Munich's polar bears have a new habitat and appear to be much happier. If you ever visited Tierpark Hellabrunn you know exactly what I mean. The entire habitat should be finished later this year. 
Today marks the season opening for the Bundesliga with a game between FC Bayern München and VfL Wolfsburg. This cover of 11 Freunde - a magazine for 'Füssballkultur' playfully uses the Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with various players and a couple WAGS (wives and girlfriends) in the mix. (Interestingly the Beatles largely got their start in Germany often playing concerts in Hamburg's infamous Reeperbahn area. )
In hopes of aligning with the thousands of daily photo sites around the world, June 1 is theme day, and this was one of the funnier signs I’ve seen around Munich. Keep in mind that the Munich locals aren’t generally known for their sense of humor, and you don’t get the play on words you find elsewhere. You also don’t get the dry humor of the Brits. So, we will have to settle for a neighborhood beauty salon that seems just right for the little kittens around town.
I mentioned last week that Munich has some of the worst signage of any city I've ever been to, and this example just solidifies it. I'm not sure who the heck put these two acts together, but they couldn't be targeted to any more divergent audience. Slayer, the California based hard rock band, with CD covers including topics of serial killer, satanism, and warfare. Then you have Abba, The Show - the clean cut theatre musical, which reached 100,000 viewers during their last tour. And despite playing in very different arenas in town, some how the two are plastered together all over town.
Several boys passing by take notice of a blind beggar on Sendlinger Strasse. The blind man is a regular on this spot, and becomes as much of the neighborhood reputation as the trendy stores around him. In general, Munich is a good a safe place for a blind person to be living. There are multiple academies to support blind students and the social programs provide much support for the blind. However, that doesn’t prevent horrible accidents like the one that killed a 29 year old blind woman one month ago – who mistook the space between two U-bahn cars as a door and fell into the tracks. I see blind people making their way through the central station quite often, with a pep in their step that many of the first-time visitors do not even have. It gives me a tremendous amount of respect for them
Now that we are done with aerial views around Munich, I thought I would show you some scenes back on the ground. I came across this image, and it struck me as I think it sums up some of the persona of Germans. Amazingly confident. Some might say arrogant. We are regularly stopped on the street by strangers and told we are doing something wrong, or by neighbors who discover we recycled incorrectly. It also reminds me that although some locals are friendly and jovial, many others are unapproachable and stand-offish. Perhaps this is like any place, but this characteristic really seems to stand out in Munich. In the end, I like how this person stands out from the busy market in the background – in this case at the Sendlingertor gate. In this way, it is different from the norm – fiercely independent in a society geared toward conformity.
With only 12 rows of pews, Asam’s Church is one of Munich’s smallest but most opulent churches. Take a look at these photos (panorama here), and you will see why. It’s spectacular! I’ll have to find another time to go inside. A wedding was occurring on this day, and many passers would sneak a peak of the bride in such a splendid setting. You can see in this photo the gold of the high altar, enclosed by four twisted columns. Above the high alter you will see an image of God in a Papal tiara, bending over the crucified Christ. The church was actually built in 1733 by two brothers (who lived next door) for their personal use, but the church later demanded that it be open to the public. The Catholic church’s real name is the Chruch of St. Johann Nepomuk, but everyone knows it by the brothers’ name – Egid & Cosmas Asam. The two brothers achieved one of the finest achievements in Bavarian late Baroque and rococo architecture, which was carefully restored in 1975. Today, the church and the home next to it, sit on one of Munich’s busiest shopping streets, Sendlingerstrasse.
In a page out of the famous American Simpsons cartoon, the SWM plants stand over Munich like the ever-shaky nuclear plant stands over the imaginary city of Springfield. Of course, Springfield was coined “America’s Worst City” by Time Magazine and “America’s Crud Bucket” by Newsweek. Homer Simpson once said, “I think Smithers picked me because of my motivational skills. Everyone says they have to work a lot harder when I’m around.” The difference, of course, is that Munich runs and it runs well. And honestly, the city runs well because of SWM. Your energy, water, transport – all run by SWM. 3.6 million people visited more than 18 swimming pools run by SWM last year. More than half of all Munich’s domestic homes receive heating and hot water by SWMs relationship with M-Erdgas, while 1.4 million receive water purification. Finally the Munich Public Transportation company, is also managed by SWM. Almost every household lies within 400 meters of an underground station, tram station or bus stop leading to 450 million passengers per year. SWM makes the city run.
Down in the South of Munich, just beyond the Southern Railway station is one of many “approved” graffiti walls within Munich. It’s 100M on each side of the street absolutely covered with tags and outlandish images. For years, this has contained graffiti artists to a few locations around Munich, but lately the taggers have grown bigger than their city approved imposed limits, and have been tagging entire S-bahn trains – a la New York style. By the looks in the station, locals are amazed and offended that anyone would do so. Perhaps someone reminded them that taggers aren’t supposed to follow the rules. I was shocked as well when I saw it. It seemed so un-Munich like. But walls like this one on Tumblinger Strasse, are quite amazing – a mix of local color, breakthrough artistic skills, and just plain expressionism. Some tell stories, some are meant to shock people, and others are just plain fun.
So I’ve been accused of only showing the nice side of Munich. In my own defense it’s easy. As an example, Toytown, the website for English speaking Germans was started in Munich. And it was so named because Munich was considered a Toy Town – one without any serious crime, without any garbage on the streets, and one without great vices (aside from Octoberfest, of course). But it’s safe to say that all cities have their darker side, and Munich is no different. And if this costume and sex shop in the South end seems a bit low for you, you can try something a bit more upscale at the Agent Provacateur, which recently took over the spa section of the high end department store, Ludwig Beck. They claim to be the home to naughty knickers and pricey pants. Like I’ve said many times, Munich is conservative on just about everything except nudity. I have never been there, but I am told that you can pick up your fluffy marabou slippers, paddles, nipple tassles, stockings – or perhaps a dressing gown to cover up when the postman rings. It may be worth the visit just to see the salesgirls in their charming pink 50s frocks. 
You may see a lot of mopeds in the photo, but everyone in Munich knows that Munich on two wheels equals BMW bikes. Like the cars, BMW provides a full line of motorcycles, which they argue are the best in the world – everything from urban, sport, endurance, touring and high performance. You can see the bikes on tour in Eurosport, but at the same time see locals (all dressed in Leather of course) out and about around town. The bikes are made by BMW motorad, which at one time was a airplane engine manufacturer. And it’s legacy shows in the speed of the bikes, ranging from 450 to 1300 cc. Although most are made in their Berlin plant, the motorcycle still has a strong pedigree in Munich. Which is evident with titles in nearly every large motorcycle race.
Germany has a long and complex relationship with its Turkish population. With more than 16 million (out of a total 82 million) people living in Germany of non-German descent, by far the largest ethnic group is Turkish. Since the 1960s, West, and later reunified Germany, has been attracting migrations, many of which acquired citizenship along the way. The East to west migrations has roots in the 19th century, starting with the Ostflucht or “flight from the East” where residents of former Eastern territories of Germany, such as Prussia began moving to the more industrialized Western German provinces. In Munch, there is a vibrant Turkish community centered around the West End and south of the central station. Although this community lives amongst the long-time Germans, I’m told they struggle to become integrated – the plight of many European countries today. One Turkish-German told me, “I’m German. I was born here. I grew up here. And yet, they see me as different.” As an outsider, it’s fascinating to watch this delicate balance, as it plays out in government policy, the shopping centers, and the neighborhoods of Munich.
If you have bought any consumer electronics or household appliances in Munich, you probably know Saturn. It is a German-wide chain that is ever present in Munich, especially to those just moving to town – as they sell everything from dish washers to DVDs, from computers to coffee makers. And they are known around town for their “in-your-face” advertisings, like this one, and their aggressive sales. With more than 20+ years in Munich and 5 or so stores, they serve the majority of the Munich market. So to get your tech fix, check out Saturn – but whatever you do, never do it on a Saturday. The lines are out the door.
The new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, opened in Munich Thursday, and the movie reportedly earned more than $146 million worldwide during the first weekend. It was second biggest showing of the year, after Indiana Jones, but does not yet include the US box offices, as the film doesn’t open stateside til Nov. 17th. I never understood this approach, given that it will probably show on 500 screens in Germany, but 2500 in the US. Quantum marks the 22nd James Bond Feature Film, which is based upon the original 10 novels by Ian Fleming. There’s an interesting breakdown on the costs/profits of the Bond series here, but it’s easily one of the most recognized and most profitable film series of al times.
I spent the day exploring the Sendling neighborhood of Munich, which is on the South end bordering the ring road. I actually know little about this neighborhood, but was surprised with the amount of activity going on – people walking in the park, shopping at the stores, and, of course, participating in sport. Here you see a couple of the local kid’s teams having at it (the blue team had about a foot height and lots of scoring power over the red). But next to the field, which is the home field of Wacker Munchen, were athletes playing tennis on clay court, and on the open field were a group of foreigners who looked liked they met on this field for 10 years. Without question, the young ladies on the real field would have whipped the older men.
Much more visible than Halloween in Munich, was all Saints Day. As a national holiday, just about all businesses were closed. Many of the grave stones, were decorated with flowers or red candles to honor the dead. All Saints Day customs differ dramatically from region to region. In the East, for example, All Saints Sunday falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost. In Portugal and Mexico offerings are often made. In Spain, the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally performed. In English speaking countries, a festival is traditionally celebrated with the hymn for all saints. The day was actually significantly quieter than last year though, when the Catholic church objected to MTV hosting the Music Awards on All Saints Day.
About the only party for Halloween in Munich is the one for adults; this one, for example, pulling in well known DJs to rock the house. Halloween is largely missed in Munich. You really see very few signs of it, and if you want the kids to go trick-or-treating, you have to find some international organizations that are hosting events. Halloween is most often associated with the United States, but if you want to see the biggest Halloween celebration in the world, you go to the town of Derry in Northern Ireland. It’s their own version of Carnival, but in the Halloween spirit. I actually didn’t realize that Halloween has its origins as an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. It’s the celebration of the end of the harvest season, and is sometimes regarded as Celtic New Year.