Germany - July 1

Got up early this morning to take the train to Munich. Got downstairs to check out at 6 AM and had a little time for breakfast. This breakfast is really a good deal. The for the same breakfast would be 12 to 15 € at a restaurant. Anyway the shuttle took us to the station at about 6:15 so we would be able to catch the 6:48 train into town. Got there in plenty of time and sat down on the platform to wait for boarding our train. Well the announcement came that the train would be late and then that the car we were to ride in would not be in the train. We would have to ask the boarding crew about that. Well we waited and waited but no train. We asked the platform supervisor what was going on and he told us the train was cancelled. So off we went to change our reservation. Got that done when to platform 7 and there was the original train we were supposed to depart on. But had to wait for our new one.

Finally we are on our way to Munich. The ride was very smooth, the seats were comfy, had lots of leg room, and comfortable surroundings. Nice way to travel. The scenery along the way reminded me a lot of many places in the lower 48. The architecture of the buildings was different but the landscape was very similar.

Neil had made our hotel reservations so we tracked the place down with a little bit of difficulty and got checked in. The room was small by US standards but the bed is comfy, all of facilities work, and it was clean. A couple of annoying things about the hotel is that the TV cost money to use so we couldn't get weather forecasts and the wireless internet was 10 € a day. I think both of those things are outrageous.

We were struggling to stay awake so we could greet Mel and Neil when they arrived. Finally decided to leave them a note and go to the room. They knocked on the door about 10 minutes later. Went out in the rain to an open air market in old Munich. Had some heavy German soup though Bonnie was sensible and had carrot soup. Only Bonnie finished her soup and the other three of us decide not to get that one ever again. Got up walked around for a while and then went back to the hotel. We chatted for awhile in the lobby and then decided a nap was in order and we would get together at 1900 for dinner.

We walked to the town center again and had dinner at a beer garden that Lonely Planet recommended highly for both the beer and the food. The food was delicious, some type of pork with a dumpling, but there was way too much of it. The beer was very good as well. We were "accosted" by a drunk German while we were here. He couldn't understand that we didn't speak German and this created a very interesting situation. We did get that he wanted to buy us all a beer but we turned him down politely. We all had a good laugh over his forwardness. It certainly is uncharacteristic.

Strolled back to the hotel and called it a night about 2300.