Munich First Bike Ride

Checking out bikes for our ride Saturday morning.

We took two nice bike rides around central Munich, the Isar River parkway, and the Englischer Garten. The first was Saturday, after a day where Emily and I adjusted to the time change by going into Munich for a bit on the train and then relaxing with the Hausmaningers.

Bernhard in his lederhosen.

Bernhard wanted to join us for a morning ride, and then meet up with Tanja and the kids at lunchtime. Because Emily had mentioned a dirndl (beer garden waitress outfit) purchase, Bernhard dressed in his traditional lederhosen outfit, along with the pink checked shirt that marks him as a Salzburger. It was perfect for the pictures we took at all stages of the bicycle renting process. We rented a bike for Emily at the Radius service inside the main train station. Then on the sidewalk out front Bernhard checked out two more bikes with his Call a Bike program account. More on all that in the next post about cycling rental systems.

Once mounted up, we set out for a mid-morning coffee stop. Priorities. Bernhard led us north out of the train station to Königsplatz, a recently greened up public space framed by beautiful monuments and buildings. Then in very light traffic, we ambled eastward across the top of the old city to Ludwigstrasse, then north gain to CADU—a café near the University. In all of this, we really encountered only one intransigent driver, who had parked his BMW directly in the bike lane and left the car empty. This forced us out into traffic on a pretty busy street. His purpose was to make a quick purchase. At a Starbucks.

Locking up our bikes on the street.

We went on to the student-operated CADU and parked out front on the street. We took up less room than half a car, locking all three bikes together with the Radius lock. Our waitress was surly, but it was early for a (maybe hungover) university girl. Emily and I shared a nice piece of tiramisu-like cake. Bernhard, driven to extremes by his traditional dress, had the traditional Münchner weisswurst lunch. At ten in the morning.

Refueled, we mounted up again and headed off to the wilds of the Englischer Garten. At this point we traded the hardscape streets that were marked into highly structured spaces for pedestrians, automobiles, and bicycles for the wide, graveled bike and pedestrian paths that wander through the pastoral meadows and woods. This was the third warm, sunny day we had brought with us from California, and the park was alive with happy tourists and locals. Hundreds of acres of quiet, green refuge with streams running through it.

Father and Daughter, riding in the Englischer Garten.

As we wandered out of the south end of the park and on east to the Isar River, we transitioned from green lawns to sand and gravel beaches hosting a growing crowd of mid-day sunbathers and middle-aged bum-bathers. Back on the streets, we stopped near the Isar Gate, a remnant of the old city wall. We chatted with an American who operates another private bike tour and rental operation there. Even more options to rent or get guided tours. Finally, we “abandoned” the Call a Bikes on a street corner, per the instructions. More on that in a later post.

Through all of this Bernhard was an incredible resource and a good sport as he had to dismount about 700 times to pose in the Lederhosen beside the bike, straddling the bike, parking the bike, phoning in the code for the bike, locking the bike, etc. Thank you Bernhard for your support of our project.

Back at the train station we found Tanja and company, and retired to the Hofbräuhaus for an indifferent lunch in deafening surroundings. But still, quiet as a museum compared to the raucous roar at midnight. After shopping for ingredients in the Viktualienmarkt, we all headed back to Petershausen on the train, for dinner.

On the train back to Petershausen.