We drove through the Black Forest from Baden Baden to get to Munich and as I wrote before, Munich is in large part a dreary post war city erected in haste. Blocks and blocks of six story buildings painted institutional greens and yellows greeted us. It felt grim and serious, how I imagine North Korea to be. A real contrast to the gorgeous forest and cheery Baden Baden from whence we had come.
The old city center is a different world. Cobblestones pave streets lined with shops and restored buildings. A thriving farmer's market lies adjacent to Marienplatz, the central pedestrian square. An enormous scary looking blackened building in the baroque style houses the Ratshaus (city hall) and overlooks the "platz". It looks like nothing so much as a Tim Burton creation. It has a beautifully restored colorful Glockenspiel that rings out several times during the day and looks oddly out of place in the blackened structure. There is a beautiful fountain in the square and people are gathered there all day and into the night. Although it must be said that Munich like other Germanic cities goes to bed early. They eat early, take a walk and retire. At night the fairies come out and wipe the square clean of the detritus of the day. Nice.
The most amazing thing about Munich while we were there were the street musicians. On the sidewalk in front of a church a trio of young women with violins played classical music in perfect harmony. It was impossible to just walk by. A musical oasis in the midst of throngs of people, bikes, and cars.
Walking further into the square we came upon a quintet of musicians playing more classical music. Mozart probably, since he's "the man" in this part of the world. The group had a baby grand piano, a cello, a bass, a violin, and a woodwind (I don't remember which one). They were out on more than one day. How they got the piano out there was a mystery. Needless to say they attracted quite a crowd. Another oasis of beauty and calm in the bustle of the city.
Munich also seems to be THE place to go for a stag parties in Europe. Groomsmen dress in traditional Bavarian shorts and suspenders and the groom wears a dress and they all cavort drunkenly from beer hall to beer hall including passersby in their revelry. Bridesmaids and brides also appear in groups shrieking and laughing. Must be the beer.
But Munich has an ugly side that I rarely see in California. There are many Muslim women in Munich dressed in full black burkhas. Whether on vacation or living there, I don't know. But returning from a restaurant one night we saw a group of young men (not boys) dressed in leiderhosen approach and heckle a group of women after they had shouted insults at two men dressed like Arafat. I'm sure beer had a lot to do with it, but it was ugly nonetheless. Sadly, the two middle eastern men ignored the taunting of the women and simply walked on while the women huddled together for security. The men posed no physical threat since they didn't stop and approach the women but I'm sure the women felt threatened.
On a lighter note, there you have it, the good, the bad, and the musical. Mostly good I'd say. Our city guide was wonderful and we learned a lot about the history of Munich and Bavaria which I always love. We dined at the world famous HofBrau Haus and joined the crowds for a bit of musical heaven on earth.
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