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.
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 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).
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.
 |
| 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 |
No comments:
Post a Comment