This morning, we decided to meet for breakfast at 9 a.m. in the dining room. We had our typical Euro breakfast of meats, cheeses, tomatoes, muesli, yogurt, coffee, and a hard-boiled egg in that egg holder thing that no one in America uses. 

After breakfast, I decided to make us reservations for the train today, so we would have a seat . I didn't think we would need them, but for $5 to reserve a seat, why not? One benefit to traveling with older people is that they aren't worried about penny pinching, like I might be. Not that I am a super budget traveler, but I do like to save money when I can. 

We made our way to the station at about 11:45 a.m., so we would be ready to catch our 12:19 p.m.train straight to Munich. We got on. Our seats were 101, 103, 105, 107. Ok, easy enough. I'm walking through the second class car and we're in the 70s, then back in the 20s. Huh? Finally, I thought I was losing my mind and just decided we grab some unreserved seats. So much for the $5 reservation. After we were in our seats, I took a walk on the train, because I had to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. It just so happens that ours seats were in the last row of the train car before. After the 80s, the 90s were skipped and went to ours. I just missed them. Oh well, but at least I know I wasn't losing my mind. The ride was nice, and we all bought some apple juice from the lady who carried drinks around. 

After arriving at the gigantic Munich Haupbahnof (train station), we walked to Hotel Eder. Well, we walked, and I had to stop and ask someone if we were close because I wanted to be sure. It turns out we were just one street over and were close. Streets in Europe can be weird. They curve and twist and suddenly change into another name and don't necessarily run parallel, so it's easy to get off by one, especially when coming out of the train station .  

We discovered that we are on floors 3 and 4 of the boutique hotel, and no elevator. Awesome! I didn't mind, but I know it's not ideal for the others. Still, they were troopers, and I carried Maude's bag up and then went back for mine. It's a nice place with a spacious room on a quiet street. The host who checked us in said his Dad was a solder in the German Army, as well as a U.S. POW during the war. We had a nice conversation with him. 

After settling in, we decided to take one of those touristy double decker city buses that has a tour guide. I actually don't mind those, and I knew everyone else would like it. You get a good overview of the city and can relax a little. We hopped off on the Marienplatz stop, and walked toward this area of the magnificent New Town Hall, where construction started in 1867. The people...wow! I couldn't believe the crowds. 
 
We then walked to Frauenkirche (Cathedral of our Dear Lady) and had an Italian cappuccino outside before attending the 5:30 mass . This church was completed in 1524! Unfortunately, it was also bombed heavily by the Allies during the war, and much of it had to be repaired. It wasn't fully repaired until 1994. It's still a practicing Catholic church, and the mass was in German. The cantor and organ were lovely. I love attending mass when traveling. It's a calming thing to do, and it's also a way to get away from the tourists! I just go along with the mass, muttering the parts I know in English. 

After church, we went to the Augustiner Brau (brewery) Restaurant. Augustiner is Munich's oldest independent brewery, which started in 1328! We each had a German dish and shared an apple strudel. It was a loud, Bavarian-type restaurant with lots of beer, people, wooden tables, and people sitting close together. We had a very nice time talking to Uve and Christiane, a married couple from Baden Baden (Germany). They were here for a long weekend. It's so nice speaking to native people. I was concerned when Dad and Bob ordered their third drink, only because I knew we were a solid half mile from our hotel and had to walk it, but they were fine. Our waiter knew we were American to a T. Do you want separate checks? Yes. Do you want ice with your Coca-Cola? Yes. Do you want menus in English? Yes.  

Tomorrow, we receive a tour of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. It should be sombering and eye-opening, to say the least. 

Thanks again, for reading and for the comments. 
Gute Nacht!
Jamie