Leaving So Soon?

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Because of the Mardi Gras holiday and the ensuing brouhaha it had caused with our winter tire rental, we needed to get up early in the morning to meet with Annette Wagner, a representative of ED Winter Tires. She and her husband would be taking our car to their tire facility so that the original all-season tires could be put back on the car when they re-opened for business on Wednesday. One of them would drive our car while the other took the four of us and all our luggage to the airport. In a way, this was almost better than trying to cram all our newly purchased stuff and extra bag into the tiny BMW trunk. Annette could take us right up to the entrance of the airport. We wouldn't need to allow extra time to find the exact location of the drop-off company nor would we have to deal with the possible delay doing paperwork there.

All of us were up by 6:30 and downstairs for breakfast a little after 7:00. If I was impressed by the rooms. I was overwhelmed by the breakfast room. The previous places we stayed at were more than generous with their Fruhstuck offerings, but this little place served a menu to rival a major chain hotel. I never saw so many choices of tea and cold cuts. The whole time I was eating I was thinking this will be the first and last time we'll stay here. Surely this newly refurbished guesthouse will raise their rates after the glowing review I gave them on Booking.com. And well deserved it was.

www.Tripbase.com

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Photos

A Very Different View from this Hotel Room Window
Outside our room window there was a garden which looked like a wonderful place to sit and sip beers on a Summer night. Just behind our property was a playground and soccer field.

Up on the Third Floor Again
Even though it was a pain hauling all our gear up and down two flights of steps, it was worth it when it came to be bedtime. Each of the places we stayed at had no issues with noise, other than my own coughing and hacking. In Europe very few buildings have actual closets. They usually have an armoire like this unstained one for storing clothing.

A Great Way to Start the Day
This would be the first of many small meals throughout the course of the day. Actually, breakfast would be the most substantial meal of the day as the food on the airplane was basically a series of appetizers.

An Incredible Variety of Choices
The breakfast room in the Sempt Garni was fairly roomy, with maybe 12-15 tables, but this morning it was only ourselves and one other couple. I felt compelled to eat everything lest it all go to waste. Somehow I limited myself to one slice of each type of meat, 2 pieces of cheese, a tomato, fresh butter and a couple of rolls.

I Couldn't Squeeze Everything into One Picture Frame
Gail worked this half of the breakfast bar grabbing a yogurt, some fruit and cereal. We washed down our breakfasts with coffee, tea and juices. Just as we were finishing our second round at the table, we saw Annette and her husband arrive.

Everything Works Out Just Fine
I was more than just a little nervous about our arrangement with ED Winter Tires and Annette. There was the fear that they wouldn't show up on time, that we couldn't fit our stuff in their vehicle, the lack of gas in our new car, and some bit of paperwork we didn't have or couldn't have Annette pass on for us because we had to be present. But she immediately put our minds to rest. She was extremely friendly, helpful, understanding and most importantly, knowledgeable. Her husband, Hiro, seemed to relish the thought of driving our car back to the tire shop and seemed to be an easy-going, decent guy. He helped me load all our bags into Annette's station wagon then drove off with a big smile in our BMW. The ride with Annette to the airport was pretty interesting as she told us about her many years living abroad in California and Japan (where she met her husband). Like our son, she is a computer programmer, and spent many years working for Hewlett-Packard. She answered a number of questions that had been bugging me during our short trip. Most importantly, I learned that there is no right turn on red rule in Germany. No wonder the guy behind me yesterday started beeping his horn.

Look Who Was in the Men's Room with Me
Travelling at this time of the year has its pluses and minuses. All trip long I felt as though the whole country was deserted. Store hours seemed very limited. The weather was a constant concern. But on the plus side was the absolute quiet at our hotels and in restaurants. The Germans seemed even nicer than usual and less reluctant to speak English. Best of all, going through airport security involved no waiting in lines. The negative side of that was that the security people were more prone to pay attention. Going through Munich security I was stopped, scanned and searched. When that was over, I looked over to see how Gail was faring, they were taking my little bottle of chocolate liquor from Innsbruck out of her carry-on bag and throwing it away. We had forgotten to put it in our checked bags. My mother suffered a worse fate: all her mustards from Handlmaier's were in her carry-on and ended in the trash. It just gives us another reason to come back. From there we headed to our gate by way of the toilets. Standing in the men's room was the Bayern Munchen mascot. I didn't pay enough attention to relate whether he stood at a urinal or just pee'd on the wall.

Final Detail Before Flying Home
Before making a few minor purchases in the Duty Free shop, we had to get our tax refund for the Swarovski's jewelry. Even though the rules for getting this refund point out that you must be carrying the refunded items, we have never been asked to actually show them. The very bored clerk just stamped the paperwork and paid us in Euros. We used that cash to buy some Sheridan's Irish Creme booze and Toblerone candy.

Final Boarding Call
I'm not sure whether it was because of my happy pill or just good luck, but our way home went with hardly a snag, except for the confiscation episode. After shopping in the big Duty Free shop we arrived at our departure gate with plenty of time to spare. Unlike some of our previous departures from Munich, there wasn't a second security screening at the gate. We boarded our plane on time and left in fine weather. Shortly after take-off the flight attendant tapped me on my shoulder and asked me if I wanted to grab a couple of empty seats in the middle of the plane. That gave my mother and myself plenty of space to stretch out. I watched 3 movies and a handful of terrible TV comedies before we arrived back in Philadelphia. No problems at the airport other than long lines at immigration. Our bags were waiting for us when we were done. After getting Gail's mother to her gate for her return flight, we grabbed a shuttle back to the parking lot, paid for the parking, and were home by 8:00pm. Since then I've been checking my computer everyday to see the progress of our new car on its way to the US.