First thing in the morning we hopped aboard the U-Bahn for Olympiapark and BMW Welt (World). BMW Welt is BMW new showcase for all of their new cars (BMW, Mini, and Rolls Royce). Don't worry, they didn't leave out the motorcycles. The highlight for me was a working BMW Isetta, the little egg car from the 1950s. This little wonder of German and Italian engineering has three wheels ,seats two people, is powered by a motorcycle engine, and features one giant door made up of the entire front-end of the car. I guess the Rolls Royce Phantom limo wasn't that bad either.
Of course, we couldn't leave out the Olympiapark itself. This was the site of the 1972 Olympic Games, the games marred by the killing of Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village. The park was designed to highlight the recovery of the German people after the devistation of WWII. It was built upon the heaps of rubble that were piled upon the site after the war. Before that, the park was a German military air field. The giant, curved translucent panels of the stadium and the various sports halls are shaped to reflect the nearby Bavarian Alps.
While at the Olympiapark, we enjoyed the view from the tallest structure in the Munich area, the Olympic Tower. This giant structure was originally built to accomodate the television antennas that were necessary to broadcast the games in 1972 (Makes one appreciate the Internet and satellites). We were fortunate to have a clear and sunny day. The view was spectacular! The towers of Munich's several churches stood out clearly against the skyline to the south. My last trip the tower was on a very cold, windy and rainy evening. The wind wind on the top observation deck was so strong that it nearly knocked me off of my feet.
After a picnic filled with circling geese (honk!), the group split up for some free time. Some of our group returned to central Munich to swim in Englischergarten (away from the naked people). My little group took a trip via S-Bahn to the summer palace of the Wittelsbachers, Schloss Nymphenburg. When the palace was built, the palace of Versailles was still the model of political power in Europe. Any king or duke who had ambitions of great power (or just wanted to show off his wealth) built a palace in the style of Versailles. By the time of Nymphenburg, however, the baroque stylings of Versailles seemed a bit out of fashion (like a bad pair of flair bell bottoms). So, this palace was built in the highly ornamental Rococo style of the 18th century. Instead of a flashy golden yellow, this palace is painted in a classy grayish blue. The interior is magnificent. The palace, instead of being centered on a hall of mirrors, like Versailles, is built around a mavellously painted and palatial music room, emphasizing the importance of the arts to the Bavarian monarchy.
Our final evening in Munich was spent in the most Bavarian way possible, in a biergarten in the Old Botanical Garden. This is the perfect definition of Gemütlichkeit, a Bavarian expression used to describe a perfectly cozy and comfortable scene.
As I write this entry, we are seated comfortably on a train to our next stop, the old city of Salzburg.
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