Herr Mike in Deutschland

As we are off to Oktoberfest tomorrow I am making a bier related announcement: Prosting ist gefaehrlich! (Prosting is dangerous).

One must be careful when prosting as it is easy to get carried away.

This happened to Christian when he got a bit excited at 'Immer gut Rocken' Night (Always good rocking) at our local club E-Werk. (see pic)

In typical German fashion the nice Fraulein at the bar not only got rid of the dangerous shards but gave him another pint as well! Prost!

Today I must wish my oldest and most loyal friend Christopher James Howard a very happy birthday, zum Geburtstag viel Gluck!

I met Chris when I was about 5 years old and he has been a trusty mate ever since. Through school and college we have had some most excellent times. I miss his wisdom very much, though his comic emails keep me smiling! Really upset I am not there to celebrate his 21st in person, we shall raise more than the odd glass when he comes to Deutschland in November.

All the best dude!!!

I have had a long day today my friends, a full day expanding Siemens' share of the Water Technologies market followed by a 2 hour night school (Abendschule) lesson in German. But I survive.
The office is quiet at the moment with everyone at trade fairs, I am like cinderella, unable to go to the ball. I like to think I am being given a greater responsibility manning the fort back at base haha. I had to approve a CD cover before printing today as there was no-one else to do it. I better not let the power go to my head!
Deutsch school is good, learning lots of grammar which I need. The teacher is called Heide (should have been Heidi but her father spelt it wrong at the name registration office - true story!) and she is cool. I am the only English person and all the instructions are in German but I cope. I now have homework to do, thought I had escaped that, apparently not :(

One of the reasons Christian chose this weekend to invite me was because his band were playing at some festivals. Christian plays saxophone in a typical German folk band, I am talking lederhosen, the lot. It was Class! They played some typical German fest songs which are the best. I've been to that many fests I know the words which always amazes the locals if they know I'm english. There were a few modern songs thrown in to get the crowd going - Status Quo's 'Whatever you Want' went down particularly well, though was a bit bizarre as Germans pronounce W's as V's! (Vatever you Vant!)

Saturday's Fest was a Frankonian Wine Fest. 'Frankenwein' is world renowned and I actually really like some of it though I am not a wino by any means. There was a beauty contest for Fest queen and a dance show to keep us entertained and a lively German couple sat next to us ensured our glasses were never empty. Was a really good laugh.

On Sunday Christian played at another Fest though this was much lower key, in a small village hall with children running amok all over the place. Was great to see some small town German culture outside of the cities, I had a really great time in Volksbrunn and I hope to go back again sometime

One of the reasons Christian chose this weekend to invite me was because his band were playing at some festivals. Christian plays saxophone in a typical German folk band, I am talking lederhosen, the lot. It was Class! They played some typical German fest songs which are the best. I've been to that many fests I know the words which always amazes the locals if they know I'm english. There were a few modern songs thrown in to get the crowd going - Status Quo's 'Whatever you Want' went down particularly well, though was a bit bizarre as Germans pronounce W's as V's! (Vatever you Vant!)

Saturday's Fest was a Frankonian Wine Fest. 'Frankenwein' is world renowned and I actually really like some of it though I am not a wino by any means. There was a beauty contest for Fest queen and a dance show to keep us entertained and a lively German couple sat next to us ensured our glasses were never empty. Was a really good laugh.

On Sunday Christian played at another Fest though this was much lower key, in a small village hall with children running amok all over the place. Was great to see some small town German
culture outside of the cities, I had a really great time in Volksbrunn and I hope to go back again sometime

Blog lovers! I apologise for the belated post, I have been a very busy dude. I spent the weekend at Christian's house in the tiny village of Volksbrunn near Aschaffenburg. Though still in Bavaria (just) it was a three hour train ride to get there. To Christian and the rest of Germany this is a small journey though to a British Islander like myself, this was a little bit of a trek. Anyhow, it was well worth it. The surrounding countryside was beautiful, as you can see in the pic, and his house is huge! In the mornings his mum spoilt us with a incredible breakfast, home made jams and cakes, assorted meats and cheeses, juice, fruit. It didn't exactly get me going for the day, I wanted to go back to bed I was that stuffed.

On the first night we relaxed in the Garden gazing at the stars. It was incredible, I have really never seen a night sky like it. It was as if someone had changed the fuse in space, the whole sky fizzed with tiny twinkling stars. It was nothing like when you see a few big'uns in the light polluted towns. I was absolutely awestruck. There were what looked like bands of clouds visible in the atmosphere, distant galaxies I presume. I was overwhelmed by a feeling of insignificance. To top it all I saw my first ever shooting star.
I am aware that this post is a tad poetic but I could have stayed there forever gazing into eternity. It was a spectacle which would not be done justice by all the superlatives in my vocabulary. Truly breathtaking.

The Germaniches National Museum is a large museum in Nuremberg which contains all things Deutsch. I visited it with Christian and a few others a little while ago to see the latest exhibition - 'Was ist Deutsch?' (What is German?). It was really interesting, with different areas focused on various elements of German culture, such as spirit, religion, history and needs. There were some really good interactive things such as a machine that played various German songs, from folk music to '99 Luft Balloons'.

There were some brilliant huge reconstructions of medieval Bavernian homes, it's a shame I wasn't allowed to take pictures! There were also some harrowing images from the holocaust which were quite moving.

One thing that has struck me since I have been here is how deeply ashamed Germans are of the war and their recent history. A few people have asked me if I have experienced any animosity from Germans because I am English. The answer is no, in fact, quite the opposite. The war is a totally forgotten time. German people actually seem to have a great affection for the British and are usually very keen to ask me questions about good ol' Blighty. My haircut took ages the other day because the whole salon gathered round me to ask me questions about the Beatles and the Queen!

Though it is a sweeping generalisation I think is fair to say that many Germans are not proud to be German, something which I find very sad. There were lots of quotes on the wall in the museum which said really negative things about Germany, all written by Germans. Ben who owns wheelers pub says he gets loads of Germans who come to the bar after a few jars and apologise for the war and say they are ashamed of their country!

I think they have a lot to be proud of here, especially in Bavaria which is a beautiful area. The troubles of the past should really be put behind us, Hitler was Austrian anyway!

I returned to Dr Scharowsky today for another session of treatment on my bothersome knee. I was given another 6 injections of homeopathic solution and acupuncture in my knee, it looked like a pin cushion. It remains to be seen if it helps, fingers crossed!

Gruss Gott!

I finally got around to registering with a doctor today, a Dr Mona Scharowksy who has been recommended by a few of my colleagues. My consultation was anything but orthodox. For my appendix I have been given some homeopathic medicine to take and my sore knee received six small injections. I was also given acupuncture which involves me wearing a tiny metal earring for the forseeable future!

When my knee hurts I am to press the small magnet which I was given onto said stud which should, in turn ease the pain. I must admit I am, at this point, skeptical.
I remain open to all options now, however, as my knee is starting to get me down a bit. I also, of course, have the added worry that I am now sporting an earring. Though it is discrete, and I may be paranoid, I am little worried that a hairy, leather clad German may get the wrong impression!

As Sunday was a glorious day, Marie, Christian and my good self took the train to Brombachsee. Brombachsee is a huge lake surrounded by woodland and is really picturesque. We had a sunbathe on the beach and a walk through the woods before playing a round of mini-golf (which I won incidentally, though I shan't brag). I also made two huge new friends (see pic) couldn't chat to them for long though, had a a train to catch so I had to 'bale'! (Groan).
I fear that may be the last of the good weather here as I woke up to the thickest fog I have ever seen this morning. It looked like Erlangen had been covered in grey cotton wool. Word of the day: fog which is 'der Nebel' auf Deutsch.

Went into Nuremberg today to get a much needed hit of football! Matt, Norman, Ashley and I went to the impressive Franken stadion to watch FC Nuremberg who are currently riding high at the top of the table. The opponents today were VFL Bochum who were at the opposite end of the table with no points at the start of play today, so it should have been an easy victory for 'Der Club' (Nuremberg's nickname).

The atmosphere was incredible, a stadium announcer got the 40,000 capacity crowd going with chants of 'Spitzenreiter, spitzenreiter FCN!' (League leaders, league leaders FCN!) and people paraded around the ground with huge flags bearing the FCN crest. The rowdy 'Nord' stand is terraced and the standing faithful created an awesome amount of noise.

The away support can not have numbered more than 200 and were stuck in a tiny enclosure in the corner of the stadium. Though they looked uncomfortable they were certainly jovial before long as Bochum took the lead with 20 minutes gone. Nuremberg dominated the first half but couldn't seem to find a killer pass to create a goal. Luckily they didn't need a pass to create an equaliser as the FCN number 8 Jan Polak hit a screaming shot from 30 yards which thundered in off the crossbar, bringing myself and the red and black sea of Bavarians to our feet. It was awesome!

The second half was a bit scrappy and the game finished 1-1 with neither team being able to string a succession of passes together. Despite only claiming a point Nuremberg stay at the top of the league as rivals Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen lost today. Though this was only the fourth game of the season there is certainly great optimism among all the Nuremberg supporters that they can remain title contenders. This creates a real buzz around the place, even after a draw. Nuremberg fans would be happy for their team to finish in the top half of the league, never mind near the very top, so the excellent start to the season has been a nice surprise.

Was really great to experience the Bundesliga, it was slower and less physical than the Premier League back home but I really enjoyed it (can you tell?) and will certainly be going back to see a few more matches.

Labels: FCN

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Bettina had her birthday party in the Keller bar last night, was a really good gathering though I didn't stay too long as I had to be up pretty early to get to the football. Have a look at a couple of pics, though unfortunately I don't have one of Bettina, doh!

Had an awesome day yesterday at the office 'Sommerfest', a day out in the countryside! When we arrived at the Mulihof farm the weather was perfect, we could see "der Himmel der Bayern" (The heavens of Bavaria, this phrase is used when the sky is blue with wisps of white cirrus cloud).
It was so nice to get away from the stresses of the office for a day, and with Bavarian food and drink on tap it was absolutely perfect.
The farm was called 'der Mulihof' which is of course a place where 'Mulis' are kept. To use my blog as a vehicle with which to impart my new-found knowledge once more, a Muli is a cross between a horse and a donkey (Basically it is a big ass!).

After lunch we were divided into teams and set off on our 'Schnitzeljagd' (treasure hunt). I was actually disappointed to find out there was no schnitzel involved! Our hunt was a pleasant stroll through the woods if nothing else. Afterwards we were given a guided tour of the small surrounding village, though the guide's Frankonian accent (Frankonia is the area of Bavaria which I live in) was so strong he may as well have spoken Muli, I had no idea what he was saying!

Following a typical frankonian feast for dinner we were treated to a square dance lesson, given by an Austrian! I actually excelled at this as the instructions were in English! It was a really good laugh actually but quite tiring! After a good hoe down I needed a good hose down! I collpased into bed pretty late and after a day of walking, dancing and fresh air I slept like a baby.
Can't believe the weekend is here again so soon, looking forward to watching FC Nuremberg tomorrow, should be a good match against FC Bochum as Nuremberg are top of the Bundesliga at the moment. Ich freue mich darauf (I cannot wait!)!!

My favourite and most English of institutions is the FULL ENGLISH Breakfast. I feel that as British embassador to Erlangen it is my duty to teach my foreign peers of this greasy wonder: the perfect solution after one too many litres of Bavarian Beer.

A few of us have been taking turns to make the evening meal recently. Bettina made typical German schnitzel, French Marie made a salad niscoise and Christian made the famous German dish spaghetti bolognese. Of course when it was my turn there was only one dish to serve (the only dish I can make but that is beside the point). I managed to find most of the classic English ingredients - sausage, eggs, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes etc though I came a cropper when it came to bacon.
Despite having the most ridiculous selection of sliced meat, the Germans have somehow missed out on proper bacon. I had to go for 'Breakfast Speck' which sounds perfect, though in reality was little more than smoked ham. Anyway, we made do. Having convinced my continental companions that an English breakfast is suitable for an evening meal, and that the cholestorol hit wouldn't kill them, we set to and made a fine fry up. It went down really well, check out how happy Christian is in the picture! All were so impressed that they have agreed to join me in my new political venture. The motto? 'Bring Bacon to Bavaria'!

This last weekend was very relaxed. I spent Saturday morning chilling in the Schlossgarten and doing some shopping before tearing my hair out whilst listening to Blackburn play Sheffield United. This was probably the only stressful part of the day and would have been ever more so had our goalkeeper not saved 2 (yes 2!) penalities. I then headed to Wheelers for some English grub and a stimulating conversation before turning in. How rock n' roll eh?

The weather on Sunday was perfect so we went for a cycle and then a swim at the local outdoor pool. Was great just to bask. As my swimming skills are akin to those of Eric the eel (google him if you are not familiar with his unforgettable efforts in the Olympic pool) Marie attempted to give me a swimming lesson. As I didn't drown I consider it a success!

Back to work now, still busy with trade fairs and things which keeps the time flying until Saturday comes back around.

I have arisen to a glorious Saturday in Erlangen. The sun is shining and it is warm but comfortable, es ist anregend! (inspiring!).
Think I might join Mr Bleck and chill out in the beautiful and ornate Schloss Garten later. Mr Bleck doesn't say much but is stimulating none the less. I have here a pic of Mr Bleck and I enjoying the sun last weekend.

Cannot believe it is Friday again! Been so busy this week with the Congress Event in Beijing that the days have flown by. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Have cut out drinking to save my appendix so it should be pretty quiet. Outside of work I haven't been up to much this week, the weather has been really nice but it's obviously depressing when you can't enjoy it as you're chained to a PC. I have developed a new phobia that my eyes will melt from staring at a monitor all day. If I have a whole working life in an office, which I probably will (alas I must accept that my knee injury has put pay to my illustrious football career haha) then that is a lot of time. I found some 'eye exercises' on the BBC website which I might try to save my vision! I now see the appeal of a job working outdoors, it's not nice having your life dictated by your Outlook calendar.

I am well aware that this post is lacking my usual effervescence and so I have included another insight into German culture. Dog School! Well, that's what I presume it is.
I witnessed this mass dog walking group in Erlangen centre a couple of weeks ago (see pic - I apologise it is not better but these dogs were walking pretty quickly).
Even now words fail me, I assume that the dogs were being taught to be obedient though there was no obvious 'teacher'. Perhaps it was a dog walking service? But then why so many employees? It makes no financial sense! Dog walking community service? Some kind of race? Answers on postcard (or a comment)...

Much has happened since my last post! The most interesting development is that I have appendicits! Fret not, it is not acute (not yet anyway) so I am not due for an operation. I had been having a bit of pain in my stomach for a couple of weeks but it wasn't too major. I mentioned it to Christian and Marie and they strongly advised that I visit the doc. I was still a bit reluctant though as my Siemens health insurance came through the post as if it were an omen I thought I should probably go. The Siemens doctor recommended a nearby medical centre who, after some negotiation with a sour receptionist (what is it about doctor's receptionists? She was so miserable, you would think she was the one with the stomach problem) gave me an ultrasound. I was surprised how quickly it was organised, if only the NHS was so efficient!
Anyway, it emerged my appendix is the cause of the problem though the doctor thinks I can fight it off. According to the internet (Mike the hypochondriac strikes again) the chances of it getting better by itself are remote but we will see. If I feel any pain I have a piece of paper to prove I have appendicitis and can go straight to the surgeon's clinic. I'm tempted to go anyway, I don't need the thing and the surgeons here are renowned. And I would get sick pay :) We will see...

I have not mentioned my fair employer for a while, which is odd as I have had ridiculous amounts to do this week. Word of the week is 'teleconference'. I have taken part in quite a few recently whilst supporting Katrin (my fellow Water Technologies colleague) with preparations for forthcoming trade shows. I have actually just woken up from dream about a trade show. I think I need a holiday.

I has been really good experience though, relating to the events management side of PR. It has also made me realise that to specialise in events management would be to consign myself to an early grave; it's so stressful! You are reliant on so many different people and there are so many things that can go wrong! I have spent a lot of time this week chasing senior water professionals for information to go on boards around exhibitions. Some people are really good at responding, others take a lot of time so it can be extremely frustrating.

The teleconferences with America and China have been good to sit in on. We are fortunate that we get to participate at a reasonable hour as the USA are 6/7 hours behind (depending on where they are) and China are 7 hours ahead. So for the Americans these things are held really early and for the chinese guys it is really late. For we at head office it is around lunchtime, which I actually think is the greatest inconvenience. It is most difficult to concentrate on schedule changes etc with a rumbling stomach.

Quite a few things to get on with next week, bit of pressure as deadlines approach regarding the International Water Federation Congress in Beijing. The Chinese government are heavily involved and this makes business very different and often difficult. For the moment however I will enjoy the weekend and pray that England destroy Andorra to save me an ear bashing at work.

If you are actually interested in what I do then you can visit the Siemens I&S website for an overview. If you check it out soon you will see a link to a press release regarding the new 'E-Balls' product, superb name! Though I support all areas my key role is within Water Technologies. I remember being a bit baffled by it all at first but I am actually getting into it now, I know my reverse osmosis from my desalination. Bring on the pub quiz!

There will be cynics amongst you who think that my inclusion of a bikini clad babe is gratuitous.
How dare you! Obviously I have posted this image only to teach you another lesson about Germany.
This fine lady is Heidi Klum, probably the best thing to come out of Deutschland since the Volkswagen Beetle. Born in Bergisch Gladbach, a small town, she entered a modelling competiton at 18 and went on to become a world famous supermodel.


Pictures of her are plastered all around Germany and she seems to advertise just about anything.
p.s. It is very important to point out that not all German ladies look like this.