We spent a few days in Munich over the long weekend. Thursday the 14 May was Ascension Day. The boys skipped half a day's school on wed as well as school on friday. We drove 900km to reach Munich which meant that Wed was spent in the car. Sunday's return trip was the same.
We knew that the weather would be cold and grey so we went prepared. On Thursday, we met up with Nicole and family. We met Sara for the first time. The last time we were in Munich, Nicole announced the good news that she would be a mother. Now, Sara could walk. Two years passed fast.
Under the light rain, we walked towards a few different parks. The boys had fun playing at the various playgrounds. It was really "park-hopping".
On Friday, Seb went to visit the Hi-End show. As for us, we visited the BMW World with Nicole. There were a lot of tourists trying out the various BMW car models. There were also MINIs and I tried it with the boys.
There was a small three wheeled car zipping around. Mainly kids took turns to take a ride. A staff member drove it. Look carefully. The car door was actually in front and the steering wheel was attached to the door. It was a cute prototype.
I like this BMW below. It is compact and small. However I am not too sure it is on sale in France.
On the second floor were the BMW motorcycles. My boys tried on all of them taking turns to be the rider and the passenger. They spent much more time with the motorcycles than the cars.
After the free visit to BMW World, we went back to Nicole's place for lunch. The boys helped to push the pram. Sweet darlings.
In the afternoon, we strolled along the street and headed to the Deutsches Museum (Technology and Science). A2 was crying as he did not want to visit a museum. He wanted to play in the park despite the rain.
But once he was inside, he forgot about his protests. The boys were amazed to see different kinds of transportation. Old boats, new boats, big boats, small boats. And there were planes and helicopters. And there were trains and space shuttles. A1 loved the astronaute area.
After the museum visit, I went back to the hotel with the boys. Seb joined us and we headed for dinner nearby. We stayed at Novotel Munich which was very well situated in the centre of Munich. There were many good eateries nearby. The down side was that I did not appreciate the bed so did not sleep well during the stay.
The next day, Seb went for the Hi-End show again while we went to the zoo with Nicole and family. Before that, we had breakfast just in front of the city hall. It was not unusual to see the Germans in their traditional costumes.
Munich is really a family friendly place. In the zoo, there were a few playgrounds. The size was just nice for an afternoon visit. We saw many animals and while having lunch, the boys played at the playground.
We left the zoo and headed to a nearby beer garden for afternoon snack. Seb joined us there. Along the way, we passed by the Isar river. There were people BBQing along the beach with their portable BBQ. Children splashing in the calm water. And at another bank with stronger current, teenagers swimming. There was even a small island for nudist. Crossing the bridge, we could spot a few exhibitionists.
No visit to Munich can do without a drink at the Beergarden. However this was the first time Seb and I did not get a beer. The boys played at the park and a boy tore off the paper hat from the zoo that A2 was wearing. A2 came crying and would not want to go back to the playground with 'bad kids'. He wanted to go to a playground with 'good kids'. My funny boy. After a while, he went back when he was sure that boy was no longer there. We chatted and snacked until it was time to go home.
For dinner, we had tapas nearby our hotel. On the way back, the boys played a game counting the cars parked along the road that were the same brand as mine or Seb's. In the end, there were more BMWs than Volkswagon. Wow. Indeed, there were mainly German cars in Munich but there were a significant number of BMWs. I wonder if they were much cheaper there.
On Sunday, we checked out early from the hotel and had breakfast at Nicole's place. We bade our last good byes and drove back home. This time, we did not stop long for rest and meals and reached home in a record of 11 hours. It was not easy for the boys and I am glad that they were patient boys.
