A woman's beer

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We flew from Barnaul to Moscow and then onto Munich Germany, which was a bit of a homecoming for me. I lived in Munich while my dad was stationed there from 1990-1992. I was 12 and 13 years old and then in nearby Augsburg for another 4 years. It was comforting that our first destination was a friendly place and not only that, we had a hotel reservation. Life couldn't, and probably wouldn't be much more stable.

Radler - The first night in Munich I introduced Maria to a drink I knew she'd love, which was a Radler. It's a mix of good German light beer mixed with a sprite like lemon/orange flavor, but with out the soda texture. On the books, men call it a woman's drink, off the books we like it too, kinda like riding mopeds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shandy#Radler

Mike's Bike's - Given only one day in Munich I highly recommend renting a bike for the day and touring the city. There is a different mindset in Germany when it comes to their carbon free transportation. There are roads for bikes, sidewalks for pedestrians, and somewhere in between you'll find a path for bikes often times with their very own stop lights. Bikes are everywhere, to the point there'd be little traffic jams on corners, or ˝Staus˝, as they are called in German. www.mikesbiketours.com

Swimming Pools - Across Munich are many public swimming pools, and I use that term loosely as they are more like areas of parks, sunbathing sections, and swimming pools. Usually there is a whirlpool section where in a 15 meter diameter they'll have jets of water pushing everyone along. I remember these from when I was a kid and still think they're great fun. Someone else's take on the whirl pool thing: http://vexingviking.blogspot.com/2007/07/day-twenty-five.html

Englischer Gardens - Two memorable things happened here: 1.) I introduced Maria into the second German Drink I knew she'd love, Spezi, or sometimes known as Cola mix, which is a blend of cola and orange soda. 2.) At one point we were pleasantly riding through the Englischer Gardens and then, whoa! A herd of naked people, I mean totally stark naked. I should have taken notice of the FKK sign beforehand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spezi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FKK



Little Gardens - In Europe housing is typically denser than say the US and doesn't allow for much room for gardening. But Germans still love their gardening, so many will have an apartment and then somewhere on the outskirts they'll have a small plot of land, sometimes with a little hut and some of the best private gardens I've ever scene. Too bad it's not an Olympic sport.

Socks - About my feet with a little dosage of TMI (Too Much Information) and a stinky sock...or two - Sorry to get personal here, but Maria wanted to see me humbled (maybe it's because I have teased her about her ballroom shoes). I will leave the details out, but I needed to make an emergency sock change out of all my socks and take a little trip to store for some foot cream. I thought this might happen, but didn't exactly expect it the first day. Its mostly all better now, but this is what happens when you walk - a lot.

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Photos

Mikes Bike Tour
This is the best way to see Munich.