Munching Pizza In München.

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After two mind numbing flights, first leg Auckland to Singapore (10 hours 30 minutes) then after a four hour stopover, then the second leg from Singapore to Munich (13 hours) arriving here at 5:25am this morning.

There were long delays getting through immigration, well over an hour and probably closer to an hour and a half, and once I was through I decided I was too brain dead to even consider trying to work out how to catch the train into the city where my hotel is, with two suitcases, one of which is rather heavy so taxi it was. It was an expensive way of doing it but one has to help keep the economy going. I was surprised to find the day was very overcast, after having read of the heat waves in Europe last week, and as the taxi was leaving the airport grounds there was light rain briefly.

Fortunately I was able to check into my hotel room immediately and by 8:15AM, despite my usual principles of what not to do on arriving in another country, I flopped on the bed and had a wee power nap for an hour. It was also a first for me to discover that I had hideous fat swollen ankles despite wearing compression socks. My niece commented that it was in the family genes (it happens to her on a regular basis apparently) but obviously it has taken a while to affect me.

Having never been to Munich before, and once i was rejuvenated by the power nap I set off to explore whatever was in the vicinity of the hotel within a reasonable walking distance. First impression was of a busy city with lots of cyclists, trams, and trees. I walked as far as the Bavaria Statue and Ruhmeshalle (Hall of Fame) which is a good 30m above the Theresienwiese, the asphalt field where the Oktoberfest is held. Apparently you can climb the 126 steps through this colossal dame’s bronze body to the tiny viewing room inside her head where you can get great views which are particularly stunning when the Oktoberfest is in full swing. However today I did not have the energy to climb 126 steps and also they are just beginning to construct the site in preparation for the Oktoberfest.

Walking back to the hotel I again came to an outdoor restaurant that I had noticed on the outward journey, it actually reminded me more of Italy with the red check table cloths and this is where the pizza came into play. A lovely vegetarian pizza and a nice cold glass of beer, which was well earned having worked up a thirst with walking.

Once back at the hotel and having inhaled a decent cup of coffee in the lounge area I thought I better set some plans in place and book a few tours to see things while I am here. I saw that they could be booked through the hotel reception which they were only too happy to do except they had to be paid for in cash which meant that I had to take another walk back to a small shopping mall where the closest ATM is and withdraw some cash.

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Comments

[Frances]

Hello
Loved the photos and the blog. Thank goodness that you have a few more days in Munich to rest and relax.You are lucky that it wasn't hot as your legs would have swelled up even more.!!! Take care