Tour De Munich

10 May 2015 (Sunday) - Mike's Bike Tours. -  Deluxe Version.  Happy Mother's Day!  Initially I intended to visit Neuschwanstein Castle today.  However, due to the Deutsche Bahn strikes, the train to Neuschwanstein Castle was delayed and I decided to simply stay in Munich and do a bike tour instead.  Biking in Europe has been on my to-do list!  So somehow I ended up doing the Deluxe Tour which was 7.5 hours long with a lunch and tea break in between, covering a distance of approximately 10 miles (i.e. 16 kilometres)!  

Our bikes in front of The National Theatre

Did you know?  The stage of the National Theatre was burnt into ashes several times before they finally decided to build a stage out of stone.  However it was later bombed and damaged during the WWII.  The stage that we see today is possibly the 7th version!

At The Residenz

It was a recap of most of the things I have done with some additional fun nuggets of information.  in fact, the tour was quite comprehensive and is highly recommended for anyone who is in Munich for only a couple of days and would like a bird's eye view of the city.  Of course, the prerequisite is that you must know how to ride a bike.  However, the tour is maintained at a relatively decent pace to accommodate beginner bikers as well.

At Odeonsplatz, the two pillars mark the place where one of
the four ancient gates of Munich (Schwabing Gate) used to stand.

The Two Lions at the Odeonsplatz

We were taught that the two lions had different meanings.  The one facing the church has its mouth closed in reverence.  However, the one facing The Residenz has its mouth open which is interpreted as one should always question the Government policies instead of accepting them blindly.

St Cajetan Church

State Chancellery

The glass wing symbolises transparency.  However apparently there's nothing
much you can see through the glass anyway except the escalators in the building.

According to our guide, the feet of the horse are firmly fixed on the ground which symbolises that the rider came back victorious from the war safe and sound.  If one leg is up, it means that the rider came back alive but injured.  If both legs are up then the rider died during the war.  Interesting huh!

Konigsplatz

On the way to the Nymphenburg Palace, we passed by my apartment.  I had a fleeting desire to go straight home because it was rather scary riding the bike!  You know, me being highly accident-prone...  I found it especially difficult to get the bike to start moving, while ensuring that I don't hit any cars parked along the street.  Keeping my balance while still enjoying the sights around me proved to be challenging for a rookie like me haha.

The Nymphenburg Palace

Lunch at a Beer Garden near the Nymphenburg Palace

After lunch, we made our way towards the BMW Welt and Olympia Park.

The Olympiapark.  It is great for people interested in
experiencing extreme sports such as flying fox in the stadium.

I had a minor accident, tumbling off my bike while going downhill near the BMW Welt Museum.  Thankfully my bruise was not too bad and I was able to continue cycling.  Perhaps more importantly was that my bike did not suffer any damage and remained in good shape throughout the rest of the journey!

BMW Welt Museum

My first time visiting the Arc of Triumph in Munich (Siegetor).  Lions were used in the quadriga instead of the usual horses because the lion was a heraldic change of the House of the Wittelsbach, the ruling family of the Bavarian Monarchy.  It"s really magnificent isn't it!

The Siegestor

Ludwig Maximillan University - Among Germany's oldest universities

The White Rose resistance during the Third Reich led by Sophie Scholl

The White Rose group was known to distribute anonymous leaflets that called for an active opposition to dictator Adolf Hitler's regime

Apparently after distribution, Sophie flung some remaining leaflets into the air from the second floor of the university's main hall.  Unfortunately her actions were caught by the pro-Hitler team.  She was arrested and faced execution.

Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) in the English Garden

Stopped for a tea break (or beer break...) at the English Garden

A vending machine selling cigarettes.  You had to let the machine scan your IC / passport to verify your age before it allowed you to purchase cigarettes.  Very innovative!

The cool Eisbach Surfers!

One of the remaining buildings from the Third Reich.  Most of these buildings were bombed by the US government after WWII ended to ensure that pro-Hitler supporters are discouraged from congregating in such areas.  However this building survived as the US government turned it into one of their own headquarters.  Notice the eagle emblems?

And the SS helmets above the windows...

Angel of Peace -  According to our guide it is the best place to catch a sunrise / sunset.  I will try it if I can!  Apparently the Angel fell from its column in 1981 and suffered significant damage.  Her wings had to be replaced eventually.

Academy of Fine Arts - Founded by Maximillan I Joseph of Bavaria

Along Isator River

At the end of our trip, one of the girls from my biking group asked if we would like to join her for tea at Cafe Luitpold.  The cakes there looked very pretty and were really delicious as well!

We also passed by Bayerischer Hof, a hotel which Michael Jackson used to stay in Munich.  Hence, there was a memorial dedicated to him directly opposite the hotel.

The next couple of days, I had dinner with my bike tour friend before she flew off to London.  She kindly introduced me to the many interesting cafes and eateries in Munich and it is always fun to have someone to eat with rather than having dinner alone.  

Macarons from the Cafe Maelu.  I particularly liked the Mango Mandarin flavoured one.

We had pizzas which were bigger than the size of our face!

She was craving for Sushi, so we had it at a small Vietnamese family-run restaurant

Supper at the Marienplatz

The chocolate cointreau cake was pretty decent!

The pistachio cake was terrible with its green gooey outer layer.
It was half the price of Cafe Maelu.  So as the Chinese saying goes, you pay for what you get!

Overall, Mike's Bike Tour was a great eye-opener and I managed to tick one of the things off my to-do checklist!  The amount of stair-climbing in office and walking in Munich has really trained my thigh muscles as they did not even hurt the next day (except for my bruise).