Ein Wochenende in München (A Weekend in Munich)

My plan is to spend at least one weekend per month visiting a major European city (and even more often if time and budget permit), particularly if there is a major event occurring at the time. The weekend of September 20-21 happened to be the opening of Oktoberfest, which was a great opportunity to see Munich and the surrounding area. However, with only two days, I had to either limit the number of places to visit or limit the time spent in certain places, or both.

Here is a quick photographic summary of places that I visited. Unfortunately, it rained on and off for most of Saturday, and Oktoberfest was awfully crowded, so very few of my photos turned into anything I thought was worth posting. I also took a few videos that look much better, but their massive filesize prevents me from posting them.

Day 1:

I decided to check the older part of Munich before going to Oktoberfest grounds and came upon several breweries that were just starting their march towards the beer tents. Each brewery's contingent consisted of a band of drummers, trumpeters and other musicians specific to the style of the brewery, one or two horse-drawn wagons carrying a beer party and/or large beer kegs, and a group of guards carrying spears, crossbows or some other weapon from the Middle Ages (replicas of course). The entire contingent is dressed in traditional garb using the two/three primary colours of the brewery. The uplifting music and the jovial nature of both the wagon parties and the spectators makes the entire parade a fun experience. The downside of attending the parade is that after following the parade to the Oktoberfest grounds, I realized that all of the beer tents were full, with long lineups to get a table inside (although getting a bench outside was a shorter wait). Watching the parade was still worth it.

A beer wagon passing by the front of the Augustiner beer tent.

Taken in front of the Paulaner beer tent. Even the horses were dressed in fancy garb.

There are six major Oktoberfest beers and I have already had four of them while in Canada, so my goal was to try the other two while in Munich (Augustiner and Hofbrau). I was able to get to the Augustiner beer tent and try their brew, but I did not have time to try the other beer. By the way, most of the younger locals told me that Augustiner is the best of the local beers, and this seemed to be supported by the fact that it was the most heavily-stocked brand in the restaurants and stores.

I left Oktoberfest early to catch the football match between TSV 1860 Munich and FC Ingolstadt 04. Bayern Munich happened to be on the road that weekend, but 1860 Munich plays in the same stadium, so I had the chance to see one of the most impressive stadiums in Europe: Allianz Arena.

The third deck of Allianz Arena was closed, but there was a good enough turnout to fill half of the lower two decks.

The visitor's section (far corner) was near full and the fans in this section were almost as loud as the Munich supporters filling up three times as many seats on the opposite end of the arena.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw. While this was only a second division match, there was a large turnout for the game, although I think having Oktoberfest scheduled on the same weekend helped boost the attendance. It was no coincidence that the opponent scheduled for this match is also from the Bavarian region. The one other point worth noting is that this half-filled stadium, watching a second division match, was LOUDER than any hockey, basketball or North American-style football game I have ever attended. The fans on both sides really got into the match and chanted non-stop for the entire match!

With only half the afternoon left, I quickly checked a few other attractions.  Closest to the Allianz Arena was the BMW Museum (displaying all of their past models) and the BMW Welt (displaying all of their current models). Right next to the BMW complex was the Olympiapark, containing several arenas, stadiums and rinks with a unique architecture.

At the BMW Museum. In the foreground is the 1954 BMW 502 and in the background is the 1939 BMW 335.



You can see the entire city of Munich from the Olympic Tower. This is a view looking down on the Olympic Park.

I had just enough time to head back to Marienplatz in the old part of Munich and see the Rathaus-Glockenspiel ring its bells and play out two stories from Bavarian history.  A video of part of the sequence can be found here (not my recording): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbUwQctvbHg.

 

The Rathaus-Glockenspiel at Marienplatz.

 

I also saw St. Peter's Church during a mass (held in German) and which contained a very ornate interior, but photography was not allowed in the building and this rule was strictly enforced. A sample picture can be found here: http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/1a/d2/90/the-center-aisle-and.jpg.

 



Nymphenburg Palace was also on my to-do list for Day 1, but by the time I got there, it was already nearing sunset, so I didn't see much besides the main building. 

Nymphenburg Palace at sunset. The one duck in the foreground belies just how many ducks and geese were in all of the lakes, ponds and canals around Munich.

 

Day 2:

 

After rushing around Munich for most of the first day to see Oktoberfest, the football match, the BMW Museum, Olympiapark, Marienplatz, St. Peter's Church and Nymphenburg Palace, I was tired and wanted a slower pace for the second day. I decided to take the two-hour train ride to see Neuschwanstein Castle.

 

This photo was taken in the royal garden of Hohenschwangau Castle, which neighbours Neuschwanstein Castle (in the background, top right corner).

The Palasfront of the upper courtyard at Schloss Neuschwanstein.

I took as many photos of Neuschwanstein as my camera battery could handle, but none of them captured the breathtaking view from the castle nor the beauty of the castle itself.  I feel I owe it to King Ludwig II to post a few links to some classic shots of one of Germany's signature landmarks:
View from the Alps: http://bilder.fuessen.de/uploads/pics/schloss-neuschwanstein_03.jpg
View from the front: http://goista.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Neuschwanstein-Castle-Fussen-Germany.jpg

So that was Munich in a weekend. Overall, I think three days would have turned out better, as I wouldn't have been rushed on both days and could have taken the time to appreciate every place that I visited. I will also point out that the locals there were the friendliest people I ever met, although the beer and celebratory nature of Oktoberfest may have gone a long way towards that. I was also surprised that most of the Germans (from Munich and elsewhere) wore the traditional dress for Oktoberfest (lederhosen and checkered shirt and/or doublet for guys; dirndl for women), which I thought would seem campy at first, but the look was well-suited to the festivities. I may even go back next year as I still want to see a Bayern Munich game!

My Workplace

I started work on September 1. My office is on the seventh floor of a modern building in the southern end of the 16th arrondissement. The commute is simple: a 20 second walk to the Liege metro station, two stations south to the 9th line, 15 stations southwest to Porte de St-Cloud station, and then a 10 minute walk to OECD's Delta Annex. While the trial run took only 25 minutes, this was done after rush hour. During rush hour, the subways are often full (and even above capacity by North American standards) and so you have to wait two-three minutes for the next train, or the train after, to get a spot. Trains are also slower at each station due to longer unloading/loading times. Total trip time during rush hour is more like 40 minutes.



Commute from the northeast part of the 8th arrondissement to the southeast part of the 16th arrondissement.

All offices are stand-alone rooms, with division heads (i.e. a director) and section heads (i.e. a manager) having their own office. Rooms appear to be shared between two senior analysts, three intermediate analysts, or four intermediate and junior analysts, although I did see one larger room fitting 20 people (more like a Workspace 2.0 setup). I share my office with a very friendly Dutch statistician named Jorrit (pronounced YOR-it). The great feature about the Delta Annex is that all rooms have a window, either facing outside (the ones facing east and south having a view of the Seine) or facing inside to a well lit interior courtyard. Another great feature is that their coffee shop sells baguette-style sandwiches for under 4 Euros! (Hey, I need something similar to Subway.)

My desk, with a good old Nortel phone for my land line.

View of my office facing inward from the window.

View of my office facing outward from the door.

The inner courtyard at the Delta Annex. There is a glass ceiling above and a bank of glass elevators on the left.

My office has a small area that juts out from the rest of building, almost like a solarium.
This provides a view of the Seine (sorry about the glare from the window).

I am in the Statistics Directorate, working with primarily statisticians and a few economists. Everyone is very friendly and professional. While everyone comes from a different OECD member country, most everyone follows Paris working hours: arrive between 9am-10am, take a long lunch, but then work until 6pm-7pm. This is similar to my hours at TBS anyway (except for the long lunch).

I've been touring a few other landmarks in Paris and am also planning my first trip to Germany. Updates to follow!

Settling In and Playing Tourist

In the few days before my job starts, I needed to settle in to the city and setup the basics... bank account, internet, phone, bus pass, etc., and take in a few tourist attractions at the same time.  Fortunately, my bank and a local Orange store (phone/TV provider) were both located on Avenues des Champs-Élysées, so I was able to get the essentials and do the touristy window shopping at the same time.

The highlights of Champs-Élysées:

• The car shops for Mercedes, Renault and Toyota were more for marketing than for actually selling cars, but they all had great displays.
• The watch shops for Omega and Tissot did not appear to offer much more than what you would see in a larger upscale jewelry store. However, the Swatch store had a wider selection than I've ever seen, but that's probably because they aren't widely carried in North America. Swatch is starting to offer more automatic mechanical models with some interesting designs. If only they built their watches with a sapphire crystal, they might get more interest from the market segment that seeks Swiss-made mechanical movements.
• The Abercrombie and Fitch store was a surreal experience. They place a muscular teenager in a tight A&F shirt to greet everyone at the front of a well kept garden, which you walk through to loop around this stone building that looks almost like a small mansion. In what you think is the backyard is the main entrance with another muscular teenager greeting you again. When you enter the mansion, it's like a combination night club / walk-in closet... dark, loud music, flashing lights and countless shelves of overpriced jeans and T-shirts, which won't look good on you unless you hit the gym everyday. Still, the cashiers were ringing up a lot of sales. Presentation counts in retail.
• The Adidas store didn't have anything special, except for those sharp looking winter soccer gloves that the Bayern Munich players wear whenever they play in colder weather. I bought a pair and that's my one souvenir of Champs-Élysées, as everything else felt like it was priced for richer tourists.

Some photos from Champs-Élysées and some other major landmarks around Paris:

The latest Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Renault's current Formula One car

Arc de Triomphe, at the end of Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Visited the Eiffel Tower on a cloudy day...



View from the glass floor on the second level of the Eiffel Tower.

I took a lot of photos from the second level and the top level of the Eiffel Tower. This second level shot captured the Seine, the Palais du Chaillot, and La Defense way out on the horizon, all in one shot.

I took this shot while in Champs de Mars, which was coincidentally hosting the grand finale of the OECD Tohoku School events for 2014.

One of the towers from the Pont Alexandre III, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

At Notre Dame Cathedral during the International Mass. Most of it was in French.

 

The Musée d'Orsay does not allow photos inside, but people were sneaking photos anyway. The museum had a lot of incredible works by Van Gogh as well as a huge collection of Impressionist art. What was also stunning was its Salle des Fêtes, pictured above.

I have not seen the Louvre yet, but am planning to go after tourist season ends and the crowds dwindle.

Landed in Paris

So I landed in Paris and moved into my apartment on August 25. The flight was long but I was able to catch a few hours of low quality sleep before arriving. While mildly sleep deprived, I forgot one of the first tips that I had read the week before: street signs are posted on buildings and not on sign posts! It took me an extra hour of circling around the 9th arrondissement to remember this. On the plus side, I know my way around the 9th (at least the Porte Saint-Denis area) as much as any resident.  Note to self: there are some sketchy neighbourhoods around la Gare du Nord; avoid after dark.

Aside from the street signs, here are eight other discoveries that struck me during my first few hours:

1. Paris is dense, i.e. crowded. At subway stations, in grocery stores, on sidewalks... every place feels packed compared to Ottawa, Vancouver or Boston. Part of this might be caused by tourist season though; I'll know in a few weeks.
2. Yes, there are a lot more smokers in Paris. I breathed more second hand smoke in a day here than I would in four months elsewhere.
3. There is enough dog poop and pigeon droppings that I have to walk the sidewalks like they're a minefield.
4. Paris definitely feels like a big commercial city. The majority of residents walk with a sense of purpose, like they intend on going somewhere, which is not always the case in smaller cities where everyone appears to be wandering aimlessly to a job or errand with no apparent deadline! (Ok, I'll stop before I get on a rant about Portage.)
5. Big city demeanour... when you look at someone, they will look back at you and make eye contact. This is a refreshing change from the statues with whom I normally commute.
6. The diversity. This is by far the most cosmopolitan city I have ever seen. In the 8th and 9th arrondissements, I couldn't tell you who is the majority versus minority.
7. Fewer elevators and escalators means more stairs.  I am getting great exercise from the stair climbing.
8. The ground floor is floor zero, which means an office on the sixth floor in Paris would be on the seventh floor in Canada. Basement floors work as -1, -2, -3...

Back to my apartment... I have a two bedroom unit on the third floor of an old building in the 8th arrondissement.  I am four doors down from a subway station on the 13th subway line, so the whole city is quickly accessible. The apartment comes with a "dressing room", which is something of a combination walk-in closet / laundry room / extra room where you put everything clothing related.  This is a nice luxury, although I do not have a den, so I might convert the dressing room into a combination dressing room / home office.

Here are a few photos of my apartment.

Main Bedroom

Dining area (which also connects all of the rooms; the stairs lead to an attic)

Dressing Room (maybe a den?)

Kitchen



Living Room (with a skylight)

View from the dining area

Second Bedroom in the attic

The apartment is small but it meets all of my basic needs and is in a great location.  Next up is touring a few Paris landmarks before the job begins in a week...