Munich

In Munich, there is a magical place called Eisbach River, a small manmade river that flows through the English Gardens. We stopped there on our bike tour through the city, and immediately I noticed the sheer mass of people, young and old, that flock to this place to spend their weekend. It is a nude area, and looking around I see numerous topless young German women laying out in the sun on blankets and towels and men in tight, nearly-there speedos running freely in the grass playing frisbee or soccer. There are families and groups of friends carelessly chatting and laughing as they play cards, drink wine, or roast marshmallows over a tiny, hand-made fire.

However, I say this place is magical not because of the eye-pleasing sights, nor is it magical merely due to the sounds of locals and brave tourists screaming and laughing as they jump from overhanging trees and ropes into the cold, fast-moving river water, carrying them uncontrollably forward. The floating locals speak unromantic German, but they all smile and laugh as they do. The English-speaking tourists scream and comment on the coldness and quickness of the water, as well as the slimy algae at their feet, and curiously wonder exactly where Eisbach will take them.

No, all these things are exciting and unique, but this is not magic. Magic is the feeling you get from being in Eisbach's presence. As I sit and experience this place, I feel an overwhelming and uncontrollable sense of pure joy wash over me like I am eyebrow deep, drowning in it. I have never in my life experienced the feeling of peace that I felt from every sense I sensed from this place. As I got on my bike to leave, I felt different, like I experienced one of those moments in your life that your eyes are wide open to what life should be, and I vowed to myself I would look for magic like this, wherever I was. This is not a place that should be put in German Tour Books, this is a place that should be kept for the few and lucky visitors who find it, and are inevitably changed by magic.