Coming home - via Munich

We were packed and ready to leave our apartment by 9.30am but not looking forward to walking to the station in the thunderstorms which had been occuring since we got up. Luckily they seemed to vanish when we opened the door and it was an easy walk to the local Haunstetten station where we caught a train to Munich.

On arrival in Munich we put our cases into a locker at the station and took the U-bahn to Olympiazenturm and the BMW-Welt (BMW World). We had a great time there looking at some magnificent cars - BMW and also Rolls Royce - and the building itself is quite spectacular.

We took the train back to the centre of Munich and visited the Asamkirche (Asam Church). This was originally the private chapel of the Asam brothers who specialised in decorating churches, so it was their showroom and is quite 'over the top' with rococo decoration. While we were there an organist was practising which really added to the atmosphere.

Next we called in at the Frauenkirche, Munich's cathedral, where we saw some beautiful modern stained glass windows as well as the 15th century windows behind the main altar. These survived World War II because they were taken out piece by piece and stored in safety during the war.

We walked past the huge Residenz palace where there seemed to be some sort of 'urban loungeroom' in the square - people lounging on couches and hammocks, with book shelves scattered around.

We stopped for a cool drink in the Hofgarten and watched a group of elderly men playing boules - they didn't seem to be having much success! Then it was time to retrieve our cases from the station lockers and catch the train to the airport. We had dinner at a surprisingly nice restaurant there - roast chicken and chips for Ian and freshly cooked scampi and spaghetti for me.

The flight home was the usual endurance test, with the best leg being Munich to Dubai when we were in an Airbus  380 - a bit more spacious and more variety in the entertainment program. Dubai airport is so huge that we walked a total of 2km, were carried down several levels in an elevator, travelled on a railway and then for twelve minutes by bus to the terminal where our next plane was waiting!

Sunrise through a porthole on the way to Dubai

Our break in Singapore was only an hour, just long enough to disembark and then return to the same plane. We reached Melbourne at around 7.30am and, although the process through Security and Customs was quite streamlined, it took ages for our cases to arrive. We were very grateful to Jenny and Neil who picked us up from the airport and we enjoyed breakfast with them at Krifi Restaurant.

So ended another wonderful overseas adventure. We both agreed that the highlights on this trip were the medieval town of Rothenburg, the magnificent Rhine Falls, the walk through Partnach Gorge and the joy of catching up with Britta and Frank and their family - although there were also many other contenders for the list. I hope you have found the account of our travels interesting and thank you to those who have emailed comments to me. I have enjoyed sharing the adventure with you!