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'. 
Perhaps it’s a bit ironic that outside the Deutsches Transportation Museum, which is dedicated to all things that go fast, is a super-sized version of one of the slowest creatures on the planet – a snail. But that is the case outside the historic exhibition halls of the Theresienhöhe. Just above the popular Oktoberfest grounds is the latest branch of the Deutsches Museum, which opened in 2003. The museum investigates the technical aspects, economic, political, social and culture dimensions of transportation….and in the end they have a whole lot of things that just go – unlike the creatures on the outside. Perhaps it’s the beer garden in the background of the photo that is slowing everyone else down?
Well it’s not exactly a dock and certainly not a bay. It is a lake, in fact, in the middle of Munich’s West Park. But really, who the heck cares with you see the first sun in about a month. That’s reason for everyone to come out – and they certainly did to drink beer and feed the ducks. If you can get past the fact that it is a completely artificial park, it’s really quite a pleasant place. It includes 178 acres of land and was built in 1983 as a layout for the fourth international Garden Show. Today it boasts ponds stocked with carp and turtles, a rose garden with more than 20,000 roses, and a Chinese + Japanese Garden.
Somewhere out there is Spring. It hasn’t hit Munich yet, but no one has told the trees and the local flowers. For the past 10 days Munich has been hit with endless rain, and the next 10 days calls for 9 days of more rain. But somehow, despite the forecast, the sun came out today and shocked everyone out of their apartments and into the parks. I caught this pairing out in the hillsides surrounding West Park. Actually, if you are out beyond the city you will find endless fields of gold, as it’s the season for Mustard Seed. In the meantime, you take what you can get. I unfortunately had so much sun today, that I didn’t plan accordingly and was simply drenched by the time I returned home. Yes. Spring is out there somewhere, but no where near Munich.
Yes, I know. Those may be fighting words. This is the heart of good beer, and you don’t mess with breweries that have existed for 700+ years. But when you seek something beyond the touristy Hofbrauhaus, or even the traditional Ratskeller (I actually really like this one a lot), and the unfriendly aire of the Lowenbraukeller – you need to check out the Augustinr Braustuben. Built into the edge of the famous Munich Brewery, the Augustiner Braustuben is also subsidized so the food and beer is amazingly inexpensive. In true Bavarian fashion, think long benches and celebrating a nice brew with those you’ve never met. Of the original big-6 breweries in Munich, this is the only one that is still family run (all others are owned by conglomerates like In-Bev). It was founded in 1294, but moved to this location on Landsberger Strasse in 1885. To this day, you can still see the beer trucks exiting onto the busy street, beer being brewed as you eat, and a great festive beer hall just outside the center of the city.
And even happier to finally have an internet connection again. It’s amazing how much we end up depending on it for just about everything. Actually, after 7 days in the sunny Umbria region of Italy, the re-entry into Munich wasn’t the best – as it was rainy and cold, 25 degrees Fahrenheit colder as a matter of fact. But this image I came across at the entry of West park sure cheered me up. And lots of things going on in Munich to be excited about – such as the Long Night of Music on May 8th, the BMW Open Tennis Tournament through May 9th, as well as all sorts of ballet and concerts. We’re going to need lots of indoor events though, as rain is forecasted for 8 of the next 10 days.
In an unprecedented lock down of European airspace, most of the major European airports shut down all service as ash from the Icelandic volcano continued to cover most of Europe. European airlines, losing approx. $200M per day cried foul on the mish mash of European regulators who control the airspace, and demanded for a unified EU approach. Munich airport has largely been non-functional for three days. So it was a bit of a shock to see this blimp flying all over Munich for the past few days. European airlines are expected to reach 50% capacity by Thursday, and European governments are enlisting a broad band of holiday companies to leverage their airlines to bring travelers home.
Ahhhhh. It’s Friday, and a sunny one at that. It’s been a long week, and we all deserve a good beer. I thought you could join for a bit of cheer from Bavaria Park, a small but beautiful park in the southwest corner of town known as the West End. This particular beer garden is just outside the Deutsches Transportation Museum, which I understand is amazing. I don’t know much about the West End, but I find it quite interesting. It’s a mix of warehouses, new apartments, and some post WWII buildings. It’s also very popular with non-Germans, so you have a very strong Turkish community and a feeling like no other place in Munich. If you get the chance, try the Augustiner Braustuben attached to the brewery. Great traditional beer hall at a price subsidized by the brewery. So Prost from the West End of Munich!
