Munich by bike

Arrived safe n sound in Munich. Only found out once we arrived that the seats on the train from Prague lay completely flat so we could of had a proper nap on board. Got one of the S-bahn trains from main station straight to the city centre Holiday Inn. There's a lift from the station straight to the hotel lobby which is really convenient. The Bayern-Bohmen Ticket covered the journey. It's valid on all S (suburban) trains and R (regional) trains. It's not valid on the U (underground) trains though.

Lass on reception was lovely. Really friendly and helpful. Even remembered Catherines name and greeted her later that evening as Miss Lea which was a nice touch.

Walked into town. It was absolutely heaving but just like we remembered. It's still full of beautiful girls elegantly gliding around on push bikes. That's how I always remembered it anyway.

Grabbed food and beer at Hofbrauhaus. I nearly snapped my wrist again lifting my maß stein of beer! Best remember I'm not fully recovered yet. I know the Hofbrauhaus is a tourist trap, but it's a right laugh.

My heart is fit to pop with the amount of salt I've consumed over the last few days. Everything in Prague is loaded with it. Bavaria is much the same. The pretzels are covered in salt rocks, although I found out later that the locals scrape these off before eating. Ordered weißwurst, and ate it the proper way. It's not pretty but it's the correct thing to do. We left after food and tried a couple of different bars.

Woke up this morning to glorious sunshine. It's a bit nippy but lovely and fresh. Decided to take a bike tour with Mike's Bike Tours. Pinched some free coffees from the O2 store on Marienplatz while we waited for our guide. It's the iPhone 4 launch today so the free drinks and refreshments aren't a permanent feature. It's worth noting that their free WiFi is, and it reaches outside the store 24 hours a day (we heard there's also free WiFi in Hard Rock Cafe but I can't stomach that place).

It was a really small group - just three American girls and us. Our guide, Tony, was awesome. A very well travelled and entertaining American now living in Munich. The tour lasted about 4 hours which included a quick break for lunch in the park. Worth every penny of €24 and thoroughly recommended if you're in town. Munich is a beautiful city and very bike friendly. This is definitely the best way to see it. I reckon we picked up far more in a few hours than we could have if we'd just grabbed a guidebook.

As well as the sights and history, we picked up some top tips for beer, food and other things to try while we're here. Silly stuff, like which church tower gives the best views and what time of day you should try climbing it.

Catherine also tried, but failed, to pinch her bike after falling in love with it. I hope Santa feels flush this year because she's obsessed.

As tour customers, we now get discounted bike hire and free internet access while we're in Munich. We might actually use both of those before we leave.

Back in hotel room at mo for a quick wash and brush up but we're heading back into town soon.

Dunno what the plans are but they will no doubt include lots of beer and meat. We're actually still in time for happy hour cocktails but apparently they're banned after last nights silly late session in Prague.