On to München

Got up very early (5:45am) to catch my train to München. The 4.5 hour ride passed by relatively quickly as I caught up on my magazine reading and watched the beautiful Bavarian countryside roll by. Huge mountains and very green scenery.



Arrived in München and was met at the station by Roland´s Dad, which was very nice of him. After a short ride to his house, we had an apertif - some sort of Pear schnapps. We had a nice lunch (where I drank my first Augstiner Beer - good stuff) and then Roland´s Mom took me into the city to explore. We bought some very tasty nougat (like very smooth fudge) and had some fresh squeezed mango & orange juice. Then we walked around the main part of the city and at 5pm watched the Glockenspiel.



It was interesting, but a bit strange. After that we walked around some more and then went back to Marienplatz (where the Glockenspiel is) and had a nice cappuccino.

After we got home, we all went out to dinner at a very nice authentic restaurant where I had two maß (each beer comes in a liter sized stein called a maß) of the local brew. I also had some bratwurst, sauerkraut, and brezen (jumbo sized pretzels like you get at the ballgame). All was very good. When we finally made it back home, Roland´s Dad and I split a bottle of dry white wine and had a good time chatting.

The next day, Roland´s Dad and I both woke up with hangovers, but that didn´t stop me heading out to explore the city on my own. Roland´s Mom prepared an awesome breakfast with a boiled egg, various hams, and cheese, etc. I walked all over München, but my favorite place was the Englischer Garden. Basically a HUGE park with many streams running through it. I think the streams are man-made, but they are very cool nonetheless. I stopped for lunch at the Chinese Turm and had another meal of wurst, fries, and sauerkraut. After walking around the city some more, I stopped at the San Francisco Coffee Shop and had a pretty good American style latte. After that, I headed back to Roland´s parents´house. Roland´s Mom prepared a really great meal with fresh spargel (white asparagus) which is all the rage here in the summer. It was good, but was also drowning in butter. After the long day, I turned in early to get some much needed rest.

For my final day in München, Roland´s Dad drove me around the city to see some of the bigger sites including the Nymphenburg Schloß (castle). Very cool and much like Schön Brunn in Vienna. We also drove by the new stadium where they will play some world cup matches next year. The highlight of the day though was lunch at the Hofbrauhaus. This place is a must see for any tourist and it didn´t disappoint. Lots of history here and terrific beer and food. I tried Weißwurst (white sausage) for the first time. Not bad. Also had potatoes and more brezen.



In the evening, we took a picnic basket with wurst and cheese and went to the Waldwirtschaft (the local beer garden). There was a festival there and we got to see lots of people, many dressed in traditional dress, which was cool. That pretty much concluded my time in München and I must say that I enjoyed it immensely. Roland´s parents couldn´t have been nicer and the city is one of the best I´ve ever seen.