Lions of Munich

Deutschland was the first country that I lived in, after leaving my native land in 2005. Though it was a short span of little less than two years stay in Munich, yet the memories left a lasting impression in my mind. I relived those days during my recent visit to Munich, this time for attending a conference. It is practically impossible to put up all those recollections in a single blog post. So I shall try to present snippets.

Neue Rathaus at Marienplatz

Some of the places in Munich which had always captivated me were Marienplatz and Karlsplatz, and the pedestrian street connecting these two. Marienplatz is the geographical center of the city, and is always so vibrant that even if you are all by yourself strolling past the colorful shops, you will never feel lonely.

The Twins

The very next day after I reached Munich, I visited Marienplatz with some enthusiastic new friends. Amongst a lot of attractions, I was fascinated by the colorful lion statues which have ornamented the fußgängerzone. They were part of the Lion Parade; the aim of which was to make an interesting spectacle for visitors during Football World Cup 2006. Not only were they interesting, I also found them adorable. The statues, weighing about 50 kg each, are made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic and can support 3 times their weight (see below).

Not exactly 3 times, what did you think (see above for explanation)!!!
 

Silpi's second day in Munich; ΔT = negative 30 Kelvin from Kolkata
 

Another one. Sometimes you lose count of them so easily.

In June 2006, I was fortunate enough to experience the World Cup Soccer extravaganza. After the world cup was over, most of the statues were removed and sold off for charity. Some of the lions, being owned by the respective shops and positioned on private property, still remained on the streets, reminiscent of the football fever. Throughout my recent visit, I was surprised to find some of those in unusual places, like in front of Munich Convention Center, which is on the eastern outskirts of the city.
 

One of the few remaining ones, at Messestadt West

Gateway to Tetons

Disclaimer

All the humor about wildlife should not be taken literally. We hate disturbing wildlife and hate those doing it.

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…..Contd from previous post…..

With heavy heart and contented mind, we continued our exploration through John D Rockefeller Memorial Pkwy towards Grand Teton National Park. At a particular point on the road, the snowy, toothy Teton Range exploded into view, and our fingers started itching for the shutter (of camera, off course).

The park is named after Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range located at the northeastern edge of the Rockies. The jagged snow-capped peaks and their reflections on pristine alpine lakes are the principal features of the park. Add to that vast wilderness and abundant wildlife; you get a heavenly feeling all through your stay.



Heaven on Earth

 Just outside the park boundaries we received a warm welcome from a black bear, indicative of better times inside. True to our expectations, we were blessed by countless interactions with permanent residents of the park, namely bears, elks, bisons, mooses, deers and antelopes. 



The gatekeeper of park boundaries: Ursus americanus

The mesmerizing beauty of the shimmering waters of Jackson Lake was enhanced by its awesome backdrop, a cutout of a portion of the Teton Range. After drenching ourselves in the bedazzling beauty of the landscape, we went on to explore the Snake River along the scenic Grassy Lake Road. Being a dirt road, this is not so popular among tourists, but offers serene sunset view along the Glade Creek. 



Sunset along Snake River

Day 6

Next morning, the other popular scenic drive around the south of Jackson Lake led us to the top of Signal Mountain, which tenders 360° panoramic views of the four mountain ranges: the Tetons, Gros Ventres, Wind Rivers, and Absarokas. The vast green stretched for miles below was a variation from our everyday views, something that makes a permanent mark in our minds.

The best place to watch wildlife in the morning is Oxbow Bend. The river otters, bald eagles and American white pelicans hunt for fish at the slow-moving waters of Snake River around this area. A herd of elks can be seen quite often grazing in the open aspen groves. In the afternoon, Blacktail Ponds Overlook is the best bet to watch a number of mooses and bisons. We also observed a grizzly far away walking in the shallow waters of Snake River. Pronghorn antelopes were abundant in the nearby Antelope Flats Road and the Mormon Row dirt road, oblivious of the gawking human beings.

The curious Antilocapra americana

A family of Bison bison

After we have covered almost everything in the park, we drove along the Moose-Wilson Road towards Teton Village. The village is just outside the park boundaries and offers a spectacular ride on an aerial tramway, which took us to the summit of Rendezvous Peak. The ride to the top also offered us a glimpse of a moose wandering on the slopes of the mountain. The view from the top, to say it mildly, was captivating.



Female Alces alces near Moose-Wilson Road



From the summit of Rendezvous Peak (10927 ft)

We had planned to stay the night at the Climber’s Ranch maintained by American Alpine Club. At the entrance of the ranch, we were overwhelmed by the guard of honor given to us by a group of pronghorns and white-tailed deers. The entry to log cabins from the gate of the ranch was a feast for the eyes with the Teton Range on one side and a small stream of water flowing by. The perfect calmness and tranquility of the atmosphere enhanced nature’s glory even more. As darkness seeped into foothills of the mountains, we were awestruck by the act that was exposed in front of our eyes. It seemed as if a curtain was raised and new act was beginning to play. With absolute pitch darkness everywhere, the only thing you can do is sit on the porch and look up. The sky above was decked in its own way and the infinite number of glittering stars of various sizes studded on it just gave a new dimension to the whole view. The soft sound of the faint breeze that rustled the leaves was the only sound that could be heard. Our fellow campers had arranged for a camp fire. Fighting the immense attraction to spend some more time outside, we decided to call it a day as we had a long day ahead the next day.


Guard of Honor from Odocoileus hemionus


Day 7

Next morning, we started our long drive towards Salt Lake City via the picturesque town of Jackson Hole. On the way, a brief visit to Fossil Butte National Monument and a scenic drive along the Rubey Point Road concluded our travelling spree.