Commuting by bike from Garching to Munich

Last year, during the summer, the U6 metro line was under construction. Having to change trains several times instead of taking the normal direct connection increased my door-to-door commuting time from about 40 minutes to an hour. "Screw this!", I said one day, "I'll be at work faster if I go by bike!"

Going to work by bike had been something I'd been planning to do for a very long time, but I'd always found some reasons not to. The construction work pushed me to just do it. I continued to cycle, whenever the weather permitted, until October last year. After I optimised the route, this resulted in a commute of 16 km one way, and of about 50 minutes from door to door, 58 m of elevation on my way to work, and 23 m on my way back (despite being close to the Alps, Munich itself is rather flat). Between August and October, I did >1,000 km by bike (according to my sports tracker), and yesterday, I started the cycling season again.

Cycling, of course, has many advantages. One of them occurred to me yesterday: On my daily commute, I pass many of the most popular sights of Munich, that I don't see when I pass them underground by metro. Today, I decided to go slowly and enjoy the trip, and to take photos and write, after a long time, a travel blog post, not actually about travelling, but about enjoying my daily commute.

So, here's my commute in photos and comments:
I start in a village university town called Garching. The end point is in central Munich, near the metro stop Sendlinger Tor. After I get out of the suburban area, I take an unpaved road and pass some horse stables. The unpaved road leads to one of the many side canals of the Isar River.

This road turns, and leads towards a forest:

I pass some more of Isar's side canals:

And finally get to a road going along Isar itself. In the place where I took this picture, I often see people meditating or doing Tai Chi.

 

I pass under a highway:

I leave the Isar bank, and pass a playground - now shut because of the Corona virus.

Then, I enter one of Munich's famous sights: The English Garden, a popular park for locals and tourists alike. The park is narrow, but about 5 km long, and I get to spend half of my commute cycling through it. Right at the entrance, there is a beer garden - a playground for adults, so to say.

I am surprised that there are still tables and that it looks like it's ready for business. But in the back, a man is folding up the tables and chairs.

The park itself is often full of joggers, people walking their dogs or walking themselves, I'm by far not the only cycling commuter. Nowadays, it's rather empty. Whether this is because of the corona virus or whether people just haven't realised yet that winter is over and it's the season to go to the park, I don't know.

After a while, I pass the famous Chinese Tower (which, I am told, looks nothing like any tower you'd see in China), the setting for another beer garden. Also here, the chairs and tables look like they're ready to receive thirsty and hungry visitors. During the summer, this place tends to be full, during the winter, there was a little Christmas market and a curling rink. During weekends, a brass band often plays oompa-music from the top of the Chinese Tower.

Right after the Chinese Tower, there is a structure called Monopteros, from where one would have a nice view over the park and towards the city centre of Munich. I don't go to the top, but attempt to take a photo which shows the very beginnings of spring:

Looking beyond the park, I can already see the buildings of the city:

Then I pass this place, where, when the park is busy, it is normally difficult to get a photo without other people taking photos in the picture.

If you magnify this photo, and if you have very good eyes, you'll see a surfer in the back. Yes, you read that right: A surfer. This creek comes out from under a bridge, and somehow the way it is built creates a permanent wave, which makes it suitable for surfing. This creek (called Eisbach) is also popular for swimming, even though it's ice cold (hence the name) and lined by signs saying "Baden verboten - Lebensgefahr!". During the summer, it's a popular passtime to jump into the water, and to let the stream take you a few metres before climbing out again.

I'm at the end of the park now, and after an underpass, I get to Odeonsplatz.

 

I pass a memorial for the White Rose. 

Now, the busy part of my commute begins: I need to watch out for pedestrians, other cyclists, cars. I need to cross a street, famous for its fancy shops (Maximilianstraße).

Then, through some cute little streets of the historical Munich city centre.

For the sake of this blogpost, I make a tiny detour and take a photo of Marienplatz.

Back to my standard route, I pass the Viktualienmarkt, with its food stands:

Then, to avoid being stuck behind some slow and ever-stopping buses and in an adventurous spirit, I turn to a little side street and discover the remains of an old city gate:

I pass a square which has the synagogue on one side, and the city museum on the other:

And then I put away my phone, as the least pleasant part of my commute begins, and I need to fully focus on the traffic. This last part involves crossing an intersection close to Sendlinger Tor, where there is heavy traffic, some tram lines, and a construction site. Past this intersection, I've made it: I've arrived at my work place. Today's commute took me about an hour from door to door, because I was going more slowly, enjoying the sights, looking for things I could take pictures off, stopping occasionally.