Whelp. The rally didn’t go as planned. We both crashed too early and woke up around 1AM with headaches and stuffy heads. I medicated and was able to go forth into the world but Chris elected to have a chill morning. He’s now adventuring while I write this and watch Trucker Babes, a reality TV show about female truck drivers.
When I left this morning, I had the goal of seeing the surfers at the English Garden. They were one of my favorite things when we were here previously and they didn’t disappoint this time either!
Between it and our hotel is another park that may or may not be an extension of the English Garden. It’s on the other side of the river so I think it’s separate but a lot of the maps I passed showed it as the same park.
I originally made my way to Maximilianeum, a historical building we visited last time. I wasn’t interested in interacting with people so I deviated away to a place Google Maps describes as “Copper Lick”. I didn’t know it at the time but apparently it’s part of an art installation and is a sonic amplifier. I kinda want to go back now and test this! I just thought it was some fancy rocks in the middle of the field.
After this, I wandered toward the river admiring how the trees and buildings popped against the gloomy sky. I remember walking this path on our last trip when the water was higher and the weather warmer. There were all sorts of swimmers and sunbathers last time. Not so much today. There were a ton of runners on the paths but no swimmers or sunbathers.
I stumbled upon a section of the trail that went under a major road that also had stairwells to take you into other sections of the park. I loved the variety of murals here and wished I’d gone to the other side of the river to see if there were more on the other side.
This is labeled as “Friedensengel” on Google Maps. I didn’t know what it was last time nor do I this time. It’s still cool tho.
I made it to the English Garden! Unfortunately, the beer garden is closed.
On my way to the surfers, I discovered a monopteros (I didn’t know this word. There was a sign. I incorrectly called this an oculus even tho it was missing the eye in the ceiling.) that I missed last time. Another art installation?
The surfers are just as fabulous as I remember! They still take turns and there are all sorts of skill levels. One of the more skilled ones kept splashing the waiting surfers. It was incredible how much water he could kick up in their faces. Another one nearly concussed himself when he wiped out a little too close to the edge. Incredibly scary to watch but he was fine and back at it as soon as it was his turn again.
Last but not least, I made my way to Old Town and saw the fancy clock. By this time, I was cold and wet from all the rain and out of patience for all the tourists swarming the area so I caught the train back to the hotel and here I sit all toasty warm and dry while Chris takes his turn in the rain.
