Today is the day we will be collecting our brand-new convertible from BMW. We still have a bit of jet lag, so we are up in time for breakfast at 8 AM. After breakfast, we head into the old part of Munich for a bit of a walk and some exploring. We head back to Karlsplatz and down Neuhauserstrasse. Along the way we pass the Bürgersaal and the Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum. We visit the Michaelskirche and then we make a slight detour and head into the Frauenkirche. We finish off the walk down at the Neues and the Altes Rathausen.
At around 11 AM we return to our hotel to pick up some stuff and from there we head down into the bowels of the U-Bahn system to make our way to Freiman. The U and S-Bahn system here is incredibly extensive, but pretty well laid out and we have no major problems finding the right trains to take and where to connect. Also, the BMW directions to the pick-up center were very clear, so once we got off the U-Bahn at Freiman, we soon found our way there. Once there, we were greeted at the front gate by a representative and escorted into the reception hall. After taking our passport, we were sent to the cafe to have lunch while they completed the paperwork. We barely had time to finish our complimentary lunch, when the kind representative joined us and we signed all the necessary papers.
She then took us down to the garage where our car was waiting for us. And we were very pleased. We had ordered a color that is very rarely used and we had never seen it on an actual car before, but we had decided to take a chance. And we are very pleased with the selected color - gray-green metallic. Subtle, but sharp and distinctive. And even the BMW representatives seemed very excited - they had not seen this color on the convertible before and they also liked it. We had a guided tour of the car and all it's features. Guess they wanted to make sure we knew how to use it. After the guided tour we went into the accessories shop and purchased the wind deflector - an important accessory to have when driving the car at top speeds with the top down. We certainly did not regret that purchase.
After settling into our car, we were ready to take her out on an afternoon spin and she what she's got under the hood. And we were not disappointed. The weather was perfect - sunny and just a tad warm. We had the roof down as we drove out of the delivery center and soon found ourselves on the autobahn to Augsberg. We were a bit disappointed with the autobahn - on many stretches they had speed limits and the limits varied quite often. But we did find a few stretches where we were able to take our car up to 160 km/h (the maximum recommended speed when breaking in the car) and we loved it. With the top down, our hair was barely ruffled - in fact, we started to get a bit hot with the sun beating down on our exposed heads. But we were not complaining.
At Augsburg, we turned south onto Route 17 and headed to Landsberg am Lech. This is a smaller road where we had to drive a bit slower and watch out for other traffic. We passed by Landsberg and carried on route 17 for a while, but soon turned off and headed towards Ammersee on some wonderful country roads that wound there way through the forests and fields. We never actually approached the shores of the lake, but rather skirted around it, soon heading back up north with our goal being the monastery at Andechs.
The monastery at Andechs is famous for the beer that the monks have been brewing here for about 550 years. We pull into the car park and our first stop is at the delightful Braustüberl, where we pick up some light snacks and a couple of tall glasses of the local brew. Jacqui goes off and grabs an empty table, but when I soon join her with the drinks, I have to get us to move. She has sat down at one of the Stammtische - tables reserved for regulars. The tables have plaques above them with the days and times that the regulars come. We grab a nearby table. While we are enjoying our food and beer, the regulars came to the nearby table. They were an elderly couple, and the wife brought with her a picnic basket. From the basket she removed small place mats, wooden plates, cutlery, some bread with cheese and cold cuts and, finally, two ceramic beer mugs. She takes the two mugs and goes and gets them filled up at the bar. They then sit back and enjoy their dinner. It is great.
After we have finished our beer and food, we decide that as we are visiting a monastery, we should experience more than just their beer. So, we stroll around the grounds and go and check out the small, but charming, church. After finishing our wanderings, we decide that it is time to head back to Munich. We make our way down the hill back to our car and head on our way. As a few drops of rain have started to fall, we are not able to put down the roof. But we still enjoy our drive back.
We get back to the hotel just before 8 PM and after dropping off the car in the car park, we head into the old part of town for a light snack. We decide to have beer and our supper a the Augustiner Stuberl. It is still warm enough for us to sit outside, so we order our selves a couple of beers and some light food and enjoy the open air atmosphere. Lars decides to order a couple of typical Munchener Weisswurst, causing a bit of a ruckus as it turns out that they are normally only eaten before 12 noon. But the waiter is kind enough to accept the order.
After a bit of a wander, it is time to head back to the hotel and to call it a day. But what a day - collecting our brand new convertible and taking it for a spin. And as this is Lars' first car that he has ever owned, it is a special moment.