MUC: Mike's Bike Tours

I gotta tell y'all about Mike's Bike Tours in Munich. I was told that this is a tour that you shouldn't pass up when there's good weather, and on my last lucky reserve callout to Munich, we had excellent weather. So, throwing caution to the wind, I decided to meander on down to Mike's Bike Tours and see what's up. Of course, Cluck came along for the ride.

Mike's Bike Tours has you meet under the clock tower in the Marienplatz. They don't need a reservation, just show up and you'll be accomodated! We first met Frankie,

one of the famed bike tour guides, a cool guy from Hawaii that knows all the great watering holes. The number of people that showed up that day required a split up into two groups, one led by Frankie and the other led by the owner and namesake of the tour company, Mike.


I ended up with Mike. He is an excellent guide, serving many neat little tidbits of Munich history during the tour. Frankie, from what I hear, has a special flair for adding a party atmosphere for the tour.

The tour lasted 4 hours and hit many Munich highlights, including dinner at an authentic beer garden. Of course, Munich has so much to offer, that 4 hours will just whet your whistle as to what this grand city has to offer.

The bike ride is not a difficult one, with just a few inclines. No problem walking your bike if you need to. If you're a novice bike rider, you might be challenged, probably more so with a fear of scratching the nice Mercedes that line the streets.

The most relaxing part of the tour is through the English Gardens, a beautiful park in the center of the city.

The tour ends at the Hofbrau Haus, one of the oldes beer halls in Munich. Even though there are other beer halls, Mikes still likes the Hofbrau Haus for its consistent and authentic beer hall atmosphere.

So give Mike's Bikes a shot. It was a hoot and a great way to get a feel for the city. Of course, ending at the Hofbrau Haus was pretty cool too!

I took a lot of pics, and here are a few of the best, in no particular order:

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Location of Mike's Bike Tours:


A typical Mike's Bike Tours bike:








The Eisbach River


Cluck, you crazy fowl:


Really, no joke:


Dinner at the Chinese Beer Garden (but it's still German)


What I had:




Me:


Hofbrau Haus: Truly international, a Canadian, an Aussie, and a few Kiwis



Cluck nearing his limit:


Cluck surprises a few Russian gals:


A befriended forklift operator and his girlfriend:


Cluck relaxing before the beer fest:


Our hotel:

Naritasan Shinshoji Temple

I visited the Naritasan Shinshoji Temple on a recent Narita layover. It apparently receives many visitors throughout the year. There was generous crowd when I went, but it wasn't obtrusive. I imagine there are lots more folks during the summer months.

The Naritasan Temple is easy to get to. Click on the map below to enlarge it.

I went on a sunny day in late late February, so the surrounding scenery was still a bit gray and wintery. I imagine the view are much better if you can manage to visit in the summertime.

The entire park is very well maintained. It's fun to walk through, and you'll find shrines of varying size and scope throughout the park.

I saw the first 20 minutes of the Buddhist prayer service. They want you to take off you shoes. I didn't understand any of it, so after marvelling at the scenery in the great hall, I quietly left. They don't allow pictures of the main hall.

The only tough part is forcing yourself to get up and do it, since you're body will be wanting to snooze.

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Me in front of the recently constructed Somon Gate (or Grand Gate). You'll marvel at the craftmanship and on such a large scale. There is a public restroom on the opposite end of this square.

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Nioman Gate

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The Three Storied Pagoda near the Main Hall

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I'm not an expert on Buddhism, but these shrines and plaques that look like grave markers are in fact prayer stones.

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The Great Pagoda of Peace towards the rear of the park.

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I took the Green Street on the way back and enjoyed seeing how busy it was. Up until now, I'd only seen the street at night on the way to the Jet Lag Club.