At least I've had a taste, and now I know I have to learn German and come back. It's a beautiful city with much to do and lots to explore. I only touched the surface.
I woke up early and planned my route for the day's adventure and decided to find breakfast near the garden. Not really knowing Munich, I wasn't sure what I would find once I surfaced from the subway, but I took a chance. I was really desperate for coffee and anything, but one adjusts when one has to.
When I did surface from the underground, I was on a major boulevard - Leopoldstraße - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Leopoldstrasse - It's a major artery, and reminded me a lot of the Champs Elysee. It was lined with beautiful buildings an "arch" in the center of the street, art, and lots of little cafes along the way.
I was lucky to happen on a Starbucks right away, and I didn't waste any time getting my caffeine fix. The waiter spoke excellent English, and helped me get exactly what I needed - since it's hard to speak any language when you haven't had coffee and you've been up for three or four hours. Thank you, Jesus!
So, I sat at my quiet table, and enjoyed a wonderful cup of cappuccino and a huge blueberry muffin before heading off to the garden.
I wasn't really sure about this garden after reading about it on line. I only knew that it was huge and there was a "lake" in the center and some pavilions. I had expected a more formal garden, but this one turned out to be a regular park, meadow, with lake. Very pleasant, but acres and acres of lawn and trees and the big lake. - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Englischer_Garten
The park was near the major street, and the walk there took less than five minutes. Along the way, there were hints of art and some very beautiful shops and houses. A wedding was also taking place, and there were a lot of people in the wedding party who were dressed in traditional garb.
The park itself was actually very huge, and it reminded me a lot of Central Park in New York but with a lot fewer people out enjoying it on a Thursday morning. There were great expanses of green fields, and there were some people getting tans, jogging, exercising, or just enjoying a day in the park. There were also a lot of geese, so it was important to watch where you stepped. I didn't think they were particularly aggressive, but as I was walking in back of another person, I noticed he slowed down considerably when he had to walk between a group (herd?) as he approached them. So I did the same. The last thing I wanted was to be attacked by geese on my adventure - not fun.
As I started to circle around the pond, I noticed a young lady in front of me who was "talking" to a goose, and suddenly the goose started coming at her (like it thought she was going to feed her), and she was taken aback. That's when I met Carole Kwang. We both laughed, and before I knew it we had become best friends, and she asked if she could accompany on my day. How could I refuse! She turned out to be excellent company and a great one-day adventure companion. Carole is from Singapore but she is staying in London while her daughter goes to school at Cambridge. She was "testing the waters" for doing some of her own personal solo adventures, and I think the goose might have scared her into rethinking that plan.
Anyway, we had a great day together, and if she reads this blog, I just want to say thank you again for the great company.
Did you know they surfed in Munich?
After the park, there was another museum nearby that I wanted to visit, the Bavarian National Museum - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Bavarian_National_Museum
We spent a couple of hours looking at the collections, and ran into another lady and her daughter who were from China. Carole was able to communicate with them and found out that the mother was a "famous" artist in Beijing, and they were traveling on holiday. The mother had a souped up camera and was clicking away almost as often as I was. They visited for a while as I continued snapping away, and then they stayed with us until we left the museum. It turned out to be a day for meeting new and interesting people.
The Bavarian Museum was very interesting and fun to go through; however, it seemed we had it all to ourselves. Other than the people we met, there might have been 10 or fewer people going through the museum, so it was wonderful to have it all to ourselves and take out time. A museum of all things German - great stuff.
By this time, we had worked up an appetite, so we headed back the way we came and chanced upon a restaurant that looked kind of busy. They had menus in English and we both were too hungry to argue. It turned out to be an excellent choice. The food was great and reasonably priced.
When Carole first arrived, she took the subway down to Marienplatz - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Marienplatz
I had been there the previous day as well, but I found it to be way too crowded at the end of the day, and only spent a short time visiting. She did a little walking around and discovered the Munich Residenz - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Munich_Residenz - My plan was to visit the Bavarian Museum, have lunch, and maybe do some walking around, but Carole convinced me that this might be a worthwhile "go see." So we went to take a look. WOW - Royal palaces - great stuff:
After visiting the royal palace, we decided to walk around Marienplatz before heading home. The place was busy with lots of tourists and people were settling in for a late evening beer, snack, or both, so we sat down at a local cafe and had ice cream and I had another beer (otherwise we couldn't sit down and rest our feet -- no really!)
We got to know each other a little better, and Carole shared her stories with me. Turns out she has seen a lot of the world, and she had a lot of good advice to offer. Maybe we will meet again in another life and share another adventure - I hope so.
Anyway, Marienplatz was buzzing, and off in a not so secluded area, we saw a whole bunch of little tent like structures and it looked like it might be a "market" or flea market, so we headed that way. Turns out it was a little secluded area where you could buy produce, souvenirs, and food. There was even a smaller version of a beer garden, and as you can see, it was packed.
I really do regret now that I didn't schedule more time here in Munich, and now I have resolved that I will learn some German and come back. There is way to much to see and do for such a short visit, and the people, food, sights, and BEER are wonderful.
Talk to you real soon.
Steve
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