I left NY on Wednesday…traffic was insane, but I was sitting on a comfortable bus, not driving, so it was ok with me! The airport had TSA pre check which is awesome, you don’t have to take off your shoes or remove laptop or liquids from bags. My flight showed on time when I went to board but it left an hour late because of “paperwork”? (The pilot was not happy.)

So I arrived in Munich on Thursday and took the train to my hotel in Munchen Ost (Munich East), had breakfast and took off for the City and Marienplatz where the “Rathaus” (City Hall) with the famous “Glockenspiel” which chimes and reinacts two stories at 11, 12 and 5 (12 and 5 in the summer only). I got to Marienplatz just as the 12 noon story was ending but went back and saw the entirety at 5pm. I was there only 12 days earlier, but it was a rainy Sunday then…Thursday was spectacular day with a clear blue “California” sky. Crowds were thinner since it was after Labor Day.

I was next in search of the Viktualienmarkt in Munich, which is a daily (except Sunday) food market and square near Marienplatz. On the way there I stopped at St. Peter’s church and walked up to the top where there was a great view of the city. The stairs were wooden and narrow and it was quite a climb, but worth it. After descending, I walked around the market, lots of fruits and vegetables, cheese (Burger Kase, local cheeses), and places to eat and drink. There was a huge Maypole too. I also went into a huge gourmet hall which had a Milka (Chocolate company) in the basement, and the chocolates were at bargain prices for good chocolate. It was fun looking around. I saw the 5pm Glockenspiel performance, and took the train back to the hotel.

Friday I traveled to Austria, to Villach. I met up with three of the USA Queens Cup (75) players at the train station. It was a nice trip after we finally got on the train…it was an hour late arriving which was unusual. The train trip was beautiful as always, particularly the Gastein Valley in Austria between Salzburg and Villach.

I walked over to the courts in the evening. They look nice, but this is a very rural area, nothing in the way of shops, only spas and thermal bath places and clinics.

There’s a Harley Davidson convention through this weekend in town, which is why I took the photo of all the “hogs”. The rooms are pretty booked up here as a result.