Munich, Germany - August 5, 2006

So far on my trip I'd experienced plenty of last days. My first day in Austria was my last, same as my first (and last) day in Switzerland. Leaving Prague was a little harder, arriving on the 3rd and departing the morning of the 5th really allowed me to make, in that short time, a real connection with that darling heart of the Czech nation. But today, August 5th, ten days after my arrival in the very same city, I would be leaving Munich and Germany behind indefinitely. This also meant saying goodbye to my host Patricia, who was my primary reason for visiting Germany and going to Europe, since her invitation three years prior in Mexico City (and re-invitation last year when she visited me in Vancouver) made the trip feasible. She lent me her entire apartment to use during my days in and out of Munich, cooked for me, acted as tour guide and drinking buddy - basically was an all-around great friend. So this post is dedicated to Patricia Lang, who's just finishing up the last of the beers at Octoberfest. May we meet again sometime soon - my door here is always open (come visit lovely Toronto)!

A lovely Roman Catholic church on the side of the Isar. I had figured when I came to Germany that, as the homeland of Martin Luther, it would be full of protestants. Yet, as Bavaria proves, it really ain't that German and it does things a little bit differently. So here in the south its quite common to find Catholicism as the majority religion. Which is fine with me, Catholics may be a lot of things but poor church-builders is not one of them. All of the best churches are generally Catholic and this one here, a favourite from the first day I walked along the Isar with Patricia, makes a good photo - especially flanked with the green foliage of the river banks leading toward the English Garden.

The Isar calmly flows through the city centre. From this picture one would think we were at a nature reserve and not in one of the biggest cities in Germany. But, Bavarians are serious on parks and the English Garden (the name of their 'central park') is the largest central park in the world for a city this size. Even dwarfing Vancouver's Stanley Park and Central Park in New York I'm told - and, whereas Stanley Park is not really in the city but rather an offshoot of the downtown peninsula, all of the English Garden is surrounded by Munich city or suburbs. It really is smackdab in the middle of town, and just a short walk down the Isar from Patricia's apartment (subway stop isator, named after the massive tor or guard tower that stood near the banks of the Isar to defend the city centre from drunken octoberfestians).

Twenty-shades of green. For an overcast day it was intensely bright, which means the old buildings I was shooting through the green foliage are completely obscured. However, the greens really came out in so many vibrant colours it makes this photo blog-worthy.

Into the centre of the English Garden, local Muncheneers are gathering on this cloudy and drizzling Sunday for a brew with the family. I can't imagine how this could aid some social and community cohesion in Canada if people could unite in the park for some beers on the weekend. Instead we have draconian anti-drinking-in-public laws, I guess drunkenness should be something that we take out on our families and loved ones in private rather than in public where it can be dealt with. Good thinking!

A massive pagoda-style temple in the middle of the beer garden provides room for the Bavarian "oompah" or "umpapa" band to blast out some tunes to patrons snacking on their picnic lunches and cool beers.

Yep, this place has it all, including its own lake - and you still can't tell there is a city buzzing behind all this. Remarkable - at least to me. Quite a serene place to sit and feed the ducks. In fact I did sit here for a while and read something, I can't remember what though, maybe my Jared Diamond book or the Lonely Planet - they're full of such useful trivial tidbits.

Another unfortunately overexposed picture due to the intense refraction brought on by an intense sun and a light overcast sky. This is the monopteros, with such a cool name how could I not take a picture of just so I could say I shot a monopteros. And "No", I did not remember that off the top of my head. I looked it up on Wikipedia as my memory is just good enough to know I went somewhere this past summer, never mind where and what the names of the little temples were. Here's a blurb on this mysteriously titled artifact: "Designed by Leo von Klenze, this small, round, Greek style temple was erected in 1836. It was built on a hill which, in 1832, was raised from the leftover building material of the Münchner Residenz (Munich Royal Residence)" (Wikipedia).

A stream, perhaps flowing from the lake, winds is way through the park. Nude sunbathing is common in the English Garden as well as along the Isar (I know, I saw) but perhaps today is not the day for it. Otherwise, this might make an excellent and idyllic location.

The Bavarian version of the Arc du Triomphe - on a much smaller scale. Still, it makes a powerful statement to those entering the city.

The entrance to Munich's largest university and the second largest in the country. Unlike Freiburg, I can't tell you of anyone whose come out of this university except Pope Benedict, which does no credit to this university or town in my opinion.

As I had some time to kill before returning to see Patricia for our last supper - and drink - together, I decided to take some less touristic shots (of buildings, fountains, churches, all my standard fare really) and play with some of the settings of the camera with an easy subject. So this photo and the ones following are just some examples of playing around trying to take some nice pictures. You can skim over them if you like, there may be one or two that you like. In this photo, the well-known Munich munster or cathedral with its double-domed towers is visible in the unfocused background.

Probably my favourite - since its a perfect still of my favourite insect going about its daily routine making honey for my tummy.

Reddish / Orange Flower Series






Yellow Flower Series (with blurry monolith)

Out of the flowers and back to the bustle of Munich. The double-domed munster mentioned above is more clearly visible (and in focus) in this overcrowded photo.

Pink Flower Series




White Flower Series




Flowers & Blurry Statue Series


Oh! Yes, my thought exactly.

Patricia's Apartment

So in telling the end of my story in Munich - and Germany - I should start at the beginning. The apartment where I spent most of my evenings while in Munich.

The kitchen and dining area. Patricia's hard at work making dinner with Christian's help while I bugger off taking pictures.

Her / my bedroom. I must note the equisite Pearl Jam poster she has adorning her wall (right).

Her newest addition - the orange couch - adds a definite flare to the place. I liked it.

The other end of the kitchen / dining room. The front door and another example of her father's handily crafted woodwork. It definitely isn't a large apartment, but for downtown Munich, directly across the street from a subway station and a few minutes walk to the Marienplatz (the city centre).

What tour would be complete without a look at the lou.

Patricia's voyages and photographic victories. I hope to have a wall in similar style one day. Only the more skilled observer will be able to name all the places shown here besides the most obvious. But who can tell me which photo is "Vancouver's"?

My last drink at a Munich beerhall. The Augustiner Braustuben, where they quarter the horses that pull in the wagons of ale to mark the beginning of Octoberfest. After a long day (I'd arrived in Munich that morning after leaving my Czech hostel at 5am) I could barely finish my litre of beer before beginning to nod off.

A real German beer hall, for Germans, not tourists!

Thanks again Patricia (& Christian) for making my stay in Munich and Germany such a great one.

Freiburg, Germany - August 2, 2006

Welcoming to the charming city of Freiburg - located in the furthest Southwestern corner of Germany, bordering on France and Switzerland. The first day I arrived, following a four-or-five hour train ride across southern Germany, was rainy and cold - a perfect day to do nothing after the previous 5 of continuous exploration and beer-guzzling. Ivo was happy to accomodate, thankfully, and allowed me to take up space on his back porch watching the rain fall and his girlfriend's rabbit hop around the yard. After some vegetarian soup and apple struddel - my first in Germany - we shot some pool with friends before calling it an early night. The next day we went to Zurich and Basel, so I didn't actually get to explore Freiburg itself until my 3rd and final day in the city! Despite the short amount of time, I couldn't help but love it, the perfect size, character and demographic - read on!

Ivo's home town is a "university city" - a common phenomenon in Europe wherein a city's primary focus is the university and is populated through-and-through by students. Sounds like a great place to live! When we were there it was a bit quiet - being mid-summer and the majority of students off doing whatever students do in the summer.

The University of Freiburg is smack dab in the middle of the city - not removed on some enclosed "campus" like most Canadian universties. Martin Heidegger was one of the more prominent philosohpers to have made Freiburg his home, and the famous phenomenoligist Edmund Husserl also taught here. Its quite interesting to think of such a "small" place to be home to such luminaries and to have played such a large role in the philosophical community while remaining outside of the major centres of Paris or Berlin - or even Frankfurt where the famous school of Benjamin, Adorno and Horkheimer started, only a few hours north of Freiburg.

The classic Germanic tower-gates that dominate the cityscapes of southern Germany. They're always so photogenic, its hard to resist.

A streetcar makes its way along the main drag of Freiburg with the Black Forest (the same forest of Hansel & Grettal fame, as well as the dessert) in the background. Freiburg was probably the cutest city I visited in Germany.

Even the manhole covers are photogenic. This one bears the city crest.

Another street deadending against the forest which surrounds the city on three-sides.

Anyone going to Landwasser?

This may seem like just another picture of a church - and it is - but one of these gargoyles is in a somewhat unnatural position - mooning the bishop's house across the street. Supposedly, if I recall the story Ivo recounted to me, the builders were unhappy with whatever arrangement they had with the bishop (financially or otherwise) and so decided to make this subtle addition to the church.

Like the great towers, the beautiful gothic architecture is hard to pass up. Here you can see the buttresses which hold up the walls of the church's vaulted ceiling - an effect that gives a feeling of incredible space and height in the inside of the church.

The town hall's bay window (seen differently below).

A german town hall across from the church. The colour schemes of Freiburg seem similar to that of Basel with their emphasis on reds, blues, and gold. This wasn't common outside of this small corner of the world.

The public market on the grounds outside the church. The bishop's house (referenced above) is/was the yellowish / peach coloured one I think.

Hmmm.... fresh berries for sale.

Mmmm cakes. I agree with their sentiments of eating many cakes - that is true.

A Freiburg oddity is that almost all the streets come with a "ditch" or "trench" of some kind that carries water somewhere or other. I don't think these simply function as storm drains because they were always full. They could be a remnant of medieval practice of having sewer drainage in the streets. Nowadays there is a legend that if you step into the water in any of these "streams" it will be your destiny to marry a resident of Freiburg. I was sure to check out the relative quality of the residents before deciding to avoid the water :).

Even the street signs beg to be photographed.

Weird dude on horse mimicked by odd dude on bicycle. To be honest I'm not sure why I photographed this - but the symmetry seems interesting now in retrospect.

Not a photograph of something in particular but I like how it shows regular objects in their beauty of daily-ness.

The Engert siblings - Ivo and sister Sylvia digest lunch on the university grounds. Sylvia and I had falafel, I don't think she was a fan :( Mine was great though, even better since Sylvia bought it for me! How's that for sweetness? Ivo and his family really went all out for me in the few days I spent with him in Freiburg and Switzerland, lending us their car, inviting me for breakfast and buying me lunch. Putting aside their attempt to off me by watermelon, I want to again express my gratitude. Having friends welcome you into their homes when you travel really makes the difference and Freiburg will always have a special place in my heart!

Inside the church mentioned above. A perfect day for illuminating stained glass windows.

The sense of space and height effect of Gothic architecture - thanks to the flying buttresses on the outside. This church - according to Ivo - housed an Archbishop at one time or another, denoting the importance of Freiburg historically.

Candles burn a finite prayer in our absence. Seems like a good deal to me. For a few coins you can buy someone/something to pray for you. Just need to invent a candle that can last for a few weeks/years instead of hours.

One of the things I loved in Europe was the great doors. Even regular houses seem to have some great doormanship. I have no idea where this door leads or of what building its a part of but it was photo-worthy.

A quaint little shopping district.

A well-manicured street "lantern".

Another cool door.

This "lantern" is having a bad hair day. Maybe its just feeling freaked out.

The rooftops of Freiburg. Already it was time to leave - in retrospect I wish I could have stayed longer, although poor Ivo probably enjoyed having his bed back! Nevertheless, as much I wanted to explore more and visit the cities of western Germany such as Frankfurt, Prague beckoned. But that's a story for another time - specifically when I get off my lazy @$$ and write it for you!