A Bicycle Built for Two

Riding around town on your cute pink bike with your best friend....

 

 

Sounds pretty terrific to me!

Book Bench

"Every book is a garden in a pocket"

 



 

"donate....share....enjoy"

 

 

BOOK BENCH

 

 

Here's where you can find it, on Akademie Strasse...will you bring a book to put into the box to donate and share?

 





Spring is in the air!

Finally, we are peeking out from under our woollens, down jackets and boots here in Munich. Yesterday the Hub and I were able to meet up with friends at the biergarten and we stayed long past dark, chatting and finishing up those big beers.  It was wonderful, and I really hope that the sun decides to stick around for a while.

 

 

I'll leave you with a few signs that Spring has come to visit....

 

 



What better way to return to blogging.....

... than to hopefully lure you in with sunshiney Alpine pics?  (These were taken near Kitzbühel, Austria during the first sunny weekend here in what feels like since forever and a day.)

 

Personally, I cannot think of a better way to beg for forgiveness. And, yes, I am shameless.

 

 

It has been a long time.

I have several excuses, none of them fantastic.

I suppose that at some point I will write a few down for you...but today I am full of promises (again).

Looking forward to seeing you soon, I say, with earnest hopefullness.

 

I haven't forgotten you!

Oktoberfest stats 2010

It is getting to be that time of year again here in Munich, so with many apologies that this post has been so long in coming, let's talk Oktoberfest!

 

In researching the statistics for you from last year's Oktoberfest, there are a few highlights to point out before the Wiki list.  Last year holds the new title for the most litres of beer consumed, at over 7 million liters.  Sheesh. That is a lot of beer.  The previous record of 6.94 million liters was set in 2007.  A Mass holds approximately one liter, just so you know.  This does not include the 310,000 liters of the special Jubilee Beer  that were consumed in the "Antique Wiesen", a beer that represented a never before moment of cooperation between the city's six big breweries -- Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Augustiner, Hacker Pfschorr, Spaten and Paulaner.

With that, the recorded theft of the glass Masses was down last year comparatively...to 130,000 in 2010, more disturbing is the report of the rise in the weighty Masses being used as weapons last year in fights had seen an increase.

In the past 50 years, the consumption of pork sausage seems to be waning, while the chicken consumption has been on the rise. See below for evidence in sheer numbers!

It was the first "smoke free" fest, with the tents banning smoking inside in accordance with local laws about smoking inside buildings-the tents are really that big that they actually do qualify.

Oktoberfest 2010 informational tidbits:

• Area: 0.42 km² (103.78 acres)
• Seats in the festival halls: approx. 100,000
• Visitors: 6.4 million
• Beer: appr. 7,100,000 litres (151,200 litres non-alcoholic)
• Wine: 89,259 liters
• Sparkling wine: 37,733 litres
• Coffee and tea: 245,335 litres
• Water and lemonade: 1,028,522 ½ litres
• Chicken: 505,901 units 
• Pork sausages: 119,302 pairs
• Fish: 40,850 kg
• Pork knuckles (haxen): 69,293 units
• Oxen: 119 units
• Expenditure of electricity: 2.96 million kWh (as much as 14% of Munich's daily requirements or as much as a four person family will need in 52 years and 4 months)
• Expenditure of gas: about 198,489 m³
• Expenditure of water: about 107,489 m³ (as much as 27% of Munich's daily requirements )
• Waste: 678 t (2004)
• Toilets: about 980 seats, more than 878 meters of urinals and 17 for disabled persons
• Phone booths: 83, also for international credit cards
• Lost property: about 4000 items, among them 200 mobile phones, wedding rings, and even crutches.

 Some of the funnier things collected at last year's lost and found included:

• 1450 articles of clothing
• 90 cameras
• 770 ID cards
• 420 wallets
• 366 keys 
• 330 bags
• 320 pairs of glasses
• 90 pieces of jewelry/watches
• 37 children lost (this figure is up from 18 in 2009)

Most unusual things lost at the 2010 fest have to be:

• Leather whip
• Set of dentures 
• A hearing aid
• A live rabbit
• A tuba

Huh?  After living here and going to the Oktoberfest...the weird ones are not the whip or tuba...

Beetle Beauty

I think I'm in love...We were walking home through the neighborhood on a sunny Saturday and walked by this beauty parked on the street.  Seriously swoon-worthy! 

I have a few other blog posts in the hopper, but thought that since I had posted last about cars that I would follow up with this dreamy ride.

If I had a million dollars and the choice of any car to buy, I would have to say that this would be in my top 5...look at the color, so cheery.  And since I have a million fake dollars I'm spending here, maybe a mechanic to go with it would have to be put on retainer since I think these cars need tinkering. 

But, I am still in love...hey, did you see the back view?

Mein Carsharing

In this post I told you about the Call a Bike program that Deutsche Bahn has here in Munich.  Well, look what I saw on street today:

Looks like Deutsche Bahn has gotten into the 4 wheel, motorized variety of vehicle sharing too!  Emblazoned with their Flinkster logo, the car I saw was compact and new.  Here is a pdf  of the info that DB has put together.  If you already have a Bahncard, it appears as if you get a better deal up front on the one time fee and a 25 euro voucher to boot. I also noticed that they have targeted the Uni students, have a refer-a-friend compensation and also have an Android app.....pretty smart, DB!

Carsharing had started to become more common in the US before we moved to Germany.  I lived in Atlanta, where having the availability to a car was important.  The carsharing concept was one that always made sense to me...and in Atlanta, you could rent a convertible Mini for the day!

Although this one is a Skoda, it still is pretty cute...and I do find it interesting when an English word makes it's way into the German vernacular..."mein Carsharing"...nice marriage of the two languages.  Although we won't need to do any carsharing, as a part of our ex-pat life here includes a car, I do know a lot of others that have no availability to a one.  I can see a trip to Ikea or a quick day trip out of town made much easier with the availability of a car short term!

 **UPDATE**
A day or two after I posted, I was walking in my neighborhood and saw this....

A Flinkster Fiat c500!!!  Swoon........

H & G

Or, as they say, Hi and Goodbye!  For a few days anyhow....we are off to have a long weekend in Italy!  Today is Ascension Day (Himmelfahrt...and yes, it always makes me giggle...I am such a child) and it is a holiday.  So, we are off for a bit of a drive down through Trento and Vercelli to Padua. And maybe, just maybe a day trip over to Venice.

For now, though, I will leave you with a confession....

I have located the bake at home pretzels and they are AWESOME!!!  I fear this is not going to be a good thing for my diet.  Oh well.  Life is short and you gotta find the good pretzels while you can!

Have a great weekend.  See you soon with a full report!

Frühlingsfest 2011

This is the first  Frühlingsfest we have attended since we have been here in Munich.  We had a great time with friends on a perfect Spring day.  I bought a new dirndl.  The Hub wore his Lederhosen.  We drank a lot of beer....but didn't go on any rides.

I found the 'fest to be more relaxed than it's big brother Oktoberfest.  It is held at the Wiesen, the same place, but it only has 2 proper tents (that I noticed) and the tent that we were in, Hippodrom, was about half the size of the one we were in last fall.  This time, there were no balconies and not many out of towners.  More of a fest for the locals, it would seem.  In fact, I almost felt like a local! 

Walking to our Ubahn station, The Hub commented that he was feeling a bit self-conscious in his lederhosen...until we walked by several people who didn't even seem to notice our Tracht.  I commented to him that we were in probably the only city in the world where he didn't have to feel out of place dressed like that...and after meeting up with others, many dressed in dirndls and lederhosen on their way to the Wiesen, I think that he felt right at home. 

 We are certainly not locals yet...but we do love living here and like to be a part of the goings on.  Munich has become our home.  I do think we'll be back for more Frühlingsfest next season!

This place serves beer and spins!

Some of the crowd/events at Frühlingsfest

 

The Hippodrom Tent at  Frühlingsfestt-a pared down version from Oktoberfest

We could see the ferris wheel outside the tent window from our table

 

 

Special  Frühlingsfest Mass and a pretzel, of course!

Prost!

 

 

From our appetizer platter-a bacon fat spread with dried onions.  Don't judge!

The main course platter-look at all of those knudels!

The dessert platter...

When we exited the tent, it was dark, so we walked around a bit

Flying is fun for young and old....

Naughty Gnomes

I am not sure what has angered the gnomes, but I will try not to do it again!

Cheeky little guys....

Happy National Pretzel Day!

...in the US, anyhow....

Pretzels are a staple to the Bavarian diet-snacked on whilst having a Mass or two in the Biergartens, or filled with sandwich fixin's...the pretzel figures prominently here.  School kids grab a buttered pretzel from the bakery on their way to or from school. Babies mouth them before they sprout teeth.  Here they are soft and large and slightly salted.  They are the perfect, delicious food on the go.  They invite sharing. The subtle saltiness leads you to stay for one more beer, and they help soak up that beer in your tummy.  They are the perfect partner for Obatzda or Weisswurst.

Monks are credited for the invention of the Pretzel, baking strips of dough folded over to represent a child's arms folded in prayer.  It makes sense that they invented the pretzel as they were the ones making the beer!

Pretzels are readily accessible here in Munich-in restaurants, at the Biergartens, in our bakeries, at the train stations-I have even seen ones that are frozen and ready to pop into the oven so you can have them fresh (maybe on a Sunday when things are closed here...)!

There is a lot of good information about the lovely pretzel on the  Wikipedia page.  Have a look, and then go get yourself a pretzel and celebrate!  Although, as you have probably figured out, a pretzel a day around here is a normal thing!  Happy Pretzel Day!

Tickets to Ride

Did I mention that our Ubahn station got new ticket machines?  Yup, 2 of the 3 ticket machines have been switched over to the newer, fancier touchscreen variety.  I love, though, that they are easing us into the process by leaving one of the old machines there....wouldn't want to shock anyone into having to use the new machines.  I was in the station the other day and watched which machine the customers would buy their tickets from...and out of the ten people I saw approach and buy from the machines, 8 used the old trusty one.  People took a precursory glance and poked at the new machines' screens, but tickets were bought from the one they knew and trusted.  I get it. 

Change is good, but hard.  I am not so good at change...although I guess picking up and moving to a foreign country where I didn't know the language and leaving friends and family and my career behind might suggest otherwise.  But I am firmly in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" camp. The difference, I think is that our move was an adventure...the familiarity with the ticket purchasing process is a comfortable convenience.  One that helps you get on your train on time.  Good news for me:  the machine that dispenses the monthly tickets that I buy is still the same.  I'll keep you posted.....

Guarding precious goods

 

As the sun comes out in Munich, so do the bikes left on the street: locked to poles, street signs and just secured at the tire so that they can't be ridden away.  Munich is a very safe city-the only crime I hear about is an occasional bike theft (or as in the case of the Hub-the theft of the light on his bike--the nerve!) or bikes being tipped over by those that have been over-served as they stumble home.

So I thought that it was cute that this tiny bike had so much protection...considering that it could easily be lifted up and taken away....

Made me wonder if a lesson in taking care of one's things was being taught.  All in all, a good practice to start early, I guess!