Day One (monday)

Cara and I arrived at Munich Airport just on time at noon, and our chauffeur Rolf was waiting for us just as he described. He is a kind gentleman who took his time showing us a bank, safely transported us to our hotel, and sat with me for 30 minutes giving advice and answering questions about driving in Germany/Europe. Rolf has worked for BMW since 1967 and I can tell he enjoys his job very much. He was so very helpful, and I felt better having him explain things we should not miss in Munich.

Once we checked into the hotel and cleaned up, we took his recommendation and bought a couple tickets for the subway. As we walked out.. woman were cleaning the metal flashing in front of the elevator. I have never been in a city so obsessed with cleanliness. It's amazing! We took the subway to the main plaza in Munich.

Even it was quiet and beautiful. Cara and I walked around a bit, and decided to go tour the Residence. This old castle is the epitome of the gilded age. My goodness, if it didn't have gold on it.. they found gold to go near it. Truly beautiful. It reminded me of the Pitti Palace in Florence, but even more extravagant in the use of gold.

After wearing ourselves out a bit, we went to a local biergarten, Hofbrauhaus for dinner. The weather was perfect, so we sat outside and both ordered an ale - the smoothest beer I have ever tasted. It was like drinking a honey soda, but not too sweet! They were magnificent! Since Cara and I are lightweights in the drinking category, we only had one each, and both ordered a bratwurst, kraut and pretzel. I can't describe to you how good these both were. And I like a good brat and a little kraut in the states, but this was crafted by a different process. Wonderful!

Following dinner (and good people watching in the square) we walked about looking at various streets, stores and markets. We came upon a gelatoria, which seemed like the wrong thing to buy in Germany, but I couldn't resist. The gelato icecream was just right and what I needed after such a long day.

We were getting tired at that point, so we took the tube back to our hotel. Luckily, we only mixed up once, so it was very easy to get back on the train and go back.

We crashed in the room at 930, far too early to go to bed. (Which is why we woke up today at 330am. (and you got your first post) I posted the update between snoozing. :)

Overall, the first day went flawlessly. Although not everyone speaks English, people are willing to talk through things with until you get it right. I felt very comfortable in the city as an outsider. I still do sense a tension between races, but it's never directed at us.