Englischer Garten, München

After many hours journeying by car, we were eager to stretch our legs and explore the city of Munich. We set off on foot to the train station, where we purchased a ticket and boarded a train headed to the Englischer Garten, or, the English Gardens. These gardens are very famous as they are one of the largest urban gardens in the world (larger than central park in the states as well).

On our journey there, we noted that the Germans are a very active people. Everywhere we went there were people involved in recreation. Numerous people rode bikes, and the city was well designed to accommodate them. Aside from their own spacious biking lane, they had liberal parking spaces and even special spaces in the cross walks designated solely for bikers.

Once we reached the park, the open fields were covered in people enjoying the outdoors and involved in every manner of recreational activity you could think of. 

Our LO crawled all over the fields and attempted to make friends with all the dogs. The pup seen at left was going crazy for the bubbles his owners were blowing for him. See the horse drawn carriage in the back meandering around the lake? It was so quaint there!

After leaving one of the fields, we strolled the dirt paths past the ducks and treat shacks, and over wooden bridges past the musicians with their accordions. German ladies pushed their babies in prams, and lovers embraced on park benches. I promise you it was as idyllic as it sounds. We stayed there until dark and couldn’t refrain from continually commenting on how thankful we were to have been able to stop here.

The park as the sun began to set. Idyllic and gorgeous! Note the Monopteros at the top of the hill.

This is easily one of my favorite pictures captured that day! (This and the one right above this, it's a close call and they are very different styles) After a walk to the top of a hill, we relaxed on the steps of the Monopteros and took in the view of the park.

"A Monopteros is a circular colonnade supporting a roof but without any walls"- Wikipedia

The park’s construction began in 1789 and has since been added to and rearranged to make it the lovely oasis it provides the people of Munich currently.

My inner photographer was thoroughly excited to have new locations to practice capturing.

This was the view below us from the Monopteros atop the hill.

Aside from the spacious grassy expanses for recreation, the park also offers scores of playgrounds for children, nearly 50 miles of paths and trails, a lake, beer gardens, Chinese tea-houses, a multitude of fountains, flowers, and much much more that we didn't get to explore! We agreed that this was just what we needed after our nearly six-hour drive to Munich, and the relaxing adventure was the perfect start to our vacation.