Munich, Germany

Munch is  huge city, but it is surprisingly green.  The English Garden is a large park with kilometers of walking paths through mature trees, and a fast-flowing river that people actually surf.

There are flowers everywhere.  Beautifully tended window boxes and flower beds left me gasping.

A statue of Juliette (from Romeo and Juliette) stands in a square. Women who wish for luck in love tuck flowers into the crook of her arm. Men who wish for romance - well, guess why her boob is so shiny!

Munich is the home of the Nymphenburg Palace and Botanical Garden.  The palace was very beautiful (it's the birthplace of Mad King Ludwig II) but what really impressed me was the long long border of colourful annuals which ring every lawn.  The commitment and expense and labour involved in planting and maintaining this border truly staggers the mind.

As I looked more closely at the plantings, I was very surprised to see a metal grid about 10 cm high and 30 cm wide that supports all those plants to keep them upright, and creates a permanent outline of the beds.



Here is a bed tucked into an inconspicuous corner in the back of the palace, but still as lovingly designed and maintained as the front beds.

A grey goose mows the front lawn.

Past the extensive gardens and walking paths and ornamental lakes of the palace grounds is Munich's Botanical Gardens.  It has beautifully arranged plantings of mature trees, perennials and annuals, greenhouses, and even a lovely cafe where you can eat on the patio.