Tuesday, July 10, 2007--Frankfurt to Rothenburg to Munich--Day 2

This morning we had breakfast at the hotel, then we boarded the bus for a five-hour ride to Munich. Our first stop along the way was the beautifully preserved medieval city of Rothenburg. We spent a couple of hours wandering through cobbled streets, checking out overpriced shops, and walking on top of part of the ancient stone wall surrounding the city. We marveled at the steepness of the tiled roofs, wondering who on earth does the repairs, and what their ladders must look like. The homes, hotels, and shops are very old but well kept, and nearly every window has a box full of vivid flowers beneath it, plus there are lush, small gardens instead of grassy yards. It’s very charming. We were supposed to have lunch in Rothenburg, but we were still full from breakfast, so we sat in an outside café and had coffee. Everything here is very expensive. The coffee was 3 Euro each, almost $5, with no refills. We then stopped at a bakery and got a big, soft pretzel to take on the bus for later.


We were supposed to go on to Munich, but Erich (who we now know is Austrian, not German—he talks like Ahnold) wanted us to visit another old, walled city on the way, Dinkelsbuhl. It was pretty much a waste of time, as it was nearly identical to Rothenburg, and a big storm was coming. It’s been raining on and off since we arrived, with patches of sun between the clouds and rain. The only fun thing about this stop was four cute, frisky dogs frolicking in a field on the way back to the bus. One, a more mature dog, tolerated our petting and cooing.


Two hours later, we finally arrived in Munich. We had a nice dinner at the hotel, then we set out in the pouring rain for the “happening” part of town, the Hofbrauhaus, a huge old beer garden (translation: tourist trap) that every tourist is mandated to visit. On the way, we stopped at a luggage shop and bought a big wheeled duffel for the four of us to share to carry our souvenirs. Lisa and Bob have an entire office to buy for, as well as their two kids. Originally, we had been told that we could only bring one suitcase each, but because the bus wasn’t full, Erich allowed us to share an extra bag for an additional $3 a day porterage fee—a bargain in our opinion. So Lisa stoically dragged the new cammo duffel through more cobbled streets – still in a major downpour -- to the Hard Rock Café, where she stopped to get Kyle a t-shirt. Across the street was the Hofbrauhaus, so of course we had to stop and have a beer (which is served only in liters--dang!) and hear the oompah band while we absorbed the local color and other tourists. As touristy as the place is, probably at least half of the hundreds of people sitting at huge picnic tables were local residents and college students. It was a lot of fun in a rowdy, clichéd way.

We’re now back at the hotel, ready to crash and rest up for another day of go, go, go tomorrow. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!

Observation: Germans, especially the folks in Munich, travel everywhere in the city by bicycle. Munich is extremely bike friendly, with an awesome network of bike lanes. We were told that when a student graduates from high school and enters either university or the work world, he/she is given not a car, as many are in the United States, but a good, sturdy bicycle. These aren’t multi-gear, super spiffy bikes, either. They are substantial means of transportation that require effort, which is why one does not see many hefty youths and young adults here. Each bike is equipped with a bell, a necessary item to attract the attention of the many uninformed tourists (like us) who stroll unaware in the bike lanes throughout the city. Hey, they looked like sidewalks to us. Who knew?

Note: With all the rich food and drink we consumed, I was very worried that more pounds would be packed on my already substantial bod, but I guess all the walking helped to counterbalance the food/drink consumption. The scale did not become my enemy when we returned home. Whew!! Not that I don’t have much hard work ahead, but at least it’s not any more daunting than before the trip.