Reflections, Part 4

After our trip to Bad Tolz, Kara and I decided to extend our Germany stay one more day than originally planned so that we could experience the city without torrential rain, cyclone winds, or darkness.

We started out the next morning with a visit to the Glockenspeil, a giant cuckoo clock in the Marianplatz that shows a joust with the various puppets on gears. It was pretty neat, and a good homage to German tradition. We wandered the Marianplatz for a bit longer, taking in the sights and making some great photos from the tower of Munich's tallest church.

After that, I talked my buddy into taking a short metro ride to the edge of town to see Allianz Arena, the brand new facility that housed the World Cup final last year and is the home pitch of Munich's premier club team, Bayern Munchen. I expected only to take a few photos of this phenomenal structure and head back, but we were greeted with a nice surprise in the form of a free Open House into the stadium upon arrival. Apparently they were celebrating the one year anniversary of the building, and had it open to the public as a nice little PR event. It got to walk down to the pitch, wander around inside, and play a few games such as lego soccer and a PK competition. I was as happy as a kid in a candy store.

Kara eventually dragged me away from the arena. We then headed to the 1972 Olympic Park, a wonderous example of contemporary architecture. The "Spiderweb" aesthetic had sweeping curves and spires all over, creating a sublime effect. T'was very, very cool, and for a designer, a great example of a well-crafted public space. Despite the cool look, however, it seemed as if the tragedy of those Olympic Games still hung a heavy emotional blanket over the entire area, especially the apartments across the street that were the actual site of the slayings of the Isreali athletes, even though it has been 35 years since those events. It made me contemplate the profound impact of tragedy at certain places; instead of being remembered for a great architectural achievement, the space will always be remembered for the human events that transpired there, much like Tiananmen Square and the World Trade Center.

We packed up our stuff that evening, and prepared to leave Germany for Venice. Our time in Germany had been challenging early on, but it turned out to be a wonderful place to spend some time. The German people were quiet but kind, and I loved their respectful and efficient nature. The infastructure of the city was amazing, as was the blend of modern society and the city's history. I would love to go back and see other parts of the country; a Berlin native that we met in the hotel one night confided to me (in a way that only locals can) that Munich wasn't really Germany, that you had to get to Berlin or Frankfurt to really see Germany. I would like to take him up on that suggestion sometime. Thoughts on Venice later on.

-msr