tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27122250192585018172024-03-08T03:59:07.499-08:00English, Broken German and Bad FrenchAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07202099199620783128noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712225019258501817.post-31097469604842274562010-05-01T14:38:00.000-07:002010-06-12T10:47:38.510-07:00Munich<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TA1S6Dw_oWI/AAAAAAAAAX8/80mUf1DpPFU/s1600/DSC00463.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TA1S6Dw_oWI/AAAAAAAAAX8/80mUf1DpPFU/s320/DSC00463.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480127478976455010" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">At the centre of Munich is (and has been since <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tournaments</span> were held there) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Marienplatz</span>, an open square of the variety so common and organic in Europe and so rare and artificial in the New World. It seemed like a perfect spot to start my sightseeing. Upon emerging from the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Bahn</span>, my eyes were greeted by the Old Town Hall, a small Gothic (not <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Neo</span>-Gothic, mind you) building, which looks exactly like the buildings you might associate with Bavaria and Switzerland.I was not fully in awe, but turning around and corrected that.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Dominating the square, is the 19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span>-Century, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Neo</span>-Gothic New Town Hall. A building as impressive as the Canadian Parliament buildings, if not more so. The facade has arches, buttresses, spires, and statues, and is topped off by a clock tower, more commonly called a glockenspiel.</div><div style="text-align: right;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TA1Zy86PKuI/AAAAAAAAAYE/eg3WDOuWTb4/s320/DSC00399.JPG" /></div><div>In the middle of the square, stands an elegant marble tower, at the top of which sits a golden statue of the Virgin Mary. The tower and sculpture commemorate the end of the Swedish occupation of Munich during the 30-Years war.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the historical surroundings, the square is very much alive. My first day there, a Saturday, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Marienplatz</span> is being set up for a fair (apparently having to do with Emergency Services), and the next day it was teeming with tourists. All the while the square is watched over, not only by Mary, but by cafe-goers, sipping coffee on patios. Many of the venerable and grand old building now (as they likely did in their heyday) house trendy stores, selling the latest fashions and technologies. Little seems to have changed in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Marienplatz</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>When my gawking at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Marienplatz</span> was done, I went looking for churches. Munich, being one of the few major Catholic cities in Germany, has a church for just about every style, from the elegantly Gothic <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Frauenkirche</span> to the tiny but ornate-beyond-description, rococo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Asamkirche</span> and plenty in between. My first stop on my Munich Pilgrimage was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Peterskirche</span>, the closest to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Marienplatz</span> and the oldest. The church's high vaulted <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">ceiling</span> decorated with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">beautiful</span> frescoes gave struck a balance between the elegant and the elaborate. The elaborate decoration of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Peterskirche</span> perhaps gave me certain expectations for my next stop, Munich's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Cathedral</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Frauenkirche</span>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Upon entering the Church of Our Lady, the first aspect I noticed (as with most of the European churches) was the ceiling. It was a plain white, which at first disappointed me. At least, until I got into the nave, to which it gave a light and airy feel, perhaps due in large part to the many windows. Perhaps the most impressive parts of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Frauenkirche</span> were the many chapels: little alcoves lining the nave and choir, decorated with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">beautiful</span> statues and oil-paintings, and lit by stained-glass windows. The most distinctive parts of the Cathedral were it's two domed towers. Being of the original <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Gothic</span> style, the exterior was quiet plain, devoid of statues, arches, and flying buttresses. The towers dominated the church and the rest of the old city. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TBKl_2jhEUI/AAAAAAAAAZU/mmPY2C098M8/s400/DSC00408.JPG" /></div><div>Having heard from my jet-setting parents stories of dizzying tower-climbs that yielded spectacular and satisfying views, I resolved to climb as many church <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">towers</span> as I could. First up (and thankfully, serviced by an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">elevator</span>) was one of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Frauenkirche's</span> towers. One of the best things about a tower view is that it gives you a preview of architectural sights; often times, you can pick out buildings and monuments to see up-close that weren't in guidebooks or that you wouldn't have gone out of your way to see. Also, they just give you a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">spectacular</span> view of the older cities.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next stop was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Michaelskirche</span>, a Jesuit church just outside of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Marienplatz</span>. St Michael's Church is a renaissance church, decorated not so much with frescoes as statues and reliefs. The a magnificent, gold-adorned high altar.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TBKmAlCEeeI/AAAAAAAAAZc/t0D8CTcb8t8/s400/DSC00420.JPG" /></div><div>By the time I was done with the churches, it was just about lunch time. So, I decided to see the nearby <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Viktualienmarkt</span>, a two-hundred-year-old open air market. I went expecting the height of folksy charm and was not disappointed. The market, complete with a maypole, was alive with locals and tourists alike, buying fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, cheese and bread from stands in the square, or meat from stores lining it, or enjoying a hearty lunch of meat, bread and beer at picnic tables in the shade. Not ready to brave the massive crowd in order to get a seat to enjoy a litre of beer, I enjoyed a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">leberkäse</span> sandwich standing up. For those of you unfamiliar with Bavarian cuisine, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">leberkäse</span> is a meatloaf consisting of cured beef, bacon, pork, and onions, and it's delicious served hot on a roll. </div><div><br /></div><div>Feeling full of meat and down-to-earth, I decided to check out Munich's regal side, so, I made my way over to the royal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Residenz</span>. According to my guide-book, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Residenz</span> is nearest the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Odeonsplatz</span> U-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Bahn</span> station. My guide-book didn't mention the square that shares its name with the U-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Bahn</span> station. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Platz</span> was definitely smaller than the other squares I had seen that day but it was formed by a the literally monumental <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Feldherrnhalle</span> (Field Marshal's Hall) and the imposing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Theatinerkirche</span>, and was watched over by a flock of cafe-goers all facing the square. Opposite the Italian-style Renaissance church, lies the appropriately landscaped <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Hofgarten</span> (Court Garden). Not having had my fill of Royal Munich, I wandered the area and took in a great many statues and state buildings, like the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Staatsoper</span>, and the Bavarian State Chancellery, before making my way <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">toward</span> the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Englischer</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Garten</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>At 370 hectares (914 acres), the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Englischer</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Garten</span> ranks among the largest urban parks in the world, edging out New York's Central Park by around 30 hectares. I was lucky enough to be in Munich on a sunny, albeit slightly chilly, Saturday, and was able to see the park in near-full swing. It was full of young families, sunbathers, cyclists, and other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Münchners</span> enjoying the day. I strolled through the park until I reached the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Chinesischer</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Turm</span>, where I stopped to enjoy a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">maß</span> (litre) of beer while a brass band played Sousa marches of all things. Finishing my beer and feeling a bit light-headed I hiked up to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">Monopteros</span> for a view of the Skyline.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TBJw6jYEtNI/AAAAAAAAAYU/OnN4rVNUwuU/s400/DSC00475.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At this point, my feet and stomach forced me to call it a day and I made my way back to my hostel. On the way I spotted a number of guys and girls heading out on the town dressed in traditional <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">lederhosen</span> and dirndls, a common sight while I was there due to the Spring festival which was taking place at the time. Far from quaint and old-fashioned, the traditional Bavarian costume has a timeless and adaptive quality to it, similar to the Scottish formal dress or the Indian Sari.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After my exhausting Saturday, I was ready for a relatively relaxing Sunday. At least I was until I discovered that the Munich Art Galleries (called "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">Pinakotheken</span>") charge €1 for admission on Sundays. I resolved to go that afternoon. After a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">disappointingly</span> ordinary mass at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">Frauenkirche</span> (I missed the High Mass at 10AM), I decided to find the coolest monument in Munich, the Kurt Eisner memorial. Kurt Eisner was the first democratic Premier of Bavaria, a position he held for less than four months when he lost an election. On his way to resign as Premier, he was shot in the back by a German Nationalist. His memorial marks the spot where he fell.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TBKAnf8WtCI/AAAAAAAAAYc/Ak44NRyi62M/s320/DSC00487.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On the way to Eisner's chalk outline, I came across a few more traditional monuments including one, to Composer, Orlando <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">Lassus</span>, which had been converted into a shrine to Michael Jackson,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TBKFbe70ubI/AAAAAAAAAYk/d0-gVbfhonA/s320/DSC00481.JPG" /> <img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TBKFcCZtayI/AAAAAAAAAYs/3jZHyGD7sOM/s320/DSC00483.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And this modern one:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TBKN5XPXS2I/AAAAAAAAAY0/HpLHXpkGB7w/s320/DSC00486.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And after those, it was on to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">Pinakotheken</span>. Each of the three galleries covered a certain time period. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">Alte</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">Pinakothek</span> covered the 14<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">th</span>-19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">th</span> centuries and included a room dedicated to Rubens' <i>Last Judgement </i>series.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TBKQ190IC7I/AAAAAAAAAY8/upQ7PmGtGpg/s320/DSC00524.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">Neue</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">Pinakothek</span> covered 19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">th</span> Century art, which includes Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism and others. My Favourites. Finally, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">Pinakothek</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">der</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">Moderne</span> is the modern art gallery. I didn't go into this one because, simply put, I don't like modern art. There, I said it. Like most modern art museums, it did have a cool exterior.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TBKUYBGhPBI/AAAAAAAAAZE/TTPG8H4zkzs/s400/DSC00496.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Each <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">Pinakothek</span> had a sizable <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">green space</span> in front; <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">green spaces</span> that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">Münchners</span> took full advantage of for sunbathing, picnicking and soccer-playing. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Art galleries take a lot out of me, so after the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">Pinakotheken</span>, it was time to find somewhere to eat. A tall order in Munich on a Sunday. My search for a decent, cheap restaurant near <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">Marienplatz</span> proved fruitless, but it did cause me to stumble upon the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">Asamkirche</span>. Once some merchant family's private chapel, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">Asamkirche</span> has enough gold, marble, and frescoes to fill a tasteful cathedral jammed into a space the size of a townhouse. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LSY5eTWb_R4/TBKaD1L86GI/AAAAAAAAAZM/ZDacZ1LF834/s400/DSC00536.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I eventually found a spot to eat, and headed back to the Hostel. The next day I was off to the next.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While my Hostel was nice, it lacked character. It was more of a hotel. That, of course, meant that it was safe and clean, two very important factors.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">All-in-all, I would go back to Munich in a heartbeat. I think I could even live there. It had a certain laid-back grandeur that blended well with it's country <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">volk</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">sy</span> feel and embraced both it's history and modernity. Whatever that means. It certainly wasn't Paris, Vienna, Berlin, or NYC, and it certainly wasn't pretending to be. Munich is just Munich.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another great thing about Bavaria is it's natural beauty, especially around <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">Füssen</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">Hohenschwangau</span> ...</div><div><a id="myphotolink" href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=54538434&id=28101338"></a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07202099199620783128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712225019258501817.post-38882707082001980342010-04-27T00:08:00.000-07:002010-04-27T11:09:26.662-07:00First Post (Frankfurt)So here I am in Europe, No volcanic ash could stop me. After around 24 hrs in airports and airplanes, I step out of Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. Now, from all I had read, Frankfurt is boring, A business town with little to no trace of history. I pictured Toronto or New York, but with German being spoken. There was one thing I forgot: Frankfurt is a lot older than Toronto or NYC.<br /><br />So when I exit the Train Station expecting a seedy neighbourhood (I was told that it is in the Red-light District) I see this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs316.ash1/27945_890928240782_28101338_54538121_7578761_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 540px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs316.ash1/27945_890928240782_28101338_54538121_7578761_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Maybe, it's not a sketchy area after all.<br /><br />It is. Not as sketchy as Jane & Finch, or Greenpoint, Brooklyn, but just enough to make you a bit uncomfortable.<br /><br />My hostel, The Frankfurt Hostel, is actually a very friendly place, and I met a few colourful characters. There was Jesse, the backpacker from Serattle who looked just like a backpacker from Seattle, Alistair, the older Brit whose teeth prove that certain stereotypes have a basis in fact, and The Afghan man who talked my ear off about the war, comparing the Americans to Genghis Khan several times, then apologized for talking politics at me and continuing to do so.<br /><br />To start my tour of Frankfurt, I went up to the observation deck of the Main Tower (Named after the river Main, pronounced "mine") to scope out the city. The view was a very eclectic mix of sky scrapers and grande old buildings. Especially impressive to me was the Hauptbahnhof (Central Train Station), which looked, inside and outside, like someone had put some thought and care into it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs286.snc3/27945_890928285692_28101338_54538128_8341118_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 540px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs286.snc3/27945_890928285692_28101338_54538128_8341118_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Afterwards I checked out some older buildings and neighbourhoods, including the Old City, Römerberg, the Old Opera, and the Cathedral<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs286.snc3/27945_890928395472_28101338_54538147_2881154_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 540px; height: 720px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs286.snc3/27945_890928395472_28101338_54538147_2881154_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>After walking around all day, I was exhausted. So, I returned to the hostel, enjoyed a big delicious local beer and got some shut-eye. The next Day I hopped on a train and left Frankfurt.<br /><br />All-in-all, Frankfurt is a nice city. It might even be a good city to live in, but I don't think I would go out of my way to visit again.<br /><br />Now Munich on the other hand ...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07202099199620783128noreply@blogger.com3