Willkommen im Deutschland!

... did I mention that I loved Munich? ^_^

... the best part about traveling to Europe (especially when you do it alone like I did here for the first time) is that all you need to find your way around is a subway map and the town square. Munich's subway system is *so* convenient: I was able to visit Olympiapark and the spectacular city center for 6 hours before catching an afternoon train through Salzburg to Linz.

Olympiapark was truly outrageous (kudos to anyone that caught that reference).

Atlanta has a nice 'Centennial Olympic Park,' but like all of Atlanta, it's land-locked. The park in München is much larger, has a huge soccer stadium, some sort of huge space needle that's likely a restaurant with a perfect few of the stadium, a BMW museum, a concert stage on a lake, and endless bike trails and greenspace.


I got lost for a few hours looking around (no really, I couldn't find my way out for at least half an hour!), but I got some great shots of the place. Luckily, it was a incredibly clear day (although the wind was insane for the greater part of the day: wtf h4x?); there's a chance that I may not be able to really see Munich on the way back because of the World Cup crowds, but at least now I've had a few hours there and can see another city after SAIICA with no regrets.

I'm on a quest (as it were) to see as many Olympic cities (past and present) as possible. As you may know, I'm planning a trip to Vancouver in 2010, and I hope to make it to London in 2012 as a 10 year anniversary of my first trip outside the States. Of course Munich is an Olympic city, but people tend to first recall the atrocities that occurred there (I still haven't seen the movie, but I plan to so I can better understand what happened and see if I recognize any parts of the city [the infamous "I was there!" game that really vexes people that don't travel ^_^])

At noon, everyone crowds in the city center (at the Marienplatz subway stop) to hear the bells and watch the 'clock people' (remember the wooden figurines that move around when those old Bavarian clocks chime?)



Downtown Munich is so photogenic (not to mention I think my shutterbug style has gone up a level). There were so many statues, towers, lush gardens, fountains, and outdoor cafes: this part of the trip reminded me of Andalucia (southern Spain) and the Zocalo (city center) in Mexico D.F.
After taking a few more pictures around town, and later sniped a table in the square for a bier and Bavarian meatloaf (tastes like bologna to me ... loly) break. Originally, I'd planned to spend a day or two in Munich after SAIICA while the World Cup crowd is in Deutschland this summer, but it looks like the place will be completely sold out :(
My return flight to the US departs from Munich on June 20, and SAIICA ends on June 18; I still need to find something to do for two days, and I would have seen plenty of Linz by then. Some students at the Raabheim plan to see Greece on the way back, so if I have any cheddar left at the end of the trip, I may take a short trip to (yet!) another country before (temporarily ... tee-hee) returning to the States ...

Excelsior!

Khamsin
[*new* Overdrive mode: Adventurer]
[Charges when character travels to foreign lands.]