Munich moments

I've been in Munich all week for business. In between meetings and conference calls I was able to steal a few moments on Friday to admire some of the city's sights. In the afternoon, I was taken for a refreshing walk along the shore of the Nymphenburger Canal, less than ten minutes from our office.

Almost a kilometre in length, the canal is one of Munich's largest. It leads towards the large, imposing Schloss Nymphenburg Palace; once the summer residence of Bavaria's rulers. Today the canal was partially frozen, making for a rather unusual winter landscape. In previous years the canal has frozen solid, encouraging local children to ice-skate on its surface.


Earlier in the day I'd passed by Munich's spectacular town hall, or Rathaus, while enroute to a business appointment. This ornate, neo-Gothic building was constructed between 1867- 1908 and dominates neighbouring Marianplatz. It houses a famous Glockenspiel, or set of musical bells. Three times a day, 43 bells play a 15-minute carillon while 32 mechanical figures of musicians, knights etc re-enact festivities from the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V to Renate von Lothringen in 1568.

Nearby is the equally famous Viktualienmarkt, a fresh produce market area filled with wonderful smells, colourful fruits, vegetables and piles of wurst. Many of the stalls were setting up for the day as we wandered by. I marvelled at the thought of this industrious scene being repeated daily for more than 200 years.