best of friends. Michael and I looked at each other and went 'hang on, wolf eats granny...'

Eating Granny....

Sure enough, we spotted the demonstration model on display. There was Granny sticking out of Wolfie's mouth. We both gasped - thinking goodness me. Kids every where know the story, understand the morals, but should never really be exposed to the act of the swallowing! However, this thought was short lived.... because we realised there was an opening in Wolfie's shirt. And HELLO - out pops Granny! Alive and well!

Granny re-incarnated...

We were stunned! I have commented before that the Europeans do not seem to bandaid and cotton wool their children as much as Australians - but dear god! This was too much! And yet I so wanted to buy one! This toy could really only be described as macabre and yet accurate - and utterly hilariously amusing! So, to my Aussie friends - be watching soon, at an Ikea near you, the LUFSIG Wolf/Granny toy!

Proof the mouth connects to the tummy!

Shopping all finished!

But to finish up, we did end up getting everything we needed, including new pillows, a new doona (because we don't like the european 2-single-doonas-on-a-double-bed thing) and doona case, some kitchen bibs and bobs (including muffin pans for me!) and we struggled home on the train with two overflowing blue Ikea bags. Sadly, my head went downhill from there and I ended up quite sick until the following day. But I am pleased to say that come Sunday night, we went to a party for my colleague Cassandra (birthday grillparty!) and it was a lovely end to the weekend.

Now, lastly, before I sign off, I am really excited because I will happily be posting next time following our next Mini Euro Trip to Berlin! Photos to come! Yay!