Monday 16th July

Arrived in Strasbourg in the very early morning needing to do a number 2, but all the toilets were closed, so nipped on to an awaiting TGV to do my business and then jumped off again. As I was getting on the TGV saw a french girl I recognised (can't remember where from). Her train was just leaving, but I asked her mum where I knew her from, she said the chantier in Labrousse in 1997.

Walked quickly into Strasbourg's desserted town centre and took some snaps of the cathedral and the streets before heading back to the station (which was being renovated).

Caught the train to Munich and ate breakfast on the train for 6 euros. The rest of the journey was uneventful.

Arrived in munich on-time and went straight to the ticket office where the very competent assistent did in one minute what the SNCF guy tried to do in one hour. I'd ordered a ticket to Budapest return, on a sleeper! Now I had ~12 hours to kill in Munich. Started by storing my bag in the left luggage at Munich station, the set off for the YHA to book room in Budapest. Took a while to find the YHA, getting lost once along the way (found a nice swimming area near the Zoo in doing so). Became a member on the spot and reserved a room at Marco-Polo hostel in Budapest.

Went back into the town centre and went to the Deutsches museum (Science museum) where I wondered around looking a lots of scientific apparatus etc. Most of the sings were in German which didn't help.

Bought some picnic food from a shop then went to Hofgarten to eat it on the lawn. Walked through to the English gardens where hundreds of young people were lapping up the sun, playing games, swimming in the water and generally having a good time. There was also a group of guys who were surfing in the wake left by a sluice gate (or something similar).

Had a beer and a soda from a small beergarden at the edge of the part, on the university side, before heading back to the station.

Had a few beers at a backpackers hostel (beer 3 euro) with some English and American guys before getting the sleeper to Budapest, sharing a cabin with 5 south korean students.