After arriving in Munich last night, we decided to do some brief exploring in the heat of the day before our planned walking tour that evening. We began by walking the grounds of Nymphemburg Palace, former summer residence of the Bavarian monarchs, located right in our neighborhood of Öbermenzing.
Due to the searing heat, we soon retreated back to our rental house. Soon, the sun set and the temperature began to drop, and we boarded the S2 train to Marienplatz, Munich's historic central square, where we met our guide, Nino.
Marienplatz is named for St. Mary, to whom a commemorative column in the center of the square is dedicated. Visually, it is dominated by Munich's New City Hall, a nineteenth-century Neo-Gothic structure. Its clock tower is famous for containing a giant glockenspiel.
After walking through the streets of old Munich and seeing many monumental buildings, including the old opera house, main museums, and seat of city government, we entered the English Garden, a sprawling city park, at sunset.
Likely thanks to the heat of the day, the park was lively in the evening, full of young students partying, swimming, playing volleyball, and drinking copious amounts of Bavarian beer.
Swift-moving artificial streams dart through the woods of the English Garden. In one particular spot, the supports of a road bridge cause the water to become turbulent and choppy. Locals have begun using the spot as a makeshift wave pool for surfing!
After leaving the park, we walked through the city at night, visiting the monumental courthouse and Ministry of Justice building.
After an exhausting day, we returned via train to our house. Tomorrow, we will drive our rental car outside the city limits, visiting a pair of castles located high in the Alps.
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