So from the delights of Stuttgart, Germany, for the Porsche Museum (bucket list item ticked off!) we were off again the same afternoon to Munich. We had already decided that we would stay here at least a couple of days in order to rest up before what was likely to be, a tough stint on through Austria and Slovenia (much more on those in my later posts!).

Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany (Home of Bayern Munich FC)

We decided on a site just outside the city and Camperstops suggested that a reasonable stop was in the car park outside the home of Bayern Munich Football Club. It was a little nicer than that sounds... honest!! On paper it seemed really favourable as it had great transport links to Munich and the surrounding countryside. It definately exceeded my expectations. 

Once we arrived, we entered the ground and wandered around the outside before venturing in to the Bayern Munich Fan Shop. We could not believe our eyes for there was absolutely everything that you can imagine (and those that you could not explain) with the Bayern Munich logo. Everything from kits, beanies, and tracksuits to 'Do not disturb' signs (like you would see in a hotel) to a toaster, sandwich maker, muffin cases and bath wash mitts.

Once we had our laughs at the merchandise, we decided to scope out the public transport for the following day as we had decided that we would take a train (underground) in to the middle of the old part of the city. The modern side was not really drawing us in.

Once of the advantages of the 'site' that I had found was that we were only 10 mins walk from the station. With this foound we returned to our home on wheels for dinner and a well deserved beer.

The following day we were up and out early and walked the short distance to the station to catch the underground in to Marienplatz. Getting a ticket and jumping on was really simple, and reasonably cheap.

Once in the city we gravitated towards the hop-on-hop-off bus as this is often a great way to see and learn about the city. Having found the tour guide, confirmed the route, we had a little time to spare so found that there was a church in Petersplatz that we could climb. At €3 each, we felt that an elevated view of our surroundings would be worth the vertigo.

Once we climbed the steps to the top, the view was definately worth the effort.

The view down on to Marienplatz, Munich, Germany 

Following this stunning view across the city, we took the bus tour around Munich and learnt lots about the history of the city. We thought that it was quite small, but it is the 3rd largest city in Germany (behind Berlin and Hamburg) with a total of around 1.4m residents. It would seem that the most famous part of the city is its numerous breweriers and, of course, Octoberfest, where they brew 'bier' even stronger just in preparation for 6m visitors.

One of our favourite stops was Nymphberg Palace. We walked around the gardens in the sunshine soaking up the sights, smells and sounds. It was glorius.

Nymphenberg Palace, Munich, Germany

As we had enjoyed the city so much, we decided to get on our bikes the following morning to return to the Olympic Park with it's numerous cycle trails.

English Garden, Munich, Germany

Day 2 in Munich and we decided on a circular route taking in the Olympic Park and the English Garden. We found a convenient cycle route that led us straight to the Olympic Park although it was a little hard to follw at times due to some missing signs, but we found it eventually, helped along by the fact that we kept catching glimpses of the BMW Museum and the tower in the centre of the Olympic Park. 

Following on from this we headed towards the city centre and the famed English Garden that we had glimpsed from our bus ride the previous day. This turned out to be a significant treat as it was intersected with cycle trails, rivers, lakes and forests. It was the most enjoyable cycle ride I have ever done. Just the two of us, listening to the noises from the babling river, cycling along the cycle path stippled with sunlight. Perfection.

Once we returned to the motorhome, we quickly stowed all of our gear and got on the road towards Slovenia, our next intended stop.