My partially warped bike box upon arrival (Munich airport)
The world's nicest outdoor airport pedestrian mall! (Munich airport)
Journal: Landed safely in Munich this morning, but how fast the day did go! I was supposed to land shortly before 10 am, but with the late departure from O'Hare it was closer to noon by the time I had all my things & cleared customs. Unlike the U.S. or Canada (where I sometimes feel like a criminal being interrogated crossing the border), entering Germany was a breeze. They just looked at my passport, scanned it thru, stamped it and let me by - no questions at all, not even "What are you doing here?" or "How long are you staying?" Of course, they may have already known the answer to the first question since I was wearing a bicycle helmet on my head!
Picking up my bike & panniers took a bit longer than expected. Just as I was starting to worry about finding them at baggage claim, several over-sized items (including my slightly warped bike box) appeared from a nearby side door. A few minutes later an airport employee came over with my large panniers and I was on my way. Guess the airline waits until the end to off-load large & unusual items.
I didn't expect to be met at the airport since it was 4 hours after Joe (my part-time biking partner) was scheduled to arrive. However, just as I was about to give up & find some Euros, he spotted me. Joe has added a few pounds since our last ride together (across much of North Dakota in 2006), offset in part by the loss of his former mustache. After the perfunctory greetings, we slowly made our way to our nearby accommodations. Must have taken another hour in total to get there since our bikes did not both fit into the first vehicle & we had to be picked up twice by the local hotel owner.
Joe & I then set about to putting our bikes back together. I foolishly asked Joe if he thought he might be done in 30 minutes; he foolishly replied it would take an hour. Three hours later we were both done! Actually, it wasn't too bad...the weather was ideal (65-70 & sunny) and I was surprised how little there was for me to do (even though I didn't know how to do all of it). Boxing the bike back up for the return flight shouldn't be too difficult as long as I can remember what to do (note to self: disconnect brake pads, remove handlebars & mirror, take off front wheel, loosen/lower front fenders, twist front stem around, use zip ties to keep things from jostling, bring bike to local bike shop if all else fails).
We were going to head downtown (about 30 kilometers away) for some food & drink afterward, but scrapped the plan since it was late and we were both tired & hungry. Instead, we just walked to the local German restaurant for some authentic Bavarian cuisine. I ordered a beer, pork schnitzel with pommes frites, and a mystery soup (I can't read or speak German, but like being adventurous). The waiter looked at me funny (as if to say "I don't think you really want this") before returning a few minutes later with my...liver soup! I ate it (& didn't hate it) but will avoid this delicacy in the future.
Tomorrow I will begin riding. Joe is traveling by train to Italy for the next six days to visit with his sister & family, so I will be on my own for about a week. Will ride into Munich tomorrow along the Isar River bike path. I still need to purchase a few bike maps if possible and satisfy my craving for some lemonade beer at the famous beer garden at English Garden park. Still not sure how many miles I will be putting on each day or where I will be sleeping at night, but am looking forward to some nice weather & beautiful Bavarian scenery.
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