I'm weary this morning but back in the Burgh. To answer the mini-mystery that kept no one wondering (much), I was in Munich for much of the last three weeks. (Great beer? Check. (Numerous local brewers.) Passion for local football? Check. (Bayern.) Fabulous public transportation? Check. Check. Check. (Subway, suburban train system, tram and bus system, plus the DB.) Pulsating economic vibe? Check. (The local media there are celebrating what they claim is a shift in the German center of gravity, from Berlin to the south. Are they right? I don't know -- but the vibe is real.)
The family also spent some time in Interlaken (for the hiking) and Bologna (a fantastic and blog-worthy city in its own right).
I'll have more to post on this topic in the next few days, but for all Pittsburghers proud to be celebrating its 250th birthday, Munich turns *850* this year -- at least by Muncheners' count. And they're blowing out the candles on some major cakes. We were fortunate enough to catch some of the action. A report, and some comparisons, coming up.
What did I miss?
2 comments:
You forgot all the universities in Munich too. Also the German patent office is headquartered there.
Everybody (from the US perspective ) talk about Munich as the Silicon Valley of Germany. You talk to the Germans, especially a Berliner, they talk about Munich as being rural, or a cow town. Of course, Bavarians think that Berliners ruin a good beer by putting syrup in it.
However, the food is bland, and even strange. Tuna, or a fried egg on pizza?
Also real estate, or apartments are sky high expensive.
I had worked there a little more than a decade ago for the good part of a year.
Welcome back, Amos.
Munich has the European Patent Office, which makes it an even bigger deal in IP circles. And I was working at the Max Planck Institute, so it's hard to miss the university community.
I have to say that I liked the food -- I've had fried egg on pizza all over Germany, but much better things in Munich, including good vegetarian food, good Italian food, and good Asian food. Not to mention the absence of syrup for the beer!
And are high real estate values are symptoms of relative economic prosperity? Or something else?
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