On The Road To Munich
Rachael had been to Munich, Germany and thought we would also enjoy the trip. Munich is about two hours from Salzburg by train. Our round trip excursion ticket cost 26 Euro. The ticket allowed travel for up to 5 persons, much less than the per person ticket. Our trip would include the train from Salzburg to Traunstein, a bus from Traunstein to Prien a Chiemsee and then by train to Munich. The train does run directly to Munich from Salzburg. We chose not to take the direct route but rather the next train. This also gave us the opportunity to see the countryside and several small towns along the way.
Leaving Salzburg we headed south and east to Traunstein, Germany. There were no noticeable borders between Austria and Germany so we were not certain at what point we had left Austria. Last year we traveled in Central America and the border experience was quite different. The towns in this region were clustered about highway intersections. There were rolling hills which gave way to a lake district. Chiemsee is one of the larger lakes. Hidden on an island on Chiemsee is Herrenchiemsee Palace of King Ludwig II, the fairy-tale king. There were several sailboats enjoying the early spring weather the morning we drove through on the way to Priem a Chiemsee. This small town, we later learned, was where Cardinal Ratzenberger, now Pope Benedictus XVI, spent some time as a seminarian. Serendipity.
Munich
Munich, like Salzburg grew from the trade of salt. In the 12th century Duke Henry set up a toolbooth near a monk's settlement called "Munichen". The architecture of Munich is best described as imposing. The palaces and public buildings are huge and impressive. The early architects of the city were impressed with the Greeks and Italians. These structures are clearly evidence of their influence.
We chose to do a walking tour of the city and left the train station for the Old City gate several blocks away. The Munich train station is quite modern in appearance and more closely resembles an airport with it's shops and food kiosks. Over fifty percent of Munich was destroyed during WW II due to allied bombings. The city has since recovered and according to the literature the buildings have been restored. The day we visited Munich was sunny and pleasant. The streets and parks were bustling with activity.
The Old City of Munich contains some narrow streets, along with the shops and restaurants. Munich's Old City also has massive boulevards and at the time could only be described as superhighways. The automobile traffic was light for a Sunday afternoon. Pedestrians ruled the plazas and roads. We continued our walk to the Hofgarten and onto the Englischer Garten. The Hofgarten is part of the Royal Residence and contains flower lined symmetrical pathways. The Englisher Garten provided us with one of the most unusual experiences of our trip.
Surfing In The Park
Imagine walking down a tree-lined walkway in an urban park. As you round a bend in the path, you come to a very fast flowing stream about 25 feet wide. Climbing out of the water is a guy in a wet suit carrying a surfboard. Another 25 yards up stream is someone surfing in this stream, while on either bank are more surfers preparing to jump in to this stream. Surfing in Munich!
The water was coming from under a bridge lined with spectators. The bridge allowed a huge boulevard to cross this stream. The source of the stream was not evident and erupted from out of the ground like a spring. The pressure of the water and the contour of the stream was maintaining a perfect curl in the stream. The surfers would take turns stepping into "the curl" and surfing back and forth until they wiped-out at which time the next surfer would step-in.
Town Hall and Back
Contnuing through the park and back to the train station, we had another treat. Returning to Marienplatz by subway, Rachael assured us the subway was included in our train ticket. We just climbed on board the subway with everyone else and arrived in front of the Town Hall at exactly 5 p.m. The show was about to begin.
The town hall has a clock tower containing larger than life figures that perform several times a day. The figures include a Lord and Lady seated at a table. Around them, dancers dance and knights on horseback joust, on the second pass one of the knights is knocked back on his horse. On a lower level is another troupe of performers. The show lasted around 15 minutes and was truly a delight to see.
We managed to make it back to the train station following the show. The train station was filled with people returning from weekend trips. We rode back to Salzburg with many young men and women carrying backpacks and also the football fans who were in town for Sunday's game. These fans did their tailgating on the trains and buses, all very colorful not unlike the Eagles fans in the 700 level at the old Vet. We only saw a fraction of the city and surely this is one place to be explored on a future trip.
