First Few Days of Class and Stadtspaziergang

My first few days in Munich have been awesome. On Wednesday was our first class. I realize the last sentence was awkwardly phrase...I blame German word order and its takeover of my brain. Back to th story....When I arrived there in the morning, I saw that I was moved from A22 to B11 (up one level). I was a little scared going into the class, but it's very fair. In these few days, I've learned that my reading and writing skills are very good mostly because I have time to think. I can understand the teacher well because she is good at explaining things in more ways than one. I feel bad if I fall back on English, but everyone does, even though they are from Osaka, Seoul, Mecca, Romania, Sao Paolo, Rio, St. Petersburg, Seattle, and many other worldly destinations. I thought I was going to get opened to the German world when I went abroad, but I'm getting much more than that.

My first day after class, Megan, another BC student, and I roamed around Munich. We went to the Kaufhof (department store) and bought alarm clocks. Then went off to DM, the German version of Walgreens, to pick up some prepaid telephones. We stopped by the Frauenkirche, the main church of the extremely Catholic city of Munich. I snapped a few pictures of it.

The towers reach to the heavens at 358 feet tall.

The massiveness of the church makes you take a few steps back.

Vaulted ceilings this high make you think when it was built. Answer: 1494

After my first day, I went back and tried to get some sleep, but it has been something of a greased pig lately. I finally got my first sleep last night for more than 3 hours and it felt great. It's hard when your usual zone is 9 hours behind.

 Yesterday after class, I went with Dylan, Matt, and most of their class to a cheap cafeteria. It was in a building that Matt calls the "courthouse" and it does look like that. When we got to the cafeteria, it seemed like it was one for politicians or lawyers or something. It was cheap though....4 euro for pork in a weißbier sauce and two knödel (potato dumplings). After that I met up with Megan for our next adventure.

In addition to classes, the Goethe Institut offers tours in Munich and to the surrounding areas (Neuschwanstein Schoss, Salzburg, etc.). Yesterday I took my first one because it was both an orientation to inner Munich and it was free! It was called a Stadtspaziergang, or city walk. Our tourguide, Cristoph, a Doctor of German Art, showed us around the city. Since half of the people were in A11, the lowest course level, he would speak in English, then in German (or vice versa). This was the coolest thing I've ever seen a tourguide do. It also helped me a lot because sometimes I would be off taking pictures and not hear the story the first time, but then he would repeat it in the other language. We started with the picture on the right. This is the Sendlinger Gate (Sendlinger Tor) built in 1318. None of the original Munich city wall exists today because the city needed expansion room, but the four gates still stand.



Next we journeyed to the Asamkirche, or Asam Church. This was a private family church and the family happened to me a very artistic one, so the church is beautiful. In the picture, the church is on the right and the house on the left. Christoph led us inside and we were stunned by its Rococo style. The artists to made it used theater architecture, specifically ovals, to make a very small space seem so grand. Here are some quick picture I snapped of it. I hope to go back and get some better ones.

The outside of the Asamkirche, with the family home on the left.

The inner part of the Asamkirche vomiting Rococo art everywhere.

As we left, the organist started to play. You can see him right behind the gilded balcony.

Ohel Jakob, the new Jewish synagogue.

 We then went on to Jakobsplatz, where the new Jewish Synagogue and Munich City Museum stand. Munich decided gave Jakobsplatz to the Jewish people on November 9, 2006. November 9 is a huge date in German history. It marks the end of the German monarchy in 1918, the rise of the Nazi Party in 1923, the Kristallnacht in 1938, and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The Jewish Museum stands just next to the synagogue. Next to that is a Karate Center and across, a Thai restaurant. Munich is extremely multicultural. This was one of the many places I didn't see while I was here last March, so I was glad I went on this tour.

The tour then went to Old St. Peter's Church. Now when you look up Munich on Google's image search, you find many pictures of Marienplatz (the city center) with what looks like photoshopped Alps in the background. I've been looking to find out how to get those pictures because there are no skyscrapers near Marienplatz. On the tour, Christoph pointed out that you can go to the top of Old St. Peter's steeple and get breathtaking views of Marienplatz and the Alps. Again, I am very glad I took this tour.

Old St. Peter's tower. Only 1.50 Euro to get up there!

Then to end the tour, we went to Odeonsplatz, where "inner Munich opens up to the modern world." That was the end of the Stadtspaziergang. I went back home, did my homework, and finally got that nice rest I was looking for.

Today after class, I returned the phone I bought because I opened the packaging and it was broken. I started out by talking in German. "Ich habe vor zwei Tage dieses Handy gekauft. Aber die Handy is kaputt." After that I started hesitating a lot and did a very upsetting thing. "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" I asked. Luckily the store manager did and even helped me say what I wanted to in German. She gave me a new phone...that works.

So I sit here now, at the beginning of the weekend, about to take Munich nightlife by storm.

Note: Not all photo's were in the blog. To see the rest of the pictures, click the picture below.

Munich Stadtspaziergang

Some Funny Observations about Munich:

1. NO ONE walks across the street when the do not walk sign is up, even if there are no cars on the road. Everyone in my class has talked about this...I'm not the only one.
2. Dogs are out and about even in cold weather. People bring their dogs on walks and even bring them on the S-Bahn (the transit system).
3. Speaking of the S-Bahn, it is eerily quiet. I've only seen two people talk on their phone while on the subway, and when they pick up, they say, "I'm on the Bahn, can you wait." Thank you phone etiquette!
4. No houses. Many people live in apartments. I don't think I've seen a house yet.
5. When you see a person over 50 in the S-Bahn, you give them your seat. I saw this once and thought it was just a very nice gesture. But the second time, a man and a woman both got up for the same old lady. The old lady took the woman's seat and then the man gave the young woman his seat. Chivalry does exist.