You may recognize the landmark in the background

[aceplace]

This is a well-known European city...

[aceplace]

Well, since no one responded, I'll go ahead and provide the answer.

This city is Munich, Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The tall structure at the end of the street is the famous Isar Gate, or Isar Tor, in German, one of the entrances tohrough the old city walls surrounding central Munich.

In this photo, we are looking east, away from the central town square, and generally in the direction of the river Isar, about as wide and deep as the Trinity River in Dallas.

Munich is a dollhouse of a city. It has no (or just a handful) of scyscrapers, a very active downtown full of department stores, and residential streets with 4-5 floor apartment buildings on either side.

Most of the buildings look very medieval, but that is an illusion. They are actually recreations of buildings that were destroyed during WWII. Munich was singled out for punishment because it was Adolf Hitler's adopted home and the headquarters of the Nazi Party.

I'm starting to think about returning...

[aceplace]

This is a residential district 2-3 miles south of central Munich... you can see many shops on the sidewalk level because we are close to a commercial street. Also, the entrance to the subway is visible.

The Munich subway system is vast and incredible. Imagine DART, completely underground, with a dozen lines, and covering the area between DT Dallas and Northwesy highway with a WEB of lines... maybe about a dozen underground lines, about another dozen surface streetcar lines, and also many commuter rail lines to the suburbs, like our TRE.

The sidewalks in the city are wide, and in most of them, there is a clearly defined bike trail. The material in the trail is not the stone that they usually pave sidewalks with, but a special material that is sandy and rough... good for bicycles...

About the closest we have to a street like this in Dallas is probably McKinney street. The new development in the West Village area will probably be another candidate for a street like this...

[aceplace]

Here's another view of the same public space on Lindwurstrasse.

[aceplace]

Yet another view.

You can see the wonderful old building in the background with the statue of the Virgin Mary inset into the wall. THis is probably a religious building of some kind, probably a convent.

The hotel where I stayed in Munich is just a few steps down the road... a brand new building, small rooms. The room had just one window, but the casement was large, heavy and incredibly good at insulating street noise from the room. Closing the window against the street noise was as pronounced as turning off a stereo!

[aceplace]

I just can't get enough of this photo, and I don't know why... it just seems ...interesting... as a break in the urban fabric.

[aceplace]

Back to the Old City again... the medieval streets open up to a quaint public space...

[aceplace]

Some background to the shot above...

[aceplace]

This is a side shot of the famous Neuerathaus, or new city hall...

The face of the building has some lifesize animated dolls... in the morning the dolls come to life and a built-in glockenspiel plays...

[aceplace]

This is the Isar river going thru Munich. The Old City is actually on the west bank... to the right is an expensive residential district called Bogenhausen... Munich's version of Highland Park.

The river at this point is actually a little shallow because it is going around an island. It is deeper and broader farther down...

The river is actually very short. It rises in the German Alps about 40 miles south of the city and eventually flows into the Danube... then to the Black Sea.

[aceplace]

This is the neighborhood surrounding the bridge over the river. You can see how well-developed the area is.

What strikes me is that the river is not a barrier, and does not interrupt the flow of traffic and street life. Rather, it is a pleasant surprise as you wander thru the city.

Dallas would be a wonderful place if we could also integrate the Trinity River into our urban fabric... or perhaps we have a good start with Turtle Creek Boulevard.

[jsoto3]

excellent phototour Aceplace!! thank you very much. I've never been to Munich, but it brings back alot of memories of my trip to Berlin and the train ride between Berlin and Prague. that is such a beautiful part of the world. thanks again.

[jsoto3]

i like your comments about the bike trails on the sidewalks. Berlin does the same thing. their sidewalks have four 'zones' marked by different pavings for different uses (from building to street): 1. semi-private zone to be used as building owner wishes, mostly cafes; 2. pedestrian zone; 3. bike lane; 4. buffer zone to accommodate trees, lamp posts, bike parking, etc. the vastness and continuity of this system is amazing. absolutely beautiful sidewalks.

[gc]

I am not sure how I missed this thread until today. Excellent photo journey and commentary. I have got to get out of this country and head to Europe!