Munich, Family, Friends, and Bier.

Täfertingen, Germany

After an early traditional German breakfast of soft pretzels, homemade jam, rye bread, and cold cuts, we started on our two and a half hour drive to Munich.

I was really looking forward to seeing Munich. I had heard so much about Munich and was excited to see the architecture, learn the history, and sample the Bier.

Antonia's brother Sam lives in Munich with his girlfriend Katrin. Antonia's father and other brother Christoph were also in town; Antonia's dad was presenting a paper at the university, and Christoph was preparing to start his junior year in college abroad, so we had a mini Nicols family reunion. Today was also Katrin's birthday, and she and Sam were hosting a birthday / housewarming party at their new apartment, where we got to meet not only friends, but Katrin's parents and two brothers.

After the party, sometime around 1:45am, Christoph and I (Eric) decided that taking a quick walk around the block might be a good way to help wind down the evening. Unfortunately, while we were walking we got caught up in a rather involved conversation and did not pay attention to our route. We ended up lost for about three hours in the middle of Munich with nothing but a map and an apartment number. Around the third hour, we finally remembered the name of the street where Sam's apartment was located. Tired , but happy, we found the front door, got into the house and called it a night.

If you ever have the opportunity to take a three hour, post midnight stroll, through the empty streets of Munich, I highly recommend it. It is definitely the most out of the ordinary way to see a great city.