MUNCHEN #2

If French cuisine favours regional specialties padded out by classic Gaulist fare, you really have to travel to Bavaria to experience culinary favouritism.  Wurst, pork knuckle, Schnitzel mit sauerkraut etc means you have to select another nation's cafe to vary your tucker.  Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese and of course the ubiquitous burger are available, but being close to Italy a plate of authentic pasta is the best option.

My conversation with our barista on our initial visit to Bar Centrale contained a successful mixture of French, Italian, German and English.  By the second visit, we were successfully conversant in Italian to use inflections forgotten since our last visit to Italy.  I complimented our waiter on their selection of Italian beers, "Une Peroni, per favor" , and he complimented me on my request for the bill "Il conto per favor" .  Ciao! See you tomorrow.

Cool is the best description of Bar Centrale in Munich's little Italy.  Retro fifties decor with dark wood panelling, and azure leather furniture with contrasting maroon pintucking.  We lunched on genuine Italian fare complimented by wines from Abruzzi and Tuscany.

Our three day travel pass proved invaluable with U bahn and S bahn trips available at only €24 for both of us.  A suggestion to visit the Stanberg See, German's 5th largest Freshwater lake, saw us hop on the S6 out of Hauptbanhof.  Two stops on an inebriated German got on and between sips began to converse in German.  We said we were Australian and he welcomed us to Munich. "Congratulations on only letting the right people into Australia."  Oh oh!  I began to look around for alternate seating when he asked us where we were going.  Answering him with our destination, he said "You are going the wrong way!".  Beauty, we hopped off and onto the platform for the return train to Hbh and thence our destination.

Bicycles are the other preferred form of transport for citizens and a distinct approaching "ding" informs you that you should get off the designated cycle path.  Approaching Marienplatz a statuesque blonde on a bike chastised the driver of a sleek Maserati who was going the wrong way.  His numberplate STA GG told us all we needed to know.