Getting Close to Nature

I wanted to share this photo with you because it reveals so much about life in Munich. First of all, you have the nudity in public. Of course, I had to cover up the details to get this posted on Blogger, but you can see that Germans (especially German men) love to be naked (see story here) – on the seashore, along the rivers, and in the parks. Apparently there was a man who gained fame as “The Hammer” who regularly walked naked the English Gardens shocking uptight tourists. But after a while, you just start to get used to it. Actually Germans see nudity quite differently than most Americans. They view it as getting much closer to nature, which this person certainly does. The other thing that this photo teaches you about Munich is that the English Garden is amazing. It’s one of the best city parks I’ve ever seen, with endless trails, views of the river, and of course, beer gardens. And finally, this photo teaches you that Munich residents and visitors have a love affair with their English Gardens. As the heat rose on Sunday, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such a sea of humanity in all parts of the park. Needless to say, there were traffic jams throughout the park as walkers, joggers, and bikers enjoyed the interesting views.