Munich … Surf City Germany
When a friend suggested that we walk over to the English Gardens in Munich to watch the surfers, I really didn’t know what to expect. Heck, I was in Santa Cruz, America’s Surf City, a few weeks ago and got all excited.
There’s no wide sandy beach in Munich, however. But there seems to be pretty good surfing.
At the mouth of the artificial stream to Munich’s 200 year old English Gardens is a surging, standing wave. It is created as water is channeled into a more narrow tree-lined stream, creating enough pressure at times for local surfers to don wetsuits and take turns. It’s like a 200 year old wave machine!
The area is posted with signs warning people not to get into the water and certainly avoid getting near the wave. No one pays any attention. It’s too much fun.
Meantime, spectators line a bridge over the stream to enjoy the surfing skills up close and snap pictures.
There seems to be a protocol among surfers. No one hogs the wave for long. After a couple of minutes, they wipe-out and someone else jumps into the constant surf.
We all stood there, sort of spellbound by the scene of serious-minded surfers riding the waves … just a few feet from a busy street in downtown Munich.
All we needed were some songs by the Beach Boys or Randy Newman blaring from out of the overhanging trees.
Rock on …
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Love it! Next time I visit Germany with my board!
Hey, I know you love Santa Cruz (as do I). But it is Huntington Beach, not Santa Cruz, who has the true claim to being called “Surf City.”
Surf City, the song, was written by Brian Wilson, Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, who were all from Southern California and the song was written about their local area. To Dean, Surf City has always represented more than just a nickname. “It’s a state of mind,” he once said. “When we think of the song Surf City, it’s a description of the Southern California beach lifestyle and everything a seaside paradise stands for. Surfing is part of it, but it’s much more than that. It’s an emotional response on a very deep level, a yearning for freedom, eternal youth and sunshine… an endless summer.”
Officially, the name has been so embraced by Huntington Beach that today there are so many businesses in HB that include “Surf City” as part of their name that it has become the largest concentration of Surf City businesses in the world.
Any info. on board rentals in Munich? I am going with a band and won’t have a board with me.
They do not rent boards there, sorry. I bet you will need to bring your own.
David