For you Miss 12,000 I will gladly do so! Tomorrow morning I'll post about our trip to Munich, our all nighter into Milan and then Venice 
Cork will jump in when she can...and you will love her spin on the trip....:rofl:
Cork & Alli's Trip Report
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For you Miss 12,000 I will gladly do so! Tomorrow morning I'll post about our trip to Munich, our all nighter into Milan and then Venice Cork will jump in when she can...and you will love her spin on the trip....:rofl:
Day 4 of Alli's Adventure with Cork
I liked the Munich station. When we arrived in Munich our quest was to find the Haufbrau House, to act like real tourists
and get the full Oompah. We asked a woman at one of the counters (I can't remember which one) how to get to the HH. She didn't speak English very well, but we were able to figure out which direction and that it was about a 1/2 hour walk to Marienplatz. Once outside the station we were not sure which way to go. We asked a man on the street (he spoke no English but sign language is the universal language ). As usual, we ended up where we wanted to be! We walked through an area that had an ice skating rink set up. Cork & I decided this kind of skating we could do...they had large fiberglass figures that people were using to help them stay up while skating..."training wheels for dummies" I think cork took a picture.
The walk was wonderful. Munich is a wonderful city, hopefully next time it will be a longer visit! As we walked, we passed quite a few wonderful shops. I know cork would have loved to investigate, but everything was closed.
We made it to Marienplatz. There is a great, huge glockenspiel in the center square. What a lovely clock tower! It was dark so I was not able to take any decent pictures. (but I did find a few on line).
Using my eyes
we were able to find the Haufbrau House. This place is huge, full of tables and people! Here you just find a seat and sit wherever you can fit. We ordered beer (Cork got the JUMBO stein and I had a baby...I don't do beer very often) I did pose with her mug though....:roll:
The band was set up in the center of the restaurant. They play once every 10 - 15 minutes or so. One song and then they take a rest. I suppose they are there all night (and maybe day too) so they pace themselves. I do enjoy German music...but only in small doses, I could not live on a steady diet of it!
We ordered dinner. I had stuffed cabbage with mashed potatoes, which was very good.
We enjoyed the HH a while longer and headed back to the station. Our reservations were made and we had about a 40 minute wait until our train left. Cork found the waiting lounge, we walked in & I immediately walked out! I'll let cork explain this one. I found a table near-by, sat down and actually drifted for a while. We got back together and went to our gate. Once on the train we found our compartment (empty at the time). Cork went to sleep (it was about 10 at this time) I read for a while and then turned off the light, laid down and tried to sleep. (I didn't drink a gallon of beer so it was difficult :rofl: ). Just as I was getting comfortable we made a stop (this was about 12:00). An older couple had reserved 2 seats in our compartment (overnight trains are all reservations only). They were not the most amenable people we had run into. (I guess they were not happy with us from the start...we had spread out all over the place ) They sat across from us, so cork & I tried to sleep on the opposite side in 3 seats. They were reading magazines and news papers, so they kept the light on. He had some kind of condition (trouble breathing...which thank goodness for, since we were in a smoking compartment & they could have been smokers) He kept opening the window. On this trip we went around our elbow. We went through France and Switzerland to get to Italy. Through out the night we stopped at every border to have our passports checked. This night...very little sleep...but thank goodness for my trusty sleep mask and ear plugs!
Our dour travel companions finally got off around 6-7?? We Dozed until Milan. We arrived in Milan around 8ish. Once we were in Milan, I understood Cork's dislike of the city. The stations were pretty much indicative of the cities themselves, and Milan's was cold, dirty, crowded and unfriendly.
Our first attempt to board a train in order to reach Venice was a disaster.
Morning rush and the trains were being rushed! The first train we got on was so crowded that there was no where to even stand! The second one, which was about 30 minutes later, was equally crowded, but we knew what to do! ;-) We nosed our way to the front of the platform and as soon as they posted the arrival gate, we bulldozed our way into the train. We were able to find a compartment and sit down! (thank goodness for first class tickets!) This train was extremely crowded too! People had to stand in the aisles. Since Italy has made all trains reservation only, it is much more difficult to get around. You can get on the train, but you must pay a supplement. Most trains have to go through Milan in order to get anywhere in Italy. 
We arrived in Venice! In the station we were going to try to find a TI to book a room, but the room found us! A man stopped us (do you think he realized we were tourists??? 
:funn: ) He asked if we would be looking for a room. Yes we would. He was quite nice, gave us the name of his hotel and a map to get there. The price was reasonable and was discounted. We decided to give it a try. The Hotel Rio near San Marco.
I am going to stop here and continue when I can devote more time to the report on Venice!
I liked the Munich station. When we arrived in Munich our quest was to find the Haufbrau House, to act like real tourists
and get the full Oompah. We asked a woman at one of the counters (I can't remember which one) how to get to the HH. She didn't speak English very well, but we were able to figure out which direction and that it was about a 1/2 hour walk to Marienplatz. Once outside the station we were not sure which way to go. We asked a man on the street (he spoke no English but sign language is the universal language ). As usual, we ended up where we wanted to be! We walked through an area that had an ice skating rink set up. Cork & I decided this kind of skating we could do...they had large fiberglass figures that people were using to help them stay up while skating..."training wheels for dummies" I think cork took a picture.The walk was wonderful. Munich is a wonderful city, hopefully next time it will be a longer visit! As we walked, we passed quite a few wonderful shops. I know cork would have loved to investigate, but everything was closed.
We made it to Marienplatz. There is a great, huge glockenspiel in the center square. What a lovely clock tower! It was dark so I was not able to take any decent pictures. (but I did find a few on line).
Using my eyes
we were able to find the Haufbrau House. This place is huge, full of tables and people! Here you just find a seat and sit wherever you can fit. We ordered beer (Cork got the JUMBO stein and I had a baby...I don't do beer very often) I did pose with her mug though....:roll: The band was set up in the center of the restaurant. They play once every 10 - 15 minutes or so. One song and then they take a rest. I suppose they are there all night (and maybe day too) so they pace themselves. I do enjoy German music...but only in small doses, I could not live on a steady diet of it!
We ordered dinner. I had stuffed cabbage with mashed potatoes, which was very good.
We enjoyed the HH a while longer and headed back to the station. Our reservations were made and we had about a 40 minute wait until our train left. Cork found the waiting lounge, we walked in & I immediately walked out!
I'll let cork explain this one. I found a table near-by, sat down and actually drifted for a while. We got back together and went to our gate. Once on the train we found our compartment (empty at the time). Cork went to sleep (it was about 10 at this time) I read for a while and then turned off the light, laid down and tried to sleep. (I didn't drink a gallon of beer so it was difficult :rofl: ). Just as I was getting comfortable we made a stop (this was about 12:00). An older couple had reserved 2 seats in our compartment (overnight trains are all reservations only). They were not the most amenable people we had run into. (I guess they were not happy with us from the start...we had spread out all over the place ) They sat across from us, so cork & I tried to sleep on the opposite side in 3 seats. They were reading magazines and news papers, so they kept the light on. He had some kind of condition (trouble breathing...which thank goodness for, since we were in a smoking compartment & they could have been smokers) He kept opening the window. On this trip we went around our elbow. We went through France and Switzerland to get to Italy. Through out the night we stopped at every border to have our passports checked. This night...very little sleep...but thank goodness for my trusty sleep mask and ear plugs! Our dour travel companions finally got off around 6-7?? We Dozed until Milan. We arrived in Milan around 8ish. Once we were in Milan, I understood Cork's dislike of the city. The stations were pretty much indicative of the cities themselves, and Milan's was cold, dirty, crowded and unfriendly.
Our first attempt to board a train in order to reach Venice was a disaster.
Morning rush and the trains were being rushed! The first train we got on was so crowded that there was no where to even stand! The second one, which was about 30 minutes later, was equally crowded, but we knew what to do! ;-) We nosed our way to the front of the platform and as soon as they posted the arrival gate, we bulldozed our way into the train. We were able to find a compartment and sit down! (thank goodness for first class tickets!) This train was extremely crowded too! People had to stand in the aisles. Since Italy has made all trains reservation only, it is much more difficult to get around. You can get on the train, but you must pay a supplement. Most trains have to go through Milan in order to get anywhere in Italy. We arrived in Venice!
In the station we were going to try to find a TI to book a room, but the room found us! A man stopped us (do you think he realized we were tourists??? :funn: ) He asked if we would be looking for a room. Yes we would. He was quite nice, gave us the name of his hotel and a map to get there. The price was reasonable and was discounted. We decided to give it a try. The Hotel Rio near San Marco. I am going to stop here and continue when I can devote more time to the report on Venice!
On the way to Munich
The Glockenspiel
The Haufbrau House Oompah Band
Jumbo Stien
The Glockenspiel
The Haufbrau House Oompah Band
Jumbo Stien
WOW!! Wonderful pictures. Nothing like that in America...how old were they?
:clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1: Love love love the reports and pictures!!! Best trip reports ever. oooh, a cliffhanger.........can't wait to hear about Venice!:clap_1:
oooh, a cliffhanger.........can't wait to hear about Venice!:clap_1: 
Any where from the 11th century on up. I love the parts of Europe that are old and full of soul, culture, heart and history!
The older the better for me!
Any where from the 11th century on up. I love the parts of Europe that are old and full of soul, culture, heart and history!
No wonder you like me so much.
:clap_1: ...thanks for keeping your word!!!
No wonder you like me so much.
:clap_1: ...thanks for keeping your word!!!
for you Miss K!I wish Cork would post...this is HER adventure too...but I know she is busy with family and work. She will just have to play catch up....