Ich fliege nach München

As I mentioned below, I decided to take a spur of the moment trip to Munich (München), and I thought I would make a few notes during the trip. Currently I am in SeaTac airport, waiting for the first leg of my flight to SFO then on to Munich. I'll only be there a week, but at least it's before I start at Microsoft, so it is one of the few vacations in my life that I can take without worrying about the office and what may or may not be happening in the office. Also, it's the first time in about 15 years I have not had a pair of dogs boarded, so this truly is a different feeling for me.

It's a sign of the times that even on a purely personal vacation, I'm taking along a laptop. They're not just for business anymore, but frankly I can't imagine being offline for a week. Sure, there are kiosks and Internet cafes and hotel lobby computers, but you can't count on finding one when you need it. Besides, how can I plan the sidetrips and things I want to do during my vacation without a laptop? A long time ago (10 years or so), we actually had to count on the concierge or the little pamphlets in the hotel lobby, but today that seems almost barbaric, so 20th century. So, as I am sitting here waiting for my flight, I'm Googling Austria, Switzerland and other parts of Germany to see what might make an interesting daytrip. I left the cell phone at home, figuring I could get in to my voicemail with Skype, but the laptop is truly a must-have!

From a geopgraphic perspective, Munich is in the southern part of Germany, in Bavaria, very near the border of the countries I mention above. I'm not sure if I'll be sufficiently busy for a week in Munich, so it's comforting knowing that I have some major options just a few hours away by train. I'm kind of cursing myself for not making this a longer vacation, as there are so many other parts of Germany I'd also like to see (e.g., Berlin), but at least I have a week.