Nadege had to leave early this morning for a two-day retreat with her law firm. Patti went to the market this morning and bought some bread and muesli, and after breakfast and coffee, and caring for Henri, we put him in the stroller and the four of us set out to walk around Munich. Bev and I had been here for a day or two in 1993, but don't remember much about it other than Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel. Seth was the consummate tour guide, as we walked along the walking trails of the Isar River that runs through the city. He explained to us that the city had done a lot of landscaping of the river, designed to not only slow the river down, but to enhance the beauty and provide a place for leisure, including sun bathing and reading. Some of the sunbathing is topless, some even naked, so at least for Americans, this area is also good for people-watching!
We walked for about 45 minutes, and arrived at a biergarten owned by the Hofbrauhaus and had lunch and, of course, a beer in the beautifully shaded area out doors. Sitting there looking around at the locals enjoying the biergarten was like watching a Rick Steves show on Bavaria! We then walked on to the English Gardens and came upon people surfing in the river. The surfers took turns as they one-by-one jumped into the water from the paved edge of the river and surfed for maybe 15-20 seconds, then dove into the water, or fell, and floated downstream about 50 meters where they got out, retrieved their surfboards, and went back upstream to start all over again. The video captures this entertainment.
We walked through the center of Munich, including through the Marienplatz, on to the open market and eventually back to the apartment. When we got back, Seth estimated we had walked about 10 kilometers, which would be about 6 ½ miles! Our “dogs were barking” and it felt good to put our feet up and rest for an hour or so. Seth had made dinner reservations at a neighborhood restaurant for the four of us. Henri was perfect, sleeping through the entire dinner in his stroller next to our table. As he had done at lunch, Seth interpreted the German menu, as English menus were not available, and Bev and I both ordered weiner schnitzel with potato salad and cranberry sauce. I also ordered a bowl of white asparagus crème soup that was to die for! By the time we got home, we were bushed! Seth and I had stayed up late last night, catching up on mutual friends from Madison and discussing German and American politics. But tonight, there would be none of that. He and I were as tired as Patti and Bev, and Seth was playing the role of single-parent with Henri while Nadege was out of town. Tomorrow Bev and I would catch a bus shortly after 8:30 at the bus stop across the street from the apartment, so we gathered our things and made our way to bed on this, our last night in Germany.
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