"Globetrotter" Outdoor Sports Megastore

Frau A and I had noticed that a new outdoor-sports store had opened recently in Munich near the Isartor -- within walking distance from Marienplatz and also at an S-bahn station, so a very convienent location.  Last Saturday we checked it out.

The company is called Globetrotter, and they're based in Hamburg.  Their Munich megastore is 6,500 square meters across four floors, sells over 25,000 items from 700 manufacturers, has 100 employees, plus holds offices for the German Alpine Society, a travel agent (that specializes in outdoor / adventure trips), and a travel doctor (probably for pre-trip vaccinations and medicine).

And that's just the start.

The first thing that strikes you when entering the store?  Look down and you'll see water.  It's a 100-square meter kayak and canoe test basin!  If you look closely, you'll see water jets -- these can produce "countercurrents" so you can practice your stroke.  Not sure if they'll let you perform eskimo rolls, though.

We headed to the basement level to take a closer look.  One guy (on the right, below) was sitting in a kayak but didn't use the basin -- too bad!  Racks of canoes and inflatable boats are in the background, and you get a peek of camping equipment on the higher floors (e.g., mosquito net).

As usual in Germany, the equipment is high quality and expensive -- the 2-person kayak on the right (above) costs 1600 euro!  Below, this kid was happy just to sit in the kayak, but mom didn't take him onto the water.

On the other side of the basement level are hiking and climbing shoes.  They're presented on a wall 60 meters long!  The wall is filled with different types of rocks creating a cool, wavy pattern.

We walked into the shoe section, and noticed they have a small test area for your shoes!  (This reminded us of the baby stroller test track we saw in a home furnishings store.)  The contraption has small racks of different rock types, all at incline, so you can get a feel for shoes a bit better than just walking around.  Here is Frau A testing out her Hunter wellies (they've been invaluable with all this rain lately!).

As it turns out, this store has a lot of different testing areas -- shoes were just the beginning.  A few floors above is the "rain chamber" -- a rain and wind test room for apparel!  You can don waterproof boots, pants, jacket and hat, then enter a plexiglass-enclosed area with two buttons on the floor.  Hit them with your feet, and down comes rain and, from the front, a fan generates wind.  You'll know pretty quickly if the equipment keeps you warm and dry.

We were able to get a movie of this in action!  This lady doesn't hit the button hard enough at first, but then gets it right and a quite a shock.

In addition to the rain & wind test chamber, Globetrotter has an "altitude cold chamber".  This simulates conditions at about 3900m.  The air has less oxygen and the temperature is -10 degrees celsius!

One half of the test chamber is just a room with fur-covered ice blocks to sit on -- to check out if apparel is warm enough when you're at rest in ice and snow.  This boy is getting cold already -- hands in the pockets. 

This is a close-up photo of an ice block and the fan that blows cold air.  Most people did not spend a lot of time in here:

In another half of the chamber (pictured below) is a room with training equipment (e.g., treadmill and stairmaster).  The idea is to test apparel/equipment in a climate more like the real thing.  Jackets feel much different when you're huffing and puffing your way up a steep mountain trail:

On the top floor is a climbing area for children.

This tiny guy is getting assistance from dad, with additional safety padding under the feet.

Older children run up and try climbing on their own.

Of course, fun is not just for the kids.  The store also had a slackline set up.  I caught this guy as he lost his balance at the end.  Behind him are the yellow boxes of slacklines for sale --we've seen a number of people using these in the English Garden...

Frau A decided to try the slackline too.  After a few learning attempts, she got the hang of it.  (You can see the childrens' climbing area in the background -- not sure how many can actually hang from the "rocks" on the ceiling.)

There were loads of great products and equipment there, but the most humorous brought together the German outdoor and beer cultures -- the mini-keg backpack.  This army-green frame lets you hike with enough of your favorite brew for the whole group!

What a cool store.  It also offers seminars and training courses too, but it's tough to attend those with a job (many are during the day).  The gear selection and "test chambers" are really something -- I think a few Christmas gifts may come from this place...

Summer "Sledding" in Austria!

We have previously posted about great sledding in the Alps - in Tirol, we hiked up to a hut and sledded back down.  Too bad you can't do that in the summer, huh?

Well, it turns out that you can!  Rodeln means sledding, and there are a number of sommerrodelbahns (summer sledding tracks) in Germany and Austria.  (Some places in the U.S. have them too.)

We recently had friends visit us from Dallas, and took them hiking near Salzburg.  After the morning hike and lunch, we left Fuschl am See and drove back west to Bad Dürrnberg, right on the border with Germany.

We were interested the "Keltenblitz" (which translates to "Celtic Lightening").  At 2.2km (1.3 miles) it's the longest summer sledding track in Salzburgerland and one of the longest in all Austria.  The total descent is over 500m (1640 ft) and you can reach speeds of up to 40km/h (25 mph)!

We drove to the talstation (literally, the "valley station" - at the foot of the mountain) and took the ski lift to the top.  You can hike up, but we had already done our hiking for the day.

The view from the lift was nice...

...and looking back, our friends seemed to be enjoying it too:

 

There are two general types of sommerrodelbahn.  The first -- more traditional and more common -- is a lot like a summer luge.  You are seated on a wheeled cart and navigate what looks like a metal bobsled run, such as this:

 

The walls of the half-pipe get higher and sloped at the corners, to keep you on the track:

This is a video on YouTube of what this type of rodelbahn looks like (can't wait to visit somewhere and make one for myself...):

The "Keltenblitz" is a different, newer type of summer sled that is structured more like a roller coaster.  Some have two rails, but this was a monorail version.  From the ski lift you see the rail winding down the mountain:

 

If you look closely at some chairs on the lift, you'll see how they get the sleds back up to the top:

 

At the top of the lift there is a small restaurant plus a tiny "ski museum" that compresses the definition of museum to it's smallest possible concept.  We paused for a brief drink but then wanted to get rolling.  At first you see the sleds queued up (and a great view of the valley and distant peaks)...

 

...which leads to the starting gate (photo below).  After you climb up into a "sled" a young guy there makes sure that you have buckled your seat belt.  Yes, seat belt.  (You need it to make sure the curves don't throw you out.)

The stick/lever on the sled controls the break.  Pushing forward removes the break, while pulling back applies it.  Once you're buckled up and comfortable, you're ready to take off.

The guy at the gate (hunched over in the above photo) said that he goes down without braking at all.  Of course, there are signs all over the course that say BRAKE but he says you don't have to.  Admittedly, on my first run, I did brake.  You really pick up speed and some of the curves were sharp.

However, it was so cool that we got on the lift and sledded down again.  This time, I barely braked at all and took a video!!!  Here it is.

I was the first, so at the bottom I hopped out and took a photo of the others coming down.

 

And by the way, I asked the people at the bottom what the "weltrekord" (world record) is for the run.  They replied "well under 4 minutes".  My video is about 3:53, so not too bad!  There's a video on YouTube of a guy on this who "didn't brake" and he took 3:55, so I'm definitely in the neighborhood.

It ended up being almost a perfect day.  Hiking in the morning, sommerrodelbahn in the afternoon, and a leisurely drive home to Munich.  Frau A and I are itching to try more of these summer sledding contraptions!

LEGO at the Zoo

I love animals and I love creative LEGO works. The Bronx Zoo in New York has made the ultimate combination - with its Great Summer Zoofari: A LEGO® Wildlife Expedition.

Julie Larsen Maher ©WCSThe zoo has scattered LEGO sculptures of some of their animals throughout the grounds. For the kids, each one has a stamp that they can collect on their LEGO animal passport (kind of like the little checklist they give you on safari!)

Here's the tiger stalking through some grass.

You can see some of the other pictures at Geekosystem, including flamingoes, a bear, octopus, gorilla, frogs, and others.

In addition to the sculptures, the zoo also has days where you can work with the "LEGO Master Builders" to build sculptures with visitors,a nd little stations for kids to build small animal sculptures.

It's on through 30 September.

For those of us here in Germany, the site has a couple sets of instructions on the Zoo's site showing how to build frogs and fish:

Or we can visit the larger than life giraffe (and other things) at the LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Berlin (at Postdamer Platz). We didn't go inside, but did stop to pose with the giraffe. She's huge!! I'm deciding it's a she based on the lovely eyelashes...

 

Or, even better, LEGOLand Deutschland in Günzburg (90 minutes from Munich or Stuttgart). Wow, I had NO idea this existed! And they run shuttles from the train station, making it incredibly easy for a day trip. From MINILAND (a 1:20 scale model of major European cities) to recreations of scenes from StarWars to roller coasters and shopping....Herr J, when are we going???

Essential Football (Soccer) Training

While we're on the subject of sports, here's an old favorite commercial from the 2004 European Cup days. The "secret video" of an Italian national team training session (not real, of course).

Though Italy dives with more style, this could be almost any team these days!

Munich Zoo - Birds

This is our third photoblog-style post after a visit to the Munich Zoo in June.  First a baby elephant, then lions & bears, and now some birds.

Like a number of zoos, Munich has peacocks and peahens that are free to roam the grounds -- although they prefer to stay in one of the large protected pens.  We photographed them in various states of "dress".  At first, we were surprised to see one perched on a low hanging tree branch... you usually see them on the ground. 

    

We also found them walking around with their plumage simply trailing behind...

And then, of course, the peacocks had to try and impress the ladies.  Out came the full display of color and texture.

In the same area were the Grey Crowned Cranes (Grauhals-Kronenkranich auf Deutsch).

This pair had built a huge nest in the pond, not much more than 10 feet from our viewing spot. We'll have to go back and see what hatches from the eggs. We have no idea what the babies look like!

These guys come from sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the fact that they weren't competing for mates (and that the guy has obviously already found one!), the cranes liked to join in when the male peacocks were showing off, fluffing up their feathers and sounding their loud calls to compete with the peacocks. Gorgeous feathers!

To be honest, I'm not sure if this is an Emu or an Ostrich (the zoo has both), but you'll find him wandering around the field with the llama and some other small animals.

And at the end of the day we have the Great Comorants. Not at all endangered, these diving birds have beautiful feather patterns, which they often show off for us when they dry their wings.  It almost looks fake - very cool.

Comorant mating season also is in full swing, with nesting pairs throughout the exhibit. This guy was determined to ruin a good picture with his bathroom break!  The perils of trying to shoot animals....

Next to the comorants we have the African Pink Pelicans. These most likely are juveniles, as they still have some brown in their feathers.  It's late in the day now, and time for them to sleep after a long day of sunning, preening, and being fed by the zookeepers. Wait, are we back at the lion exhibit???

And finally our burst of sunshine, a Blue and Yellow Macaw snacking on some fruit.

   

Munich Day Trip - Fuschl and the Frauenkopf

In early July, friends of ours from Dallas came to visit!  We had to show them a good time, of course, so we rented a car and drove into the Alps for some early Saturday hiking.

We decided the destination would be Salzburgerland - the state (and general area) around Salzburg, Austria.  It's quite close to Munich (about 90 minutes with clear traffic).

The border between the two countries winds and twists a lot - and in fact from Munich you can be in Austria within 1.5 hours heading either East or South!

 

We continued past Salzburg into an area with many small Alpine lakes.  It's a very popular weekend and vacation spot because you can hike, bike, swim, and sail.  We ended in a town called Fuschl am See (Fuschl on the lake) -- the lake is called Fuschlsee, naturally.  Interesting fact:  Fuschl is the headquarters of Red Bull!

Near the southeastern corner of the lake is the trail head leading to two popular peaks:  the Frauenkopf and Schober.  The Frauenkopf is also called the Frauenstein (they mean "women's head" or "women's stone").  The trail (red dotted line on the map below) is numbered B10 by the Austrian Mountain Association and is rated "black" or difficult.  It departs north and then circles east to the two destinations, marked with crosses.  (I don't know what the third cross is for...)

We decided to only climb to the top of the Frauenkopf rather than do the entire circle (we had something else planned in the afternoon).  Here was the starting point, below, at lake level.  At 9am, the weather was already sunny and warn, and the lake looked inviting (even more so after the hike).

The lake lies at 924m above sea level, and the Frauenkopf sits at 1287m, so we the climb would be over 360m (1180 feet).  For those of us that didn't grow up in the mountains, mountains always look so far away from the valley floor.  "We're going up there?" said one of our guests!

 

Did you notice the sand trap in the above photo?  Yes, Fuschl has a golf course, and the trail goes right through it.

After walking through a field of wildflowers and past the golf course, we reach the woods.  The trees are beautiful, and really keep you out of the sun & cool while starting the tougher part of the trail.  The path itself has countless tree roots sticking up - don't turn an ankle.

We then reached the fun part.... the trail starts snaking up the mountain steeply and is lined with gravel or rocks (in some places it's small rocks, in others gravel sized pebbles).  The Austrian Mountain Association keeps it tidy, though, with maintenance throughout the year.  Almost looks like they were dumped here...

You can see how steep the mountain is from this view - luckily the path is full of switchbacks rather than a walk straight up!

As we climbed higher, we solved the mystery of why (and how) the path was covered with rocks - they're actually natural slides from the material on the exposed peaks breaking off.  Between the steep slope and the sometimes slippery rocks, you have to go relatively slowly. Luckily there are some spectacular views along the way - you can start to see the top, which helps when you're getting tired!

 

As we climb higher, we also get glimpses of the lake below.

 

After a little stop for water and to enjoy the view, we start to head up the "summit". It starts with stairs that have been cut into the slope. These definitely help the ascent, though some of them are quite a tall step up!

It's a little bit of a scramble to reach the last peak, but completely doable. We're rewarded with a gorgeous vista and a rocky ridge covered in scrubby little wildflowers.  (You can see the golf course down below)

It always feels great to finally see the cross that adorns most peaks (even small ones like this).  This also has a plaque saying Frauenkopf, and a stamp that you can use to show you made it.  Frau A and I don't have a "book" but we can imagine locals having many dozens of stamps in theirs.

 

We got a nice photo of Mr. C enjoying the view (nothing like this in Dallas, huh?)...

...and then himself capturing a picture of his lovely wife Mrs. M:

In the end, the linear distance there & back was about 6 1/2 km (a little over 4 miles).  It took us about 2 3/4 hours up, and 1 1/2 hours down.  The only hütte (Alpine hut) was at Schober, and we didn't go there, so there was no place to stop for refreshment on the way as usual!  Tired and hungry, we lunched at a local "wellness" hotel , and then headed on to the afternoon activity... to be posted soon...

It was great to see friends, and there's no better place than in the Alps on a beautiful day.

Next time we'll tackle the Schober (seen here from atop the Frauenkopf)!

Kocherlball

On Sunday, Herr J and I got up early to attend the Kocherlball, one of Munich's many summer festivals.

This one is a little different from the average beer+wurst+crepes+bandstand that is put up in any square, especially because it takes place early in the morning. 6:00-10:00, to be exact. And I HIGHLY recommend you arrive early if you want a seat. By 5am would be best - you won't be the first ones there....plenty of folks will be there early to stake out a prime table, and will enjoy breakfast and conversation by candlelight until the sun rises.

As usual, you are welcome to bring your own food, or to buy various breakfast foods (weißwurst, kaiserschmarrm, bread/cold cuts, various meats, and other sinfully wonderful variations on fried dough). Many groups will cover the beergarden picnic tables with fine table cloths, vases of flowers, and even silver candelabras. The drinks (beer, coffee, etc) you buy from the beergarden.

The point of the festival, however, is dancing.

In the last decade of the 18th century, the cooks and domestic staff met each year early on a summer Sunday morning to dance at the Chinese Tower (in the English Garden). Hence the name loosely translates to "Cooks' Ball" and takes place early in the morning before they had to go back to work. The tradition continued for a century or so, until it was banned in 1904 for being of questionable morality.

The event was revived in 1989 for the 200th anniversary celebrations for the English Garden and it continues today.

In addition to the dining and drinking, they have bands to play traditional music continuously in front of the dance area.

You'll see old and young alike, many in trachten or even older traditional uniforms. Even this sleepy little guy is decked out in his finest Bavarian duds:

And the dancing certainly is nothing scandalous today - it's traditional folk dancing, mainly from the Oberfalz (Upper Palatinate) and Niederbayern (Lower Bavaria) regions...polkas, waltzes, and other traditional dances.  Not that many people actually knew the steps, but everyone still had fun trying something waltz-style or following instructions from the band leader.  Apparently the Münchener Francaise is one of the popular local dances (especially after it was taught for Munich's 850th anniversary).  I'm not sure how there is enough room to do it here, but there are German instructions online if you're curious like me. I can picture a ballroom of men and women in formal trachten, dancing as in old Vienna!

For those who want to learn the dances (or brush up on long-forgotten skills), the Culture Department (das Kulturreferat) of the City of Munich offers free Bavarian folk dancing courses on the three Thursdays leading up to the Kocherlball. Herr J and I did briefly join the fray for a dance or two, but perhaps next year we'll prepare ahead and learn the steps.

Until next year, here's a video of the dancing:
 

A lovely morning at the Chinese Tower!