I don't know the answer to this question...but I do know that whatever word you choose to use...I loved it! After our New Year's Eve experience in Frankfurt, we were looking for something a little more tranquil. The ICE train to Munich was just what the psychiatrist ordered. The ICE (Inter-City Express) train is the high speed train that whisked us away from all the craziness of Frankfurt and transported us in comfort and style to our next destination...Munich. The boys had never traveled by train from one city to another. Well, Twelve did when he was a baby, Amtrak from New York to North Carolina, but he doesn't remember it, so that doesn't count. We had a great time on the ICE. We were able to ride first class, which was very affordable, and our seats were wonderful. We sat facing each other with a table between us, so we were able to talk to one another and play card games while the German countryside provided the perfect backdrop.
We didn't want the hassle of renting a car while we were in Germany. Tiff's family did rent a car, as they wanted to go off and revisit some of their old haunts from when they used to live there. After two days in Munich we'd planned to meet back up with them in Garmisch, a picturesque little town nestled in the Bavarian Alps. We arrived in Munich in the afternoon, and hopped on the U-Bahn (Underground Train) that stopped right by our hotel. The subway system in Munich is extensive and super affordable. For 22 Euros, the four of us had unlimited use of the city's trains, trams, and buses for three days. It was both easy and convenient to take all over the city. We checked into our rooms, dropped off our bags, had a little snack and headed out to the Marien Platz (Munich's main square) to see what there was to see, namely the another gorgeous Christmas tree and the "Ratskeller" otherwise known as the Town Hall. Weird to me, but apparently it's a perfectly normal word and every town has one. The Ratskeller in Munich is a huge gothic structure that dominates the square. Another Kodak moment...
From the U-Bahn, we were able to walk right up into the square. It reminded me of being in Paris and coming up the subway stairs and have the glorious sight of the Arc d' Triomphe staring you in the face. It was very impressive, to say the least. Our plan for our first night in Munich was to walk around the city and hit the Hofbrauhaus, the famous German restaurant where the busty ladies carry up to eight big steins of beer at one time, and enjoy some good German fare. As many people will tell you, it is a tourist trap, but it was a tourist trap I desperately want to patronize, plus I needed to buy a Hofbrauhaus beer stein for a friend. By the time we walked around and were ready for some dinner, it was 7pm and the Hofbrauhaus was packed!!! We decided that it would be too hard to find four seats together on the main floor and the upstairs was closed for a private party. Oh well, my purchase would have to wait. We'd seen several other rowdy German restaurants along the way, and with Seven's new love of German food, we were sure we'd be able to avoid eating at McDonalds on our first night in a new city...again. We were wrong!
German restaurant after German restaurant was packed...no tables and no prospect of getting one any time soon. So it was with heavy hearts and growling stomachs that we succumbed to fast-food yet again on our first night in a new city. Good thing I love McDonalds, and for the record...since I have now sampled McDonalds in Spain, France, AND Germany, I can say one thing for sure...Germany has the best fries, hands down! And with mayo??? The best! With our bellies full, we braved the blustery Munich streets once more, did a little window shopping and headed back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep. 
I don't usually provide "teasers," but be on the look out for my next post about the world famous Hofbrauhaus...Tales of good food, good drink, and a pushy Russian tour guide await you. Hasta luego...
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