Advent

With the beginning of Advent different calendars are popping up all around the city in shop windows. The tradition of advent calendars began here in Germany back in the 19th century and is a very beloved tradition to get into the holiday spirit. Many office workers have a calendar on their desk usually filled with chocolates for a daily pick me up.

Delayed Flights

It appears as though not everyone was ready for the heavy snowfall. Flights were delayed throughout much of Europe - including at our very own Franz Josef. At least four plows were making their way through to help planes arrive safely at the gates.

White Roofs

This year the city received an early blanketing of snow, which has resulted in an early start to the Winter season. Here's to another year of enjoying glühwein and chestnuts.

Mozart

One of Mozart's very first performances was actually in this fine city in 1762 for Maximillian II. He traversed through many times and even lived in Munich for a very short time, from November 1780 until March 1781. The location of his house has been marked, but it was one of many destroyed during WWII in 1944.

Mad Scientist

Bright colors aren't often seen in the city. People prefer the city uniform of dark tones and mostly black. It's interesting to see splashes of rebellion on one of my favorite streets.

Rebuild

Sometimes Munich likes to decorate unsightly scaffolding with decorative pieces or ads. It's always fascinating to look at the multiple layers of the city and consider the history that becomes renewed. We have several vacant spaces in the city center, so it will be interesting to see what appears next or if they will be the next to start anew.

Art Cars

For some very unique and special paint jobs the BMW World has a fantastic display of various car models decorated by world renowned artists. It's great to check out the museums in the area for some indoor culture as the snow blows into town.

Blumen

Flower vendors around the city are gearing up for Advent and the colder temperatures. With the long dark days upon us it's a simple pick me up to have fresh flowers or plant life around at home.

Freiheit

Many of Munich's subway stations have undergone transformations and modernizations in the past couple years. Here is Münchener Freiheit's interior with its fluorescent hilighter color scheme and reflective ceiling. This is one of the arteries of Schwabing and has been open since May 1972.

Schloß Possenhofen

Schloß Possenhofen at Starnberger See was once inhabited by Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and his family. His daughter is the greatly beloved Kaiserin Elisabeth von Österreich was also known as Sissi. Around the holiday season the movie Sissi is frequently on TV.

The castle itself was built back in 1536. It is now privately held and the rooms are not open to visitors, except for a museum to Sissi, which can be visited during the summer months..

Matte Black

The new trend in cars here seems to be the incognito matte jet black color. In a span of 3 minutes multiple people passed and uttered the same comment '...so geil'.

Incidentally, upon visiting several German automaker's factories, I'm told the sky is the limit in terms of paint colors. Any color can be matched - for a price.

Landmark

The North tower of the Frauenkirche is undergoing a bit of renovation. In the past couple of years it seems one of the towers is covered with scaffolding. There are conflicting reports as to the differences in the dome heights. Some say there is a meter difference, while others say it's a mere 12 centimeters. One thing is for certain, the domes were inspired by those seen on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

Wolpertinger

The mythological Wolpertinger is certainly a sight to be seen. The Hunting and Fishing Museum has an extensive collection of these unique creatures, which are always a combination of body parts from various animals. They are said to inhabit the Bavarian Alps, so next time you head into the mountains keep your eyes peeled.

Rost

Living in Munich people quickly realize it's a highly desirable place to be. Property isn't cheap and there are continually building projects going on around the city. One such building project is attempting to revitalize the area around the Ostbahnhof, which is infamous for junkies, prostitutes, and Kunstpark. It's rather amazing this area hasn't been developed sooner, because there is so much land from the old factories. It will be interesting to see how this new neighborhood (Rund um den Ostbahnhof aka 'Rost') evolves.

Ice Skating

The ice skating rink is being constructed at Karlsplatz. It's anyone's guess if the Winter will be mild, although if the fantastic Autumn we've had is any indication it may foreshadow an equally warmer Winter.

Weihnacht decor

Many stands at the Viktualienmarkt have gotten a jump start on the Christmas decor before the markets open up around the city at the end of the month. Each year it seems as though as soon as Oktoberfest ends Christmas begins to creep in, which is one of the downfalls of not having another celebratory holiday between the two.

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.

Coronation

Today at 11:11 was the Fasching Coronation of Prince Ahmad I. and Princess Sandra II. at Marienplatz. People gathered to celebrate with beer, sekt, and music.

Ahmad (26) hails from Afghanistan and Sandra (24) is a Münchener Kindl. Together they will celebrate with the Faschingsgesellschaft Würmesia in a variety of events.

Oldest Tavern

I don't write about restaurants unless they have a historical significance, which is why the Hundskugel shows up here. Not far from Marienplatz is the oldest tavern in Munich dating back to 1440. With only 40 seats I'm told it's rather cosy inside, however I have only admired the quaint Alpinesque exterior. The lit stars above the street make their appearance from late Autumn through the Winter and the entire area is particularly charming when snow covers the ground.

Museum Island

It's hard to image the small museum island as a wooded area, however it was the source of many of the wooden rafts that floated down the Isar. Nowadays the wooden rafts are used purely for entertainment through the summer months.

Oskar von Miller was the engineer that founded the Deutsches Museum on this spot back in 1903.

Obelisk

The obelisk at Karolinenplatz has been standing 29 meters tall since 1833 and serves as a memorial to Bavarian soldiers that died during the Napoleonic war. The plaza has many tales to tell and is also home to the former Bruckmann-House.

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.

Flight

The Deutsches Museum is a treasure trove for science enthusiasts. It also happens to be the largest science and technology museum in the world, so if you go be prepared to spend some time.

The transportation wing is particularly interesting. The cut away of a Lufthansa plane is on display allowing spectators to see how far planes have come since the Wright Brothers original standard model A, which is also part of the Deutsches Museum's collection.

All Souls

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” - Norman Cousins

The Catholic holiday of All Souls Day is celebrated today. It's a time of reflection for those that have passed. St. Odilo of Cluny started this tradition way back in 998 and the tradition spread around Western Europe and throughout the world.

Painting

Munich is always a patron to the arts and right now the entire city resembles a Bob Ross painting. The happy little trees are glowing everywhere and the vibrant colors are an inspiration to artists and nature lovers.