A German man has started swimming to work after he got fed up with commuting. Benjamin David, 40, got tired of being stuck in traffic every day in the German city of Munich. He now beats the traffic by swimming 2km down the city's Isar River. He puts his laptop computer, mobile phone and his business suit in a waterproof bag that he drags behind him. Mr David got the idea by watching the river flow right past his apartment. He looked on a map and realized the river went past his office. He then decided to swim to work and get some exercise, instead of battling other commuters in buses and trains or breathing fumes from traffic while on a bicycle.
Mr David told reporters that his river commute has changed his life. He is much fitter and less stressed. He spoke about the stress his commute used to cause him. He said: "I'm not a monk. When I was on my bike, I would yell at cars. When I was on foot, I would yell at cyclists, and so on and so forth." He described how the river has changed things. He said: "Just a few metres to the side of [all the traffic] is the river, and if you just swim down that, it's completely relaxing and refreshing." David also spoke about the dangers of river swimming. He always checks the temperature before diving in. Not everyone can swim to work in the city. In Central London, it is illegal to swim in the River Thames.
