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On Sunday evening we arrived in Munich – about 10:00. When we stepped off the train, Alex was there to greet us, so finding our way out of the immense train station and through the crowds of OktoberFest fans was not a problem. A ten minute drive brought us to the Benz apartment where Judi and Amanda were still awake to greet us. With school in the morning, Amanda was sent to bed and the rest of us talked until after midnight.

Bright and early (5:30 a.m.) everyone is up and the girls get ready to head off to school by 7:20. Then, on the first day, Sandy and I spent the day with Judi, until it was time to go meet Amanda at her school – 12:20. Then, we walked to a Greek restaurant where the 4 of us had a big “full course” meal. After lunch we strolled about a block away to meet Alyssa who was just getting out of school at 2:45. Her school is right next to the old Imperial Palace and grounds in Munich. (It’s a beautiful sight, and over the week we have wandered through these parks, as well as the botanical gardens next door.)

Our Munich visit has been well-planned, and on Tuesday, more Canadian guests arrived, so Alex and Judi have had their hands full. However, we have made full use of the tram and bus systems which are very efficient. After Linda and Tammy – the new guests from Nanaimo had had a chance to catch up on a few hours sleep, we headed downtown to the grounds for the OktoberFest.

The crowds were huge…with about a third of the folks wearing traditional costumes of dirndls and lederhosen. We all held onto each other to keep from getting separated. The goal was to see as much as possible, and to eat! (Okay, that was my goal…I have no idea what anyone else in our group was there for. However, it was very obvious why a large sector of the crowd was there – for the beer!)

Amanda, the six-year old, and Alyssa (10) went on a ride or two, while the rest of us spectated, and ate. Therefore, I got what I wanted. We fought our way out of the crowds, and back to the public transportation and home. It was a long day for us, but for Tammy and Linda, it was about the end of their resources!

On Wednesday, we all wandered through some local leased garden plots, and then through the amazing Botanical Gardens – both within short walks from the Benz residence. The weather was perfect, the leaves changing colours, and since Wednesday was a national statutory holiday celebrating the fall of the Berlin wall and “Unification Day”, loads of people were doing the same as us. The Gardens border onto the old palace grounds, so we continued our walk through the forests of the palace park, and finished the afternoon off with gelato ice cream.

On Thursday morning Alex drove Linda and Tammy to the airport where they were continuing their journey to Italy. Then, because the 2 little girls were in school for the day, the four of us wandered through the downtown, the shops and markets. München is a very impressive place, and we couldn’t have finer friends to show us around their beautiful home city.

In the afternoon, after the girls were out of school, we had a late lunch at an Italian restaurant, then wandered over to a museum of natural history that is in the Palace. This contained rooms and rooms of displays of the historical overview of the planet which covers astronomy, geology, and biology. There were loads of interactive displays, and it was quite disconcerting to watch a six-year old manipulate dials and buttons when I couldn’t even read the instructions on how to begin.

Alas, our time in München was finished, and it was time to move to the final chapter of our voyage – Paris. With only 6 days left,, we will have to filter our activities carefully, as the “City of Light” will be overwhelming, I am sure!

As always, love and best wishes to all, and a special Happy Birthday to a special lady – Eileen, as she celebrates her 90th birthday tomorrow