The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity - Jeff and I finished working, Monte finished elementary school, and we packed up all of our personal belongings. We are renting out our house while we are gone, so all of our belongings and our two cars went into the garage.
Finally we were ready to go, three checked bags and four carry-on backpacks.

The flights went as well as can be expected - the boys got a bit of sleep, Jeff and I didn't. Reykavik airport in Iceland was challenging - few food options, really long bathroom lines, and no orderly boarding - it was basically a horde of 250 people trying to get on the plane, no boarding by row.
Our first full day in Munich (Friday 15 June) we visited Marienplatz, the main square. 

We saw the Glockenspiel ring in the hour with automated figures "dancing" - a lot like "It's a Small World" at Disney. Teo and I then climbed the tower of St. Peter's church, 301 steps. The church was originally built around 1050, and has been rebuilt several times, most recently after it was bombed during WW2. This is the view from the top, the tower with the Glockenspiel is seen on the right.

We then visited the Residence Palace and Treasury, where many Bavarian rulers have lived. This is the ancestral hall:              


The treasury was a big hit with the boys, lots of bejeweled crowns and swords and such.

 On Saturday, 16 June, we visited the English Garden (so named because it was designed by an Englishman). It is immense, and reminds me a bit of Central Park. One of the highlights was watching the surfers in the Eisbach river - they have a wave machine
Then we went to a beer garden, we ate schnitzel, sausages, and had a Radler - 1 liter of lager beer mixed with lemon soda. Jeff and I shared this one, and the boys tried it as well.




After the English Garden, we went to Olympia Park, the site of the 1972 Olympics. We had a nice long walk through the park, we couldn't tour the stadium because of a concert going on. But we did take a selfie!

So far the trip has gone very well, boys are (mostly) getting along and enjoying themselves. Munich is a beautiful city, public transit is a breeze, and luckily almost everyone speaks English. We have had some connectivity issues but are getting those worked out. If you need to reach us, email or Amonte's cell phone are the best ways.

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