Kicking and Streaming

Today, our free weekend has begun. The original group had been split into about three or four different groups. For Grace, Luke, Andrew, Sophie, Allyson, Mia, Dylan, and me, the plan was to see some new places in Munich with Myers. We did not have too much of a schedule, aside from two somewhat “necessities.” One of these was Alianz Arena, which is the home stadium for the soccer (football) club of Bayern Munich. The other was an area known as the English Gardens, which was supposed to have a small river for us to swim in.

Our first stop was Marienplatz, where we grabbed some lunch and explored the area for an hour or two. After hydrating and enjoying some shopping and cathedral viewing, we were ready to see the stadium. We arrived at the stadium’s train stop, and we made the long, scorching walk to Alianz Arena. The walk, however, was quite rewarding. What a sight to see! The stadium was covered in a high-tech LED screen shell, and it’s strangely located in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere. The secluded location was proof of how special this iconic team was to its state, cities, and fans. We were not allowed in the seats, but the “megastore” was open to the public. Some of the group felt like they were in heaven upon entering the shop. Not being the biggest soccer fan, I was still pretty impressed with the store. I thought to myself, “How often would I wear a Bayern Munich jersey if I bought one?” I said no to the jersey, but one piece of clothing stuck out to me, a Bayern Munich bathing suit. No, not because it looked awesome on me (which it did), but because I forgot my bathing suit at the hotel and I was NOT about to swim in a river with my casual light khaki shorts. A few euros later, and the suit was mine. Next up was the river. We ventured over to English Gardens and, sure enough, the river was there! It was cold and decently shallow. We sat in the river and next thing we knew, the current was taking us downstream for a relaxing trip. After just one ride, we decided to get some dinner and then head back to our hotel. In a nutshell, our free Friday was a rewarding adventure and definitely a great way to experience the sports, pride, and leisure of Munich.