Upcoming Fun at Schnitzelbahn

So, the David Hasselhoff concert Monday was shockingly fun, surpassing all expectations. And I think we've solved the mystery of his popularity in the German-speaking world!  Alas, it will take days to go through all the video we took...so look forward to a post next week on this:

I've been spending my days navigating the German job market and bureaucracy, trying to get registered for German classes, and all of the usual challenges of living somewhere you don't fully understand the system (or the language). Plus trying to learn Photoshop and more about websites.  Looks like I may have a job in May or June (keep your fingers crossed or your thumbs pressed* that this works out), so it's time to really get started on my unemployment to-do list!

It has been a challenge, but I've been watching German TV and movies.

We're also in the final round of the German Beer Tournament, just in time for March Madness to begin in the US. And look forward to a special Starkbier tasting, as well as some other taste-offs (chocolate, schnapps, etc) and adventures in cooking. I've been doing a lot of Thai cooking lately, including my two favorite dishes - Yam Som-O (Pomelo Salad) and Yam Tua Plu (Wing Bean Salad).

Getting Ready for Starkbierzeit!!

And most notably, Herr J finally made a decision and has a new camera system! I'm still learning to use it, but it was great for taking video at the concert and has these cool art effects on them. Mildly frustrating that his camera automatically does several of the effects I've been trying to learn in Photoshop, but it's worth still learning!

With Lent coming up, Krapfenzeit will end soon - which means Fasching celebrations, followed by Starkbierzeit and then Frühlingsfest. Lots of great things coming soon in Bavaria!

We're headed down to Vienna for the weekend, with plans to see a very special German musical and visit a bar that is a year-round après ski bar. And sample Viennese tortes...yum!

* While an American would "cross my fingers for you," a German will "press the thumb for you." ("Ich drücke dir die Daumen", with the thumb held inside your closed hand).

Skiing in Central Munich

Back in July, we spent a wonderful(ly hot!) day watching Germany crush Argentina in the World Cup. We visited as many venues as possible, and that day chose Siemens Soccer City. Siemens had transformed Wittelsbacherplatz into a beer garden and viewing area for the World Cup¹ matches.

For winter, they did it again....but this time even bigger!    

To coincide with the Alpine Ski World Cup, Siemens built a 40 meter-long (120 feet), 12-meter high (36 feet) ski slope outside their world headquarters, located at Wittelsbacherplatz in Munich.  It's right downtown near the larger Odeonsplatz, next to the Hofgarden and beyond that, the south entrance to the English Garden.

The "ski area" was complete with two "magic carpets" to carry people to the top. Of course there also was the obligatory après ski hut (complete with glühwein, beer, and hearty bavarian food to warm you), and big screen showing the World Cup events. 

 "Magic carpet" ski lift

 
For a little over two weeks, Siemens Snow City was open free to the public. Though you were welcome to bring your own skis and snowboards, sleds were provided for visitors.

According to Siemens' tally, over 50,000 people took a turn down the slope, and over 420 kids participated in free children's ski clinics run by the German Ski Federation. As it was a corporate-sponsored event, there was the usual fanfare....an opening ceremony with children carrying flags of various countries, demonstrations and exhibitions, and the Celebrity Cup race pitting celebrities against Siemens employees to raise money for childrens' charities.

Munich loves sports and the outdoors - cold does not stop Müncheners, it only changes their attire, activities, and beverage choice! This was a fun chance for kids to try out skiing (without the trouble or expense to go to the mountains) and for all the inhabitants to enjoy a taste of winter sports after work or while out shopping. We fit in a few sled runs and a glühwein Saturday before finishing up our shopping before the stores closed for the weekend.

I don't know if it was only tied to World Cups, but I'm hoping Siemens continues putting up these public venues. They do a really impressive job!

poor Elector Maximilian I and his horse are boxed up and hidden from the party!

As you'll see from my spill in the video, it was quite a bumpy ride down!

¹ Known as the "WM" (pronounced "vey-em"), in German lingo. As WM just means World Championship ("Weltmeisterschaft"), you'll hear it attached to multiple sports. For example, we attended the Alpine Ski WM a couple of weeks ago. People usually know which one is going on at the time, so you'll see most headlines or pubs' listing just as "WM" and then the event or teams.

 

Driving in Germany and the US

From our Schnitzelbahn guest blogger, BB:

Recently I was in the United States and after almost 7 years of foreign duty the differences in traffic rules and etiquette between Americans and citizens of the Fatherland began to really take hold. With few exceptions I find that Germans, true to tradition are ardent rule followers in the traffic/auto arena.

Examples:

• After leaving my favorite Berlin Bar (Newton) very late, uh actually it was very early morning, a stranger and I approached a crossing and the pedestrian light changed to red. Not a vehicle was stirring, not even a taxi. I continued on (looking both ways, Mom) but impressively, the German waited for the light to change. Americans would generally dodge cars regardless of signal!
• Waiting at a traffic signal, I realized I was in the wrong lane. I turned on my blinker and the second car on my right just courteously allowed  me to change lanes. Recently in Dallas, with blinker, rolled down window and hand and voice pleadings, I was totally ignored except for the one single finger salute.  And the guy behind me had to have burned out his horn. So I entered the freeway into a colossal traffic jam!

The priority right of way in Germany is pedestrian, bicycle, bus, and auto. I think just the opposite in the US. Of course there are no bicycles except for the greenbelt paths where affluent folks get to show off their kids, flashy gear and expensive foreign made bikes, which is of course accretive to the bike theft industry.

There is one exception and that is taxi drivers who apparently buy off the police and are allowed to break every conceivable traffic rule with impunity.  Illegal U turns, double parking, indiscriminate lane changing, driving on pedestrian malls, speeding, illegal turns, etc. It begs the question if these guys were trained in the US.  But one point in their defense; I can communicate with English and simple German or pidgin German and do just fine with the mix of German and foreign taxi drivers here. Recently in Dallas, the airport cabbie had to call his daughter because he did not understand downtown, tall buildings, courthouse, street names, etc.

In Germany, the caution light is a signal to begin slowing and braking in anticipation of the red light.  In the US it is a signal to beat the clock which contributes to an inordinate rate of serious accidents. (I lost two friends to this ignorant attitude!)  And I like the German caution light on the green change as well. It just adds a modicum of attention, civility and order to this dangerous environment.

Germans are generally intolerant of mistakes and disregard for the rules, but it is because they generally follow them!  Ironically, my observance of the German traffic rules and laws, have served to make me a worse driver in the States.  I guess it is the fact that I cannot expect 90% of other drivers to be observant and careful.

Another incalculable benefit of the German system is safety inspections. I now drive a 12 year old Mazda that sounds like a singer sewing machine and drives like well, a 12 year old well-maintained Mazda. The point is-- one rarely sees a clunker. They just are not tolerated.

Driving in Germany is a privilege and an expensive one at that. Generally it is +- €1200 to obtain a license at the age of 18. In the US it is a rite of passage at age 16. A recent statistic was that 65% of high school juniors and seniors drive cars to school in the US vs. less than 2% in Germany.  I know, I know it’s all about public transportation.  No it’s not damnit. It’s about cost, responsibility, privilege, affluence, expectations, values and OK, parking!!

Alright, I also realize I am a pre boomer ’43, and all four of my kids had cars in HS, and I had one at 15. Would I do it all over again? I’m not so sure knowing what I know now.  I am not becoming a socialist, perhaps just more of a realist.  If I survive another 20 years, I will be interested in rockers and walkers and perhaps wear a bib. I just want most of the world to get to that point.

Our Valentine's Day Tradition

Bears & Friends Gelatine-free Heart Mix

Herr J started a tradition last year of taking me to an unusual event for Valentine's weekend. So far, he's two for two in successful, unusual events.

Last year we went to the GOP. No, not a conservative convention....the GOP Varieté in Munich. It's a German variety show and dinner theatre, full of acrobatic, comedy, and other talent acts. Luckily, the man next to us was pulled up onto stage - I'm not sure how I would have done that without being able to communicate well! The acrobats on the long strips of cloth were my favorite, along with a very unique juggling act by the very talented Abddi the Master Juggler.

This year, Herr J arranged a full Valentine's weekend of new and different activities, including a mystery concert on Saturday night. He wouldn't tell me what it was, and said it was impossible to guess because it was so odd. He was correct, but it also was good.

We kicked off Valentine's weekend with a Cuban-Bavarian Folk fusion band. Really. It's shocking, but the two styles can blend well. The Cuban percussion and rhythms add somethign to the Bavarian style, and some of the yodeling type sounds work well in a Cuban style.  Their sax/clarinet player was really somethign special - he played both soprano and what we think was a bass saxaphone. Though I did have some moments of painful Kenny G flashbacks during a couple of his solos. Maybe it was the recent Superbowl commercial, maybe he was just that good. Though I wanted Cuban music, not muzak!

This band seems to have a pretty wide following here, as they sold out a suburban community center with over 500 seats (by our rough count). Die Cuba Boarischen ("Boarisch" is slang for Bavarian) travels to Cuba for a few weeks per year, exchanging culture and music, and gaining inspiration. They have a pretty extensive tour around Germany, too.

Here's one of their songs, blending two Cuban and Bavarian songs about the train, switching between styles and languages:

On Sunday we took a short train trip into the mountains for a completely different experience, followed up on Monday (actually Valentine's Day) with a fabulous dinner. More about those tomorrow!

Milestones in Language Learning

There are certain milestones in learning a language, those moments when you feel “wow, I can communicate!” They’re particularly sweet, buried amongst all the other failures and inabilities to express yourself.

People say you have truly learned when you dream in the language. But before that we have:

• When you successfully argue with the telephone/utility companies
• When you can give directions to someone who asks you on the street
• Making small talk with strangers
• When you can help someone who asks for help

Normally, I have trouble understanding random questions from strangers  - I need context to understand, so something out of the blue can be difficult. Today, a sweet little old lady asked me in the grocery store to help her read the expiration date on a loaf of bread. She had forgotten her reading glasses. I read the date, which was yesterday’s date (odd in a German store!), and we both said that was too old. Then I looked for another loaf that was good for another week. It usually feels good to be able to help someone. It felt GREAT to finally be able to do it in German.

Why I Must Watch More TV

I find myself in a very strange situation these days. For the first time in life, I am trying to force myself to watch more television.  My goal is to get in several hours a day. It's surprisingly hard.

I’ve watched relatively little TV here, partly because my German has been too poor to understand the local TV and partly because much German TV is just American series dubbed in German. Once you've become used to an actor’s voice, it’s very distracting to watch them with a strange German voice attached!

But now I must watch more TV and movies, to improve my German.  Luckily, my cable box has an integrated DVR, so I accomplished Step One weeks ago…programming some German shows to watch. The Step Two of actually watching them has been more difficult.

So, I’m beginning with what was a 2 week nightly German event – "Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier aus!", Germany’s version of the British show "I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!"…and then moving on to some other classics such as "Bauer Sucht Frau" (the dating show “Farmer seeks Woman”), and Doctor’s Diary, a prime time soap with the slogan “Men are the Best Medicine.”

And of course, there are a couple of disaster movies, with this week's premiere of the long-awaited miniseries Hindenburg.

Look forward to some posts from the couch…

German Beer Wars - Kristallklar Weissbier

This was a new one for us...the Weissbier Kristal type. Basically, it's a wheat beer that is then filtered to remove the yeast and other sediment. We had no idea what to expect, but it sounded good to me. Looks like a light beer, tastes like a wheat beer...at least that was my guess. 

The Unertl was not a beer we knew, and it was definitely not a Kristall Weissbier. It was, however, very unusual. But in a good way. You can see how dark it is in the picture below, and I was expecting it would not taste like a Weissbier. It was much darker than the Dunkles Weissbiers we had tried. The taste, however, blended together the good spices of a dunkelbier and the sweet yeasty taste of a weissbier.

Unertl is a brewery in Haag, which is about 45 minutes due east of Munich. They've been brewing weissbier since the early 20th century, which makes them a very young brewery in comparision to others. In addition to a few varieties of weissbier, they make bierschnapps, which I think are exactly as it sounds. This could be a good afternoon excursion in the spring!

Then we have the Franziskaner Kristallklar - so clear you can read the "Weiss" on the label through the beer!

The Franziskaner was very good - light and crisp, with the light taste of weissbier. But the Unertl was so different and tasty that we had to give it the win.

We paired these with a delicious Asian dinner...miso-glazed salmon, pork dumplings, and cocktail shrimp with spicy Thai seafood sauce. Yum!

After tasting the Franziskaner we thought all of the Kristallklars would taste the same. Erdinger and Paulaner proved us wrong...The Erdinger tasted more like a sweetened Pils. It just was a little odd...the hops didn't seem to belong in a weissbier, let alone a filtered one.

The Paulaner Weissbier Kristallklar blew us away...it was great. It wasn't too sweet, but had a great tangy flavor with the spices and sparkle of a weissbier and the lightness and clarity of a helles. Great beer!

The Unertl - Paulaner matchup was a tough one...they were both truly excellent beers, but so different that it came down to a matter of taste. We just really enjoyed drinking the Paulaner Kristallklar, and so it goes on to the Sweet Sixteen, Paulaner's third berth so far! (Paulaner Salvator and Paulaner Original Münchener Dunkel will meet in the Dunkel regional semifinals, guaranteeing Paulaner at least one spot in the Elite Eight).

Two new great beers discovered...a good night's work!