Springtime in Munich

I don't know where the time has gone but this past weekend marked one year since my return to Munich to start my post M life. It also marked the first spring-like weather for 2010. The temperature has risen into the teens, the snow is nearly all gone, the sky alternated between beautiful Bavarian blue and cloudy with sprinkles. The first naked German was spotted. Ah yes, spring has sprung.

I had fun with my visiting friend and expect I will make a trip up to Brussels to see her, her husband and their kids sometime this summer, probably with Mr. Kilt in tow as they also hit it off. My friend and I had quite a lot of discussion over the weekend about kids, family, working as a mother (or not). I have known this friend since we worked together in the US in 2002. When we met she was married to her former husband, just starting her career and neither of us would have expected that life would have carried us over to Europe. I liked seeing how her life has evolved over the time we have known each other and seeing her content in her life with her Belgian husband, her two children and two step-children. She has a great sense of humor and we got more than our share of German stares as the two of us we chatting and laughing like fools as we wandered around Munich. Friends are good for the soul.

Yesterday, we had our 2010 inaugural visit to the beer garden. Mr. Kilt, my friend and I took a paddle boat around the lake in the English Garden and then headed over to the Chinese tower where they tried a half-mass of starkbier (Lenten season strong beer) and for me a Radler. I love beer garden season and it will be even better than usual this summer with showings of the World Cup games.

Sadly I did not take my bike out as planned yesterday since it was raining quite a bit prior to the meetup time. I am not too worried though, there are plenty of opportunities to come.

All in all, it was a nice, stress-free weekend in Munich and now I am getting ready to fly to London tomorrow for a few days of training.

Happy Monday.
Posted from Munich

Rosenheimer Herbstfest

It's that time of year again. In the US, the baseball playoffs signal the end of summer and I always get a bittersweet feeling as the evening cools off at gametime and there is a nip in the air.


In Bavaria, the signal is the local beerfest. Many of Munich's surrounding towns host their own version of Oktoberfest to celebrate their own local brews starting in August and concluding around the time of the big daddy beer fest, the Munich Oktoberfest.



As much as I am a fan of the Munich Oktoberfest, these smaller fests are something special. There are very limited numbers of tourists there, the crowds are friendlier, no pushing and shoving to get a table and other than that you get all the good parts of the big Oktoberfest - beer, pork, dumplings, potatoes, dirndls, lederhosen, oompah music, teenagers in love, spine-tingling fair rides and plenty of gemütlichkeit.



I rounded up twelve expats yesterday to share one of my favorite local fests with them, the Rosenheimer Herbstfest (Fall Fest). The city of Rosenheim has always been one of my favorite surrounding towns and would be the kind of place if I were ever to get married and have kids (hahah) I could imagine raising them.



A Bavarian guy at our table adopted us and did his best to teach us the proper Bavarian way to hold the Maß and to clink the glasses. Apparently you are supposed to make three clinks - once on the main part of the glass, once with one handle hitting one glass and finally the two handles hitting each other. His whole group of friends was amused watching us all try to figure it out without smashing our fingers. Finally success! And we were indoctrinated. It's not a proper bierfest without making friends with all the neighbors around your table and at least one person finding their true love (if even only for a day).



Yesterday was opening day so as an added bonus we saw the parade of the brewers and the tapping of the first keg. O'zapft ist! The weather started rather damp but the skies cleared into a fine autumn-like evening and we managed to hit a few of the rides after leaving the carnage of the tent and heading for home. Excellent day and for those in the area, I can only recommend this one for a fun experience.



Posted from Munich