Multicultural Munich
We were staying above the “Hindu Kush” near the train station. It’s a grocery store. If you turn left you enter Afghanistan, Central Asia, Northern Africa, and the Middle East all at once. If you go right, you step into a shady, quiet neighborhood full of medical buildings, but no residences except for one hotel. It was some kind of university campus.
When you are walking around these neighborhoods, watch out for the bike paths. Here is what they look like.
English Garden in Munich
Look at this poor dog. It’s a Griffon. She is a refugee from Ukraine. Apparently, there are only 20 Griffons in Munich. Let’s keep it that way. Maybe the war ruined her looks, but I don’t think so. Her name is Susie. I read that they are affectionate. Looking like that, she better be. She ran over to our bench and stared up at Maureen. I wonder what she was thinking.
This is the Eisbach (ice brook) river that runs through English Park in Munich on a very hot summer’s day. It is manmade and travels for a little over a mile (2 km). Swimming here is officially prohibited because the water is so cold (59 °F) and runs fast. So why did they make it then?
I’ve heard that there are nude beaches in Germany. I was relieved to see clothed people at this park. There is nothing wrong with the human body except that there is a lot wrong with a lot of human bodies, enough said.
At one end of this river is a “surfing spot”. A step creates a wave 11/2 feet tall. Yep, one and a half feet. People have fun with this though.
Karlsplatz (Stachus) in Munich
Platz means ‘place’ in German. The informal name of this square is ‘Stachus’ because nobody liked the Karl who named it after himself.
In winter this fountain turns into a skating rink.
St. Michael’s Church in Munich
Saint Michael is the chief angel at the head of a battalion of angels. There are 3 other archangels: Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel, but Michael leads them all and is the angel of justice.
Church
This nave, the biggest in Europe at the time it was built in 1583, was second only to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Imagine living in a hovel in Europe in centuries past, or even a home that is not poor but is not happy. You could come to a place like this church where every effort was made to build the most beautiful near to paradise edifice that humans could think of and you could walk in, and sit down in the quiet. Nobody asks you what you are doing there. Nobody asks you to leave, you can stay for as long as you want, for as long as it takes for you to feel human again.
This is how I see a church. You don’t have to be at all religious to appreciate a quiet place of solitude where the mind can reflect. Sometimes you might even be lucky enough to hear a concert of beautiful music in this vaulted chamber with excellent acoustics.
The darkened figure of Saint Michael the Archangel and avenger of justice, standing guard behind the good people of Munich.
Bacchus and a Boy Fountain
Fountain in the main square of Munich.
I saw this figure described as a “satyr”, however, it is obviously Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and revelry complete with grapes. It even looks like good ole Bacchus with the grape leaves around his head.
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