More Munich

Today we got up early to explore more of Munich. Yesterday (Monday) we walked all over the city and loved the Holiday Market. It went on for blocks and blocks. There were tons of booths with all kinds of traditional German food and Christmas decorations. We stopped by as many as we could, just to check things out. Nikole and I didn't really buy too much, just taking it all in. We did, however, try some German beer, and pretzels the size of my head among other German fare. It was raining, but we did as much walking and sightseeing as we could, after purchasing some umbrellas from the most popular store in town. However, we were really tired after the 15 hour train ride with little real sleep. So we went back to the hotel to nap and shower. Nikole and I then decided to take ourselves out to a nice German restaurant for a real meal. It was great, since it was later it wasn't busy and we were able to enjoy the night of food and German beer.

Today we had a quick breakfast at a little cafe then booked a bus tour. We figured since we only had a short time, this would be the best way to see everything. It was really nice, and it did exactly that. 2 hours showcasing all the high-points in Munich. There is not enough room or time to explain everything, but one thing that really stands out...They obviously have to talk about Hitler and the Nazi party, but way they did it was interesting. They talk about it in an 'unfortunate' tone and don't go into detail about the Nazi buildings like they did the rest. Also, there is a monument that is for 'Victims of Nazi Terrorism' not Victims of the Holocaust, like we would call them. I thought it was an interesting difference. Understandably, it is not something they want to talk and talk about, but needs to be mentioned. It is hard to imagine the Nazis marching through all the streets of Munich as they explained. Aside from all that history, Munich is a very interesting and old city. I learned so much today. Just enough to make us want more! We then did a little shopping for some gifts before it was time to get to the train station.

The trains were nice and new. We had to change trains at Stuttgart, which was close because we only had 6 minutes to transfer. Luckily the 2nd train waited for us and we made it on with no troubles. However, we found out that French men are a lot more forward than Swedish men. A French man that was helping Nikole with her computer/internet issues decided that he would take his 'thank you' from her in the form of a kiss! She did not like it and was surprised to say the least. He and his friend later came to where we were sitting. They were really trying with us, when we were being rude and explained that we were not single. I think after they proclaimed 'the best looking girls come from Wisconsin' and we still ignored them they finally decided to give. Oh boy, I hope this was a one-time, too much beer/wine on the train incident. But we finally made it to Paris! Our train arrived almost on time and we got a Taxi right away. On the way to our hotel we passed the Eiffel Tower and La Grande Roue. We are so excited for the next few days here!