Monday, August 20, 2007
Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland
So, with my year in Germany now over, it's time to bring the blog to a conclusion.
My plan is to return there after I graduate, it's such a great country with amazing people. So for now it's Auf Wiedersehen Germany - but I don't think it'll be too long until I'm back there again.
I have had an amazing year, though it hasn't always been easy - I've had highs and lows; both of which I will gain from as a person.
The challenges started the moment my plane touched down in Nuremberg, as I started having to get used to the language. A week or so later I had trouble with my knee which necessitated a visit to the doctor (another struggle with my basic German). Soon after that there was suspected appendicitis and of course all this whilst being tested in my first real full time job at one of the largest companies in the world.
Nothing hit me harder, however, than the loss of my beloved Grandad in February, and shortly afterwards I lost my dear Great Aunt as well. In a small family like ours these were very difficult times and it was particularly upsetting to be away from home - unable to comfort my family and to receive support myself.
I miss them both very much but I know they would be very proud of my achievements over the year.
I managed to adjust to the changes in culture and lifestyle, and do a good job for Siemens at the same time - my reference that I was given on completing my placement being testimony to that. I have learnt a great deal from some very good professionals and will take my new knowledge back to university with me as I embark on my final year.
As far as the language is concerned I did pretty well too, I worked hard after work at night school and got myself a recognised certificate to show for it. I also went and learnt the basics of swimming, something I had always wanted to do. I saw parts of the world in trips to a few different countries, even going skiing - another new experience for me! The visits from my family and from my best friends were also real high points which I won't forget in a hurry. There are so many good times I really can't list them all here, but it will be good to look back over the blog in the future to remind myself of the fun I had and the experience I gained.
More than anything it was the people I met over in Erlangen that made the experience what it was. I can't name them all but they know who they are and I hope we can all meet up again in the future to catch up and reminisce about our time in Germany.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
The family come to take me home
On the 22nd of July 2007 the final chapter of my Germanic adventure was written as, after a long drive from Blighty my parents and brother arrived in Erlangen to take me home. But not before a bit of a holiday as we first ventured South on the Romantische Strasse (romantic road) to see real Bavaria and its bounteous wonders.
The family stayed in Erlangen for the a couple of nights to get sorted and give dad a bit of a rest after an epic journey. We spent one evening at my former boss Andy's house to which we had been very kindly invited for dinner and where we had a delicious meal of barbequed salmon.
On the 25th we set off towards the alps via a couple of stunning locations, the first stop being picturesque Dinkelsbuhl (above pics). We stayed in a guesthouse belonging to a lovely old lady just outside of the town centre. The houses were all in the typical Bavarian style, high pointed roofs and pastel coloured exteriors. There were a lot of tourists milling around but it was very quaint and we enjoyed our stay there very much.
On the following day we had a coffee in the pretty town of Nordlingen (above) before we headed further south into the mountainous region of Allgau where the Alps begin. Our destination was Fuessen but we stayed just down the road from there in a stunning chalet overlooking the lake Hopfensee. The still expanse of water against the backdrop of mountains with the sun gleaming down was nothing short of breathtaking - truly idyllic.
We stayed there for two nights, enjoying the restaurants on the lake and the scenery. Ian and I spend one afternoon lazily cruising the lake on a pedalo.
We visited the nearby Neuschwanstein Castle, the famous fairytale style castle built by King Ludwig II (below). Once you had found your way up into the hills where the castle lies (we took the shuttle bus) and have fought through the masses of Japanese tourists the views are amazing and the castle itself awesome.
The town of Fussen itself is also worth a visit. The river which runs through has been turned a bright turquoise because of minerals in the earth and is a wonder to behold. The entire area is almost too beautiful to be true.
The next port of call on our adventure was Lindau (below pic), a popular tourist resort on the banks of the Bodensee (also known as Lake Constance), a massive expanse of water which sits between Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Lindau was actually so popular that there was no accommodation for us, though after a brief panic we found a hotel not too far away in Kressbronn where we had a nice meal served by an eccentric waiter who addressed us in a strange mixture of 3 or 4 languages and after the meal we walked a little along the water's edge. The following day we returned to Erlangen for a few days, where I took the chance to say a final farewell to my friends. We had a really nice dinner at Magda's house with her family which was ok as they all speak pretty perfect English, albeit with a bit of an American accent.
Avid blog followers will remember that I have been to Nuremburg with the parents previously way back in September but as it was my first visit there at the time and there was a BMX rally going on in the centre that day we didn't get to see much. This time was a lot better as Iwas able to give the folks a bit of a tour of Nuremberg city centre. We headed up to the Burg (Castle) for a view out across the city (above) before eating a traditional bratwurst and sauerkraut lunch at the famous Bratwursthauesle (below). 
On the morning of the 3rd of August I said an emotional goodbye to Magda and we began to travel north along the Rhein. Rather than rushing to make it all the way to Rotterdam in one day we stayed over in Rudesheim, a lovely little holiday town on the banks of the river. The tourist information lady was really nice and sorted us out a good B&B right in the centre of town, just off the main promenade. The Rheinland is very much wine country - even the guesthouse we stayed in was also a winery. There was a cable car which took us up over vineyards to the large monument overlooking the town (below) - an amazing view. Mum referred to the place as German Blackpool and there were a few similarities - the nightlife in the little place was pretty lively - all the old folks jigging about to lederhosen clad brass bands - uber German.
Ater a last continental breakfast (we'd had so many I was could barely eat another slice of salami first thing and would have given my right arm for a Weetabix) we made our way towards Rotterdam to catch the ferry which would take us back to good ol' Blighty. We made good time and arrived at the docks a while before the ship was due to depart. We settled into our cupboard of a cabin and my bemusement at the lack of beds for Ian and myself was alleviated when he pulled our bunks down from a comaprtment in the roof! Once freshened up we headed to the massive on board restaurant where Dad had booked us meals at the all you can eat, multi-course, extravaganza of a buffet. We did it proper justice, I enjoyed six different courses, all of which were delicious. I was most impressed. We washed it down with a drink in one of the bars onboard before hitting our vibrating beds for some kip whilst the ship sailed across towards the English east coast.
We were rudely awoken at 6.30 by an announcement into the cabin that breakfast was ready. A look out of the window showed that we were already preparing to dock at Hull.
We enjoyed the restaurant again, where I was able to swap cheese and ham for baked beans and bacon - result! I was home!
The journey from Hull to Liverpool down the M62 didn't take too long and it was very strange to see the English signs and be on the left hand side of the road. It was time for me to start adjusting back to the English way of life.
It was a long trip but the way we did it made it a really enjoyable holiday as well. It was great to spend time with the family again after so long and I'm really greatful that they spent the time and money in coming to get me - Thank you family!
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Boys in Bavaria!
Perfectly timed to celebrate the end of my placement, three of my oldest and bestest friends arrived in Bavaria for a visit. I met Chris, Dave and Parso (the same guys that came over for my birthday and the musketeers to my D'Artagnan) at the airport around midday on the Saturday and we immediately picked up out rental car to set off on a bit of a German adventure.
We took advantage of the lack of a speed limit on the Autobahn (though by no means in a reckless fashion) and headed south to Munich which we reached around dinner time. We found our hostel after a bit of mission through the city centre, threw our bags in the room and hit the town.
We had a bit of traditional southern fare (pork neck steaks, schnitzel etc) at a nice beer garden before grabbing a tram to the heart of Munich. We stopped at a few cafes to enjoy a Wheat beer in the evening sun before working our way to the Munich Hofbrauhaus - probably the most famous pub in Germany.
The place was full of drunk Americans which slightly removed the traditional bavarian feel for which Munich is known, though we soon forgot about the rowdy fools when the waiter brought over our litre glasses of dunkles Bier - similar to olde style ale.
We made a final stop to a little pub over the road where the atmosphere was much more relaxed and then got on the underground to Kultfabrik.
Kultfabrik is a sort of industrial estate just outside of the centre where the youth of Munich convene to party! There are a multitute of bars to cater for all tastes and each one we visited had an uber party atmosphere. We had a great laugh until the early hours before managing to find a taxi back to the hostel.
A bit worse for wear but not wanting to waste the day we got up reasonably early and made the short trip across town to the Olympia Park, which hosted the 1972 Olympics, where the famous Olympia Stadion is to be found. The former home of Bayern Munich and the scene of England's famous 5-1 victory over ze Germans in a World Cup 2002 qualifier!
It was the perfect place to chill out on the day after the night before, as we took a stroll around the grounds and took a pedallo ride across the Olympic lake; all in blazing sunshine as the the temperature hit 38 degrees.
As the sun began to ease in the late afternoon we got going to our next destination - the picturesque town of Regensburg.
Regensburg was a stark contrast to the metropolis of Munich - with its bohemian and roman influences the small town on the Danube is not your typical Bavarian town. The dominating cathedral (above) and famous bridge are particularly cool. Captain Fish, our mascot and the coolest otter of all time certainly approved (see below)
We found the hostel and managed to get ourselves a room before heading for a bite to eat and trying to find a bit or nightlife - not as easy as it was in Munich! We eventually found what look like a decent backstreet pub and strolled in and ordered a beer. After a sip or two we took in the decor. A disco ball in the corner, dodgy lighting, a picture of Freddy Mercury in leather on the wall and the male bar staff looking more than just good friends. At the same time Parso and I turned with a look of realisation and shock to one another and Chris began to down his drink. Indeed we had stumbled into Regensburg's only gay pub.
A good five minutes later Dave 'Sherlock Holmes' Johnson who had been enjoying his pint of Weizen cautiously whispered to us that he suspected the place may be a gay bar!
By no means homophobic but feeling slightly out of place we had another swift beer and made a move, rescuing Dave from the old queen who had taken a fancy to him at the bar. An experience to say the least. We then headed to a more traditional nightspot for a nightcap and hit the hay after a long day.
We had planned to head to Ingolstadt for the final day of the adventure but after a ring ahead to find accommodation bore no fruit we opted to stay in Regensburg and have a boozy day in the beer gardens. We lazed around from pub to pub, stopping inbetween for a tasty bit of grub at a restaraunt in the town square. We tried all kinds of weird and wonderful beers on our little pub crawl, including oat beer, alte liebe Bier (Old Love Beer) and a range of dark and light wheat beers. Bavaria at its best!
We awoke the next day to find a parking ticket on our rented tour mobile but that did not dampen the spirits as we headed back to Erlangen after a few days on the road. On arrival we headed to Nuremberg where we looked at the old Nazi Rally Grounds. Even though I have done it a number of times it is still a little mind blowing to stand where Hitler once addressed thousands of people, I think the boys found it a moving experience too.
Afterwards we met up with Norman for lunch at a small place in the countryside which surrounds Erlangen and tucked into to some hearty meat dishes. Pure bliss.
The plan was to book the boys into the Erlangen youth hostel for the night but unfortunately this wasn't possible due to a party of 70 they were receiving! This was most uncool.
Norman the uber legend managed to organise a room for Chris and Parso at the guest house my parents had stayed at previously, whilst Dave was forced to sleep on my room floor.
In the evening we took on the Wheelers Pub Quiz: a prize which had evaded me for the entire year. I'd never had my boys with me before though! Under our usual moniker of 'The B Sharps' we brought the knowledge we have gained over years of pub quizzing at The Wellington in Prescot to the international arena. It turned out that all those trips to the local had not been in vain as we took first prize, a monumental achievement which we celebrated with vigour. Credit must also go to my lovely girlfriend (see below post), an honorary B Sharp for the night, who played a crucial role in helping us win the prize.
The final day was spent relaxing / recovering after an awesome few days. I'm so grateful to the boys for coming over, I believe they had a ball as well. I was sad to drop them off at the airport, though I'm looking forward to seeing them again very shortly back on the old stomping ground of Prescot. Time to rack up a few more pub quiz victories eh lads?
We took advantage of the lack of a speed limit on the Autobahn (though by no means in a reckless fashion) and headed south to Munich which we reached around dinner time. We found our hostel after a bit of mission through the city centre, threw our bags in the room and hit the town.
We had a bit of traditional southern fare (pork neck steaks, schnitzel etc) at a nice beer garden before grabbing a tram to the heart of Munich. We stopped at a few cafes to enjoy a Wheat beer in the evening sun before working our way to the Munich Hofbrauhaus - probably the most famous pub in Germany.
The place was full of drunk Americans which slightly removed the traditional bavarian feel for which Munich is known, though we soon forgot about the rowdy fools when the waiter brought over our litre glasses of dunkles Bier - similar to olde style ale.
We made a final stop to a little pub over the road where the atmosphere was much more relaxed and then got on the underground to Kultfabrik.
Kultfabrik is a sort of industrial estate just outside of the centre where the youth of Munich convene to party! There are a multitute of bars to cater for all tastes and each one we visited had an uber party atmosphere. We had a great laugh until the early hours before managing to find a taxi back to the hostel.A bit worse for wear but not wanting to waste the day we got up reasonably early and made the short trip across town to the Olympia Park, which hosted the 1972 Olympics, where the famous Olympia Stadion is to be found. The former home of Bayern Munich and the scene of England's famous 5-1 victory over ze Germans in a World Cup 2002 qualifier!
It was the perfect place to chill out on the day after the night before, as we took a stroll around the grounds and took a pedallo ride across the Olympic lake; all in blazing sunshine as the the temperature hit 38 degrees.
As the sun began to ease in the late afternoon we got going to our next destination - the picturesque town of Regensburg.
Regensburg was a stark contrast to the metropolis of Munich - with its bohemian and roman influences the small town on the Danube is not your typical Bavarian town. The dominating cathedral (above) and famous bridge are particularly cool. Captain Fish, our mascot and the coolest otter of all time certainly approved (see below)
We found the hostel and managed to get ourselves a room before heading for a bite to eat and trying to find a bit or nightlife - not as easy as it was in Munich! We eventually found what look like a decent backstreet pub and strolled in and ordered a beer. After a sip or two we took in the decor. A disco ball in the corner, dodgy lighting, a picture of Freddy Mercury in leather on the wall and the male bar staff looking more than just good friends. At the same time Parso and I turned with a look of realisation and shock to one another and Chris began to down his drink. Indeed we had stumbled into Regensburg's only gay pub.A good five minutes later Dave 'Sherlock Holmes' Johnson who had been enjoying his pint of Weizen cautiously whispered to us that he suspected the place may be a gay bar!
By no means homophobic but feeling slightly out of place we had another swift beer and made a move, rescuing Dave from the old queen who had taken a fancy to him at the bar. An experience to say the least. We then headed to a more traditional nightspot for a nightcap and hit the hay after a long day.
We had planned to head to Ingolstadt for the final day of the adventure but after a ring ahead to find accommodation bore no fruit we opted to stay in Regensburg and have a boozy day in the beer gardens. We lazed around from pub to pub, stopping inbetween for a tasty bit of grub at a restaraunt in the town square. We tried all kinds of weird and wonderful beers on our little pub crawl, including oat beer, alte liebe Bier (Old Love Beer) and a range of dark and light wheat beers. Bavaria at its best!
We awoke the next day to find a parking ticket on our rented tour mobile but that did not dampen the spirits as we headed back to Erlangen after a few days on the road. On arrival we headed to Nuremberg where we looked at the old Nazi Rally Grounds. Even though I have done it a number of times it is still a little mind blowing to stand where Hitler once addressed thousands of people, I think the boys found it a moving experience too.
Afterwards we met up with Norman for lunch at a small place in the countryside which surrounds Erlangen and tucked into to some hearty meat dishes. Pure bliss.The plan was to book the boys into the Erlangen youth hostel for the night but unfortunately this wasn't possible due to a party of 70 they were receiving! This was most uncool.
Norman the uber legend managed to organise a room for Chris and Parso at the guest house my parents had stayed at previously, whilst Dave was forced to sleep on my room floor.
In the evening we took on the Wheelers Pub Quiz: a prize which had evaded me for the entire year. I'd never had my boys with me before though! Under our usual moniker of 'The B Sharps' we brought the knowledge we have gained over years of pub quizzing at The Wellington in Prescot to the international arena. It turned out that all those trips to the local had not been in vain as we took first prize, a monumental achievement which we celebrated with vigour. Credit must also go to my lovely girlfriend (see below post), an honorary B Sharp for the night, who played a crucial role in helping us win the prize.
The final day was spent relaxing / recovering after an awesome few days. I'm so grateful to the boys for coming over, I believe they had a ball as well. I was sad to drop them off at the airport, though I'm looking forward to seeing them again very shortly back on the old stomping ground of Prescot. Time to rack up a few more pub quiz victories eh lads?
My new Fraulein
One of the reasons I haven't been as quick on the draw with my Blog Posts as I have been previously is because I have been spending a lot of time with the new lady in my life - Miss Magdalena Muller.
I was introduced to Magda through Norman and have been going out with her now for just a month. I am aware that my timing is as impeccable as ever, having had the whole year to meet a German lady I find one at the end of my placement, though it has been the icing on the cake to an amazing year.
She's already booked her flight to England to see me in September, so we'll take it from there!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Finishing at Siemens
On Friday the 13th of July I finished my contract with Siemens and in doing so completed my placement year!
It's been an amazing experience working for such a huge company with some great professionals and the glowing reference I got along with the contacts I have made will stand me in good stead for the rest of my career.
I've spent most of my time in Germany with the guys in the office, being with them for at least 8 hours (and usually more) nearly every day. To mark my leaving we all had a drink and my supervisor Andy and colleague Katrin said some nice words - it's a great that my hard work has been appreciated. I got some cool gifts too - new tennis shoes, a great of beer and a german food package - almost makes all the overtime worthwhile!
It's been an amazing experience working for such a huge company with some great professionals and the glowing reference I got along with the contacts I have made will stand me in good stead for the rest of my career.
I've spent most of my time in Germany with the guys in the office, being with them for at least 8 hours (and usually more) nearly every day. To mark my leaving we all had a drink and my supervisor Andy and colleague Katrin said some nice words - it's a great that my hard work has been appreciated. I got some cool gifts too - new tennis shoes, a great of beer and a german food package - almost makes all the overtime worthwhile!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Coming up!
Indeed my placement with Siemens has now finished, but fear not!
The blog has a few more gems to offer with my upcoming report on the visit from my best buddies and our little travels in Bavaria.
Just as soon as they send the pictures :)
Der uber Mike x
The blog has a few more gems to offer with my upcoming report on the visit from my best buddies and our little travels in Bavaria.
Just as soon as they send the pictures :)
Der uber Mike x
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Schlossfest
The Schlossfest is the highlight of the Erlangen social calendar. Taking place in the beautiful Schlossgarten the event is held by the university and is attended by all of Erlangen's high-flyers - the Siemens executives, politicians and of course Michael James Stuart esq.
Norman managed to wangle us tickets-a feat in itself considering my boss has been trying to get one for years and never managed it. About ten of us donned our glad rags for a night of sophisticated merriment - ballroom style dancing and a magical firework display.
A guest of particular note was my successor Alex (below pic, far left) who has just arrived to learn the ropes before I finish my contract on Friday. It was a great chance for him to meet the gang and experience the Erlangen social scene - though of course this was a bit different to our usual social gatherings.
A fun night was had by all and it was a pleasant change to feel like an upper class rogue for once.Saturday, June 30, 2007
Berlin
This weekend I made the long trip north to the German capital of Berlin. It is a city I have always wanted to see, famed for its vibrancy and party atmosphere as well of course for its political histroy. Our group of six left on lunchtime on Friday and took the super comfortable, super quick ICE Express train. We arrived in Berlin at around tea time and checked into our apartment. Which was awesome.
Spacious, with 3 bedrooms, a living room with TV and sound system, a kitchen/dining room and a bathroom with a tub big enough for all of us. It was luxury accomodation at a reasonable price. One of the things that struck me most about Berlin was how cheap everything was. I say cheap, I mean everything was a reasonable price - not like in other capital cities, particularly London, where everything is extortionate.
On the Friday evening we got the U-Bahn (underground) into the centre which only took about 10 minutes and surfaced from the station to be met by Berlin's most iconic landmark - Das Brandenburger Tor. It is a symbol of freedom now the wall has fallen, though the goddess of victory atop the gate has also seen times of great struggle - when you walk beneath the acropolis-like structure you are following in the footsteps of Napoleon and the Nazis - sobering stuff.
Just down the road is the relatively new monument dedicated to those whose lives were taken during the Holocaust. It is a large section of metal pillars, slightly resembling the Giant's Causeway. The paths between the pillars act as a maze in which one can get lost very easily, and where the high metal cubes create a claustrophobic atmosphere. The idea is to give the visitor a mild sense of the panic felt by those who suffered - it is effective and emotional.
We had dinner at a nearby steakhouse which was incredible and then walked past the British Embassy to Potsdamer Platz. This famous section was wasteland after WW2 and during the cold wall though has been turned into a centre of hustle, bustle and commerce since the fall of the Wall. Part of the wall still stands here as a reminder of harder times.
Postdamer Platz is home to the incredible Sony Centre complex - a collection of trendy shops, bars and restaraunts housed under a breathtaking illuminated roof which changes colour, varying from garish violet to electric blue.
Now getting late, we strolled to the 'House of 100 Biers' for a nightcap. (Above pic of Arnold, Norm and Ian). As the name of the bar would suggest they have an extensive selection of beer from all over the world. I opted to try some local brew, ordering a 'Bock' version of the local 'Berliner Kindl' beer. I know Bock beer is usually stronger than your average bevvy but this cheeky fellow was 7%vol. After a bottle or two and a tiring day I was ready for my bed.
We arose early-ish on Saturday to make the most of the day and popped to the Cafe over the road for breakfast. €5 (3 quid) got us an all you can eat breakfast buffet with two drinks - an absolute winner! Full of muesli, ham and cheese and mentally invigorated with coffee we jumped on the U-Bahn and headed back into the metropolis.
What we hadn't realized was that this particular weekend was 'Christopher Street Day' - the biggest parade on the Gay Calender. No wonder my colleagues gave me a few funny looks when I told them I was heading to Berlin on that date!
Anyway, if there are three things Germans can do it is Beer, Sausage and.. gay. The main shopping street was filled with floats and parading people in all manner of camp and colourful costumes and despite a downpour of biblical proportions the atmosphere was more than jovial.
After observing until the sight of feather boas and bare flesh became simply too much we strolled up to das Kaufhaus des Westerns - K- the German equivalent of Harrods. We spent much of the afternoon there, admiring all the weird and wonderful wares, none of which I could afford. The food hall was most impressive, with weird and wonderful fish and delicacies from around the globe (including HP Sauce!). The bottles of whisky for up to €6000 did, however, take the biscuit (the biscuit itself probably costing around €1000!).
We then viewed the bombed out Church across the road (now a memorial) and tubed it over to the famous Checkpoint Charlie - the point where foreigners and members of the Allied Forces could cross the wall during the cold war.
We then headed back to the apartment to freshen up before hitting the town. We met up with Christian and his sister who were also in Berlin over the weekend and a former primary school friend of Normans who he hadn't seen for 16 years! She has been studying in Berlin so was able to tell us a bit more about the city over a cocktail and then took us a bit out of the centre to some cool bars away from the crowds. One bar was beach themed and had sand all over the floor - pretty novel. It was a cool night in a cool city.
We then headed back to the apartment to freshen up before hitting the town. We met up with Christian and his sister who were also in Berlin over the weekend and a former primary school friend of Normans who he hadn't seen for 16 years! She has been studying in Berlin so was able to tell us a bit more about the city over a cocktail and then took us a bit out of the centre to some cool bars away from the crowds. One bar was beach themed and had sand all over the floor - pretty novel. It was a cool night in a cool city.
On Sunday we again took breakfast at the cafe over the road though it was a bit more expensive for the Sunday special which included smoked salmon and brie - one felt most refined.
Back in the centre we hopped on an open top bus and cruised through Berlin - the easiest way to see everything quickly. The guide was good and gave a funny commentary in English and German, though he didn't make me laugh as much as the two middle aged english couples sat in front of us who seemed oblivious to the magnificent city around them and were bemoaning the lack of tea and coffee making facilities in the hotel.
The sun shone down as we wound our way passed embassies, churches and other picturesque landmarks. Berlin seems very open for such a big city - it doesn't have the intimading sky scraper lined streets that other cities do.
We had a coffee back at das Brandenburger Tor before heading for the train back to Erlangen.
There is so much to see and experience in Berlin that a weekend really isn't enough to even scratch the surface. I have a feeling it won't be my last visit to the German capital.
MORE PICS TO FOLLOW!
MORE PICS TO FOLLOW!
