Bicycles and Beers

When I arrive for breakfast, it’s already cooked. Weisewurst und brot, mit biere nicht aber Kaffee. There’s a particular way to eating the sausage which is elaborated on extensively. This is another lesson in German culture with Franz. I’m learning more and more about German, yet this is slow. I have no idea where we’re going today: answers are vague and broad in a language I’m barely speaking.

It doesn’t slow anyone’s enthusiasm. We switch bikes, leaving the flat behind and get riding. We visit Franz’ Kleingarten, which is absolutely adorable, tucked between many others. Every Kleingarten has a tiny shed, which most have turned into an adorable sitting area, and a garden outside. The actual tools are in an even tinier shed attached to the house. There’s even a firepit. I understand why Franz is so involved – his garten, and the entire area, is gorgeous. The group of Kleingartens also shares ownership of a tiny pub. Every summer their garten has a tiny pub where everyone can get a drink, enjoy the sunshine and relax. I forget to take pictures because I’m so taken with everything. After a short tour of the garten, we continue on.

Every viewpoint we stop at. We tour the local metro station, Schwabing area where there are more cafes and bars than stores. The entire area has been renovated and gentrified and it’s both adorable and a little sad that the original beauty of the place is changed. The church hasn’t though: it’s a gorgeous Catholic Church that hosts Christmas mass. There many churches in Munich.

We skip and jump our bikes between streets and slide into Englischen Garten – the central park of Munich. It’s over 10km long, yet only a few km wide at any given moment. There are spaces for beer gardens that hold 15,000 – 20,000 people. The people aren’t there and I’m rather happy about it. I can’t believe 15,000 people would fit. The Monopterosim is gorgeous as we ride along a river in the central of the park. It’s a cold river yet people were swimming in it in December, and will again in summer when they need a place to cool off, yet Franz tells me that the river becomes crowded with people in the summer, and the fields around the Monopterosim also fill up with people enjoying the sunshine. We ride past and find a tiny waterfall with water running strong enough that you can float down the river with a beer and as the water pushes you along. At the mouth of this little waterfall there’s an artificial wave. I’ve heard of this wave – that people are constantly surfing it even in winter – and there are people surfing on it today, in January. They’re in wetsuits and already have an audience. We join them watching 

The bike cruise continues – through Lehl area, a posh area with lawyers offices and fancy shops and Franz’ daughter works. We visit Hofgarten with the Baverian state offices. As always, the building is older than Canada yet the wings of the building were destroyed in the war and replaced with modern updates. There’s a memorial to those lost in the great wars underneath a monument to Bavaria’s victories. It’s humbling to see how close those lost are kept to the government offices – a reminder perhaps?

We zip through a few more streets until we wind our way through one of the oldest graveyards in central Munich, where all the rich and famous are buried. Many of the rich and famous are former brewmasters. The importance of beer is really setting in.

We continue on our way and arrive at our first of many breaks for the day: the Augustina Beer Museum – in one of the oldest buildings in Munich. The building is from 1329 and it looks it. Many of the wooden beams are original. The museum’s closed, yet the history of the place is overwhelming. Franz tells me about Schmidt, the head brewer of Augustina who pioneered restoring buildings to their original style whenever they opened a new brewery. Augustiner has a policy of never advertising and they don’t have to because the beer, and the brauhauses speak for themselves. It’s incredible to be here. It’s incredible that Franz and Schmidt once met!

We continue riding. We ride toward the Bavaria Statue and as we enter a large plaza Franz tells me this is where Oktoberfest is, and it covers all the plaza. All the plaza is kilometers wide. It’s larger than any sports field. I can only look at Franz and ask “Alles? Alles diese es Oktoberfest?”

“Ja, Alles.”

“Alles?!”

“Ja!”

I am amazed.

The Bavarian Statue is also huge. Like the Statue of Liberty it looks over the entire field. Behind it is a hall of Bavarian historical figures, each with a bust and a mold. We don’t go inside at the moment – there are still more places to discover.

The next stop is Augustiner Braustuben – the actual Augustiner brewery where all the beer is made. Since it was made. Since it was horses living in the stables delivering the beer. There are still stables, and in summer there are still horses. THIS PLACE IS SO OLD!

The actual tap room is a classic beer hall, yet Schmidt designed the space and it is beautiful It fills up much of the original stable area, and has dried hops hanging over the tables like vines. Franz looks content, and I am smiling. This is beautiful.

Our tour “hops” off again, to the Augustiner Bieregarten, an outdoor beer garden managed designed and run by Augustiner. There’s curling outside, yet we head inside. The building is huge. It has a cellar that is now a beer hall, where ice was saved from the winter to ensure the beer was cold in the summer. The main hall is huge, and covered in the shields of the many provinces of Bavaria. I notice Garmish first, yet one for all the provinces are here. The hall is huge, it must hold hundereds and it’s got a stage in case you need it. Every year, everyone from Franz’ kleingarten is invited to celebrate with a party here.

After the beer hall we head back to home and pass a few delightful plazas with outdoor markets, yet before we get home it’s dinner. Without more answers, I am taken to an Italian place near our final destination. It’s slightly more classy than I’m ready for, and it’s earlier than a usual dinner time, yet we skipped lunch and it’s freezing out. It’s nice to sit down again. Another beer, more chats, and pizzas twice as large as our plates land in front of us. Yet again I am totally amazed. This is much larger than expected. I can’t finish mine. Franz is laughing at me a little bit. We pack up the leftovers and head home – both of us looking forward to turning the heat up and cozying up after the day bike riding in the cold.Read more