Bavaria Germany

Brand New car that speaks German

Ashley: We arrived in Munich, Germany and walked to the rental car company. Cosmo was very popular there! We got our car which was brand new, having been delivered off the train earlier that day. It’s a VW golf and I can’t get anything on the screen except the AC settings. I plug in my phone hoping that the Android auto will take over but it doesn't. I ease out of the parking lot with several very tight turns conscious of the fact that I do not want to be the first person to put a scratch on this car. we get to the surface and Google maps fails me by telling me to go straight for a block and a half but straight would be directly into a building so that can't be correct! instead I try to sort out the map and figure that I should go right but I'm not trusting Google's directions plus the car is putting various messages up on the screen in German and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. Cosmo of course wants to look out the window because that's what he does in the car and I can't take all of that so I grab him and toss him into the backseat. after a couple blocks I give up, pull over and spend some time trying to figure out how to get the car menu up and finally succeed, but now Cosmo is moping and in his backpack and he won't come out

Cosmo: We finally leave the train and get into a car! I know cars, I understand cars, I love cars! I am so happy! I hop into Ashley’s lap and paw at the window to remind her to open it for me. She doesn’t. Instead she grabs me and throws me into the back seat! Me! I’ve been such a good sport and she treats me like unwanted extra luggage. She tried winning me over with a Churu. I ate it of course. There’s no reason to waste one, but afterwards I turned my back on her and walked away.

This is how they keep track of how long you've been
parking. Prime example of German efficiency

Ashley: I now know the real reason rental cars have identifying stickers in the back. Yes, it does help renters identify their cars, but it also is equivalent to a sign saying this idiot does not know how to drive here so please be kind or at least beware. Driving in Germany is confusing. I stopped at a red light and pulled to the right side creeping up to make a right turn. Then I started doubting if a right turn on red was legal (it is not BTW without a sign specifically saying you can). On top of that there are actually two different walking Lanes: one for bikes and one for people, but one of them is dotted. When someone honked at me I reconsidered my position and reversed outside of that lane. I turned and saw a motorcycle next to and about 5 feet behind me who must have been the honker. I gave him the okay gesture as a question and he kind of shrugged and did a so so gesture with his hands. I hope they put the rental car stickers on this car because that is equivalent of a sign saying this idiot does not know how to drive here so please be kind or at least beware.

Cosmo enjoying his walk in Liechtenstein

Cosmo: Our first full day we drove into Liechtenstein mostly so Ashley could add another country to her count. We drove up above the castle and found a great wooded path to walk on. For almost a whole blissful hour I had it exactly the way I like it: just forest, no people, no dogs and occasionally something to chase. I like Liechtenstein! The car however is strange. I don’t have enough leash to look out the window or sit on the dashboard. I have just enough to curl up partly in her lap by the console. She said something about German laws, but those insignificant details are beneath me.

walking near the castle in Liechtenstein

Cosmo and Ashley by Neuschwanstein Castle

Ashley: Our second day was our trip to all the beautiful castles that King Ludwig built. The first and most famous was the Neuschwanstein, the one that Disneyland’s castle was modeled after. We got there early, 7:40am and considered the long 40 minute walk uphill but there was a bus starting at 8am, which seemed like a far quicker option. We first went to Marienbrucke bridge, which has a wonderful view of the castle, then continued past it along a wooded path so Cosmo could have more outdoor time. We got some even nicer pictures from the overlook there before heading back to the castle to see it up close. Since we could not go in (no pets allowed) the view from the bridge was much nicer. However the castle area did have a much needed bathroom and a place to buy souvenirs.

Cosmo overlooking the castle

The amazing Neuschwanstein Castle

“Mad” King Ludwig is associated with 3 castles in the area. The famous one, plus a small cute one down the hill from the first which was his childhood home, and Linderhof Palace with its massive gardens and grounds. We went to Linderhof later in the day and Cosmo had a fine time wandering around the grounds and outside the grounds near the parking lots. In between I tried unsuccessfully to rent a bike to ride around the beautiful lake Forggensee so instead we parked and walked along it for a bit.

Cosmo crashed out in the car on the way home from the castles

Linderhof Castle

beautiful section of Forggensee

oops! Cosmo is attached to an e-bike by mistake

How hard is it to ride a bike in Munich? Apparently for me very hard. They have a pretty good bike sharing app as part of the Munich public transportation so I downloaded the MyRadl app and found a station right across the street with some bikes. They even had small baskets in front where I could attach Cosmo so I securely attached him using the bungie cords and after about 5 minutes I felt like I had done a pretty good job. However when I went to scan the bike it was an e-bike and I need a regular bike. Ebikes are too powerful for me. So I switched and looked for a regular bike but the basket was broken. I found another bike where I could access the basket easily (their back wheels are locked so you can't move them until you rent them) but once I got Cosmo hooked up I discover I had messed up and this was also an e-bike! I blame menopause brain fog.

finally got Cosmo attached
to a regular bike

Finally I got him attached to a regular bike and went to scan it to pay, however my payment was declined from Chase even though there was no actual transaction that I could select to approve. I find this happens sometimes especially in other countries when you need a pending authorization or other odd things, for example my covid Visa application for Thailand 4 years ago had to come through AmEx so they could send me a “safe key verification” via text. No problem. It only took me a few minutes to get my AmEx card added and get the safe key verification. Then I discovered that MV-go does not accept American Express payments even though they show the AmEx Logo. I tried calling their helpline but they are not sure what the problem is, though they suggest using the separate Nextbike app so I download that which takes a few more minutes and go to make a an account which requires cell phone text verification. That’s not a problem since I have my Verizon service here with ultimate unlimited but the text never comes. I resend it a couple times and it still doesn't come. I try exiting and reentering. I confirm that I have allowed notifications in the app. I check my blocked and spam texts but it's not there either. Finally I tried calling the helpline and they actually are able to get me an approval code to sign up. From there it actually works pretty well and I'm able to pay with my Google pay. Nearly an hour after I start I was ready to go! Better late than never!

walking through the park

Then comes the biking part. I don't know whether it's because the bike is built for taller people (though I am able to lower the seat the frame is big). Maybe it's because of the different roadways with unfamiliar signs that I'm not used to or maybe it's just because I don't bike very often and I'm not a great biker. I suppose having Cosmo in the front basket with his weight shifting around doesn't help either. but I struggle a bit especially in the beginning. I'm doing my best not to hit other bikers, cars, people, and especially those darn poles that they put out to prevent cars from going into bike and walking paths. Somehow I managed to not hit anything or anyone and we made it to the English Garden area of the park. Thankfully they often have dedicated bike lanes either on the street or sidewalk which was a huge help!

Cosmo: The bike ride was a little harrowing. Ashley sucks at riding a bike! I kept trying to jump out since 1) it would be safer and 2) I haven’t had a walk yet today. Finally we get to the park and it’s super cool! They had ponds with ducks and geese and wooded areas where I could explore only feet away from the crowds on the paved walkways. They never even saw me through the trees! Riding home was much better and I felt safe just sitting and resting my paws on my backpack to look out. Ashley even managed to avoid a toddler on a toy bike that drifted across our lane on the sidewalk.

Ashley: They also have a small but very fast river that runs through the park and at one point it shoots through a chute and comes out fast enough that you can surf on the river, like they do with that wave machine I tried in Phuket! It was super cool watching them surf and try to stay up. Kids lined up on both sides of the river and took turns stepping onto their boards off the bank and cutting back and forth between the banks before wiping out and drifting downstream. A few were quite good and I got some video of that. 100 yard down the river people were jumping in and rapidly floating off down the river (see video of that as well). In Germany kids just walk around in their swimsuits in the summer. I saw several triple buses pull up to the bus stop packed with kids in swimsuits. It’s strange to me because here we put cover ups on over our swimsuits before we leave the beach.

Cosmo makes a friend in the park

kids packed into buses wearing swim trunks

delicious breakfast and Bavarian pretzel at the Holiday inn