Hallo. Grüsse aus München!

It has been ten years since I last set foot in Munich. Not much has really changed but at the same time it is now a different place.

The city is still beautiful, with Marienplatz and its Rathaus-Glockenspiel the centre of it all, with the exception that now I must share the cobble-stoned streets that sprawls from here leading to markets and museums and churches and biergartens with a lot more people.

And they weren’t just tourists.

Munich has had the luck of staying economically strong, and has therefore been the target destination of choice for Europeans escaping the collapse of their own economies.

So it was with some shock to find a city which felt like a small town back in 2003 now actually feel like… a city.

However, you only need to go a few blocks (or a few transport stops) outside the city centre to enjoy the peace and quiet that I have known Munich to be, and it is still pleasant for those who don’t come from parts of the world where the culture and climate are vastly different (such as Australia) to come and enjoy Munich in its most beautiful time – Spring.

I have always been very fond of the European spring, where every day you can notice the slight difference in the activities of the local fauna and flora. It is when you start noticing a new leaf or a new bud that you really feel spring has come. From the crisp green of the trees, the blooming of daffodils and tulips on the side walk, and the flicker of a squirrel tail of which you’ll follow up the same tree you had just admired with your eyes.

Here in Munich it has been warm every day during my visit, and people are out and about, sun baking in the parks, jogging around the cemetery people watching along the cafes, surfing on the Eisbach Wave…

Oh, ja, they surf here in Munich, did you know that? (but this is a story for another day)

Overall, spring in Europe is a magical time.

So we have been spending some warm spring days strolling in the parks and enjoying lazy afternoons at a biergarten or at one of the excellent street cafes at the University area.

Life is good here, and it has been even better to spend it with Will.