The past echoes in Europe; like throwing a polished stone into a calm pond on a summers day, those echoes of the past ripple through your consciousness as you arrive in each place. None more so than Munich, it was here that Adolf Hitler arrived from Austria, a man of hate matched with times that mirrored his aggression, the rise of Nazism – the 1972 Olympics, etched in our hearts and minds, but the subtle moment when a 2000 year old struggle became headlined for the Western world.
The flow of human wretchedness, concentration camps, modelled on Dachau, started here within walking distance of the main square where the Gothic Glockenspiel chimes on the hour. The contrast between the modern, safe, friendly Munich and those dark times are hard to reconcile. Munich, for me, is an oasis of calm, a moment of respite, after the chaos of Italy (specifically the inherent seething loathing that is Naples), and our travels in the heat of France in July.
Munich provides calm and safety for this road weary traveller.
Watching fireworks over the Olympic stadium from the luxury of a penthouse apartment with panoramic views of the city, the hospitality of warm friends belying the cold edge to the summer night. Clean and precise U-Bahn, easily navigated, fast, and efficient – little threat to safety, other than drunken teenagers sloppily kissing surrounded by drunken revellers.
The Louvre, outdone by the BMW Museum and seeing a BMW M1 in perfect condition. The delight of my fiancée, watching metal orbs dance and create shapes of raindrops and the perfect silhouette of old fashioned cars, long disappeared off our streets. Then the past appears again, the forced labour of workers in BMW plants around Europe, hard to fathom for people of a generation that is gentler, and kinder.
While Munich doesn’t have the exotic ring of Firenze, Napoli, or Paris; this is a city that has intellectual horsepower, energy, and imagination. I have no yearning to revisit any of the aforementioned cities; but I will be back to explore Munich among other German cities. Thank you Munich for providing respite for this weary traveller.