Day 10 Breakfast in Venice - Lunch in Austria - Dinner in Munich - sleep in Nuremberg

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On the way the first stop is Munich which is the vibrant capital of Germany’s Bavaria region. It’s the largest city in Bavaria; the third largest city in Germany. While Munich is most well known for being home to Oktoberfest, the city has a long, storied past filled with fascinating history.

Apparently we took the scenic route through the base of the Dolomites. I didn’t see much as I slept most if the way! Although we are still in Italy, it feels more Austrian due to the scenery & houses! We are now about to stop for a comfort break…. And it’s not an Autogrill! We are at a small local town hotel/cafe called Al Brente in Levico Terme. It is in beautiful surroundings, so much more personable, and so cheaper in comparison to the Autogrill stops.

We have just entered the Sud Terrain region, driving alongside the Fiume Isarco. again, it’s all so beautiful! I can view it all so well, but sadly, the railings get in the way for you to appreciate it!

We are about half way to Munich, roughly 100 miles to go! But we do have a lunch stop in Austria first! It’s now 11:45, we are heading up past Bressanone on our right.
At 12:20 we enter Austria, accompanied by Jamie playing The Sound of Music! We are stopping for lunch whilst in Austria.

Oh no! It’s another Autogrill, but I can’t complain, they have served us well over this tour! I must say though? This one was in an amazing setting! It is located just off Raststation Matrei West…. What a beautiful place. Most of the group sat on the balconies my at the back of the building, taking in the amazing scenery, not a motorway!

It’s now 3:30, we have arrived in Munich. In German it is called München, which actually stands for “Home of the Monks.” It’s a whole new vibe. Just looking at the buildings, roads and shops, you can feel it’s different again!

We are heading into the centre for a look around. We start by going through a very grand arch into the main shopping area. There are a mixture of new, and old buildings. Many shops, of which I recognise from home, and some that I don’t. I’m just window shopping at this stage, there’s nothing I need, or want to buy.

We pass by the Augustiner Beer House; Jamie points it out as we are eating there later. We continue to Marienplatz. The centerpiece of this grand square is the majestic city hall, named We will be coming back into the square because the Glockenspiel is due to sound off at 5pm. It completes its own performance for 12 minutes, motorised figures dance, joust, and twirl around the inside of the tower.

The group continued the walk onto another shopping that sells mainly tourist, trinket type stuff. But first, before shopping, the group visited The Hofbrauhaus for a beer. I did go in for a nosey, but didn’t participate today. I sat in he cool breeze outside Hard Rock Cafe and had a Sprite!
After they’d had the beer, we headed on back to watch the clock chime at 5pm. It all worked, just as described, really nice to watch, and kept the crowds entertained for 12 minutes!
As it was so hot, I went into St Michaels Church to have a nosey, and cool down; it was a very unexpected surprising find. From
The outside it is quite an unassuming building, yet it was beautiful inside!!

Time had passed; it was time to meet at the Augustiner Beer House for dinner. The most striking thing inside was the huge light fitting with the dancers all around it, similar to the clock. There were many other big wooden ornamentation and deer antlers, which all added to the originality of the place. We all got served our food and a small beer very quickly. I had the vegetarian option which I throughly enjoyed. I would say best meal I’ve had do far. It was a treat to get proper vegetables!
Straight after dinner we head back to the coach for our final part of todays travel. At 7:30 we set off for our next overnight stop. Tonight’s overnight stop is Nuremberg - a deeply historic German city that was largely rebuilt after WWII. It’s about 2 hours until we arrive. It’s now 20:55….. and I’ve just woken up … again. I think it’s all starting to catch up with me!

We are nearly at Nuremberg. I didn’t take any photos on the last part of the journey due to obvious snoozing! But the sky is lovely tonight over Germany!

So we’re all settled into the Leonardo Hotel for one night. We’ve got a little sleep in tomorrow, up at seven for breakfast

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