After attempting to sleep through an uncomfortable 8 and a half hour flight from Atlanta to Zurich, our brave band of travelers set foot upon the soil of Europe. We transferred to a different airplane to fly all of approximately 250 miles to Munich, so our first sight of native culture was the Zurich airport. I've heard that the Swiss and Germans are the two most organized and efficient cultures in Europe. And for the most part its true.

We found a small diner in the airport and Bill brushed off his German to order us some food. Zurich is on the German speaking side of Switzerland; had we flown into Geneva, I would have gotten to use my French to order us food and beverages. And then I would have had to rely on Mr. Berlitz's books to get us through, because my French isn't what it should be.

(First side note: Apparently in this particular diner, if you order mineral water, you receive water with carbonation. Like "sparkling water" back in the States. There are two varieties: with "gas" or without "gas". So our first water in Europe was carbonated and slightly "seltzery". Won't make that mistake again!)

After the meal of two sausages and bread each (except for Alix: she had a ham and cheese toasted sandwich) we boarded another aircraft and headed out to Munich. The airport abounded with lots of languages and duty-free shops, but other than that it was the same as in the US -- food was expensive and everyone is a hurry. We had changed $30 into Swiss francs and spent most of that for our small meal.

The ironic part is that the Zurich to Munich flight only lasted about 35 minutes or so, but the seats, food, and leg room was light-years ahead of the 8 hour trans-Atlantic flight. Go figure.

(Second side note: It is now midnight Friday here and Bill and I calculated how long we have been awake, working it out to about 32 hours each, minus about 3 hours for the sleep we got on the plane. So I've got a good excuse to make spelling/grammatical errors.)

Today was a pretty boring day all in all. After landing, we picked up our German Rent-A-Wreck and headed out to a town called Murnau about 75 kilometers away (45 miles), where our hotel is located. One thing I noticed right off the bat, both on the streets and in buildings, are the signs. There just isn't an excuse to get lost in Germany. The major difference between the signage of the States, and the ones over here is that European signs are essentially pictograms. Other than that and a few other minor things, it's almost like being back home. On the roads anyway. The "continental" Europeans, i.e. anyone but the British, drive on the same side of the road Americans do. But driving is faster and you really have to stay alert and get out of the left lane! People have no patience for slow drivers on the autobahn -- but the local or side roads are small and narrow with lots of pedestrians and bicycles, so driving there tends to be more people friendly.

(Third note: Everything is metric. It takes some getting used to. The first time I glanced at the speedometer, I thought we were going 100 mph. Like the rental could go that fast in the first place. We figured it at .62 km to a mile. So going 100 km is the same as 62 or so mph.)

After we dropped our bags off in the hotel, we took the train into Munich to wander the Marienplatz (Mary's square named for Mary, mother of Jesus) and get some food. The Weissesbrau Haus (like the Hofbrau Haus, but less touristy) was packed, and so were most of the other places we tried. Well, it was Friday right before Oktoberfest! We finally settled on the Augustiner Beer Garden.

Alix's Comment: A cheese platter, mushroom soup, and Regensberg sausages with sauerkraut -- soup was delightful, cheese platter was great, sausages were tasty, and sauerkraut had no relation to that which you get in cans in the States. It was sweeter with a lot less bite and even Eric and Alix who don't like sauerkraut loved it. (Lesson to be learned for the day: Don't turn up your nose at anything you are served -- try it all -- you'll probably be pleasantly surprised!) We also had their famous WeissBier (smooth and tasty wheat beer). Eric had some of Mom's (about half a glass!) and really enjoyed it. Found that ordering soda means chilled but no ice, also Diet Coke is called Coke Light.

So far we have found that people in Munich (and other large cities) are likely to speak English. But "Sprechen sie Englisch?" is a valuable opening line in any contact. We didn't take any pictures of the surrounding sights today, due to the fact that by the time we got to Munich, it was dusk, and by the time we ate, it was dark. Pictures of the sights in Munich will be coming up tomorrow.

But we did take a few pictures of ourselves on the train and in the beer hall. Here they are, thumbnailed for your convenience.