Europe Day 49 of 59, Bonn to Munich

Today was our last day visiting with family, as we had an afternoon flight to Munich. The day began simple enough, with french toast and a little Wii. Then came time for a killer game of Sorry!

Amanda visits with her camera as Gillian and Charlie attempt to defeat Uncle Jeff at Sorry!

It is not difficult to get silly pictures of the kids.

Not difficult at all.

Not too difficult to get silly pictures of adults, either.

Barbie took my place in the Sorry! game so that I could get some more pics. (For the record, Charlie won with Gillian and Jeff/Barbie both having one pawn one step from home. It was, in Barbie's words, "The closest Sorry! game EVER."

Nicely brushed Amanda hair can be found THERE.

After many hugs and kisses, and lots of waving good bye, we headed to the Bonn airport.

I took this picture with one idea in mind.

Flipping it horizontally to magically make the sign readable. Magic!

Franky during our Subway lunch at the airport.

This Nestea cost me €3.30. I love the way this tea tastes, but that is $4.67. How do you say in German, "You're killing me Larry!"

Our ride to Munich, or München to the Germans. München is derived from the Old German word Mönche, which means Monks. This is because monks of the Benedictine order founded the city. So, really, the English should have translated München as Monks, not Munich.

No idea why the blog turned this jetway pic on its side. I took it because I thought all the orange light was trippy. Now it's ultra-trippy, as if the blog knew the purpose of the pic.

The word you cannot see is Air, as in Air Berlin.

The first view of Munich.

Outside Munich airport, one is greeted by a series of flags with M on them.

The Munich highway has what appears to be a high tech way to prevent noise pollution.

We got to our hotel, the Mandarin Oriental, and Franky quickly took up residence on the bed.

Barbie shows off the desk area by the bathroom door.

The TV is on the wall next to the mirror, not in the mirror. This is a flaw in human nature. Normally, a TV viewable from the tub would get praise from me. But after the Powerscourt TV-in-the-mirror trick, well, standards are higher.

The view from our room. Talk about a beautiful sky. Also, one should not that the building in the foreground is the Hofbräuhaus, "arguably the most famous beer hall worldwide." We're hoping that a Monday evening Hofbräuhaus visit will mean it will be less of a zoo.

In the drawer next to the bed, one finds The Teaching of Buddha. A tell-tale sign you are in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

One of the "highlights" of this hotel, besides being directly next to the Hofbräuhaus, is a rooftop terrace and pool. Shall we check it out?

The view from the terrace.

The southwest view, towards the city's center.

That would be the rooftop pool.

The view east, with a handy-dandy sign to show you what you are looking at.

I tried to kick off the sandals to prop up the feet, but there was nowhere to sit where my shorts would not get wet. It will have to wait until we return in our bathing suits.

You cannot really see it, but that is Allianz Arena. Both of Munich's football clubs use this stadium, because it is awesome. How awesome?

(Wikipedia pic.) This building lights up red when Bayern Munich play, blue when 1860 Munich play, and white when in use by the German National Team. There. Awesomeness proven.

Barbie waves from the pool steps.

Buddha and Barbbha. The sun itself decided to add to the pic's mystical properties.

It was time for dinner, and we walked outside to see what the city had to offer.

Hofbräuhaus is for tomorrow, but what is that place across the walkway?

You're kidding. But before we eat, let us walk five minutes to the city center, as the light is about to be perfect. We walked over to the Marienplatz, which features the town hall with its famous Glockenspiel.

Town Hall, with the Glockenspiel that you really cannot see in front. The Glockenspiel, for those not in the know, is not a xylophone but a moving diorama that recreates the tournaments that were held in this city square during the Middle Ages. I promise closer pics in the future.

At the top of this obelisk is a statue of Mary, which is where Marienplatz gets its name. Marienplatz means, simply, Mary's Square.

Look at one can find next to the Marienplatz. Honestly, I had been looking for an Apple Store the entire trip. I wanted a European plug for the iPhone and none of the cellular stores had it. Well, now we have only 10 days to go... no need anymore.

The dinner bell is ringing.

There is a whole lot of pig meat on that plate.

Time for CNN International for bedtime. We moved the furniture around so that the TV is directly in front of us. Bad for the neck, otherwise. There's a travel tip for you. Adjust hotel furniture when necessary. No reason to be shy, is there?