August 9 – Munich – Walter Welsch to Martin Lang (15 km, 9 miles)
I spent all day today touring around Munich. Walter had to go to his university in the morning, so I went to the Munich zoo, which was only a few kilometers from Walter’s house. In the afternoon Walter and I took the subway to Olympic Park and BMW World. BMW World is really just a very large, very expensive showroom for BMWs. They have all the various models of new BMWs that you can sit in, as well as various displays that showcase BMW technology. The feeling you get when going in is that it’s an ultra-modern museum type place, but everything inside is designed to get you interested enough in BMWs in order to buy one. Walter said that when someone buys a BMW at any dealership in Munich, they have to pick it up at a special place on the second floor of BMW World. Next to BMW World is the BMW Museum, the main headquarters building that is referred to as the 4-cylinder (because it has four cylindrical-shaped towers connected together), and the BMW factory, where all BMWs in Germany are made. In all, it was quite an impressive area, all devoted to BMW. After BMW World, we took a trip up the Olympiaturm, which is a 300-meter tall tower. From the observation deck it was possible to see to the north and to the mountains to the south.
After leaving the tower, Walter took me to one of his favorite outdoor cafes for ice cream and coffee, after which we went back to his house where I packed my gear, said farewell to Walter, and rode 15 kilometers to Martin Lang’s house on the southeast side of Munich. As soon as I rode up on my bike I was met outside by Martin’s wife, Ulrike, and then in quick succession by the rest of the Lang family – Lothar, Jonathan, Leo, and Moritz.
The plan for the next few days is to visit with Martin and family, and then spend some time visiting Klaus Blachnitzky’s family in nearby Kaufering.
OTR 
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