Day 10: Family Reunion in Munich

When packing, I told the kids to only bring books they would be fine leaving behind...Molly read Ramona Quimby, Age 8 so much that it tore in two...and got left behind.  The books that made it back were Phantom Tollbooth, An American History Textbook (YKTR!), several puzzles books, and a German Language book.  As well as all digital devices and respective cords. 

 The Reddigs arrived in Germany Thursday morning.  We had until about noon before we were to meet up with our jetlagged relatives, so we spent the morning washing out socks and unmentionables and visiting the Supermarkt for some essentials...like Nutella and Gummibaren.  These were the last hours we would see Dom and Will for the next few days...

 Our pictures from here decrease quite a bit.  The cousins and Nana met us at the station in Holzkirchen and there were joyful shouts and blurs of children racing to one another for hugs of greeting.  This is what the trip was all about in their minds.  A transatlantic journey...just to hang out for three days straight.

 Once the Reddigs' apartment was figured out, we all boarded the train and headed into Munich for the afternoon.  Naturally, the first stop was the Hofbrauhaus.  Everyone was so excited to be together and our decibel level was a solid indicator.  Sorry other train travelers.  Though, my dad gleefully informed anyone who was within range that he was with his "Acht Enkelkinder, zwei Töchter und Schwiegersöhne"...loads of peope were in range.

 Following our Mittagessen at the Hofbrauhaus, we headed out for a bit of sightseeing.  I do not have many pictures of this for two reasons.  The first was that despite using the WC prior to departing the establishment, a liter of liquid needs a second visit quickly.  At least in my experience.  Eric and I hunted for a WC as the others made their way to see surfers at the Englischer Garten.  We were then on a pretty tight schedule in order to see a few other sights prior to making our way back to the Marienplatz for the Glockenspiel performance at 5 PM.  The Englischer Garten was beautiful and full of sunbathers on this particularly hot day.  And the kids enjoyed an ice cream cone as well.

 Along our walk, we stopped in at the Bayern Munich fan shop.  We didn't buy anything, though Dom considered some pricey socks.  Until I mentioned how quickly he would put holes in them based on previous experience with socks.  But, don't fear, he and I found a jersey at a Virginia soccer shop on the clearance rack.  So he has his FC Bayern souvenir afterall...sort of.

My Dad was able to give us a bit of a tour and we stopped in at a couple of churches along the way.  Again, exquisite and otherworldly.  And wonderfully soundproofed.  As soon as you entered, the sounds outside vanished and you were left to gaze in silence. 

 I personally enjoyed just coming in and sitting in a pew for a while.  Eventually, others joined me.  And Rose took a brief nap...except to mention to L'Opa that the bible does not say there were three Magi.  And they had a nice discussion of why that is the tradition. 

But, times was ticking and we needed to get our spot near the UBahn, because we had trains to catch quickly after the Glockenspiel.  Though, I was able to assist my dad...who has managed to travel in Germany for nearly 40 years with the DB app (I love that app!)...by finding a second train that we could catch if we missed the first.  And it would only get us in 15 minutes or so later.   Plan B's really do help alleviate stress.

So, it was with a more relaxed air that we looked up at 5 PM to watch the figurines do their performance.  You can find this on YouTube.  I didn't bother to record it, as those videos are better.  Unfortunately, the one I posted here does not go all the way to the Rooster Crowing.  Schade!

 And you will miss my dad's commentary and singing along with the music.  Your loss.

 We quickly made our way to the UBahn, caught all of our trains, and headed to my dad's host family of 30 years: The Schmids for an echt Bavarian Dinner.  But, not before capturing this super clever road sign with Will.  Because it sort of says his name.  Get it?

For the record, I'd had my beer for the day...but, this didn't translate to our hospitable hosts.  I started with a Spezi, and ended with a beer.  That is how it goes in Bavaria.  The meal was delightful and we spent a couple of hours switching between English and German...with perhaps a smidgen of Bayrisch for good measure.  I had asked my dad if he thought Dom and Will could spend the night with the Schmids so they could experience a German Home.  And they had a great time, not the least of which was because Frau Schmid went out in the morning to get pretzels especially for breakfast.  And that is the secret to making Dom feel at home: Pretzels for Breakfast!