10/29/00 - Day off in Munich...

Hello Friends,

We drove most of the morning and afternoon on our band bus from Dortmund, southeast to Munich. The colors and landscapes were breathtaking, with the fall colors at an absolute peak. The bus has large windows and all along the drive somebody would yell out to look at a castle on a distant hilltop, or the way the sun was reflecting off the green fields and hillsides, and at last a fiery sunset.

Munich was always one of my favorite cities here, but frankly, Germany has grown so much since I was last here that it feels like I have never been here before, and cities like Cologne are now youthful and thriving more than I ever remember them.

The bus is an ultra modern German model, not available in the states, and we are enjoying the change of pace after months on our American (actually Prevost is Canadian) model.

It is mandatory here in Germany for the driver to take a minimum break of thirty minutes or more for every four hours of the engine running (there is a timer in the steering housing) and on those breaks we have enjoyed some amazing lunches at roadside rest and fuel stops, getting to go for walks along farm paths that butt up to the parking lots. The food here in general is much better than I recall, but it is the pomm frittes (French fries) that have made us all crazy. I don't know what they do to potatoes here, but Lawrence got us started eating them and I don't know what to tell you, they are insanely tasty!

So, tonight is a night off. I am staying in to rest my voice. I caught a cold a few days ago and you know how you sound when you have one of those. A good night away from the microphone will work wonders. Everyone but Glen and I went out to dinner and to check out the club scene here in Munich. Tomorrow will be shopping and lunching and sightseeing. Then tomorrow night and the next night will be the end of our German/Swiss tour. If you have looked at the pictures, you can see why we love it so much here. You have seen perhaps 10% of the photos I have on file. There has just not been enough time to sit and upload them all, but I think you get the big picture.

Next time we come over here, think about coming along and you can take your own pictures. Lots of fans did and they are all smiles. STYX is a great excuse to see the world!