ZOB

Snow covers the Zentral Omnibus Bahnhof as scattered snow storms and freezing temps sweep through the region. This intergalactic looking building houses one of the bus stations of Munich (the other being way out at the Allianz Arena). Soon it will transform into more of a business park with the next door Skygarden, which had an open house Friday evening.

Social Experiment

Each time I visit the airport I seem to encounter an interesting phenomenon. Being the diligent law abiding citizen I always buy my S-bahn ticket, however a day ticket is a few cents more than a one way. Once I arrive at the airport it never seems to fail that it's next to impossible to give the ticket away. I've tried more than once. I'm not looking for payment, but here it seems the kindness of strangers is looked upon with extreme caution. I guess it goes under the same file as no 'leave a cent, take a cent' container at cash registers. Instead you just receive the 'German stare'.

Paleontology

Getting out in the cold wet weather can take some effort, however there are really impressive things to see indoors. The Paleontology Museum always fascinates me, because they hold classes there for university students and they have interesting little treasures all around the building, like this ancient little marine crab from Verona (Munich's twin / sister city).

Vending

If you've traversed through the Hauptbahnhof lately you may have noticed this small machine tucked in the corner near the Kardstadt S-bahn entrance. Looking more similar to something you'd find in Japan is this vending machine filled with electronic gadgets for those that need instant gratification. Inside are hair dryers, electric toothbrushes, ipods, cameras, and headphones. Maybe it's only time before we get one similar to Nürnberg's that has detergent and kitty litter as well.

Olympic Preparations

While we're not certain if the Winter olympics will come our way we're still doing things the German way - being ultra prepared and having a finesse for detailed engineering. This is an image of the plans near the construction area at the Olympic Park. I'm not entirely certain what they have going on there, but the subterranean shell looks mighty interesting. I'm curious where it will have foot traffic, similar to the Opera House in Oslo. The latest stat is that 60% of the area wants the Olympics. We'll see if the other 40% can be swayed with Katarina Witt's campaign.

Big Top

Tucked away behind the ZOB bus station and the Hackbrücke S-bahn stop is the Zirkus Crone, where faint scents of animals can occasionally be smelled during the warmer months. The arena has everything from Europe's largest circus to intimate concerts and performances. It's interesting to see this venue be used for such varied shows. Now if only I could get a job working as a trapeze artist then I'd be set.

Biblical Naming

Bavarian born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, now known as Pope Benedict XVI hails from Bavaria. He was anointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977 and later became Cardinal. If a trip to the Vatican isn't in the cards his bronzed bust can be visited at the Frauenkirche. Clearly Munich is always in his prayers.

Lately Pope Benedict been in the news because of his comments on wishing people would return to using Biblical when naming their children. The most popular names for 2010 in Germany were Mia (coming from Maria) and Leon and in Bavaria they included Lena and Maximillian.

Where's Winter?

While much of the world is suffering through the Winter, flooding, and all around bad weather we've been showered with a bit of sun and unseasonably warm days. It's the perfect time get the bikes out of storage and enjoy some outdoor exercise or perhaps stumble upon something new.

So Not Berlin

The city occasionally has thought provoking stickers and graffiti. It's funny to see a sticker stating 'so not Berlin' considering street art is very much Berlin. Is that a slight towards Munich placed by someone from Berlin or rather a sense of pride in not being 'unrefined' Berlin?

While Munich and Berlin are often the antithesis of one another, each city seems to have loads of heimat pride. It's interesting to note the dichotomy between the two. Sometimes they seem like feuding siblings: homogenous vs. diverse, village vs. metropolis, old vs. new... the list goes on.

Staunch supporters can be found on both sides and newcomers to the city will often find themselves being asked by residents the loaded question, 'How do you like it here?'. Proceed with caution.

Streets of Culture

One of the joys of walking through the Fußgängerzone of Kaufingerstraße is stumbling upon street performers and talents from around the world. Here two throat singers give onlookers reason for pause as their interesting sounds reverberate through the air.

Student of Life

Being a perpetual student doesn't always require formally attending a school or university, but being willing to poke around and explore foreign areas of the city. This is the atrium of LMU, which is one of Germany's most prestigious universities. Does anyone know anything about the organ?

Lost Luggage

Hopefully everyone had a well rested holiday and avoided the airport chaos. This was the scene as I was leaving Munich. Seeing as though our fine city fared better than many others I can only imagine the delays and lost baggage people encountered elsewhere.