Espresso 4 Breakfast: 2013-07-03 : Munich, Day 2

Today was a good day - although we're staying in each city for days at a time (to minimize the feeling of constantly packing/unpacking) we sure do a lot of stuff during our stays :)

This morning, we walked down by the Isar the cool (fast!) river in Munich. Our goal was to check out the Volksbad, a really cool public pool/bath. There was a lot of art next to the trail/river, including incredibly cool graffiti. On the island in the middle of the river was a big peace symbol constructed with red rocks - pretty neat. Oh, we also passed the Bosch World HQ, and Amy and I were deliberating over whether or not we should go in and demand a refund...

The Volksbad was really cool, although we didn't really get to see too much without paying for admission. The plan is for Maya and me to have a swimming morning tomorrow (July 4th!). On the way back, we rode the tram, which is super-slick. Man, it's not just that they have trains/trams - it's that they have SO MANY. It's really easy to get just about anywhere, they have great infrastructure and support. It's similar to the situation with bikes (here, but even more so in Munster). It's just what they do! Of course you ride a bike - it's only a 10 min trip! There are stairs everywhere too, and people USE THEM! Even when there are escalators next to them... I think they might be on to something.

We headed to the Neu Pinakothek museum for a couple hours as well - excellent museum, just the right amount of time. I usually have the highest tolerance for "museum gravity", Maya the least. But we saw some incredibly beautiful works - many by Picasso, Rodin, Cezanne, Gaugin, Van Gogh, and Amy's new fave, August Macke (that dude has a fascinating backstory). So I've never been a fan of Cezanne or Gaugin, but love Klee, Macke, Franz Marc, and much of Kandinsky.

Here's the thing with Macke - he had never seen the impressionist paintings in color, only B/W reproductions. When he went to Paris the first time and saw everything in color, it blew his mind SO hard that it changed him. He (and one of my other favorites, Andre Derain) became very influential in the new Fauvist movement in post-impressionism, along with Matisse. Macke ended up being drafted in the First World War, and in a period of 3 weeks churned out several dozen works. He was killed in action only 2 months into the war, and at only 27 years old...

We also all got new German t-shirts, I think they fit our personalities quite well - pics in another post, you'll just have to wait!

In the afternoon, we climbed to the tippy-top of St. Peter's Kirche (306 steps, if you're the type that counts). Excellent views, reminded me of the Eiffel Tower, although no kissing (boo!), but also no disgusting brown grime/paste on the handrails (yay!). Only problem was that Maya is discovering the extent to which she does NOT enjoy heights. Poor thing, I think she took a quick look out and spent the rest of the time inside on the bench trying not to throw up.

Another highlight, of course, was the kissing of the boar on Kauflingerstrasse. "They" say it's for good luck, but I think it's a ploy. The boar looks like he's trolling to me (pic below). Either way, it's good to be a bronze boar in the financial/shopping district, evidently.

So when all of this was done, we grabbed some leberkaese (which contain neither leber nor kaese) semmels from a shop and headed home to make dinner. Amy and Ella put a little music on and worked out - I have pics of pushups, but there were a couple of 25-lb dumbbells so they got a bit of that too.

I was supposed to work, but my feet hurt so bad from so many days of overuse/mistreatment that I seriously couldn't sit without pain. Ahh well, tomorrow!

Ahh, Munchen, you are SO dramatic!

Ella and I are slower than the two speedy-pantses ahead of us.

On the bridge before hitting the Volksbad

Getting down there isn't easy, but a little guerrilla art is always appreciated.

Maya calls him Stalin every time we see him, but this is Otto Von Freakin' Bismarck, yo.

Yes, it's a bit narrow on the way to to the top of the tower.

This is the Rathaus from the top of the tower.

This is Maya (and to a lesser extent, Amy) having a generally concerned attitude about their altitude.

Ella and Maya in church - Maya pre-emptively covered her bare shoulders (gasp!) with a scarf.

This is where the man in flowing robes comes and teaches you about how to take care of the poor. From an elevated gilded box, in a gigantic cathedral. Yep.