A 40-year-old man, Benjamin David, jumps into the Isar River and swims two kilometers to his workplace in Kulturstrand, which usually takes him about half an hour. Benjamin David used to be one of the thousands of Münchners trying to make their way to work on busy roads and cycling paths, but two years ago he decided that he needed to find a simpler alternative and the Isar River seemed like the obvious answer. It flows right past his apartment in Baldeplatz, and, even though no one has been using it for traveling purposes in decades, it used to be the best ways to get around. People traveled up and down the Isar using rafts, and, at one point, it was one of the most popular routes between Rome and Vienna. But instead of paddling on a raft, Benjamin decided to swim to work instead, and that’s been his main commute for the past two years. Every morning, Benjamin, the founder and spokesman of a small think tank for culture and commerce in public places, leaves his apartme...