Real talk, I had planned my triumphant return to vlogging after an accidental 3-month hiatus to be I for Ice Cream, where I would take you all (virtually) with me to the Der Verrückte Eismacher (English translation: Crazy Ice Cream Maker). I would have a merry old time trying Weißwurst ice cream and Käsespätzle ice cream; it was all going to be very wonderful and potentially disgusting.
But alas, when I traveled there, I discovered that the Crazy Ice Cream Maker was not crazy enough to keep his shop open during off-season. Apparently ice cream flavors such as onion, beer, or cheeseburger just don’t do it for folks here in the dead of winter. Sigh.
Lucky for me, I realized the Isar River was right nearby and, as fate would have it, I was exploring the letter ‘I’ for my challenge. Thus: I is (now) for the Isar River.
If you want to read a beautiful piece about the river and what it means to the locals here, check out ‘The Isar River: The Flow of Live in Munich.’ “The Isar accompanies the people of Munich through all the stages of their lives,” the first line reads.
“When I think of the Isar, I think of childhood and playing and the summer,” writes the Munich-born songwriter Konstantin Wecker. The blues singer and self-styled Isar Indian Willi Michl raves about the “shimmering of the Isar”.
Why am I strangely emotional about a river now????
ALSO, I have an added bonus in this video: the Eisbach!
The Eisbach (English translation: Ice brook) is a 2-kilometre-long canal that flows through the Englischer Garten park, and is a side arm of the Isar River. The Eisbach’s surf spot is considered the world’s most constant, biggest and best river wave in the middle of a big city and has been surfable for 40 years—and that’s exactly why I wanted to show you it in the video, too!
The Eisbach surf spot is a must-see for tourists visiting the city, but I also make a point of stopping by any time I’m in the area. It’s always fun and impressive…especially watching the surfers out there in their wet suits while I’m all snuggly bundled up in my winter coat, hat, gloves, and scarf.
I hope you enjoy the video. I started The Alphabet Challenge in July 2024 when I was brand new to Munich and overwhelmed by how much there was to see and explore and experience. In fact, there was so much to do that I simply froze and did nothing for a while. This challenge has given me permission to gently nudge (aka push) myself out of my comfort zone more often than not, and allowed me to know Munich—and therefore grow to love her. If you missed my other vlogs, check ‘em out!
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