A Excursion through Munich by Bicycle

Monday, March 26, 2012
Posted by Deborah


Bicycling is a popular means of transportation here in Munich. People ride their bikes to work and to school and sometimes to do their shopping. We have many times witnessed people bicycling along with some large object balanced on the handlebars and, other times, cycling along without using the handlebars, at all. Parents also bicycle with their children, more slowly, of course, initiating them in the rules of the road at an early age. 


When I first arrived in Munich, I was amazed that so many people use their bicycles even when it's cold outside. The reason for this is very simple. There are dedicated bike lanes almost everywhere you go. Sometimes, these run along the outside edge of the sidewalk and sometimes they occupy a lane on the street. Before I became fully aware of this, Mark had to keep reminding me not to walk in the bike lane because you could get run over! Believe it or not, the cyclists have the right of way. This can be a bit unnerving, but after a bit of observation it is easy to see why this is so. If they had to stop for every pedestrian in their path, they would never get anywhere. Bicycling truly is a transportation choice. And the best part, as far as I'm concerned, is that helmets are not required. For me, that can make all the difference in the world.

Mark and I had been thinking about getting a couple of bicycles ever since the day we walked down to the Maximiliansanlagen (Maximilians Gardens)  that border the Isar River. It's a lovely, wooded park with trails that run for miles in each direction. Mark said his friend, Thomas, from Amsterdam would think nothing of doing one of these 70 kilometer circuits in an afternoon.  He swears that bicycling is absolutely the best exercise there is. So, we have been thinking about this for some time now. This weekend we summoned our courage and made a trip to the Hauptbahnhof train station to rent some bikes.


It was a little pricey because we hadn't spent enough time researching the best outfit to rent from, but we were determined to stick with our plan. I was somewhat daunted at the thought of having to bicycle from the train station to the river, our primary destination. I could easily picture walking there, but being unfamiliar with how the bike paths actually work, I was a bit timid. Mark said, "Well, let's get to the Bayerischerhof Hotel and go from there." In other words, small steps at first. I said I could do that and led the way. Because we had stayed at two different hotels in this part of town I had walked in this area many times and knew the lay of the land very well. So, off we went perched high on our very sturdy city bikes complete with shock absorbers to cushion the ride.


Across from the Bayerischerhof, we came across a large tribute to Michael Jackson. He stayed at this very posh hotel whenever he came to Munich. We stopped for a few minutes to pay our respects.


From here, it was a straight shot through the the pedestrian section of town and then onto Maximillianstrasse which leads straight to the river. By now, we were gaining confidence. It was easy to navigate the bike lanes since they are so well marked. On the couple of occasions when we were unsure as to where they went, we got off our bikes and became pedestrians.


The feeling of zipping along the river was very invigorating and a wonderful change of pace. We started off riding along the sidewalk that runs above the river on the city side and then crossed the river to bike on the wooded side. Having walked here previously and, of course, by now having a very good sense of the "map" of the city, we rode along with little thought to our whereabouts. Before we knew it, we had gone much farther north than we had intended. No problem, though. The English Garden was still on the other side of the river, so we headed across once we got our bearings.


The English Garden is one of the largest public parks in the world. In Europe, its size is exceeded only by Richmond Park in London. Here is an interesting fact for you, straight from Wikipedia. The park's designer, Sir Richard Thompson, was born in Woburn, Massachusetts (!) where his house has been preserved as a museum. He often walked to Cambridge to attend lectures given by John Winthrop of  Harvard, later apprenticed to John Appleton of Salem, served as a Loyalist in the American Revolution, ditched his wife in Portsmouth after their house was attacked, and moved to London at the end of the war. He was knighted by King George III in 1784,  later moving to Bavaria where he reorganized the army. In 1791, he was made a Count of the Holy Roman Empire. What a fascinating life. I learned all this just because I wanted to ascertain my facts regarding the size of the English Garden.


The English Garden is an idyllic oasis in the middle of the city. Sundays seem to beckon everyone to the park. Paths meander throughout the garden, and since many people share them, bicycling here is more leisurely. The Garden is not a garden in the formal sense, but rather has the feeling of  a manicured, open woodland. Big fields are interspersed, attracting football and rugby players, families with dogs and children running around, and many sunbathers. This will very likely be a popular spot for us when we bring Duncan over. Dogs are seldom leashed in the park, or for that matter, on the streets of the city. It is not uncommon for owners to walk their dogs on the street without leashing them. It is a common sight to see a dog and its owner walking along the street together with no leash on the dog at all. They must be very well trained. We will have quite a lot of catching up to do with Duncan. 

Here is a picture of me with our trusty bikes.

By now, it was time for lunch and a drink. We had not packed water, knowing full well that the Chinese Tower has a beer garden complete with a band that plays on Sundays. Atmosphere is what Muncheners adore. A few sips of beer and you are a Munchener, too. You are allowed to bring your lunch with you to eat at one of the communal tables, but you must buy a beer. We found this out when we brought Rachel and Jeremy here for a Sunday picnic. We had pulled out our lunch and were blissfully enjoying the band and the weather and each other's company when the beer police came by, informing us that yes, of course, we could eat our lunch, but we must accompany it with a beer. So, we just need to buy one beer, I asked. He smiled and said, yes, that is all. Oh, if all police were so accommodating! Just buy a beer and all is forgiven.




So, following the rules, we purchased a weissbier, or wheat beer, which tasted mighty good after a long bike ride. Not wanting to waste much time, we were soon back on our bicycles to continue our journey. The next picture may look like it was taken in an Alpine setting, but it is one of the many streams you come across in the English Garden and is located just downstream from the river surfers who attract crowds of people on a weekend. The following four pictures are of the surfers and the crowds of people who come to watch their skill on the river.

I sure do hope these surfers get a chance to practice their
skills elsewhere. They are really quite good.

Mark took this photo. That's me with the camera.

It was now almost time to think about returning the bicycles to Hauptbahnhof, but I had wanted to see this one church we always pass when we take the tram home, St. Lukas, which is on the banks of the river and very closeby. So, off we went, bicycling through the Lehel neighborhood until we came to the church. We went inside, said a prayer and lit a candle for Mark's brother, Steven, who just underwent surgery, then got back on our bikes for the return ride to Hauptbahnhof.

On the return trip, we were riding over the cobblestones of the pedestrian district when Mark mentioned a dress he thought I should buy and wanted to show it to me. As we rode along, a slow procession of people came through the Altstadt, singing Ave Maria. They were quite solemn and we were curious about their task. We stopped to watch them for a few minutes and a woman approached Mark, giving him a string of rosary beads and a little paper with an explanation. Of course, it was in German, but it concerned a miracle, we think.

You can see a large bier covered with flowers.
It must have been quite heavy because the men
bearing its weight were straining with the effort.

Perhaps we will ask someone to translate the pamphlet so we can find out about the meaning of their prayers.

Then it was back to Hauptbahnhof to return the bikes and take the tram home. We had such fun on our bicycle trip! Now we are sure about buying bicycles for ourselves. It's a great way to see the city and is great exercise, as well. Our plan is to rent a couple of bikes some weekend and tour around to the bike shops to locate some good, used bicycles.