This morning we decided that yesterday we hadn’t had enough time in Rothenburg, so we stayed for a while longer and did some shopping. Yesterday was Sunday and in most German cities, stores are closed on Sundays. In Rothenburg (a tourist city) there were some open stores last night, but not all of the stores that the kids wanted to see… so we spent an extra two hours in Rothenburg this morning looking around, shopping and enjoying our time. A few of us even went to the Käthe Wohlfahrt Weichnachtsmuseum (a famous Christmas store).

After our time in Rothenburg, we left and took the 3-4 hour drive to München (where all of the students fell fast asleep for almost the entire trip). When we first arrived in München, we went to the Olympic Stadium (where Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals in the seventies! We hit the bathroom, ate, and then walked around the ponds, saw the swimming hall and enjoyed the sun (but not necessarily the muggy weather).  Then it was back on the bus and off to the city center… where we could do some shopping.

We started at the Marienplatz, the square in front of the “new” city hall, where the infamous Glockenspiel is. Then we went off to places like the Kaufhof, Karstadt, the New Yorker, Pimkie, and many, many more. So far we have been able to fulfill needs as they have come up (more camera memory cards, towels, usw.)… so that is fantastic.

Finally off to the next Youth Hostel, where we ate a delicious supper (one of the best so far, I think), and then a few of us went for a walk to find an Eis-Cafe (surprise, surprise).

It has been a great time so far… we’ve had a few run-ins with minor bouts of stomach-y type things… and it seems to be making the circuit… but everyone is well (today) and tomorrow we have an awesome bike-tour of München planned and then off to Dachau… it is quite the juxtaposition of emotion.

But your kids have been fantastic… they have been early for everything… they have been very thankful… very kind and just downright awesome. We have gotten comments from so many people on how great they are as they are polite, flexible, trying new things, and using their German! Feel free to be as proud as we are.