Wednesday, Apr 8: The Long Haul

On Wednesday we woke up early to drive 8 hours to Munich. There is nothing like the feeling of overlooking all of the Umbrian countryside with your heart pounding after hauling 50 pound suitcases up 42 steps. Or the fear of meeting traffic head-on in a one lane street. Or the excitement of weaving in between semis on the Autostrada. But I don't want to bore you with the details.

We arrived in Munich around 4, found parking, checked into the hotel and strolled to the main plaza. The small Asamkirche was near our hotel, and so busy with gold statues and paintings that it almost made my head hurt.


We were tired from the drive, the weather was gray, the sidewalks were overcrowded but a bag of juicy strawberries cheered us up. It was wonderful to have fruit! We walked to St. Michael's Church, one that they hadn't seen on the last trip. It was amazing to see the photos of the church after it was bombed out in WWII. Only a few walls remained. It was also amazing to see how it was completely rebuilt. Several of the churches in Munich had photos of the destruction from the war. Does anyone know where they got the money to rebuild?

We supped at a restaurant that served Andechs beer to see if we should make the trip to the monastery. It got a thumbs up. Deb and Todd ordered a scrumptious Schweinebraten, roast suckling pork. Allen and I ordered the cheap "meatloaf." That got a thumbs down.

The day was completed with a trip to the Augustiner Bierhalle. It had been a whole day since we ate gelato, so Deb tried the ice cream. Just regular ice cream. :-( I had a tasty apfel strudel while the men swigged beers.