Full, satiated and on the burst with all the wurst

One full day here in this short visit to Munich and beyond. We took to the road and visited a number of places in the Bavarian region, so today should be called Bavarian Road Trip. It was my first long drive on the Autobahn and we hit 220 to 230, especially on the way home. There´s something thrilling beyond words about a fast ride on smooth roads, knowing it´s safe, but feeling the power of the drive. Why build cars that can go fast if you can´t find the time or the place to take it out and maximize its potential?

Food in Bavaria tends to be characterized by words like heavy, fried, meaty, and comfort food. I´d have to agree, especially tonight as I am writing this while waiting for my stomach to digest all that we ate today. Once I get to a spot where I can load my photos online, I´ll share some of the feast we had tonight, at the Benedictine Abbey Beer Garden. Truly a table load of calories.

We also took the time to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding countryside: the castles like Neuschwanstein (also known as the inspiration for Walt Disney´s Cinderella Castle) and Linderhof, the beautifully ornate baroque church in Wies, dipping our feet into the ubercold waters of the Plansee, and the pastoral hillsides of Bavaria in general. It was so picture-postcard like most of the day, the sun shown down on us and it kept that way all throughout. Long walks and climbs were more pleasurable than penance in these conditions. My only regret is that we didn´t have our swimsuits, a cold and quick swim in the lake would have been more fun than wading up to our shins.

Tomorrow will be a relaxed day, walking through the park, studying for exams next week, and enjoying the city with the other visitors. I´ll do one more museum and maybe a city tour before I leave Sunday. And of course, the wedding of S and J will be the highlight of this visit. Everything´s been so good so far that I can´t help but look forward to that.