Plucky Survivors See Europe Day 40: Salzburg to Munich

Most of the day was wasted on dealing with a critical part of any road trip, the car.

In case you didn’t read yesterday’s post – and why would you?  I’m sure you have better things to do – PluckyMobile started throwing warnings at me on the drive from Stuttgart to Salzburg about a loose lug nut on the left rear wheel.  It’s been a minute since I was the manager of the Montgomery Ward Auto Center in Panorama City, but even I know that a loose lug nut is not a good thing, especially when you’re driving over 100mph on the German Autobahn.

The advice I got from Europcar is that I could get a replacement vehicle, but it would be easier if I did it in Germany since the car was rented in Germany.  I was heading to Munich anyway and I am pretty convinced it was just a faulty sensor, so I went ahead and made the drive to the Munich Airport.  Traffic was terrible so I was already an hour behind my planned schedule when I got there.

I had to make a looooong walk from the place where you return the cars to the desk, then wait for an available agent, then wait some more as the guy at the desk who spoke English explained everything to his boss who did not.  I was asked about a billion question and as much as I’d like to make a German interrogation joke here, I will refrain.

It took another hour to get all that sorted then I had to walk all the way back, get the luggage, and walk some more to meet PluckyMobile 2, a Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid. 

It’s taller, which I appreciate, and easier to get in and out of, which my knees appreciate.  It has a sunroof and is significantly more horsepower so it’s fun to drive.

The problem is trying to figure out how everything works, a problem with any new car you drive that was exacerbated by the fact that all of the instructions were in German.  I don’t know what “Öffnen Sie die Anwendung auf Ihrem Telefon und bestätigen Sie die Verbindung“ means!!

I finally found a way to switch it all to English but then couldn’t get Google Car Play to work.  I sat there in the garage for another 30 minutes to no avail.  I thought maybe all that concrete was interfering with thing so I headed for the exit and couldn’t get out.  There wasn’t a single soul around to help, so I backed up and immediately ran into a post.  No damage.  Sorry, PluckyMobile 2.

It took me another 30 minutes to figure out that the little piece of paper they wrote the parking space on was actually an exit ticket for the gate.  It would have been nice to have been told that.

I pulled over at the first rest area I could find and managed to get Apple Car Play partially working.  Maps and music are good, but I can’t get it to connect to my phone or messenger apps.  I gave up and went to the hotel.

The Cocoon is a strange place, very eco-focused with not only jungle print in the hallways but the sound of rainfall and birds anytime you enter it.  All the products and paper are recycled and there’s very heavy use of bamboo in the design scheme.  That would all be fine if there wasn’t a strange, vaguely unpleasant smell in the room.  Windows are open and Germany seems to have few bugs so hopefully it’ll go away.

By the time I got all that sorted out, I only had time for one sightseeing activity, so I made it the Munich Beer and Oktoberfest Museum. 

On the way there I happened up on a beautiful old cemetery and an big outdoor market. 

The museum is located in an old town house and by old I mean parts of it date back to 1364.  There are multiple floors of exhibits and you start at the top by climbing a couple of stairs.  And by a couple I mean four flights of very steep and scary stairs.  Once again, the thought came: “this is how I die.”

The exhibits are fairly basic but comprehensive, with information on ancient beer lovers like the Egyptians and progressing through history with a special focus on Munich’s part in the whole endeavor.  There’s information on hops, antique boxes and tapestries from local beer guilds, lots of steins, stein lids, and much more.  An entire section is devoted to Oktoberfest, complete with a timeline and some carnival style games on exhibit.

It’s pretty informative and interesting but be forewarned: if you are even slightly tall you’re going to have a hard time fitting through some of the doorways and under some of the ceilings.  A few doorways are less than 5 feet high and several rooms have ceilings that can’t be more than about 6 feet.

I hadn’t had anything to eat all day, so food was in order.  I found a place called Laurin Sudtirol that served traditional Bavarian food.  For a starter I got the truffle potato chips and a side of pepper spread.  For the main I decided it was finally time to break down and have some schnitzel.  I’m not usually a fan, but when in Bavaria… It came with roasted potatoes and little jars of cranberries and herb spread.  This version of the dish didn’t convert me, but it was very good, especially with the creamy herb spread on it.

In the evening I went to a close-up magic show with popular sleight-of-hand pro Alexander Krist.  He’s very popular in Germany and has his own custom-built theatre, but I was concerned when I found the show that I wouldn’t be able to follow it since he only speaks German.  I reached out and was assured that while I might not get all his patter, the tricks would be universal.

They were – he’s very good with ropes, rings, cards, and the like, but it was non-stop patter with lots of jokes that the rest of the audience appreciated.  He knew I only spoke English and threw me a couple of bones when he had me participate, but for the most part I just smiled when others laughed and applauded when everyone else did.

Tomorrow it’s more Munich including some sightseeing and another show.