Looking out from the high-end Escada shop overlooking the National Theatre in Munich. you see a bit of Munich’s exclusive side. At the edge of Maximillian Strasse, you will find Munich’s highest end shops – including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Hugo Boss, and Bulgari. It’s wonderful to be here at night, as the theatre performances spill out into the streets, and locals look for cafes, restaurants and local hot spots.
Even if it is just to prepare for this year’s finals at Munich’s LMU. There is always a crowd outside the University buildings at Leopoldstrasse, and no shortage of students hanging out around the two large fountains that represent the Living Room or Lounge of Munich’s biggest University. Known as Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, the open space was named in memory of Sophie Scholl and her brother, Hans Scholl. Both were students at LMU, and founding members of the White Rose resistance movement, a non-violent opposition group to Nazi Europe. Most of the members were prosecuted by the Nazis, and later became country heroes for standing up against almost certain death.
Who cares if it’s illegal? Who cares if it’s dangerous? Who cares if it’s the hottest sight in town? Nothing is going to keep this pooch off his board, as he hangs out with the renegade cult which is the Eiasbach. You know, those guys who surf just where downtown meets the English Garden and makes a single perfect surfing wave. So the buzz on the street is that for the first time in years, this strange sort of Urban surfing has been made legal – just about two weeks ago. I mean everyone ignored the law anyway, but it’s still an interesting shift by the authorities. Well that explains that everyone and their dog is now coming out to the surf scene. Can anyone confirm that it is now legal to surf in the English Garden?
It’s enough to make you cry in your beer. FC Bayern makes it to the Champions League Final for football, and loses to Inter-Milan 2-0. The fact that Bayern didn’t even register a goal was particularly painful for locals and fans around the world as FC Bayern has previously won 22 German championships, and 4 Champions League finals. Hopefully it will not erase the fact that they had an amazing run to the final. Perhaps some good news for Bayern, as they resigned star Frank Ribery through 2015. I actually saw Inter-Milan play early in the year against Barcelona. It was the only game I saw in person this year, and it turned out to be the most uneventful 0-0 game I had ever seen. Inter-Milan did absolutely nothing to win, and Barcelona did absolutely nothing to win. It’s hard to believe this was the same Inter-Milan team I saw that went on to win the triple crown. Shows that after 5 years of living in Europe, this American still doesn’t understand the game of football.
I love the image of this little bike about to take over Max-Joseph-Platz. The grand arched building in the back is the Hauptpost or main post office, which was built in the former Palais Torring-ettenbach. But I’m sorry to say that it is a facade. The entire building is gone as they rebuild from the inside, and the facade is the only thing remaining. It is draped with an image of the facade, which I love about European construction sites. I have to say it’s quite strange to see this thin line of the facade and no building behind it. The 12 column arcade, when not under construction, is one of the more elegant buildings in Munich. No big surprise, it was inspired by Tuscan style, built after the Pitti and Rucellai Palaces in Florence.
Just in case you can’t wait for Oktoberfest, you can get your mini-fix at the Lowenbrau Keller’s Night of Tracht. If you are not familiar, Tracht of course is the traditional Bavarian outfit. Although it is often associated with German outfits, it is something very specific to Bavaria and Austria. It was originally worn by farmers and peasants, and now is synonymous with Oktoberfest. The Lowenbrau Keller is one of my favorite outdoor beer gardens (although our experience eating in the restaurant was not as positive), especially for big events like football matches. if you get the chance, pick up a world cup match there with friends. This is truly a unique Munich experience.
A glance at the facade of the University Church on LudwigStrasse, which looks to be opened for the first time in more than one year. It had closed for renovation, and the re-opening was significantly delayed as they discovered asbestos , which needed to be removed. I have never been in the church, but I’m told the frescoes inside are some of the best in the world. The frescoes are done in large scale, one measuring 62 feet in height by 38 feet. The dual towers of the church were meant to balance the diagonally opposite Theatinerkirche. As for this view, it’s the angle from down Schellingstrasse.
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?
If you are living in Munich these days, you may be wishing you were not. For the past 20+ days, we’ve seen no sightings of the sun at all. And to look at the 10-day forecast, it’s just more of the same. A lot of rain, rain and more rain. I believe the latest forecast mixes that rain with showers, and long grey overcast days. It’s really quite depressing for the middle of May. It appears there will be no Spring at all in Munich, and we’ll end up right in the middle of Summer. This is really a shame, because this is by far the best time of the year in Munich. Oh well. Perhaps next year. In terms of the image, it's a glimse of one of the buildings in Lenbach Platz, overlooking some unsettling skies.
One more scene from Church Days in Munich. This is the view from St. Peter’s Church, where members of the fire department are dropping a sign that says “Sundays is a gift from Heaven".” From this vantage point, you can see one of the ground fire crew taking a photo of his team mates, while a reporter for a local TV station holds a microphone out to hear the cheers across Marienplatz as each line of the sign was revealed. Both were standing atop a local fire truck for the vantage point.
As Church Days continues in Munich, you see no shortage of enthusiasm for the church. It’s almost as if the groups have come out with even more energy as a show of support for the Catholic church that has been devastated by scandal in Germany and across Europe. Here you find a youth Christian group singing at the main stage at OdeonsPlatz. Most of downtown remained closed throughout the weekend as hundreds of community and church events occurred across Munich. It seemed, everywhere you went around Munich, you see large Christian tour groups, many of which are wearing church symbols.
I’m not exactly sure, but enough for 300,000 participants to overtake the center of Munich as part of Church Days which kicked off yesterday. The event kicked off with one of Europe’s largest outdoor masses (minus at St. Peters in Rome, of course). And it was held where else – but at the Theresienwiese, where the Oktoberfest is held every year. With more than 3000 political and religious events planned, this is stated to be the largest religious event of its kind in Europe. The headlines in the paper read this morning – Music, religion, and no alcohol – which of course is a rare experience in Munich. Pictured here is the backdrop of the big amphitheatre stage set up at Odeonsplatz, where down one street you could hear bands playing, and along the other there was absolute silence as large groups led prayers or processed through the city with a chain of more than 180,000 candle barers. From the outside of the Altstadt, all you could see was that traffic at the center of the city was absolutely paralyzed, and that facilities all over town had been refitted to host church events. Angela Merkel speaks on Friday, and even the pope made statements for the event about the need for stronger punishment of abusers in the church. Amen to that.
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.
Welcome to one of the cooler parts of Munich. Sandwiched somewhere between Schwabing, Maxvorstadt and the center of town is the University district. Both LMU and TUM – Munich’s major Universities are centered only a few blocks from each other here, despite the fact that their facilities stretch all over town and miles into the suburbs. What I like about this area is the endless set of cafes and little family owned shops. You can sip coffee in one place, go next store for a vintage T-shirt (pictured), buy a mix of popular and never-before-seen artwork in the next, and then finally sip spirits at the local wine bar in the next shop. The neighborhood is fiercely independent, extremely casual, and at the same time a bit sophisticated. A really niche mix.
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.
The Central Station in Munich, like many other central stations in Europe has it's mix of characters. Given it’s central location and its influx of out-of-town people (350K passengers per day), it’s always a bit of a mixed bag. That’s my nice way of saying that every central station in Europe is a good place to avoid. But as the only major terminal in Bavaria, and with 32 tracks split over the original three train stations, you’re sure to find a peaceful point. I found this one at the very end of those 32 tracks. Next to the hustle & bustle of the station, this was really nice.
Well not exactly, but you can see the underlying story of the popular HBO TV series. The show is really about the bond between women, and their connection to the city beneath their feet. I came across this much younger crew in the middle of Munich, and it was the first thing I thought of. The Munich Altstadt is a place for meeting, a place for shopping, a place for being you. I met a couple today looking for the way to the Altstadt, and I realized that this is the area that foreigners know as Munich. The old buildings, the outdoor cafes. It’s hard to believe that it was absolutely destroyed in WWII and painstakingly reassembled based upon the meticulous documentation by Nazi troops who knew they were about to be defeated. They utilized color photography for the first time and documented – street by street – all of downtown. Today, we are completely thankful for it, and for creating an environment where girls can be…well girls.
Speaking of doing things indoors (from yesterday’s post), be sure to visit the current exhibit at the Amerika Haus in Maxvorstadt. Showing through the 28th of May is an exhibit documenting and celebrating more than 6 decades of Rock & Roll music. You will find photos of everything from the Rolling Stones to Green Day, from Buddy Holly to AC/DC. Here you have a glimpse of a signed guitar played by Bruce Springsteen from his Born in the USA tour. You will also see all sorts of Rock & Roll memorabilia, including entry tickets to Woodstock. Many of the photos were published originally in Rolling Stone magazine, to give you an indication of the quality of the exhibit. The exhibit is free so check it out.
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.
Over at the famous Theresienweise Munich is celebrating it’s annual Springfest with more than 100 rides, concession stands, and even a couple of beer tents. The event turns out to be a strange mix between fairground rides, a few beer tents, and a bit of a swap meet. I stopped by to find the event absolutely packed with people. The carnival lasts through May 2nd. Locals call it' Oktoberfest’s little sister, but I found it to lack the mystique that surrounds Oktoberfest.
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.
A jet trail is visible behind the Olympiadorf, which was an amazingly rare sight in Europe on Friday. Most air traffic came to a screeching halt throughout Northern Europe, Eastern Europe and Russia; as Icelandic volcanic ash blanketed the continent. 15 of 16 German airports were closed on Friday, and Munich was the only exception – thanks to its Southern location. On Saturday, even Munich joined the mix – with nearly all flights cancelled. No telling how long the delay will last, but in the meantime millions of travelers have been stranded or are taking alternate means of transportation. This photo was taken between the arches of the Olympic complex, a design chosen because it was so unlike the Nazi era bold block construction. There has been construction going on for the past year or so (you can see the crane), but I’ve not been able to find information on what they are building. Anyone know?
I couldn’t help laughing when I saw this decal in the middle of the Deutsche Post symbol. For those of you who don’t know this American reference of “going postal,” it comes from a spree of shootings that occurred in the 80s/90s, where postal workers for no apparent reason (beyond having the most boring job known to man) went crazy and began shooting their co-workers. Well, despite being almost the size of the US postal service (470K vs 550K employees), I’m happy to say there’s no shooting that I know of at the Deutsche Post. And as a private organization now operating in more than 220 countries, and as owner of DHL & Dutch TNT Post, it is the largest logistics corporation in the world.
Throughout Friedrich Von Gartner’s career, he was always the king’s number two architect behind Leo Von Klenze – mastermind of the Greek revival in Munich, including the Glypothek, Konigsplatz, and Ludwigstrasse. Yet Gartner had some amazing contributions to make to Munich, including the Feldhernhalle, Siegestor, and the University building – not to mention buildings in other countries like the Helenic Parliament in Athens. Gartner then was named director for the world renowned Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufacturing company. This particular tribute (picture) to him sits at Gartnerplatz, with the beautiful State Theater in the background. Of course keeping with tradition it is considered Munich’s second theater – after the Bavarian State National Theatre, next to the Residence.
Well, what else would you expect the Polizei of Munchen to drive but a BMW? With more than 32,000 police and nearly 6,000 civilian employees, Munich has one of the largest police forces in Germany. Compared to many European cities, Munich’s crime is quite low, although there are occasional reports of murders and muggings, most often committed by youth groups around the U/S-Bahn late at night. Actually, a significant percentage of Munich crime is committed by organized gangs from Eastern Europe. Here are a few of the higher profile crimes in Munich over the past few decades. In 2005, fashion designer Rudolph Moshammer was killed in his home. In 1998, Georgio Basile was released after killing 30 people, as he testified and led to the arrest of 50 Mafia numbers, In 1994, known as the Plutonium Affair, a security person discovered 363 g of plutonium on a smuggler. And finally, in 1972, you see the fateful day at the Olympics where Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli athletes.
Where else would you find something like a 1918 Fokker Triplane, like the one the Red Baron flew in WWI – but in the Deutsches Museum. Although I wanted so badly for this to be one of the many planes he flew in combat, it appears it is only a similar model. The Red Baron is so engrained in pop culture, that you see him in everything from famous movies to a Snoopy reference in the Peanuts cartoons. But he was certainly real. The Red Baron was a German fighter pilot named Manfred von Richthofen, who has been credited with more than 80 war time victories. It turns out the baron was not the most acrobatic or spectacular pilot, but rather than using risky or aggressive tactics like other pilots, he strictly observed a set of maxims that assured the success of both squadron and its pilots. In addition, he was an expert marksman from growing up hunting wild boar, elk, deer and birds. Combine this with his approach of attacking from above with the sun blinding opposing pilots, and you have one of the most consistent pilots in WWI.
A Spring time view of the top of a “German Athens” otherwise known as the Glyptotek, the showcase of the Konigsplatz area of Munich. The entire area was designed by King Ludwig I as the location to house all the Greek antiquities. And although the area is absolutely stunning, it pales in comparison to the buildings in their original form. As an example, here is a picture of the lavish Glyptotek interior before the bombing of WWII. If Adolph Hitler had his way, you would now see a grand boulevard on Brienner Strasse (one of the original royal roads) with endless museums lining the streets all the way from Konigsplatz to the other side of the Isar river.
Welcome to the best time of the year in Munich. I know, you always hear about Octoberfest and the wonderful Christmas markets, and maybe even the ski season. They are all very nice, but nothing compares to Munich in the Spring – as this is where you can really do things outside. This is when you can hike the alps, when you could talk to locals at neighborhood cafes (as pictured), and this is when you can visit thousands of beer gardens around the region – each one unique and with its own character. So after a long and endless Winter, Spring has arrived in Munich.
In the Catholic heart of Germany, I thought I would see much more emphasis on Easter. The city of Munich and surrounding Bavaria region observed Good Friday, and Easter Monday. Many people took extended holidays as kids were out of school. However, there just seemed to be little emphasis on the holiday this year. No big festivities that I heard of, and not much mention in the news. Perhaps the entire holiday was over-shadowed with the on-going sex scandal in the Catholic Church. But when the big Easter event is a collection of Creches & Crosses at the Fishing and Hunting museum, it seems quite low profile. About the gist of Easter in Munich seemed to be the random decorations in windows throughout town (as pictured). If you had a different experience, please let me know. Perhaps I missed something or had my head buried in a chocolate Easter Egg.
On March 3 I did a post on the interesting U-bahn signs that surround Munich. I was fascinated by their historical appeal. It was karin who provided all the insight I could have expected – stating that the current cool designs were done in the 70s, but were being phased out. I came across the first sign of modernization today (see picture), and I have to say that it’s a sad state of affairs. A three-year old could have designed this image, and it lacks all the sophisticated imagery that the current image has. Is there any way we can reverse the decision, with any hope of keeping the image of Munich as cool?
In Munich, you are likely to find pork just about anywhere you go. In fact, in most of Germany you are about to find the same. I honestly don’t know the historical significance of Germany’s love affair with swine (aside from the fact that it’s cheap), but I can tell you that to find a good steak, you might as well drive the four hours across the border into France. So I was quite surprised to see this poster in the University district – set for Cohen’s Restaurant, with the slogan of “Cohen’s Restaurant goes with everything. Except Pork.” As it turns out, it’s a traditional Jewish restaurant with the influx of Oriental & Eastern European cuisine. Oh well, where have all the good steaks in Munich gone?
And speaking of University kids (from yesterday’s post) lets now talk about where the hang out. Max & Moritz is a popular dance club in Munich, and these are just a sampling of the creative “eye catching” ads they are running around Munich. Ironically, the name of the club is developed from a popular children’s story in Germany about two mischievous kids who go about playing pranks on just about everyone they know. You have the gun powder in the teacher’s pipe, the beetles in the uncle’s bed, or the stealing of the chickens and blaming the dogs. All ends well I suppose, as the two kids are eventually caught in their own hoaxes. In one tail the two kids sneak into a closed bakery and fall into a vat of dough at the bakery and are thoroughly baked, or another version tells of them slitting some grain sacks, only to be stuffed inside, taken to the mill, and ground to bits for the nearby ducks. I suppose the moral of the story is careful which path you choose.
Once you get within several blocks of the Munich University district, you know anything goes. Restaurants suddenly transform into cafes, card shops are replaced with copy shops, and there is an over-abundance of free WiFi for all those web addicted students. So I had to laugh when I came across this sticker posted all over the University district. I suppose it’s just summing up all of what the University experience is supposed to be – free though, starting from scratch, and the ability to question anything (or at least that is what University is all about in the states – not so sure in Munich). Or perhaps, it’s a mix of that with the over-dramatic style of the college kids. Either way, I love it.
Why not take a bit of the fairy tale castle with you? This upscale card shop in the Isarvorstadt neighborhood sure beats a snow globe. Neuschwanstein, one of the most visited places in Germany, has 1.3 million visitors annually, and during the summer the number of visitors gets as high as 6000 per day. What you may have not known about this mythical castle is that it was the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park. And why not, it was actually designed by a theatrical set designer, Christian Jank, and not an architect – as King Ludwig’s homage to Richard Wagner. Over the years, it has taken a prominent place in pop culture, as featured in the movies “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and the Wonderful World of Brothers Grimm.” Regardless, the castle is one of the most photographed places in the world, and has become a global symbol of the era of Romanticism.
Our focus turns once again to the Munich Airport, for several reasons – all of them good. For starters, Franz Joseph Strauss airport was named best airport in Europe, and fourth best overall in the world, according to a survey of more than 10 million passengers by the London Aviation Research Institute. Munich edged out Zurich, last year’s winner, and now ranks below only Singapore, Seoul, and Hong Kong. I can’t argue here, having been to all of the airports mentioned, and nearly all in Europe. Munich’s Terminal 2 is one of the cleanest, most efficient, and convenient of places, and Terminal 1 is segmented to feel like you are flying out of a tiny airport. Well, the situation only gets better as the Bavarian government just approved a plan for a second S-bahn tunnel for an express train that will reach the center of Munich in 20 minutes. We are reminded this coming weekend that it can’t come soon enough – with the airport expecting 1.5M passengers over the Easter weekend – with 17,000 takeoffs and landings.
Rent prices in Munich were listed far above any other city in Munich by a market research firm. Munich was listed at 11.15 euro per sq. meter - a full 2 euros higher than the second place city, Frankfurt, and 3 euros higher than the third place city, Stuttgart. Cologne, and Hamburg rounded out the top 5. Berlin actually was listed in 11th place at 5.66 per euro. A global economic crisis, and a building boom over the past few years that added more than 20,000 apartments in Munich have done little to lower prices in the area.
For more than six decades, the Austrian artist Maria Lassnig has been painting through what she calls an exploration of the body. Now in her latest exhibit (promoted in photo above exhibit), at the Lenbachhaus Kunstbau, she highlights much of her post war abstraction images, but with a special focus on the past 10 years. Leveraging her time living in some of the art capitals of the world – Vienna, Paris, New York - Lassnig shows images that emerge from inner body sensations. Now, over the age of 90, she is revealing over 40 previously unseen works – including many large format images. The show runs through May 30.
Riding Past the Ludwig I statue on the street of his name, you get a quick glimpse of what buildings were like in Ludwig’s day. In the background is the Palais Leuchtenberg. The 250-room palace is the largest in Munich, and now houses the Bavarian Ministry of Finance. The buildings set the standard and the mold for all other buildings that still today line Ludwigstrasse. It also bumps up against Odeonsplatz, the Hofgarten, the Residence, Siemens Headquarters, and quite a few other prominent addresses in Munich.
For 5-6 months, Munich hasn’t been exactly buried in snow – but it certainly has had more than its share. All of Europe has been hit hard this year with a Winter blast that has not been seen in years. So it’s quite exciting to see locals come out of their houses for the first time this year, and even to have the sun shine with long shadows across beautiful houses like this one in Bogenhausen. Of course the next 8 days call for mostly cloudy skies, but we’ll take what we can get.
The patron saint of Bavaria is none other than Mary, hence the main square of Marienplatz. The earliest stories of St. Mary as the patron saint of Bavaria started as early as the 800s, and led to many churches dedicated in her name – including the dome of Augsburg. You can also find Mary atop the statue in Marienplatz, as well as on the sides of the modern Residence. I happen to find this one in the endless quarters of the Rathaus.
About as close as you can get to a storybook gingerbread house in Munich is the famous Reffini House, just south of Marienplatz off of Sendlinger Strasse. It’s actually made up from a collection of three individual units, which are lavishly decorated with fresco images from the turn of the century. The house is named after Johann Baptista Ruffini, a major salt merchant from Bavaria. The house was originally built in 1905, but has origins to buildings constructed in the 1800s.
Although car companies have taken a beating over the past few years thanks to the weak economic climate, several German car manufacturers surprised the market by turning a profit in Q4 – all based upon their sales of luxury lines. What does that have to do with Lamborghini, you may ask. Well, it’s actually a German run company these days, as a subsidiary of Audi, which in turn is a subsidiary of Volkswagon. Yes the Italian icon, known for sleek designs, speed, and luxury – isn’t all that Italian anymore, and it’s supporting Volkswagon’s recovery as one of the few lines that are profitable. Likewise, BMW returned to profit, only because of the success of their high end 7 series, while sales of the rest of their product lines remained weak.
At first glance it seems a bit strange. In one of Munich’s most prominent squares, Odeonsplatz, there are statues of war leaders who oversaw two of the more significant losses in Bavaria’s military history. Pictured is Karl Philipp von Wrede, who was defeated by Napoleon in 1814, and on the opposite arch is Johann Tserclaes, who was defeated by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. But upon further review, you find that both were quite decorated, and had successful careers leading the Bavarian army. Tserclaes, known as the “Monk in Armor,” commanded the Imperial and Holy Roman Empire forces and had a string of victories over the Bohemians, Germans and later the Danish. Where as Wrede distinguished himself in opposing the Austrian invasions of 1805 and 1809.
Munich’s public transport system, MVG, won top honors as the best run and serviced network in Europe by the Automobile Clubs of Europe. Despite my frustrations with the S1 line’s checkered on-time record (and showing up record for that matter), MVG had the best on-time record, functional connections, and multi-language kiosks (introduced in the past 6 months). Other networks that received high ratings were Helsinki and Vienna. The Automobile Club’s only criticism of the network was its price. Along with London, no other city in Europe charges more for a single ride. That hasn't stopped locals from taking the public transit. A seperate study commissioned by the National department of transportaion shows that 50% of locals use public transportation, the highest in Germany. Ironically, the study also shows that Munich locals have more cars per capita (every other person owns a car) than any other city in Germany. So what can you make of this? People in Munich are well paid (enough to buy cars), environmentally consious, and certainly leverage the heck out of their transportation system.
Welcome to a special time of year in Munich, a period called the Strong Beer Season – where all the local breweries make a unique brew that is higher in alcohol content, stronger in taste, and often darker in color to get locals through the Lent season. The original Strong Beer, called “Salvator” was actually made by monks as a way to provide more dissolved solids to ease fasting during the season of Lent. Well the Season lasts through March 27th, and you can find Strong Beers from each of the big 6 breweries in Munich at each of their signature beer halls.
There’s nothing like rolling up a Grand Piano and supporting band out into the center of Marienplatz. I was once told that Munich was a city of real sophistication, primarily because it has several classical music companies. Well anytime we can move from “Chrome Man” (those irritating people who spray paint themselves and stand like a statue) to a classical concert in the middle of the city’s busiest square – they have my vote. It was great to see the reactions to those passing by, who knew they were seeing something quite unique, and were able to appreciate the spectacular setting for the free concert.
One more image from the icy English Garden, this time of the famous Seehaus located about 1 KM from the famous Chinese Tower. If memory serves, the Chinese Tower seats about 6500 people, the Seehaus can seat 2500, and if you continue just a bit further North to Hirschau, you get about 1000 seats. Each site along this progression becomes less touristy and more intimate. The Seehaus, pictured here was actually built in 1789, and it was encapsulated in the plan of the American, Benjamin Thompson, who was the Bavarian Minister of war and social reformer, and promoted the idea of a National park. There are few other places like it in Munich. Even from across the half-frozen lake, you can see people sitting at the lake side to enjoy the view, the swans, and the local brew.
A long trail of locals map out across the frozen plain of the English Garden. With the sun shining bright, locals took to the parks on Sunday, and with good reason. The Beer gardens were all open and ready for business. Even the outdoor beer gardens did a steady business. The other good news is you are much less likely to see naked men in the park these days. Something to be thankful for. The English Garden is one of the places in Munich that successfully blends urban and rural living, with nearly 4 square KM of parkland leading from concrete forest to real forest.
I apologize for the lack of regularity in the posts, but in all honesty we just returned to Munich, only to be bombarded with another snow flurry. We had hoped that after 3 weeks, Spring would show up – like where we travelled. But no such luck. More below freezing temperatures, and more snow, much like the East Coast of the US. At least the sun came out later in the day, and it cleared off. Good news is that the temperatures are supposed to inch higher each day for the next 10 days. Fingers crossed, as Spring in Munich is FANTASTIC!
