Germany - Alone in Munich

After two and a half weeks of being in Germany Sigrid was ready to let me loose on my own. If she could trust me on my own, I could trust me. With Pit's help we looked up all the info online about the train to Munich, checked the map for the places that I might want to see, and made a plan. On Tuesday morning Sigrid helped me buy my ticket and made sure that I got on the right train. It was so easy with an experienced native by my side.

The train was quite crowded that morning. My seat did not have much of a view and the folks nearby didn't look like they were interested in conversing, so I wrote some cards and got some reading done. When I arrived in Munich I searched out and found the tourism office, picked up an English city guide, and quickly made my way into the city center to see the Rathaus Glockenspeil in Marienplatz, which only goes off a once each day. I just barely made it.

The square was filled with people, all listening to the bells and watching the figures go round and round. I thought it would only go on for a minute or so, but it seemed to last quite a long time. I was glad that I had made it.

I made my way in the general direction of the Viktualienmarkt, snapping photos here and there of buildings and streets that looked interesting.


I enjoyed walking around the market and wished that I had taken more pictures of some of the stands. There were some amazing cheese and fruit stands. I had wanted to buy some physalis fruits, having just been introduced to them, but I kept walking thinking I would come back to them--only I didn't. (Next time...) I did take a photo of one of the flower stands.

I thought these geese were fun.

I thought this fountain was interesting, and I would like to know more about its background. Does the woman hold her beer stein year-round, or is it just for Oktoberfest. If she does not always hold the stein, what is her hand doing the rest of the time? Inquiring minds want to know.

We had seen a few street performers and "living statues" in Salzburg (which I neglected to photograph). In this photograph you can see the green-painted woman who also acted as a living statue. Kind of amazing, actually.

Although I was enjoying navigating the city center by myself, I was also interested in seeing Brett's other cousin Dagmar whom lives in Munich. I was a little nervous about meeting her as we had never met, but I figured this would be my last chance. She called me back around lunchtime and we were able to spend the rest of the afternoon together.

I took a train to her neighborhood and we had lunch together at her home. Afterwards, she drove me around a bit and we saw some things together.

We walked around the extensive grounds of Nymphemburg Palace. It was quite lovely, and I appreciate that the grounds are open to the public. Dagmar said she often comes to the park for a nice walk.

I was also interested in seeing the Englischer Garten. It is a large city park in Munich (larger than New York's Central Park, I just learned). There are a few sights of interest, but mostly it is a green area with paths, open fields, lakes, and a few eateries. I found that I enjoyed leisurely walking through the park on that pleasant afternoon getting to know Dagmar better. When we were ready for a break, Dagmar treated me to an iced schokolade at one lakeside cafe in the park, which was quite tasty.

The Chinese Tower in the Englischer Garten

I always love seeing policemen on horseback.

The Monopteros in the Englischer Garten.

I was kind of looking forward to making my way back to Regensburg on the train, but Dagmar felt more comfortable driving me back. There had been terrorist threats targeting the Oktoberfest in Munich, a few of the roads had to be closed, and President Obama encouraged American tourists to lay low/play it cool. It made Dagmar feel very nervous for my safety. I graciously accepted her offer, and we continued to have a nice visit together. However, I am looking forward to trying my hand a doing a solo-tour on my next visit.