Around Munich

Very warm in the dorm but managed to get some sleep. I got up early to investigate post office nearby to return stuff to UK to lighten the load. I certainly won’t be needing anything warm for the remainder of this trip!  Half way through today!

Picked up an apple pastry on the way back to the hostel and sat in the cool common area with a coffee to plan my day. I queued for about 20 minutes in the post office with my carefully parcelled package to be told it must be in a DHL box which he handed to me…. the German behind the counter didn’t like my bin liner and parcel tape but was very helpful and at last I was finally freed up of several kilos of unnecessary clothing, winging its way to my neighbour at home.

Next off to the Pinakothek der Moderne!   This gallery is Munich’s answer to the London Tates.  This was a good 20 minute walk and my trustee iPhone GPS took me there – no problem.  It is an amazing huge, light and exceedingly spacious building, which shows off it’s exhibitions beautifully.  The current temporary exhibition is Ludwig Kirshner, whose work I enjoyed very much…. I know he made use of both sides of the canvas but why would you actually exhibit the work back to front and upside down in some cases with the canvas stretcher pegs showing on the front! Loved his infrared work which was so textural!

I also delighted in some of the better works of Kadinsky, Klee and Picasso, amongst an excellent collection of modern art. There was also some exceedingly weird ‘artwork’ by a British surreal cartoonist that I really didn’t understand at all…. I did try!   After a couple of hours walking round this beautifully designed and fully airconditioned (thank goodness) exhibition centre I took myself off to their restaurant for a beef and cranberry sauce (I think) roll.  I was therefore not too disappointed to have found the more traditional Art Museum nearby containing works by French impressionists was closed today.

Refuelled, I braced myself for the wall of heat that hit me as I made my way towards the English Gardens.  On the way had to stop for breathers and to take on water… 34 deg I think today!  I tried to keep in the shade of trees as much as possible.  There are quite a few green areas with fountains around Munich.

Eventually I arrived at the English Garden to find a number of teenagers surfing on the ‘forbidden wave’.  I sat down under a tree my legs dangling in the cool water a while to watch.  This was like some kind of a weir across an expanse of river with very strong currents but clearly not very deep.  The kids were having a wonderful time surfing back and forth on the wave created by the weir and then finally falling in the fast flowing current which took them downstream only to jump out and do it all again….just amazing and very dangerous!

The English Gardens are quite beautiful affording plenty of shade.  The river, which I think could be manmade, continues to bubble through the gardens, where there are bright flame coloured Acers and unusual geese nibbling the grassy banks.  I sat down again here for a while in the shade of a weeping willow.

By this time it was nearing 4 o’clock so I decided to head back a slightly different way, using my GPS…. such a useful way to get about a busy city.  Three times I’ve nearly got knocked off my feet by a cyclist today.  Now I think I’m beginning to understand the rules…. cyclists are allowed more room on the pavement than pedestrians and seem to be allowed anywhere at lights so just watch yourself.  So many vehicles to look out for including trams which come from all directions.  A few more photos on my way back and then I just slumped into a chair in the welcome air conditioned common room of the hostel.  So glad to have made it back in the intense heat of the day.  Drinking lots of water is definitely the answer…. and a nice cold shower at the end of the day.