Sankt Nikolai

This sweet little chapel looks somewhat out of place in the city center, however it's been here long before the modern surrounds. Originally built in 1315 it's most famed for it's ornate stations of the cross.

Fire station

What was once a fire station is now part of a school. The telling details are the archways that are obscured by the trees is where fire trucks were stored and the bell on top which rang when the alarms went off.

Hops

Hops is one of the major ingredients of beer. This floral looking blossom is the female part of the plant and gives beer stability and flavoring. The world's largest hop planting area can be found of course in Bavaria, in a place called Hallertau.

Preysinger House

One of the most picturesque streets in all of Munich has to be this tiny stretch in Haidhausen. On a tour of the neighborhood I was told this is the oldest house. It's nice to envision what the area once resembled with the quaint cobble street and steep sloped roof tops straight out of a storybook.

Weißwurst

Munich's traditional breakfast of weißwurst sausages (never more than 2), pretzels with sweet mustard, and a weißbier is a great weekend activity. My word of advice is not to ask or know what is in the sausage, because it's a bit less enjoyable. Locals also refuse to eat these after noon, which dates back to the olden days when refrigeration was uncommon.

Hospital

Visiting and navigating the hospital is always an interesting experience, especially in a different country. Considering that having a baby is one of the only joyful reasons for being there.

Something I'm hearing more and more of is shopping around for delivery rooms that offer a variety of foods, paint colors, and music choices. It should come as no surprise that many new parents want to fool themselves into believing they will deliver exactly as they envisioned.

Frohe Weihnachten

Without being politically incorrect I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a joyful holiday season. Whether or not everyone celebrates Christmas is besides the point since Bavaria itself is very Catholic. This time of year it's wonderful for reflection and certainly everyone can appreciate the slower pace of life to enjoy family, friends, foods, and fun. The important things in life.

I will be enjoying those things as well and will spend much of the holidays in foreign lands, so I will resume posting after the New Year. Safe and happy holidays to everyone and thank you for your support!

Frozen Bar

Not much of the city's snow lingers, except where a restaurant has made a snow bar outside. Much of Europe and Germany remains to be struggling with the snow and delayed flights. Here's to hoping you're all safely where you will be celebrating Christmas or any another festive holiday.

Taking it to the Streets

Before the strong snow fall students took to the streets for equality in education. This seems to be a hot topic in Germany and many complain there is a caste like system that is oppressive. Here's to hoping they are successful in their wishes and changes can make things more democratic.

St. Martin's Day

Tiny lanterns and tiny people filled the streets last night as children walked through the city in honor of St. Martin's Day. The traditional food eaten in St. Martin's honor is goose and cabbage and several bakeries even had pastries shaped like geese (Martinsgänse) throughout the day. The geese represent Martin's hesitation to become bishop. Supposedly when he went into hiding they gave away his location to church officials.

Sunset

The unseasonably warm weather leads to unbelievably beautiful sunsets. This was the scene this evening. Now that day light savings time is over you might have to skip out early tomorrow in order to see nature's splendor. Hopefully we'll get an equally as impressive show and another mellow night to start the weekend right.

Unfall

Two young girls pay their respects to the memorial of a neighborhood child who was tragically hit by a car and died one month ago. The Haidhausen neighborhood has been shaken by this accident and is searching for ways to make the busy streets safer for children.

Give those little ones and loved ones an extra hug.

Archaic Ideas

It still leaves me bewildered to see condescending signage, books, and logos, such as the one pictured, around Munich and Germany. Political correctness is lacking here. While there has been a lot of recent discussion on integrating immigrants it appears tactfulness and respect would help people on all fronts.

Market Day

If getting to Viktualienmarkt requires too much exertion there are many 'Wochenmärkte' on various days of the week all over the city. It's a great excuse to explore other neighborhoods and stock up on farmer's market produce.

Haidhausen S-bahn

Haidhausen has been fighting plans to build a second S-Bahn tunnel under the neighborhood. The community plans to gather tonight to discuss what, if anything, can be done to prevent the additional line. Proponents believe the tunnel has been carefully planned and will be essential to fixing issues below ground.

The transport ministry has already decided politically that construction will begin next year. Their hopes are that it will be completed in time for the 2018 Winter Olympics, which Munich is a candidate host city.

Dog Parking

Munich is a very dog friendly city, however some stores prefer for furry friends to wait outside. Many shops and grocery stores provide dog parking for the loyal and patient. On occasion the best trained wait sans leash.

Weißenburgerplatz

One of Munich's most beautiful plazas glistens in the sun. Traditionally considered the French Quarter of town this area is also beautiful when it serves as the setting for the Haidhausen Christmas market. Unfortunately the large crane in the background is due to the fact there was a rather large fire in the newly renovated apartments back in March. While no one was injured the estimated damage is well over 100,000€.

Fiba

A world championship of a different sort is being held right now in Turkey. While basketball isn't the most popular sport in Germany, the Secretariat of FIBA Europe is based right here in Munich. Unfortunately Germany was knocked out during the preliminary rounds to... Angola.

Kindergarten

English speakers the world over can thank the German language for the myriad of words we've taken or adapted. A few examples include: kindergarten, kaputt, gesundheit, doppelgänger, sauerkraut, über, verboten, poltergeist, and Dachshund - the beloved Bavarian friend.

It's too bad there isn't a good translation for gemütlich (a cosy warm feeling) or schadenfreude (happiness from someone else's misfortune).

Oddly fahrenheit is also a German word, however most countries of the world now use Celsius, the stubborn Americans seem to be one of the last fighting the metric system.

Bayern München's Future

A young group of boys gathers with their coach before football / soccer practice. Perhaps one of them will grow to join the Bayern Munich Junior Team. Many of the first team are either from Munich or within a 70km radius of the city.

Author Malcolm Gladwell argues in his book Outliers that a child's birth month strongly correlates with their success in sports. Children born closer to the registration cutoff dates have more time to develop and grow giving them the competitive edge.

Since there is so much talent in and around Munich perhaps it's just the steady diet of pretzels and würst.