Well, when we last left off yesterday, I was going to bed wondering if and how I’d watch Game 6 of the Canucks which would be airing at 1am my time.

Would I be able to wake up and see the game?   Would I sleep through it?   Would I be a zombie today with no sleep if I did?

The answers to those questions are: yes, no, sorta.

Game 6

Despite going to bed at 9:30, I had my alarm set for just a few hours later.

As it turns out, I didn’t even need my 12:45am alarm because I woke up on my own.

The hotel room I’m sharing with Shawn was listed as a twin room and, yes, the room does have 2 beds but they are pushed up against each other.

Turns out that sleeping in a room with someone in close proximity to you who, from time to time snores, is all the alarm you need.

I gathered my stuff and headed down to the main lobby of the hotel to watch the game on my little laptop.

First period: no scoring

Second period: no scoring

Third period: no scor…

Oh, wait, wait!

With just over a minute left in the game and the Canucks scored and, after a frantic last minute, they held on for the win to take the series 4-2.

I was so sure the game was heading to overtime and God knows how long the game would take.   As it was the game ended at 4am and it was time for me to go back to bed.

Breakfast Fail

I returned to the room around 4:30 and was able to fall asleep for a few more hours, waking up at 9:30.

I think somewhere in there I got 8 hours sleep.

The only plan for today was a 10:45 walking tour and I had actually, miraculously, woken up in time to get to it.

I did, however, have a decision to make.

What was I going to have for breakfast?

The hotel has a breakfast buffet for €18 ($27) or I could venture out on my own into the city to one of a handful or gluten friendly restaurants I had marked on my map.

It was going to be a bit of a time crunch if I went out for breakfast but I was determined to get something better than that lacklustre (and overpriced) breakfast buffet.

I did have a bit of a safety cushion with the timing because I’d be meeting Shawn at the walking tour.   If I was a few minutes late, he could just message me where they were at.

So, I headed out the door at 10am to a restaurant called California Bean which was right next to the restaurant we went to dinner at last night.

I knew where I was going, how to get there, and I’m a pretty quick eater.   I think I could do this.

I walked up to the restaurant at 10:15 and there were three people standing outside.

Ah, they must be waiting for their friends so I walked past them through the door.

The place was packed.

It then dawned on me as I saw a few more people join the people outside that they were actually waiting in line to get a table.

Well, crap.

Guess I’m not having breakfast this morning…

On the plus side, there was no more time crunch and I’d be at the walking tour in plenty of time.

As I walked down the street I did notice a little shop selling various meats and, like I did a couple of days ago in Triberg, I grabbed some chicken to go for an impromptu breakfast.

Definitely a breakfast fail but at least I got some food in my belly.

Half a walking tour

At 10:45 I met up with Shawn in the Old Town where the walking tour was set to begin.

The area was swarming with tourists and there were a few other walking tours taking place at the same time.

Our guide was from South America and he had a thick Spanish accent.

Despite being here in Germany for 23 years and doing the tours for awhile, he still had trouble thinking of the correct English words to describe certain things as he guided us.

I’ve always said there are two kinds of walking tours.

There’s the amazing ones where you’re listening and taking notes intently on the stories and history being told and then there’s the ones where you just kind of follow the group from site to site tuning out the guide.

Yeah, this tour was definitely the latter.

So, I just faded into the back of the group and took nice photos while he talked.

And then halfway through the tour I just decided to bail.

Sorry my dude.   Your tour just wasn’t for me.

By the way, if you want to read about some great tours I did here in Germany, you can read this blog from Berlin or this blog from Cologne.

The great pretzel hunt

After the tour Shawn and I stopped in this butcher shop/deli to grab lunch and then we each went our own way for the afternoon.

He headed back to the hostel but I was on the hunt for a pretzel.

Now pretzels you can find everywhere and they’re just one of those food items you’re supposed to try while you’re here in Germany.

Gluten free pretzels, on the other hand, are like a unicorn in this country.

In the multiple cities we’ve now visited, I have yet to come upon a place offering a gluten free pretzel.

Not a single one!

Until now!

The little café was a couple metro stops and then a 15 minute walk from the main part of the city but it was a nice day and, like I said, I was on a mission.

I walked down the street and found Das Metta, a dedicated gluten free bakery.

Everything in the café was gluten free!   I was in heaven!

I excitedly walked up to the counter and exclaimed “I’m so happy.   I’m come all this way to get one of your gluten free pretzels!”

And then the smile on the cashier’s face faded.

Oh crap.

Before she uttered the words, I knew what she was going to say.

Yup, they were sold out for the day.

Another mission failed!

As a constellation, I was able to order a little pretzel bun and a cinnamon roll which were both amazing.

And, I mean, a pretzel bun kind of counts, right?

Right?

Please tell me it counts.   I need this validation!

Dinner time

After my hunt for the elusive gluten free pretzel was over, I was back at the hostel at 4:30.

Dinner wasn’t for a couple hours so we just kind of hung in the room for awhile.

At 6:30 we were off into the city again to a popular German restaurant, Löwenbräukeller, which has a giant beer garden outside.

Well, with both us non-beer drinkers (sorry Germany), we went inside to have some a nice heavy German meal.

Like seriously, all the food I had today was so heavy.   Of course it didn’t help that I had a chicken breast for breakfast.

Definitely gonna try to diet when I get back home.

I had the crispy roasted suckling pig ribs served with rosemary potatoes and cabbage and mushroom vegetables.

The waiter was actually pretty helpful with guiding me on the menu when I told him I was celiac.

I often wonder what waiters here think of tourists.   Do they see us the same way I view tourists back home when I’m serving them?

On the one hand we come across as entitled assuming everyone speaks English but, then again, we tip more than the average local.

I found out that here in Germany, the typical tip for great service is 5% while I’ve been consistently leaving 15 or even 20 percent.

So, do they love us or hate us?   Who knows, I think they just pocket the money and mutter under their breath about us damn tourists.

And with that, the night had come to an end.

Shawn went out to Karaoke later and I stayed in the room watching YouTube videos and rearranging the furniture to move our beds apart.

Yup, a Saturday night in Munich and I’m watching YouTube videos.

Don’t judge me!

Anyway, it’s hard to believe, but there’s only a handful of days left on this trip.

Tomorrow is Sunday and I’ll be on a flight home on Wednesday.

Germany Trip 2024 is in its’ final stretch…