Valentine's Weekend Part II - World Cup Skiing

We've been trying to make the most of living in Germany by trying new activities and sampling different aspects of the culture, not just the beer. 

After kicking off Valentine's weekend with a surprisingly fun Cuban - Bavarian fusion concert, Herr J took me down to Garmisch (Garmisch-Partenkirchen) on Sunday for the Women's Downhill event of the World Cup of Alpine Skiing. 

Despite a few previous ski trips with friends in Colorado (in which I stuck to the green slopes and more enjoyed the hot tub and après ski activities than the skiing), I only learned to ski last year. And I'm hooked. But, I'll never be a fast or aggressive skiier...I'm just happy to enjoy the skiing and the gorgeous views. 

But this was a great new experience - I think I'd even watch it on TV now! 

We decided to take an early train down to Garmisch, thinking we would beat the crowd on the train that arrived before the event. While we were there in time to get seats, we forgot that most of the Germans would go down a couple hours early - either to ensure being on time, or to enjoy the festivities before the event start. 

Unlike many events I've attended, this one was amazingly well-planned. They had shuttle buses ready at the train station to take people to the slopes. Let me be clear....they had many buses, enough to actually carry everyone there who had arrived on the train. Event planners in Germany do a great job with huge events, though I guess 200 years of Oktoberfest has taught them many lessons in logistics and crowds!

There were various entertainers and bands along the path to the venue, giving it a very festive atmosphere:

 Percussion Band Using Ski Equipment as Instruments    

 

  

The "bouncers" were a great idea! Very clever to distinguish security and make them fun. At the same time, being on stilts gave them a view above the crowd to see better (and be seen). 

We had some time before the event began, and started the morning with some coffee and baguette pizza, listening to the band. These guys were fascinating...I wish I'd brought the camera with video because it's so hard to describe. They had a pretty good bass player and a very large band. Though I just can't understand how (or why) they turned Sweet Home Alabama into a reggae song. They were fun - playing a range of 80s, Oktoberfest/après ski songs, American classics, and a lot of AC/DC. They weren't bad on AC/DC, but You Shook Me All Night Long just doesn't sound right at medium volume...it needs to be just on the border of too loud!

As with most events in Germany, there was a new model car on display, this time Audi's A1. It would be a great city car, and the interior was colorful and reminded me of a Mini Cooper.

The actual viewing area turned out to be a really great venue. Obviously you can't see the entire downhill course from the stands, so it's shown on big screens as the skiiers progress through the course. The great part about watching the screen is that we see their times and how they compare to the leader at each gate. Then we see them come down through the finish line. So, it's the best of both live and TV viewing!  

Lindsey Vonn (USA), 2nd place 

Stacey Cook (USA)  

Lara Gut (Switzerland)  

Tina Maze (Slovenia)    

Macarena Simari Birkner (Argentina)

(I loved Team Argentina's colorful, whimsical uniforms. They remind me a little of the crazy Japanese pop art style wallpaper on Windows 7!)

The announcers were great - they seamlessly switched between German, English, and French. And the music guy had a pretty odd sense of humor. They tried to match the music to the skiier, but sometimes had to just fall back on national stereotypes that weren't quite right. For Argentina's Macarena Simari-Birkner, obviously they played the Macarena (and asked the crowd to dance along!). For her sister Maria Belen Simari-Birkner, somehow they decided to play the Ketchup Song. I guess it was the next Spanish song that tried to gain the popularity of the Macarena, but it was a stretch! For Lindsey Vonn, they played the Mission Impossible Theme; for one of the Swiss competitors, they played a yodeling song about Heidi.  

Regina Mader (Austria)

Not surprisingly, the winner was an Austrian - Elisabeth Goergl. But we were thrilled to see American Lindsey Voss take the silver, ahead of Germany's favorite Maria Riesch. She had quite a large cheering section and seemed to know the course well (she looked so much more comfortable with it than anyone else).

If you've ever skiied in Austria, then you understand why we expect an Austrian to win. At least based on the 10 year olds who are whizzing down the mountain in perfect, effortless form. By the time they're in their 40s, they're bored with the skiing and are the ones you see skiing down a black backwards, or linking together endless chains of 360°s down the slope. Maybe it's nature, maybe it's nurture...but they're just good.

Unfortunately the Men's Downhill training session was cancelled due to poor conditions. However, we warmed up with Glühwein and then amused ourselves in the Milka pavilion. Milka (known as the chocolate with the purple cow) sponsors a team of European skiiers, including Germany's Maria Riesch. For this event, they had a pavilion with a giant inflatable purple cow, and games. There were 5 stations of winter inspired games. We first decided to play the snowball toss (throw foam balls through a target, with a speedometer showing how fast you threw) after Herr J commented that no one seemed to know how to throw a ball here. That's somewhat true, as European sports involve fancy footwork, not throwing. So, most European boys do not grow up knowing how to throw a baseball. However, by age 5 they blow away the typical American kid with their soccer ball tricks. So, I told him he needed to show how it was done. He was impressive, throwing one 85 km/h. (these are soft foam balls, not baseballs) directly through the target. Once I realized they were giving out chocolate to all participants, I decided I would gladly risk public humiliation if choclate was the reward. I got in 2 or 3, so I guess those high school softball days did have a benefit!

 Fresh melted Milka chocolate!!Of course, we played the other games to get chocolate as well....a video ski simulator, a timed word game matching up words to a yodel, and an old fashioned "video game" where you lead a probe through a winding path and try not to touch the sides.

Plus, it was another lovely day in the mountains! 

The Summer in Munich

I'm chomping at the bit for our upcoming vacation - we haven't taken time off in over 6 months.  But despite the lack of a real holiday, this past Summer was great.  Munich has a lot to offer and it doesn't take extraordinary measures to take advantage of it.  The Alps are only 90 minutes away, the Isar river runs right through the city (and lakes are not far either), plus there are a continuous stream of local events and fairs.   NOTE:  I've exchanged emails with a lot of you recently after you visited this site -- if you come visit I'll really set up some great things to do and see!

Some summer highlights...

Spring Skiing

OK, so it's not actually summertime, but on March 20 we went to Austria for a day of skiing.  Our last ski-day of the season, although you can ski on glaciers much later.  In the photo you can see an instructor with a student in the foreground, an Alpine hut on the left (ski right up to it and get some schnitzel and mulled wine), and a gorgeous backdrop of Tirolean peaks.  A good ramp down to Winter and transition to warmer weather.

Bayern Munich Soccer Games

In the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich is basically the New York Yankees.  They have the highest payroll, most stars, a beautiful stadium, plus long & rich tradition and the most championships in history.  And like the Yankees, fans love 'em or hate 'em.  This photo is an action-shot of a corner kick at the Allianz Arena... in between sips of beer and bites of bratwurst.  Bayern beat Bochum 3-1.

The World Cup

Bayern Munich has its fanatics and haters, but when the German National Team plays, everyone goes bonkers rooting them on.  The best option to see the World Cup games is outdoors in the biergartens, where they put up big screens and speakers for every game.  The atmosphere is an interesting combination of energy and relaxation.  This photo is the large Augustiner Biergarten, not far from the main train station, where we watched the the U.S. and Ghana.

            

Canoeing on the Isar

When the weather got really hot, we took a canoe down the Isar river.  It is so easy here:  get on a train for 45 minutes to a town upstream, walk to the launch point, and push off.  Some people bring inflatable rafts on the train, others rent a canoe (and owners put it on a trailer to take it back).  We stopped for a swim and lunch, and finally "landed" around 4pm.

 

Hiking in the Alps

Two hikes stood out this summer.  The first was through a river-gorge near Garmisch, the Partnachklamm.  This is especially nice because you take the train south and avoid traffic, and it's different that a "to-the-top" trail.  The second was up to a small peak called Breitenstein.  Great weather for both outings, and there are always huts along the way serving food and drink.

        

Fairs and Street Festivals

It's good practice for Oktoberfest that Munich has summer fairs and street events.  Here, you see the devotion to grilled wurst - over real charcoal.  The second is in this post for a different reason... it looks like a typical carnival ride, but check out the background graphic.  Not exactly NSFW, but shows you the tolerance Germans have for, um, exposure, at a family-oriented activity!

              

Schnitzelbahn

This summer also marked the start of this web site, and the beginning of our beer tournament.  This picture shows the collection of 64 German beers for the tournament.  A labor of love.  Thanks for visiting!