06-08-2016 Travel Day to Munich
Katherine in front of the hotel Antika in Zermatt, Switzerland
Today was our travel day from Zermatt to Munich. Our train ride had two different connections. The first train was from Zermatt to Visp. In Visp we caught another train to Zürich, and in Zürich we caught yet another train to Munich. Katherine took care of all of the arrangements with the Deutsche Bahn app on her iPod Touch. Using this app is very easy, and there are no worries about times, seating, or routes. It takes care of it all. When you get on the train you don't need a paper ticket. You just show the conductor your phone and they scan it with their device. It's very convenient.
You cannot drive in Zermatt, but there are taxis and shuttles that look like mini versions of cars.
Katherine with her marmot friend.
So many flowers!
Our walk to the train station was pleasant and calm since we departed early. We had our large bags with us, so we went ahead and got on the train a little bit early. Spending a full day in Zermatt was nice, but since we slept so much yesterday we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked, much less go on another hike as Matthew recommended.
The trains were meticulously on time at each location. We thought that eight minute connections between trains would be a problem, but it wasn't at all since everything is on-time. The train stations were laid out nicely with great signage making going between platforms very easy.
The Swiss countryside was beautiful, with mountains and farms everywhere. I was surprised at how many lakes you could see out the window. People were taking full advantage of the day by sailing, swimming, and having a good time.
Once we got to the Munich Hauptbahnhof we quickly found Robert and Karola and walked to their apartment. We had not seen Karola since our visit to Laos when Robert first met her. The last time we saw Robert was when he came to visit Las Vegas just a few years ago. Their apartment is super cool and located just two short S-Bahn stops from the main train station on a main road. From the apartment, which is on the third floor, you have a great view into the courtyard. Relaxing with the windows open was very nice. All four of us had so much to say. We were trying to get caught up with the past few years of travel and adventures. The apartment is full of interesting travel photos, books, and just funny things.
Robert asked us if we needed our bag. The first part of our trip was trekking through the mountains with backpacking gear. The second part of our trip is Robert and Karola's wedding and the Salzburg music festival. The clothing needed is not exactly the same. We stored all of our dress clothing in a duffel bag and shipped it from Paris to Munich. Robert and Karola were nice enough to pick up the bag and store it until we arrived. When Robert got notification that there was a package he was surprised to see such a large, heavy bag at the post office. He told me he was able to wrestle it onto his bike somehow and ride back to his apartment. We went down to the basement where he stored it and brought it back up to his apartment. I was happy to see that the bag was in great shape and everything was accounted for. Our backpacking gear is with us for the rest of the trip, as well as our fancy clothes, so we're a little bit heavy.
After catching up we decided to go to a biergarten and have dinner. The biergarten is unlike anything we have in the United States. You are allowed to bring a picnic meal, grab a table, and then get drinks from the brewery. If you want to eat inside, you have to buy all your food there, but since we were picnicking, we sat near to the trees, surrounded by families with their children and friends. We were surprised at the main course. Robert left and said he was just getting something, and then came back with a mackerel on a stick from the North Sea. He plopped it on the table and all four of us dug into a wonderfully grilled fish. Yummy!
Robert, Karola, and Katherine
The Oktoberfest grounds are already being constructed in early August.
Back at Robert and Karola's place they folded their couch down into a bed for us. It was quite comfortable. I had the window cracked to blow the cool night air across me, just the way I like it. Tomorrow, Karola heads to Chemnitz to be with her family before the wedding and take care of arrangements. Robert has to work for a couple more days, so Katherine and I will have a tour of Munich by ourselves. Neither of them wants to leave us on our own in Munich, but we will be fine. I told them they just need to focus on the wedding and make sure everything is taking care of and to not let us be a burden. Good night!
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