Day 14 Memories in Munich

We awoke to another sunny and warm day in Munich and began the day with a visit to the Olympic site for the 1972 Olympic Games. For the Olympic movement Munich was a defining place where sadly a terrible terrorist attack took place against the Israeli team and 17 athletes were killed. We walked past the main stadium which still looked rather ‘state of the art’ with its tent like structures linking the main buildings.  We looked into the pool complex, which we thought looked humbler than our own Olympic Swimming Centre at Homebush,  but made very famous by the incredible feats of Shane Gould and Mark Spitz. Again we enjoyed an aerial view of the city from a 190-metre telecommunications tower that is part of the Olympic site. Thankfully it had a lift. From above, it is obvious that Munich is remarkably flat but in the distance we could see a huge mountain range, which is not obvious from below. The locals hope that these mountains will be the venue for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Speaking of memories we enjoyed very much meeting up with some friends of long standing from our church at home, who are now living here in Munich. Lunch was at a very swish local restaurant and the highlight was seeing Dirk and Cindy’s three girls enjoy a very, very special dessert.

After lunch we went with the family to stroll in the English Gardens but sadly we could not find a play area with swings or play equipment for the kids to play on, however the kids did enjoy investigating the mole holes which are dotted all over the park. Walking back from the park we found a very concrete mini sculpture park and somehow with childlike imagination we all enjoyed this mysterious playground, where a concrete square became a slippery dip and a row of bricks became planks to walk across shark infested water. A snowball or two lobbed into the nearby creek completed a fun time with a special family.

We ended the day by joining them at their church, the International Church in Munich, where we enjoyed the service and felt very much at home.