Saturday and as we don’t need to catch the bus until 1 o’clock in Helibonn there is no rush.  Erica is coming with us.  It’s about 300k to Munich and takes close to 5 hours in the bus as we had a few stops along the way including Stuggart airport.  We arrive at the bus station about 6pm and head over to the rail system to catch the underground into the city centre and then on to another line out to our hotel which is a five minute walk from the station.  It is a bit on the cooler side and out comes the brolly for the bit of rain that is around.  We had left a lovely warm day behind in Lauffen.  We check in, dump our bags and head back into the city centre to meet Sabrina and head for a 6th floor restaurant called the Glockenspiel. Same as the Glockenspiel in Stratford.  The restaurant is named after the Glockenspiel on the Town Hall which we will come across a few times while we are in the city.  Margaret has a Risoto and me a schnitzel which we both enjoyed before heading back to the hotel.

Sunday – A nice big breakfast at the hotel and we are back on the underground to the central station where we purchase a 24 hour ticket for the hip on hop off bus.  Not the big red one this time but their opposition.  We had a live voice talking in German and English but not always the easiest to hear or understand.  We are on the extended loop and head out to the Olympic park. Low and behold just across the road is the BMW museum which we head over to explore.  I learn that BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke, or for you non German speakers Bavarian Motor Works.  Begining life making aircraft engines before some of the staff got interested in Motorbikes in around 1917.  They now own brands such as Mini, Rolls Royce and Rover.  Another very interesting journey through the last century.

Back on the bus and back into the city to catch a train out to the airport.  Sabrina was finishing work at the Hilton Hotel at 4:30 and was going to show us around her kitchen.  A huge operation it was over two floors.  There was a section we couldn’t go into because of security where they made meals for special clients on private aircraft.  Hush hush.  Back into the city where it was starting to get dark.  We headed to an old traditional Barverian Restaurant which had been going since the 1700’s called Augustine,  Huge place, fantastic architecture, great beer, good meal.  I had a steak something or other.

Monday – Up a bit earlier as we wanted to get on the bus before our 24 hours had expired.  Sabrina had Monday off and was spending the day with us.  She met us for breakfast at the hotel.  We did the City tour this time.  It was a much better trip, you could actually hear and understand the tour guide.  Also got a much better appreciation of the city.  We did the full loop then headed to the market for a look around and a beer before heading back out to the English Garden and the Chineese Tower.  The park is apparently bigger then Central Park in New York.  The park was quite impressive really and as it was a hot day there were hundreds of people out and about.  We had lunch by the tower and a litre handle of beer.  We then hailed a couple of bike rickshaw thingies to take us to see some surfers we had seen from our bus tour.  It was a small river which went through the park and somehow it was producing this wave across it.  People were surfing backwards and forwards across it.  One at a time as soon as that person fell off the next would jump in.  Very impressive and fun to watch.  We spent a bit of time there before hopping on a bus back into the city and then strolling the city till we ended up at Sabrina’s flat.  A nice compact little place up six flights of stairs.  Interesting, apparently in Germany the norm is to bring your own kitchen when you move into a flat.  Good old Ikea.  We had dinner at a local Barverian Restaurant and said all our goodbyes to Sabrina.  It was really sad as she had been a wonderful host(wth her mum & dad)  to us for the two weeks plus we have been in Germany.

Tuesday is back to Luffen day.  Bus goes at 1:50 so we spent the morning again wandering around the city, watching the Glockenspiel operate, relaxing in the market before making our way to the Bus station.  Munich had been another wonderful experience.  The bus ride was interesting as well.  We had been going for about an hour and a quarter when the bus pulls into a service area and says everybody out, half hour rest here.  We had the front seats right up behind the driver and at one spot on the Autobahn this car in front was travelling along at just below the 100 in the middle of three lanes.  The bus was not allowed in the fast lane or to undertake the car who just refused to pull over.  He sat right on his bumper blasting his horn but the driver refused to budge so he went into the fast lane.  The car then sped up.  Thing were a bit tichy for a bit.  We got into Helibonn at 7pm and Rudi was waiting to take us home to another of his home cooked meals.  It was like the last supper.