MUNCHEN

It's certainly different.  Sometimes referred to as the most northern Italian city, it will forever be for me the land of beer and pretzels.

No le petite dejeurner here in Munich, breakfast is two weisswurst with sauerkraut, pretzels, sweet mustard# and a beer.  Alicia had promised she would show Kim and I what a genuine Municher (sic) ate for breakfast.  She directed us to a market place at the end of central Marienplatz where cafes dispensed a minimum of three varieties of wurst and any number of hot meat options.  I know vegetarians are catered for but just not here!  Pretzels are not optional.
# Hausmachersenfs  -  Bavarian sweet house made mustard.

While breakfasting outdoor under spreading shallow rooted trees##, two nannies passed us pushing prams.  One pram resembled a large handcart and transported six gurgling cherubs wearing hats and sun visors.
## Shallow rooted because the bierkellers are located under the market.

Bavarians live up to their stereotyping.  The Englischer Garten was full of people sunbathing and walking in the extensive lush gardens.  If they weren't doing that, they were fueling up at the various biergartens throughout der Englischer on pork knuckles, giant pretzels and beers.  When I say Beer, the smallest is a pint and the biggest..... ?  Who knows?
I felt a bit of a wimp drinking a pint.  Why, little old German ladies on zimmerframes were knocking back litre steins of lager.  However, as we were bicyclists for the first time in a decade it was best we were limiting ourselves to the mere pint.
It has to be said German beer is so much better than French beer!

Any day of the week you could be fooled into thinking it was Beerfest, but it's just Munich having a refreshing ale, admittedly in a swarm. Adjacent to Marienplatz is the market area Viktualienmark where tables full of Germans and their guests drink beer and eat large meals.  Snacks comprising sausages, Schnitzel, pork knuckle, sauerkraut and giant pretzels are consumed in great order.

It's all very well living life like a Peter Stuyvesen commercial, but even sophisticated international jetsetters have to do their laundry, so off we tramped through the mean streets near Hauptbanhof where brothels occur more frequently than laundromats.  City Waschcenter is where the world goes to do their soiled smalls when it can no longer be put off.  Being Germany, laundromats are efficient, Jah!  Not only efficient but entertaining with Spiderman pinball machines, baby boomer friendly radio and helpful laundromistresses.  It's also a great place to complete your overdue blog.