Day 44: The Fortress

Today's post will be split into two to accommodate the many photos.

This morning began with mosquitoes. Poor Chris had been bitten throughout the night. The price to pay for sleeping with our windows open. Dang it. (I try not to gloat, but I guess the little buggers don't like me so much, not a single bite.)

We were late to the dining room today. Breakfast ends at 10am and we made it in with about 30 minutes to go. By the time we finished eating, we were the last ones left. I wanted to hurry. I hate being "that" customer that makes the staff stay longer just because we "can".

This morning's goal is the Fortress Hohensalzburg. To keep energy levels up, we decided to take the funicular up to the top of the mountain. If you remember, the funicular was being repaired in Prague and we took a crazy-all-over-town trip to get there. It felt like cheating. I know we're all capable of walking up. But I know it's the right thing to do since we have so much we want to do today. So, up the mountain-bahn we will go.

The fountain across the street from the back of our hotel.
Someone threw a bicycle into the fountain (middle)?
The kids decide to throw coins, instead of another bicycle, into the fountain (right).

In case you didn't know, The Sound of Music is celebrating it's 50th year at the theatre here. There are many spots around Salzburg available for touring for the avid fans. One spot is the theatre (where the 50th anniversary show is now playing), where the family sang their farewell song and I'm assuming also the song Edelweiss (which of course brings a tear to my eye because I'm a sap). Anyway, I'm not interested in taking one of the "Sound of Music" bus tours, but I am a bit geeky in feeling excited to be in some of the same spots. The theatre is shown in the next photo below.

Various pictures of the theatre, really more of the horses and kids in front of the theatre.

Next, we stumbled across a "Gherkins" display. A what? A "Gherkins" display! Erwin Wurm, the artist, has a trademark sense of humour and irony.

"The forms are as different as gherkins and people tend to be: tall and short, thick and thin, rough and smooth, slender and stocky.... The artist leaves his work open to interpretation, hovering as it does between critical irony and playful teasing: for ultimately, don't we all feel in a bit of a pickle sometimes?"

Awesome. Just awesome.

Well, what can top a pickle? The faire? I forgot to mention, last night, instead of dessert at the mountain restaurant, we decided to look for ice cream down below. In hunting for ice cream, we found the Salzburg fair. At the time, it looked super rinky-dinky. 3-4 rides. 1-2 dessert carts. 1 beer tent. Coming from Oktoberfest where there were about 5 copies of each ride (5 bumper cars, 5 spinny rides, 1 swing rides, several large roller coasters, and more than you can count food/dessert carts), this festival seemed puny.

As we walked through the faire, again, this morning, we realised we only saw one "square" worth of the faire. Since this faire is in the middle of town, it took up several different "squares". Mind you, it was still super small compared to Oktoberfest, but now we're at least impressed with the size. And they have a Round-Up ride (the kids mark this as a "must-do" later, as they remember doing a similar type of ride at Santa Cruz a few years ago).

But, we must press on to the Fortress, so walk right through the faire people!

A view of the funicular (left), Xander riding it (middle), and an overview of the train (right).

The funicular to the top can hold up to 40 people or so. We made it on, just in time and rode to the top... in about 60 seconds. At this point, I still feel like it's cheating. So I don't make eye contact with anyone walking (panting) up the steep paths.

I'm trying to figure out why, but I like this Fortress better than the Prague Castle. Perhaps because it is smaller and I can walk around imaging life here more easily? Maybe because it's less crowded and mostly quiet people milling about. Maybe it's because most of it is super-duper ancient, over 1,000 years old (began in 150 BCE). Maybe it's the Mediterranean feel. Maybe it's the bright-matching white buildings. I don't know. It's simple and it's beautiful.

The pully system to bring supplies up the mountain (left), Building (middle-left)
The kids waving near the supply train (middle-right), Venice jumping for joy (right)

We walked all around the grounds.

A wooden-unicorn ring-toss. Fun!

We saw amazing views from all sides of the fortress, which, by the way, has never been defeated.

Perhaps the Cat's Gate (top-left)?
Walking up the stairs to the main area (bottom-right)

We decided to not do a tour and to not rent the audio tour. So, we really don't know much about the grounds, other than what we are able to read or see (one exhibit had a video). We even skipped the museum that was inside one of the buildings. There was an "art show" in one of the buildings. I'm using quotations because it was definitely questionable art. This is a time when I wish I spoke fluent German so I could ask or read and understand what the heck it is we saw (and now can't un-see). There is a sample of the "art" below. It was of just one man in many poses, I have only posted one of many tables showing this "art". From now on, if we don't understand something, I'm just explaining it as "art".

"Art" (top), Xander drumming a cannon (bottom-left)
Chapel (bottom-middle), Xander and a pigeon (bottom-right)

We decided to lunch at the terrace restaurant. I am surprised that we don't have any trouble getting a table right at the edge with a beautiful view. The food was so good. Or was it that the view made it taste better? Hmm.... It was a lovely lunch.

Sibling huddle (left), Concert, or dinner? Is that really a question? (middle).
Panoramic terrace for lunch (right)

Something difficult for my brain to wrap around were the cannons. It's so hard to imagine firing the cannons on such a beautiful city. I wonder how far could they fire the cannons? Did they harm their own citizens in the process?

Venice's tough side (left), Poised cannon (right)

Instead of taking the funicular down, we decided we could walk that (it's all downhill, after all). On the way down, we tried to see if we could find the "Cat's Gate" or bridge, or something or other... supposedly on the last night of the faire (tomorrow night), fireworks will be set off from here... but we only seem to find limited information on this. We'll keep trying.

The end of our time at the Fortress.
The walk up would have been steep and tough, see the wooden-platform-steps (middle-right)?
I'm glad we took the funicular up!

As we wander, we take in the beautiful grounds. So quiet. So lush. So pretty. We ended up walking to a spot right above our hotel before switchbacking back to the faire. That was cool, to be "on top" of our hotel. This part of town is so small, you can't get lost, and you can always keep the Fortress in sight to know which way is which.

Day 43: Salzburg

THE bread.

One thing I won't miss the second hand smoke.

Ok, so the bread we've been eating for breakfast, here in Munich, has been some of the BEST bread we've ever had. Everyone likes it. Seeds and all. OMG, it's so good. So, I may not say Germany has the best bread, but Munich definitely does.

During breakfast, we decided to try to see the Glockenspiel "show" one more time. Venice remembers hearing, when we just missed the top of the hour yesterday, a couple say, "We've been here for half an hour and still, nothing." I pull up the wikipedia for Glockenspiel and the information there says it only does a "show" at 11am! Doh! That's in half an hour! We can make it, we just have to race through the end of breakfast and get there.

Another panoramic (I can't help myself, it's so beautiful)
The square filled with people (bottom-left), Xander hiding in his coat (bottom-middle)
The Glockenspiel (bottom-middle), The kids (bottom-right)

This time we made it to the square with at least 7 minutes to spare. There was a big crowd gathering, so it's obvious we are in the right place at the right time. At a few minutes to 11am, the other three churches began to chime. Then, at 11, the Glockenspiel began. 32 bells, many moving parts. The best part, to me, were the two knights going around and around with their lances. At one point, one of them "went down" and there was a victor. Other than that, it was a bunch of twirling and dancing pieces. The show went on for over 10 minutes. It was pretty exciting, but around the 8 minute mark, people starting drifting away (you can only look up for so long). At one point, it seemed to end and we all clapped... and then it started up again. Silly.

Marienplatz station.

After the show, we returned to the hotel to finish packing and to check out. The hotel held our bags and we went back out to get one more look at the city. We did't have much time and we needed to cover lunch, so we went to a new open market. And to get there, we had to go... you guessed it.... through the same square as the Glockenspiel. I think we've gone there enough for 24 hours and we really know this route now.

As we walked by the square, we were able to see an artist, who started his art while we were there before, now with his completed "scene." It took us a second look, but he was IN the art himself (he looked like a piece of art, but we could see him blinking if we stared long enough). His message was peace. We also passed other "artists" and their shows, looking for donations. They were more touristy-gimmicky and we had fun figuring out their "trick".

"Peace" artist (left), Gimmick artists (right)

We found lunch (the kids ate soup) and coffee (Chris and I found espresso) near the Maypole in the new open market.

According to the sign, the kids at the best soup in town (left and middle). The kids and the Maypole (right).

We picked up our bags from our hotel. Chris said goodbye to Sebastian (he works at the hotel we stayed in and is HotelTonight's contact) and we headed to the main train station. Another trip by train.

Getting to the train station was easy. But once we were there, it was a little confusing to find our train. Our tickets said our train would be on track 12. The board said track 11. We arrived 25 minutes early, but it was already there, making us feel like hurrying. So we hustled to the train. There was no car "1" (first class) but a few cars had a "1" and a "2" on it, so we entered one of those. The first class seats were up a few steps, to be higher than those lowly second-classers. We settled into the near-empty car. After a few minutes, we (I mean me) started to wonder... are we really on the right train? How can it be so empty?

Chris and Xander went to check the route and came back saying that the stops listed didn't list Salzburg. They went all the way to the stop BEFORE Salzburg, but didn't include Salzburg. What? Chris went to ask. By the way, there are no people walking around checking your ticket as you get on the train. So, they only time they check your ticket is after the train is moving. Crazy.

Chris found someone and asked. He told Chris that we are, indeed, on the correct train. That it will stop in Freilassing (the last stop before Salzburg) and that we'll take the "AC5" bus into Salzburg. It will be clearly marked.

Xander waiting for the U-Bahn to stop (left). A lonely pigeon in the station (middle).
The many, many buttons on the train to lock the door, wash your hands, flush the toilet.... (right)

As the train pulled away, we began to wonder... is this due to the refugee immigrants? Freilassing is the last stop in Germany and Salzburg is the first stop in Austria. We asked the ticket-guy when he came by and he somewhat verified this (it was a stilted conversation).

On the SEV bus.

The train pulled into Freilassing and everyone got off. There weren't that many left on the train, as it was, but the few of us got off. We exited the station and somewhat followed those in front of us. As we left the platform, I saw people sorting bags and bags of food (bananas, bread, etc.) and racks of jackets and other clothes. I figured them to be donations that were being handed out to arriving immigrants.

We got onto the "SEV" train. And after thinking about it, "es-ay-fow" (in a German accent) could sound like "ay-cee-five" (to American ears) so we're pretty sure we're on the right bus. Just saying, there were really no directions for us. No one leading us, no one announcing anything, no signs, no one taking roll call. It just seemed like everyone knew where to go. And we're just hoping they don't ask for tickets as we don't have bus tickets.

First train station in Germany (top)
Looking in a van, (mid-left), long line of cars (middle)
BMW police (mid-right),
Group waiting on bridge (bottom)

I had looked on line (while still on the train) at the borders between Germany and Austria. The border follows the river (right down the middle of the river). I expected that we would cross a river and at that time, we'd be crossing into Austria. And so it was. Right in the middle of the bridge, you could see several police cars holding up traffic going the other direction (out of Austria and into Germany). Cars were lined up (and we'd see this for miles), waiting to cross the border. Right at the border, there were crowds of people on both sides of the bridge (on the pedestrian sidewalks), hanging out just waiting. I saw one van stopped, and the police were inspecting inside the back of the van. No commotions, just back-logged traffic moving very slowly.


This border-control and a few (I'm now profiling) immigrants at the very first train stop in Germany (going the other direction) are the only signs we've seen of anything, thus far, in terms of the refugees coming out of Syria. We would later hear more about the disruption of train schedules (one of Chris' coworkers decided to not return to Berlin via Salzburg, but instead, to do direct from Vienna, due to the disrupted train services). We are feeling lucky that we chose to fly out of Salzburg on our way back to Berlin, we should have no problems.

Going into Austria, there is no border control. You can just drive right in.

It definitely gave me pause to think about how we're staying in a high end hotel tonight, while those people we drove past are presumably sleeping on the bridge. Perhaps waiting to be let through. As the line to cross the border was miles long, we are passed by a Porsche. The border police are using regular (maybe old) police cars, while we arrive and see a BMW "unmarked" car. And as our visit in Salzburg will prove, Salzburg is a very opulent city (lots of high end shopping, very nice restaurants). HotelTonight has asked everyone to donate credits and/or money to help give hotel rooms to needy refugees. Chris does this, but it's hard to feel that it's enough. Definitely feeling the weight of the situation right now.

These are the thoughts in our minds as we reach the end of our bus ride. As we see a heavier police presence. As we watch a mother and two children escorted across the way (everyone seemed calm and everyone was "freely" walking, but they were definitely being escorted), wondering why. As we buy our tickets for our bus ride into town, after deciding to take the bus instead of a taxi.

We successfully take a bus to the stop near our hotel. Chris figures out the map and we head onto the main street and towards our final goal. Not only do our bags give us away, but I'm sure we look like "newbies" as we crane our necks soaking in our new home for the next few days. After Munich, which seemed to have a lot more modern buildings, Salzburg feels ancient. Back to the eroding building facades like Venice and Prague. Ancient street signs. I instantly like this city.

We check into our hotel. And let me say... holy crap! One of Chris' coworkers helped us get a room at this HotelTonight-partnered hotel. There is a fair going on this weekend (we'd later figure out it's a big deal with origins from the Church and St. Rupert... but it's just like of Oktoberfest with rides, food, and beer). Due to the Rupertkirtags fair, hotel rooms were limited, and we ended up in a very expensive suite for less than half the going price (which was still expensive by our standards).

Stairs up to our suite (left), At the door (middle-left), our loft (middle-right), the walkway IN our suite (right).

So, why do I say holy crap? Our suite is two floors, with a separate room for one kid, a loft for us upstairs, a large "living room" a sitting room and the bathroom separated into shower area, toilet area (with a sink), and another large sink area. We are on the top floor and have amazing views of the fortress and mountains. Holy crap. Of course, ironically, as much as we'd love to bathe in the luxuriousness of this room, we're hopefully not going to be in it much!

View from our room. Looking directly out the window (left) and looking a little left (right).

The lobby for the elevator.

After oogling just about everything in our suite, we got down to business of dinner. Everyone is very hungry as the kids' soup was eons ago and Chris and I mostly snacked. We decided to eat at M3, which is located at the top of the hill above our hotel. Lisa, at the checkin desk, couldn't get through to the restaurant, but is convinced they're open and we'd be fine to get a table. She directed us to the elevator to the top of the mountain (which smelled strongly of earth as you walk into the lobby). You can walk up to the top of the mountain, but it's dark and we all think it's best to take the elevator.

As we exit the elevator, we realise we have arrived at the top of the mountain at the most perfect time. Twilight. The sun has set, but it's not dark yet. There is a blue hue over the entire city. So beautiful. Hard to not fall in love with this city.

Panorama (distorted) of the city (top). The fortress atop an opposing hill (bottom-right).

Dinner was pretty good. We were too late to get a table right by the windows, but that's ok. Pretty soon it became dark and really, food was our main focus. After dinner, we were treated to another view of the city, this time with the sun completely set. Pretty awesome. FYI, if you ever do this, know that if you eat at the restaurant, you get tickets to take you back down the elevator. Dang it. We bought round trip tickets and could have just purchased single direction. Oops. 

Same photos as above, but hours later.

We are so ready for bed. It's been a full day.

I will leave you with the following photos (somewhat at Chris' expense)... as he did hit his head the next day (he ducked, but stood up too quickly) and after this, he stood to work on his computer (but this night, he looked silly on a short chair with a high counter).

Day 42: Oktoberfest

Venice is ready. Diana is ready. Xander is ready. The family is ready.

Third time's a charm. It took us three tries to get out of our hotel this morning. First time, after a family photo in the lobby, Venice and I decided to try the bathroom one last time. Second time, just out the door, Chris decided he needed a jacket, he was feeling cold. This time we all went back in. Xander added a shirt, I added a sweater. Third time, we walked down the block to the Bahn station and Xander decided he needed a jacket. So, he and I went back while Chris and Venice bought us Bahn tickets. This time, we were ready.

As we walk to the station and ride the U-Bahn, I am seeing that not everyone is wearing lederhosen or dirndls. Lots of people are wearing their work clothes and jeans... there are enough others "dressed up" that I don't feel out of place... but I am thinking, we totally could have worn our "normal comfy" clothes.

Just for the record (I am still feeling miffed), I KNEW where we were going. I had looked at the map, I used Google to plan a Bahn trip to the fairgrounds. I knew where to transfer. Well, we were on the train and at the stop before I wanted to transfer, a gentleman on the train said, "You want to get off here! For the fest." Another woman joined in and said, "Yes, get off! It's right there!" I said, "What about transferring at [insert name of next station]?" She replied, "But it will be a 2km walk. If you get off here, it's a very short walk." Now I'm confused and doubting myself. But it's too late anyway, the doors are closing. They tell us to get off and go back, we say we will. In my mind, I'm thinking, we can transfer at the next station as I had planned. But the gentleman gets off with us and explains to take the train back and go there. We decide, he's the local, he knows. So we do take the train back a stop and follow all the other people in their Oktoberfest outfits (or, as we've been told, what the Bavarians wear all the time...)

Front entrance (left). This year's poster (middle). Dang cute participants (right).

Ticket booth (top-left),
Rollercoaster (top-right)
The swings (bottom)

It was about a 4 block walk to the entrance of the fairgrounds. It did feel like "the entrance", marked with flags and everything. But, again, just for the record, after walking through to the other side of the fairgrounds, was the actual entrance of the Bahn station I had planned to take. So, we would not have had to walk AT ALL if we had done my original plan, thank you very much. Yes, we would go past that entrance and would have transferred trains, but we wouldn't have come out of the Bahn already inside the grounds. Argh. I just want everyone to know that I knew what I was doing! So there!

Today is Thursday. It is around noon. I can't say it was deserted at the Festwiese (Oktoberfest), but it wasn't crowded at all. There were no lines for any of the rides. In fact, many of them looked to be running almost empty. All the bratwurst, pretzel, nuts, candy... stands... no lines. We jumped onto a rollercoaster (it was super expensive, about €20 for the family). Then the kids did a swinging ride alone (more money, you can't buy an "all pass" only per/ride tickets, which add up over time).

But, with no lines, it was easy and calm. It was lovely to be the "only ones" there. Then... you walk into a tent... and there everyone is! Holy smokes! The amount of people in a single tent, the workers running around serving 10 one-litre beers at a time, or a giant platter of food, the security, the ooglers (like us). Wow. Just wow.

And crazy side note. We took some photos outside of Paulaner tent (see horses below) and it turns out, a family friend (Randy Coleman) was INSIDE that tent! Doh! If we had only known!

Paulaner Horses; The horse whisperer a.k.a. drunk man (top-left)
Venice trying to pet the now agitated horse (top-right)
Inside two different tents (middle and bottom)

We looked into two different tents and decided, as much fun as it looked, we are just not "those" kinds of people in this time of our lives (ok with squishing into a large table already crowded eating right next to drunk strangers). So, we opted for the Haufbrau outside area. There were several open tables, no problem. We got a large table all to ourselves. And no worries, they have speakers sharing the party noises from inside! So, when ever they sang "the song," we were able to participate in the debauchery.

Not only giant beers, but giant sodas too!

Our waitress came over and pointed to us and said, "One beer, one (couldn't understand, either wine or beer) a Fanta and a coke?" I replied, "Two beers, one Fanta and a Coke." ... she said, "I'm good!" and brought us our order. I get it on the beers, but how did she know about the sodas... she IS good. P.S. This is the first time we're confronted with a menu that is only in German, no English to help us out. We muddled our way through and, OMG, the food was so good! The potato dumplings were a bit gooey, but the crispy chicken was heavenly. We did a great job.

The beer might be stinky, but the food was yummy (you can see a chewy-potato dumpling).
Venice, trying to get warm (right).

After bringing us our drinks, we paid. Then we ordered food and when that came, we paid. So, money right away. Makes sense, then no one has to remember what they bought or run a ticket, etc. Everyone is "even" the entire meal. I also find it fascinating, that in so many situations (including this one) service people don't always use a calculator. They are, more often, doing the math in their heads and coming up with totals on the spot. So, children, learn your mental math!

So, the biggest downside to sitting outside, was the cold. Remember a few weeks ago how hot it was? Well, we're on the other side and we're frozen. Venice is shivering. My toes are frozen in my new shoes (no socks, nylons or tights). As good as the food and drinks were, we were ready to head back to the hotel for more layers of clothing (and private bathrooms, since we're there). Side note: The kids are always wondering what it's like to feel drunk. After a pint of beer, I told them, for me, I'm still cold, but I kind of just don't care.

We took the U-Bahn back (and an S-Bahn), almost the path I was thinking of taking on the way there (see, I do know what I'm doing!) We layered on the clothes. I took off my new cute shoes and opted for socks and sneakers (now I'm in red sneakers with my dirndl... somewhat standing out, somewhat fitting in with the younger crowd). Venice swapped shorts for pants. We also enjoyed some free coffee in the lobby. Bonus.

One of the nicest things about Festwiese is that admissions are free. So, you can spend as much as you want (oh my, we did spend a few hundred there on food and rides) or as little as you want. You can come and go as you please.

The Glockenspiel at the New Town Hall. It is not rounded, this distortion is due to the limitations of the panoramic.

So, after layering up (and changing out of my new shoes that I've been wearing "bare"... my feet are thanking me now), we decided to not go right back to Festwiese, but to see the Glockenspiel and other parts of town (we're on a hunt for surfers!) In all full outfits (albeit a little covered up with coats), we headed to the Glockenspiel. When we arrived, it was about 5 minutes after the hour, so we missed any show put on by the clock tower. Instead of waiting an hour, we decided to hunt for the surfers in the English Garden.

On our way to the English Gardens

Thanks to my (usually very good reading of directions) skills with Google, we took a very round-a-bout path to the English Gardens. Part of the problem was that we left our guide books at the hotel and were going off of memory of where to look for these surfers. At the river? Nope. At the tip of the English Gardens. So we were a bit off course.

The nice thing about taking the "wrong" path, is that you get treated to experiences you would have missed otherwise. And I'm convinced you enjoy your destination much more knowing how hard you worked to get there!

On our "wrong" path, we stumbled across a guitarist playing beautiful music. He was playing (amplified) acoustic guitar in a "dome" in the middle of a beautiful garden. The sound was so lovely. The kids tipped him at first. Then, Venice and I decided that this would be nice music to listen to when at home, and we wanted his CD. Chris, snark-ily, asked, "How are you going to get the music off the CD?" Doh... NONE of our computers have hard drives. So, we'll have to wait a few months to be able to rip the CD onto our computers. Sigh. Dang old technology. He should really be selling coupons to download off iTunes, right? But, we wanted it, so we bought his CD. I know I'll enjoy listening to it back home (in two months).

After a few more mishaps, we finally stumbled upon the surfers. We almost went another way, but Chris was drawn to the sound of rushing water, he investigated and, there we were! And wow, how cool?! The water rushes under the bridge, over the (manmade, we're assuming) specially made easement-bottom, creating a giant wave. There were several surfers suited up in wetsuits taking turns and entertaining us with their tricks and spills.

Xander the Tree Hugger (left), Surfing (middle and right)

We tried to make it back to the Glockenspiel in time for the next "hour". We hopped onto the bus, from right in front of the surfers, back to an U-Bahn station. From there, we took the U3 back to the Marienplatz, where the Glockenspiel is located. Well... the U6 to Marienplatz, puts you right in the middle of the square. Any exit you use takes you up to the square. The U3, unbeknownst to us, takes you about 1.5 blocks away from the square. And when you don't know where you are, and you pop up above ground and it's NOT where you thought you'd be... it can be quite disconcerting. We had 6 minutes to figure it out. Goole Maps. Begin walking. 5 minutes. Wrong direction. 4 minutes. Try again. 3 minutes to go.... and damn it, there's the chiming of the bells. But they echo in these alley ways and such... you can't always tell where they're coming from. We finally find the square, probably just about the time the bells stop ringing. But here's the thing. Our clocks all said we JUST made it in time. There were several clocks chiming and they all chimed EARLY. Dang it. Now we'll have to come back tomorrow.

Other clocks around the square.

To drown our sorrows, we headed back to Oktoberfest (now that we're experts in getting there).

Random photos. Heading back to Oktoberfest (top-left), Following signs for Festwiese (top-middle).
Venice, now with a jacket and her new owl cookie, these style of cookies are very popular (top-right).
The kids as chefs (bottom-left), Chris hugging "Kevin", Xander's new friend (bottom-middle)
Our new shoes and jackets (bottom-right)

Lowenbrau (for Keith!) and to show how different it all looks at night.

We ate more food. We did more rides (bumper cars and a giant ferris wheel, which made the youngest in our party somewhat nervous). We walked. We ate dessert (Zukerwatte - cotton candy - for Diana, chocolate covered strawberries for Venice, Nutella/Banana crepes for Chris, ice cream for Xander). We left.

Ferris Wheel

Home close to 10pm.

Over 21,000 steps for my day.

5 bisters. Damn the new shoes.

Day 41: Travel to Munich

Feeling a little better this morning. So, over the hump. Even walked with Chris this morning.

Xander Skyped with Poppi this morning, talking about activities and weather. Skyping is fun!

Time for laundry and packing. By the way, I've figured out how to start the laundry so it will wash and then dry. However, this is almost a 3 hour commitment (unless you pick express wash) and the clothes STILL aren't dry when I go to take them out. So I always add 30 min of drying time afterwards (I don't know how to do this when programming the wash+dry cycle) and then I still hang dry a little. So, each load takes about 3.5 hours plus the hang drying. And it's a smaller unit, so small loads. Seems like a lot of energy spent, both electronic and mine.

Venice's hair is just as pretty as it was last night. But now we get to see it in the sunlight. So striking!

We decided to have our favourite burritos for lunch today. We ordered one for Chris as well, since he was coming home early from work to pack and get ready to leave. And, yep, they got our order wrong again! We keep trying. The food is so good. But we never get exactly what we order. Sometimes with guacamole, sometimes not. Sometimes with salsa, sometimes not.

The best parts of lunch, today, is that we got to eat with Chris AND he brought a care package sent by Granny and Jiichan! It was like I was in college all over again! Slightly different things in there (e.g. baking powder and cornstarch) but "happy making" all the same. The kids were excited for the peanut flavoured candy (everything is Nutella flavoured, or hazelnut, but rarely peanut) and American dollars! We are good to go for some yummy cookies and baking! P.S. Venice has read the funnies (about 4 or 5 Sunday's worth?) all the way through and plans to read the several times more. Vielen Dank!

Admiring her hair (I catch myself staring too)

Taxi time. Airport time. And our first traffic experience! Perhaps it always happens at rush hour, but it was our first time in a real traffic jam (another reminder that living without a car has been FANTASTIC). Our taxi waited 2-3 times for one light. The last time, we were first in line at the traffic light, but we couldn't go because a 30 ft truck-bed was blocking the intersection. Our taxi driver called these drivers, "undisciplined," as they shouldn't have gone knowing the traffic wouldn't allow them to completely cross the intersection. But, our taxi driver, also undisciplined? He went around the truck bed, at the end of our light... maybe slightly running the red, but what to do? We had already waited a few lights and it seems like we'd never get to cross!

We decided to see if there was an added cost to checking bags. Good thing we did! You are only allowed one carry on (we had four backpacks and three small-roller bags). And they are included in our flight fee. We haven't had to pay for checked bags yet. Maybe this is just an American thing? Anyway, off to sail through security.

After a slightly bumpy flight, we arrived in Munich. I think it was around 8:30? One of Chris' coworkers arranged for a taxi for us, saying that this time of night, during Oktoberfest, it can be hard to find a taxi. Well, what a nice ride! It was a large Mercedes with facing seats in the back. So all four of us could sit together. The kids said it felt like a limo, with free water too. And by free, I mean, including in our €100-30 min ride.

It was dark, so our first introduction to Munich was in the dark, looking out the windows and moonroof. There were lots of long tunnels, lots of neon lights, and, it seems, lots of modern buildings. After being in Berlin and Prague, this felt a big like Vegas to me.

One of the VERY long tunnels we drove through.

The taxi dropped us off at our... hotel? Whoops, wrong door (but associated with our hotel?) Weird. We just had to go a few doors up and we were there. At this hotel, we have two rooms with adjoining rooms (but whoops, they forgot to unlock the doors between the rooms, so we got that fixed... along with one of the keys, which didn't work).

Interesting note, I guess some hotels in America do this, but here, it's very common for the key to also activate your electricity. Did I mention this already? I'm starting to forget what I've already written about. Anyway, you put your key in a "slot" by the door. This allows your air conditioning and lights to work. It's confusing, though, as habit has us looking for our room key all the time... oh yeah, it's in the "slot"! Or, if you walk out of the room without it... you're in trouble! Or, if it's warm, you can't have the air conditioner cooling your room while you're out. And even thought it's cool outside right now, I seem to be hot. Chris says to just drink water (perhaps I am a little dehydrated...)

Even our hotel feels "glitzy"

After settling in (and eating a few granola bars) the kids settled in for bed. We settled into our room. Side note: We have bidets again! However, unlike the Italian hotel that had towels right by the bidet, this one does not. There is an extra towel, but it's right next to the hand towel for hand washing. Um, please don't mix those up!