Day 11

Yesterday was somewhat of a vacation “hit the wall” day. Tempers were a bit short and everyone was a bit tired from all the hiking and being on the go. Things we had hoped to do by now included an alpine roller coaster, but unfortunately we did not have the opportunity in Switzerland or here in Austria. We considered getting up early today to take a train to Oberammergau on our way to Munich, but that would require getting up early and schlepping luggage around while trying to get to the coaster and ride it. Instead we opted to slow down a bit, sleep in and spend the morning in Hall; catching a train to Munich in the early afternoon.

This turned out to be a good call. We were much more relaxed in the morning and ready to tackle the day. Tavis was very concerned about finding new patches for his jacket before we left Austria. So far we had been unable to secure any. In Switzerland there were shops on every corner, here in Austria there were seemingly very few. Those we had seen did not have patches.

After breakfast we packed up our things and stored them with the hotel while we explored Hall. Cindi found a really nice blue runner for a side table but again we struck out on finding patches. Tavis was visibly bummed. The had bought back in Trim had

an Ireland patch on the front. He really wanted to collect patches to add to the jacket from everywhere we stayed as his main souvenir. It was heartbreaking to see him trudge along slowly in the rain, crushed that he couldn’t get patches from Austria for his jacket. As we headed back to the hotel, I offered to ride the train into Innsbruck one last time to see if we could find the patches he needed. We didn’t have much time before the train we wanted to take left for Munich but it was important to him, so we decided to go. Owen and Cindi went back to the hotel while Tavis and I went on our quest for patches.

After arriving back in Innsbruck we first checked the station for a souvenir shop - nothing. Next we began walking towards the Altstadt. We figured the more touristy part of the city was more likely to have the shop we needed. We looked as we walked and finally towards the end of the street we found a shop with a small selection of patches. Tavis selected 3 he liked and we briskly made our way back to the Hauptbahnhof. We arrived back in Hall a little more than an hour after we left. Mission accomplished.

Our train to Munch was scheduled to leave at 1:46 and it was already 1:13 when Tavis and I got back to Hall. Owen and Cindi had gathered all the luggage and were waiting for the bus to the train station but it never came. They elected to walk and Tavis and I met them about halfway so they wouldn’t have to carry all the bags the entire distance. We made the train for the first leg to Kufstein with no problems, except for the fact that we were all hungry. Our layover between trains was only about 10 minutes so we decided to take a later train from Kufstein to allow us to get a quick lunch. We exited the train station and spotted a restaurant with Augustiner umbrellas and signs with outdoor tables so we stopped. The hostess was very nice and got us seated and took our drink order but didn’t leave a menu. We looked at the specials sign to see what was offered and were told that the kitchen was closed. Our disappointment was apparent and our host graciously offered to make us ham and cheese sandwiches which we happily accepted. Now the only issue was finding an ATM as they were cash only and we didn’t have a lot of cash. Our host again came to the rescue and said there was an ATM at the train station and one in town at the bank. I hustled over the the station only to be rejected by

the machine for lack of communication; I think it was its problem not mine. This left me with the walk into town to find the bank. Fortunately it was not too long a walk and in about 10 minutes I was back to power down my sandwich and chug my beer before having to hustle over to catch the train to Munich.

The train turned out to be running about twenty minutes late so we really could have taken more time at lunch but so it is. When the train arrived we found it packed. There was standing room only in second class but we were able to find a few seats in first class. Tavis and I were in a compartment with a nice family from Norway returning from holiday in Italy. We chatted for a good portion of

the trip and it passed quickly.

We arrived in Munich about 5:00 pm tired from all the travel. We had a short U-Bahn* ride from the Hauptbahnhof to Wetterstein where it was a short walk to the hotel. Our room was actually a two bedroom family room with a kitchenette. Perfect for the rest of our stay.

After a brief rest and a drink at the hotel bar, we took a taxi back into the Altstadt to eat at the world famous Hofbrauhaus. Dinner was good, however, the beer was not as good as I remember. I now much prefer Augustiner or Paulaner over HB. Dinner finished, we walked around Marionplatz just enjoyed the evening. It sprinkled on and off but not enough to be unpleasant. Cindi had just purchased an umbrella from the HB gift shop so she was extra dry.* We soon got a text from Christian and Sharon that they were on the ground in Munich and heading to the hotel. We hopped the U-Bahn** and headed back as well. We were soon all reunited in the hotel bar and exchanging pictures and stories of our days apart. After a few rounds it was off to

sleep to be ready for whatever adventure tomorrow brings. Guten Nacht!

*Editor's Note - Having finally relenting and buying one after two straight weeks of rain!

**Author's note - While making our way to the U1 to take us to our hotel, Tavis came up with this gem. “Dad, I want to ride the U2, but I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, and I’ll ride it with or without you because it’s a beautiful day!”