Bad Timing

 

When Manuela left for work, Walter and I headed south. Before leaving Munich we stopped at the headquarters of the Bayern Football Club; the richest in soccer, and best in Germany.  Their wealth was apparent with its modern, sprawling, glass and brick buildings taking up an entire residential block. The club's training field was immaculate with grass thick and green like a world-class golf course. Several days each week the team held practice sessions which were open to the public. With Walter being an avid fan and knowing all the players - some of the world's finest among them - it would have been nice to witness but the next session was not scheduled until Thursday.

 

Out of the city, we hurled down the autobahn.

With pedal to the metal - and held there for a good five kilometers or more - the BMW topped at 200 kilometers per hour (120 mph).  Its ride was smooth and stable; traffic, light. Drivers had an admirable courtesy  to drift aside and let faster vehicles pass on the inside lanes.

 

In Rosenheim we found Klepper Park, the small industrial complex probably named for the Klepper Kayak which had been manufactured here since 1907 - the original folding sea kayak.  A proud owner since the 1970s, it had always been my desire to pay homage to the site where my favorite toy was built - a rugged, stable 'toy' whose integrity I entrusted my life on the roughest of wave- and wind-swept seas after getting caught in several storms. I finally stood before the Klepper Museum in Rosenheim but it was closed on Tuesdays. The outer door was open, however, and a stairway leading to the upper level was lined with the hulls and wooden framework components of older models so the drive down there wasn't a total disappointment.