We went to See "In Bruges" last night. After a long, but ill-fated debate whether to see "Sex in the City" or not. I was not entirely opposed to it, but Luke put up a pretty strong fight. Turns out it wasn't even playing, so it was "In Bruges." Bruges is a small town in Belgium famous for its "fairy tale" atmosphere, ancient gothic churches and canals. I was glad we saw it when we were in Europe. I felt like I could understand Collin Ferrel's character's dilemma. His partner in crime, Ken loves the city. He carries around a tourists' guide to the city and drags his friend all over the city looking at crypts and tombs and old buildings. I mused later that when I first got to Europe, I wanted to see all the touristy stuff. Munich is a bit "fairy tale"-ish as well. But soon, the charm wore off and I found myself sitting at home relaxing and enjoying my time off without the pressure of going to see every little tourist attraction in the city. But, you know, after 9 months or so, there's not much more to see. Except for maybe the Hunting and Fishing Museum, or the Toy Museum. As we were walking from the theater, Luke took us the wrong way, but no one seemed to mind to much. The air was damp and clean from the rain earlier and the city was alight. We wandered past breweries and famous biergartens until we found ourselves in front of an imposing Romanesque structure. Huge columns, and archway from some dead kings reign. A monument to himself, alleviating his fear of mortality. We climbed the huge steps and looked around. There was a homeless couple obliviously asleep, curled up in their sleeping bags, side by side. On the other side of the archway were the Greek and Roman history museums flanking an open cobblestone courtyard. The disenchantment of Munich wore off immediately and I marveled at the scene. I put my arms as far as I could around one of the columns. It would have taken two or three of me to give it a complete hug. We continued home, or to the bar or wherever we were going. We got to Hauptbahnhof and I decided to go to the ATM. There was another homeless man sleeping inside the foyer of the bank.
Walking through the city center, with the Neuesrathaus towering over the former oxen market, church bells ringing and busy people walking through it all. You can tell the locals from the tourists by the angle of their necks. Head down, disdainful look, shopping bags in hand=local. Camera out, backpack on, necks craned to be able to see the top of the tower, dazed look=tourist. I'm somewhere in between. I find myself with a craned neck marveling at the beauty of the town hall occasionally, walking to get coffee, or concert tickets or whatever my business is. We call Munich "Toy Town." It still seems like a dreamworld. I sit in my flat above the city. An island of English-speaking comfort, safe and secure from the intimidating German-speaking world. I walk out my front door and I can see St. Peter's Cathedral, take a left and I can see the twin onion-dome towers of the Frauenkirchen peeking out from behind office buildings above the gas station. Luke and I were walking through a park by our house and stashed at the bottom of this small fountain were about 20 bottles of beer. We looked around and no one was watching it or looked as though they were drinking it. We thought that in either of our respective countries, we would totally take it, fill our pockets, go back to our flat and grab an empty case and fill it up. But not here. What makes Munich so different that people are just more honest and more trusting? People often don't lock up their bikes. Small children walk through the streets with their parents unconcerned about how far ahead their kid walks ahead of them. Munich stands on the edge between fairy tale wunderland and thriving economic and cultural dominance. It's an even balance. To quote "In Bruges"..."We'll balance the scales between culture and fun." "Well, I tend to believe that the scales will tip in favor of culture like a fat black woman on a see-saw with a midget." I think in Munich the scales tip in favor of fun and fun is such a big part of the culture that sometimes that line blurs and drinking in a bierhall is just as cultural and traditional as anyone can get in Munich. Bierhalls of been a part of this city for centuries. Rain falls silently outside in the city and I feel warm and comfortable inside my bubble, floating above the fairytale wunderland.