The English Garden in Munich is one of the world’s largest city parks.  It’s larger then Central Park in NYC, but smaller than Richmond Park in London.  It’s where Münchners (Munich residents)  go to play, or to relax, drink beer, or to surf, or to sunbathe naked...It all happens in the English Garden!

The most popular stuff:

The English Garden is divided into two parts, separated by the Isarring, a road that goes through the English Garden.  The southern part is the most popular section of the park where you can find:

Surfing in Munich at the English Garden

Surfing at the English Garden in Munich - not for the faint of heart.

Near the Haus der Kunst Museum there is a standing wave measuring ~ 1 meter high.  Surfers surf the wave for as long as their balance holds up.  I’ve been quite a few times, and it never fails to captivate my attention for at least a few minutes.  Those are brave souls in wetsuits and being judged by a crowd!  See Surfing in Munich for more photos.

The Naked Area of the English Garden – Schönfeldweise  (Schönfeld Meadow)  lies between the Monoptereos (small Greek temple) and the Japanese Teehouse.  It’s where you’ll find the naked sunbathing area, but don’t take pictures.  Apparently (and not surprisingly) people get very angry.  Not wanting to be chased down by a naked German, I wasn’t about to find out, so will leave this to your imagination.

Chinese Tower (Chinesicher Turm) – Munich’s second largest beer garden, often with a brass band playing in the evening.  It’s is a popular place for locals and tourists alike.  I’ve spent quite a few evenings here.

Kleinhesseloher See (Lake)

Enjoying a beer on the Kleinhesseloher See (Lake) in the English Garden.

A popular man-made lake where you can rent paddle boats.  I’m a fan of the beer garden right on the lake which is popular with both locals and tourists.

Now What I Consider to Be the Good Stuff, the northern part of the English Garden:

Don’t get me wrong, I like the southern part of the English Garden as well, but the northern part is where I go for tranquility and to see what the locals are up to.  Like the southern section, the northern section also has two beer gardens, the Hirschau, located at the southern end of the northern section which has a playground so parents can drink a beer while watching their children.  At the   far north end of the English Garden is Aumeister.  Both are popular with locals.

Near the Hirschau and Tivoli-Kraftwerk is where games of ultimate Frisbee are played on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons, organized through ToyTown, a website for expats.  I watched them play but am not convinced that my rusty skills are quite up to par.

It was fun coming across this group who was practicing their balancing skills on ropes strung to trees.

I also love the unexpected things you find in the English Garden, like the club that was practicing their balancing skills on ropes, which I watched for quite a while.

A deserted walking path in the north end of the English Garden = tranquility and relaxation.

But the real reason I love the northern part of the English Garden is for the tranquility, away from the crowds – peace in the middle of a city.

Know Before You Go to the English Garden:

• The English Garden is ~6km long, so choose the section you want to visit, prepare to walk for several hours (with 4 beer beer gardens to provide sustenance),  or bring a bike with you to see most of the park
• The total length of paths found in the English Garden comes in at around ~75km
• There are over 100 bridges in the English Garden (according to Wikipedia, I haven’t counted them myself)
• The English Garden is home to between 50-60 species of birds, making it a good place for bird watching when you get tired of people watching.
• You may also want to visit the Munich Residenz which is nearby
• Check out the above locations on Google Maps
  This post was submitted as part of our German Stammtisch where a group of expat bloggers get together to write about a specific topic. This months theme was “parks” chosen by Travels of Adam. See more posts on parks here:

During my trip to Finland, I tried to be as Finnish as possible.  I went snowshoeing on the Baltic Sea and dog sledding in Iso-Syöte.  I traveled like a local, heck I even went ice fishing and ate reindeer meat in Oulu, Finland! So naturally my research wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t also drink like a Finn and sample a few Finnish drinks – even if I am a complete lightweight who rarely indulges in more than a glass or two of wine.

Lonkero, my favorite Finnish drink on the left and Salmiakki which tastes like salty black licorice on the right.

First up was Lonkero, a nice orientation into Finnish drinks.  “Lonkero” is a type of premixed ready to drink alcoholic beverage.  In this case it tasted like lemonade.  I really liked it.  It was sweet and I could imagine drinking it on a hot sunny day – yes Finland does have hot sunny days which are perfect for canoeing or kayaking, just ask GoArctic!.

My orientation to Finnish drinks complete, my host at Hotel Iso-Syöte  next suggested Salmiakki, a dark drink that’s drank as a shot.  I was excited to hear that it tasted like black licorice, since I’m a fan of sambuca.  Salmiakki is an acquired taste though and while it does taste like black licorice, it was way stronger and saltier than any sambuca I’ve ever had.  I struggled to do the entire shot as it was so strong, but I liked the essence of it.

Terva Snapsi is a popular Finnish drink, but it was my least favorite - maybe it was the pine tar that didn't do it for me.

Next up was Terva Snapsi, a liquor made with pine tar – (yes pine tar!) that has a smokey flavor.  This was my least favorite, but judging by the number of different occasions it was offered to us, I’m guessing it’s a popular Finnish drink.

Research complete it was time our next dose of Finnish culture – a karaoke bar!  All those Finnish drinks give many Finns the liquid courage to become performers, and karaoke bars are thriving in Finland.  I decided my research was done for the night – no amount of liquid courage was going to persuade me to get up and sing.

Have you ever drank like a Finn?  I would love to hear your impressions about Finnish drinks.

After a long hiatus, Food Friday is back.  Check back next Friday to post a link to your own food or drink post.

Marmore’s Falls (or Cascata dell Marmore) is the world’s tallest man made waterfall at an incredible 165m! Making Marmore’s Fall  even more incredible is that it was constructed during Roman times and dates back to 271 BC!  Guess building the Rome Coliseum for the gladiators weren’t the only things keeping the Romans busy!

Marmore's Fall When Its Turned Off

For the last 20 years Marmore’s Falls has been used to generate electricity for the Umbria region and so miraculously the falls turn on and off – off when the water from the canals above the falls is being diverted to the hydroelectric power plant and only on at certain times of the day.  Our group missed the on waterfall by 20 minutes, not able to pull ourselves away from our amazing lunch at Hotel Cursula where we dined on Umbrian dishes made with local ingredients like truffles and surprisingly, saffron.  Even when Marmore’s Fall is off, water is still coming, but just not nearly as much as when its turned on.  It was beautiful off and I can only imagine how beautiful it would be turned on.  I plan to return to find out – then head to Hotel Cursula for dinner!

Know Before You Go to Marmore’s Fall:  The World’s Tallest Man Made Waterfall

• The most important thing is to check the schedule to see when Marmore’s Falls will be turned on.  For the month of May, Mon – Fri its on between 12:00 – 13:00 and 16:00 – 17:00, on Sat and Sun its on between 10:  – 13:00 and 15:00 – 22:00.  You can check the schedule at Marmore’s Falls official site.
• There are 5 different routes visitors can choose, each providing a different vantage point of the falls.  All 5 routes combined take  ~ 2hours.  The balcony from Route 4 is popular with painters.
• Best Time to Go to Marmore’s Falls according to our guide:  June, July and Sept.  Avoid August, especially Aug 16th which is a holiday in Italy meaning large crowds.
• There are over 300 caves at Marmore’s Falls.  Caving tours can be arranged.
• An adult ticket to Marmore’s Falls costs €8.  Tours can also be arranged in a variety of languages for an extra cost.
• Marmore’s Falls is located ~ 7.7km from the medieval town of Terni
• Located ~77km of Marmore’s Fall is the amazing Monti Sibillini National Park, the only national park in Umbria

This photo has been submitted to Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandboxwhere you can see more travel photos.

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“I’m very excited that my village is getting electricity at the end of the month,” proclaimed Eric, our Zulu guide as he proudly showed us around his Zulu village in the Drakensberg in the shadow of Catherdral Peak.  I was shocked to learn that only a couple of houses had electricity.  When I asked what he was most looking forward to about electricity he didn’t hesitate to answer “A refrigerator, so that I can eat more meat.  Now I only eat meat a couple of times a month when I go into town, but I have to eat it quickly before it spoils.”

Eric our Zulu Guide and resident of the Zulu community we visited.

The next day I met his brother Wiseman and posed the same question to him.  Despite living in the same house as his brother Eric, his answer was completely different, “A T.V. so that I watch more football (that’s soccer to N. Americans).”  This brief encounter got me asking myself a question I had never thought about before, What would I look forward to most about having electricity? and What else could I learn from the Zulu way of life?

Wiseman, our Zulu hiking guide and Eric's brother. They live together with their parents in the same house.

If you lived in a Zulu village you would probably spend most of your free time playing football if you were a boy.  Girls are allowed to play, but usually choose not to do so.

The Zulu village we visited with the dramatic Drakensberg mountains in the background.

If you lived in a Zulu village you wouldn’t be able to get married until you could pay your bride-to-be’s family with 11 cows.  I’m not making this up.  Wiseman has two children with his girlfriend from another village 90km away but is unable to live with her until they marry.  They cannot marry until he provides her family with 11 cows.  When asked if it was negotiable he thought for a moment, chewing his lip,  “Yes, I could marry her if I had 8 cows, and would then have another year to get the remaining 3 cows, but I don’t have 8 cows.  Cows are expensive.”  A line of credit so to speak.  “Would you like to marry your girlfriend?” I inquired.   “Yes of course.  Now I have to cook for myself and wash my own clothes.  When I come home from work I am tired and don’t feel like doing this.”  I waited for the punchline.  There wasn’t any.  Wiseman explained to me that in Zulu culture married men and women have clear roles – the man works and provides a living for his family, while the woman takes care of the household.  He was shocked by my surprise and asked if my husband helped around the house.  “Yes, I replied, he does all the laundry, I do all the cooking and we share the cleaning.”  He looked at me in disbelief, shaking his head as he muttered something under his breath.  Clearly he thought my husband had not gotten a good bargain when he married me.

Eric and Wiseman's house where they lived with their parents.

Despite the distinctive roles, men do play an active role in the parenting.  After my previous conversation with Wiseman, I might not have believed this had I not seen it with my own eyes.  But Eric’s youngest of four children ran up to him in too big running shoes for a hug, clutched to him as Eric showed us around his village, and cryed miserably when it was time for Eric to leave.  Absolutely heartwarming!

Our Zulu guide Eric's youngest of four children, who was clearly attached to his dad and beyond adorable. Check out his too big shoes.

If you lived in a Zulu village you may not know what an “earthquake” was.   Eric explained  that since you would likely not have experienced one, and not having a T.V. or a computer may not have ever seen one.  Eric said this was where his village was split. Some residents were interested and sought out international news and events, others had no interest.  But without electricity seeking out information was not as easy as it is for most of us.   Despite the information divide, most Zulu speak more languages than most North Americans do.  Eric and Wiseman both spoke four languages, their native Zulu, Afrikaans, English and another local language, putting me to shame in the language department.

The only store in the Zulu Village we visited. The nearest grocery store is 45km away. Residents usually take a collective taxi to get there.

If you lived in a Zulu village you wouldn’t (gasp and unthinkable to me) like baboons, since a troop of baboons can destroy a garden in a matter of seconds and they can be very destructive should they get in your house.

If you lived in a Zulu village you might  never want to leave.  Both Eric and Wiseman were proud to be Zulu and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.   They loved their close-knit community and they seemed happy.

A week later back at home, I’m still pondering the electricity question.  It’s not easy to answer something that I’ve taken completely for granted my entire life.  I’m grateful for my adventures in a Zulu village that made me ask the question in the first place – and for my husband’s help around the house!

We stayed in the nearby lovely and spacious  Didma Chalets  which are only a short drive from the Zulu Village.  Inquire there or see the official South Africa Tourism Site (in German) or the South African Tourism Site (in English) for more info on how to arrange a tour of a Zulu village in the Drakensberg.

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And they say travel bloggers are a friendly bunch – and we usually are…that is until you put us into a gladiator ring to fight until our deaths!  OK, we didn’t really fight until our deaths, but pride was at stake and there was a title to be won.
Our gladiator guide, Marcus was intimating – shouting at us and pointing a finger in our face for any slight indiscretion by one of our group of wannabe gladiators.  He simmered down as he dove into nearly an hour of Gladiator history, peppered with some interesting facts about gladiators, but a bit too long.  Among the most memorable was learning that the sheath that a gladiator’s sword is held in is also the same name for a female body part. To follow where the foreseeable and predictable jokes that a teenage boy would find amusing.  Despite the fact that none of us were teenage boys, we cracked up anyway – I blame it on the gladiator costumes.

Learning about gladiator history. Dave and Deb from The Planet D pictured above.

Finally it was time to get into the gladiator ring. I took my stance as we learned 10 moves, 5 for offense and 5 for defense which I practiced against my opponent Ryan from HouseTrip.

Practicing my 10 gladiator moves against Ryan. Check out my gladiator stance.

Despite the simplicity of the moves they were decidedly complicated when sequenced together – or perhaps it was just my lack of coordination.  Reminding myself that if I was in the ring several thousand years ago, my life would have been at stake, I stepped up my game.

Andrea from Destination Europe showing off her gladiator moves.

Everyone had their own unique style.  Andrea from Destination Europe smiled as she threw blow after blow.
Dave and Deb from The Planet D looked downright fierce, while I tried to use my silver earrings to distract my opponent.  Ryan was very competitive, but hid it well appearing almost serene.

In Roman times gladiators were often prisoners that were given the chance to fight for their life or face execution.  Most choose to fight since at least the odds were better than the latter alternative.  Eventually a prisoner would be freed once he had won enough times, but ironically not knowing any other life,  would like become a professional gladiator.

The Rome Gladiator School Arena - scene of the battle of the bloggers. Pictured are Heather, Andrea, Kirsten, Angie, Dave, Deb, Ryan and myself.

The preliminary rounds began.  Deb cleans up in the first few rounds.  Then it was my turn.  I took a deep breath and stepped into the ring, ready to face Ryan – for real this time, no more practice.  My life depended on applying the gladiator skills I had learned.  I was ready for this I could do this.  First swipe to my leg.  Ryan appeared to be faster now that he was in the ring than  he had during practice.  Focus.  Next swipe to my leg.   Note to self, block leg or ideally touch his shoulder first before he touches my leg.  Remember to breath.  Next swipe and what proved to be the fatal swipe to my leg.  It was over, I was knocked out in the first round.  Sigh, I really thought I would have made a good gladiator.

Next it was the finale.  Ryan vs Dave.  It was intense.  It was close, but in the end Dave was the victor.  Dave had won the battle of the bloggers – this time.  Battle of the Bloggers 2 anyone?

Know Before You Go to Gladiator School

• Rome Gladiator School is cheesy, but it’s also good fun and you will learn basic combat moves and a lot about gladiator history
• Gladiator School lasts 2 hours and can be booked at various times throughout the day
• The cost is €55/person (4-9 people).  Individuals and smaller groups can also book, but the cost is more per person
• Rome Gladiator School is located ~2.5km from the Colosseum
• I recommend staying in this amazing apartment in Rome with views of the Colosseum
• You can book your own Rome Gladiator Adventure through Viator

I love monkeys, so much so that I actually hold a Bachelor of Science in Primatology (the study of monkeys).  I’ve read about baboons and watched countless videos of them, but it wasn’t until a recent visit to the Drakensberg in South Africa, that I had the chance to observe wild baboons.  You can imagine my delight to capture this sequence of events between a baboon mother and her baby, as told from the baby’s perspective…
“Dinnertime at the Didima Chalets with Cathedral Peak in the background, this is my stomping grounds and… dinner table.”
“Wait a minute, mom seems to be more interested in her dinner than in me.  Maybe I’ll get her attention by giving her the evil eye…”

“Well since that didn’t work….”
“Crying works every time!”

You may also be interested in visiting a Zulu Village while you’re in the Drakensberg.  See the official South Africa Tourism Site (in German) or the South African Tourism Site (in English) for more info on traveling to the Drakensberg.

This photo has been submitted to Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox and Delicious Baby where you can see more travel photos.

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