Prost to old friends!

6/17/11

This morning started very early as my train left Italy at 6:30 am.  I left in plenty of time anticipating that I might encounter the same difficulty in finding the train station that I had in finding the hotel the previous day.  After only stopping once in a hotel, I made it to the train station- a big success in my book.  The train ride was gorgeous as we passed through the Italian countryside and the Alps.  After nearly 7 hours, I arrived in Munich and was greeted by Susi as soon as I got of the train.  You know you are good friends when you can pick right where you left off six years ago (we were roommates back in Arizona).  From Munich we drove to Miesbach, the small town where she lives.  For lunch Susi prepared sausages, pretzels, cheese, and, of course, bier.  We then went to the lake which is at the base of the mountains for a swim.  The water was really cold and it took me a long time to get in, but it was refreshing and felt good as my legs were still a bit sore from bike riding.

After getting changed we headed up a steep paved path to the local beergarden.  Having to walk such a steep route to get to a restaurant is something that would never happen back home.  Unfortunately, when we got to the top the restaurant was closed, but it afforded a nice view of the town and surrounding villages.  The town of Miesbach is very cute- the houses all look like they go together.  We headed back to Susi’s apartment, cooked dinner and then headed to the local pub.  At the pub, the tables are very large to accommodate the large groups that gather there.  The female servers that we had all wore drindls and the beer was served in large glass mugs.  It was good catching up with Susi and hearing everything that she has been doing over the last few years.  After a late night at the pub, I slept very, very well.