Well, the trip went off smoothly other than my back injury.  I sat next to some easy to talk to travelers and had plenty of meaningless conversations.  Stepping off the plane, my back was tweaked and I was extremely tired from not getting enough sleep.  The walk to the baggage claim was uneasy but straight forward in the advanced and clean Munich airport.  I collected my things and found my bicycle intact after being handled too many times.  The customs check was informal even with my giant pieces of luggage.  I quickly found Andy sitting at the car rental station.  We shelled out some cash and were on our way only to be stymied by a slightly confusing way to find the rental.  We nearly gave up when we discovered that the car was in a special place, a numbered spot. 

Rain
The second we began driving out of the airport lot the rain started to fall.  It only took us fifteen minutes or so to start getting confused in the heart of Munich.  It is a beautiful green city with a skyline capped at just a few stories.  Like most European cities the roads were narrow and the cars moved like lightening.  One difference that I did enjoy was the warning signal on the stop lights.  Before a light will change to stop or go, it will flash yellow.  What is great about this system is that everyone canes it off the line and you rarely have someone starting late after a signal.  From then on, it was off to the races.

Rain
After few difficulties we found Andy’s friends house and began our walking adventure.  It was raining, so raingear was essential, either an umbrella (which all the locals had) or a rain jacket.  Our shoes and feet were wet and cold as we trudged through the damp city.  We ate lunch at a Baker and enjoyed some fresh German breads and pastries (I am going to like it here).  What we noticed as we walked was many small specialty shops that were unique and vibrant.  It seemed like cash was always exchanged rather than credit.  We had a lot to learn.  Something else that we quickly learned was that everyone who walks through the city always (I mean always) obeys the traffic rules.  I learned this upon being scolded for making a right turn on a red light.  The local who reminded me was very adamant about me never ever doing that again.  I was humbled and that moment still haunts me.