Herr Mike in Deutschland

Happy Halloween to all, have a spooktastic night an all that. I'm off to a Halloween party in town and as tomorrow is Allerheiligen I will be able to have a nice lie in which I am looking forward to greatly.

Also, did one of my lovely friends sign me up for the University Canoeing Club?? If I get one more mail asking for membership money or to join a bunch of people for a weekend of hurling myself down cold rapids near Newcastle I will not be amused!!

As you can see by the multicoloured view from my window Autumn (Herbst) has very much arrived in Erlangen. After a few days of around 22 degrees last week it is much colder today and apparently I am to expect snow by the end of the week!
I can't believe how quickly the seasons have changed, actually today feels a lot like winter, with the clocks changing I came home from work in the dark which was a new experience.
Also, it's now Xmas in Germany, 'Allerheiligen' which is the national holiday taking place on Wednesday marks the start of festivities and already there are grotesque fibreglass Santas hanging from the department stores.

I am very much looking forward to the visit of a couple of mates for my birthday at the weekend, will be very weird if it is snowing!
Also I am normally put in the birthday mood by a few hooligans prematurely setting off fireworks around now though as no-one ever tried (and miserably failed) to blow up the German houses of parliment (ok maybe Mr Churchill) there is no such thing as Guy Fawkes night. Rubbish :(

After the game Matt and I went back to Wheelers for a drink where we were invited to go for a curry with the guys from the pub. We went to the 'House of India' which was a nice restaraunt with a good atmsphere. It wasn't cheap but the food was good. I tried some of Big Matt's (the chef at Wheelers) vindaloo which I regretted almost instantly, my tongue is still smouldering. The pic on the right is of Big Matt (on the left) and Ben the manager.
Ben should have come to the match with us but broke his metatarsal playing rugby on Wednesday night, a injury which he tried to 'run off' at the time! Obviously the standing end of the Franken Stadion is not the best place to be when you are on crutches.

Had another awesome day at the football yesterday though I am still yet to see FCN win! Once again the were unable to kill the game off but did well to come away with a point against the famous Borussia Dortmund. With an almost full house the atmosphere was buzzing and was made even more lively when Nuremberg opened the scoring by converting a penalty in front of the Nordkurve early in the second half.
Though they dominated for the rest of the game Dormund hit der Club with a sucker punch in the 87th minute when some typically haphazard FCN defending let in the Brazilian midfielder Tinga who slotted the ball past Raphael Schaefer in the Nuremberg goal.

Labels: FCN

Friday is here once more! Tomorrow I enter my last week of being 20 years old, that's two whole decades! Man I feel old! To celebrate we will be going to the footy again, this time Dortmund are the visitors and it will certainly be a tough test for Der Club.

Had a quiet week really which has been a nice change. Yesterday I went out for a drink after work with a few of my colleagues which was nice. My German is good enough now that I always understand the topics, if not every word, and can also join in with the conversations. It seems that the more beer I drink the better my Deutsch becomes, or at least that is my excuse!

My mate Sebastian Wolf (cool name Mr Wolf, I often ask him for the time though obviously he doesn't understand why I am chuckling) introduced me to Bock Bier, typical for this time of year.

Bock has many meanings in German, here are the main ones:

1. der Bock: A horse or a male sheep (ram if you will)I
2. Ich habe einen Bock auf... : I want to.... e.g. Ich habe Bock auf Party = I feel like a party
3. einen Bock schiessen: Literally translated 'to shoot a ram' but it is used when you make a mistake or fool of yourself, so instead of saying 'Oh no! I've made a mistake' Germans say 'Oh no! I've shot a ram there!' Do you get it? Alles klar?
4. Herr Siegmar Bock: He is the guy in charge of Online Communications in our department!
   

So, anyway, Bock Bier is special beer. And stong. very strong. As I discovered.

With little thought I knocked back a few whilst relaxing with my colleagues and eating sauer kraut and bratwurst. Typisch Deutsch!
I soon realised that this was no ordinary beer! I then asked Sebastian what the strength of this wholesome beverage was and he informed me that it was 8% vol! Good job I found out early on in the night or I could've shot a big ram! (see what I did there?).

Anyway, we all got a little beschwipst (tipsy) and had a laugh. I'm lucky that there are some really cool people in my office, young and older. I don't know what I would do if I didn't like the people I worked with as I see that much of them!
Nice as they are, I am still relieved to escape the office on a Friday afternoon, living for the weekend!

Yesterday was Sports Day! And no, not the egg 'n' spoon race kind, a proper manly day of sport and Guinness. After a stressful week I felt like I needed a sunday doing nothing but being lazy. Even the lord himself decreed that Sunday should be a day of rest! So I had a lie in before heading to Wheelers for a full english, the perfect start to any day.
I then watched the following on the big screen, all of which worked out perfectly so there was hardly time for a toilet break in between:

Man Utd vs Liverpool
Leicester vs Munster (I know rugby is not a good sport but yesterday I found it almost bearable)
Reading vs Arsenal (A masterclass from Wenger's team)
The brazilian Grand Prix (A huge deal in Germany as it was Schumacher's final race, though his legacy lives on with his mug on every billboard in Deutschland )
Real Madrid vs Barcelona (Ole! El Classico!)

It was such a nice, chilled day. Unfortunately it could not last forever and it was back to the grind today with a gruelling grammar session at evening school as well.
The sporting theme continues however as my new Football Manager game has arrived! A chance for me to lead FCN to glory by rectifying the tactical ineptitude I have witnessed at the Franken Stadion. People will think it's sad that at nearly 21 I am still excited by a computer game. Those people have obviously never played Football Manager.

After the hockey game we met up with Norman, Helen and her boyfriend Maciek who is over for a visit. We went to a cool little bar called Cycles and had a quiet drink. A few of Norman's friends came and were a good laugh, as you can see from the pic of the tower which they built. As I'm sure you can guess about two seconds after I took the photo the waitress handed them a dustpan and brush to remove the shards.

Yesterday evening a few of us went to watch ice hockey. The Nuremberg Ice Tigers are pretty popular around here so we thought would check it out. Though I know more about quantum physics than I do about ice hockey I really enjoyed it, it was super fast and super violent: what more do you want from a sport?!
The Tigers were unfortunately beaten 3-2 by the Iserlohn Roosters but the crowd were still in buoyant mood and the football songs I learnt last week came into good use. I was incredibly impressed by the way the players can skate around so quickly and control the little puck which is fizzing all over the place. The standard is really high because there are a lot of American and Canadian players in the German league.

Yawn, I am tired (mude auf deutsch). I have had another long day, in the office 8-5 and then been to evening school till 8pm. My head is kaput! (that surely does not need a translation. Also, did you know that 'wischiwaschi' is a genuine German word. I kid you not).

I really need to do my washing but I cannot be bothered. I don't have any shirts left for work though so who knows what interesting ensemble I will come up with in the morning!

Went to the Wheelers pub quiz yesterday. I think I actually forgot to mention that we won it last time, to be honest it wasn't much of an achievement as there were only about three teams. Anyway, this time there were many more and we came nowhere near to winning. I blame poor questions such as:

Q. What is the official language of the USA?
A. It has no official language. Trick question Boo!

Q. In what sport do neither the participants nor the spectators no the result until the end?
A. Boxing

What! Surely no-one knows the result of any sport until the end!? You wouldn't get this in The Wellington back home.

Not that I'm a bad loser. I wouldn't have minded so much if we'd got the Fosters question right and won free beer but we didn't.

Well, I hope this post wasn't as dull to read as it was to write, hopefully I will have some madcap tales for you tomorrow. If not I'll make something up.

To celebrate my mate Matt's 21st birthday yesterday we returned to the Franken Stadion in Nurnberg to watch 'der Club' take on Bielefeld. As a gift we all chipped in and got him a fan pack with an FCN t-shirt, a scarf and a mini ball which we all signed.

It was a game which we should have won!! A 1-1 draw was not a fair result after FCN dominace throughout. There were chances for Nurnberg to win it but they weren't taken and we were forced to settle for a point.
Bielefeld took the league with a dodgy penalty after 20 minutes. The referee admitted after the game that, having seen the footage, he had made a mistake. Great.
Jan Polak who scored the screamer for FCN in the last game I attended grabbed an equaliser before half time to give us hope, though it was just not to be.

This time we opted to go for the standing end where the true hardcore fans are. The atmosphere was brilliant, aided by a guy holding a megaphone prompting us with chants. I will try and remember a few (note to mother, some of these words may offend, I apologise) :

'Chirie du Arschloch!!' - The referee's an arsehole (repeat over and over again to make sure he hears your discontent. This was actually chanted before the game began which I didn't think was a good idea and very likely the reason he gave a penalty against us)

'Ecke, Tor! Ecke, Tor' - Literally 'Corner, Goal!, Corner Goal!', again repeaated over and over when FCN have a corner to inform the players that a corner kick is a chance to score a goal. That sounds obvious, though I think 'der Club' need reminding: we had 13 corners yesterday and never came close to a Tor!

'Ohne Chirie haben wir keine Chance!' - 'Without the referee we don't have a chance', obviously to imply that the referee is biased to the other team which of course he always is!

To the tune of 'Oh when the Saints...' :
'Wir singen rot,
Wir singen schwarz
Wir singen rot, schwarz F.C.N!' (Very simple: We're singing red, black FCN!)

'Deine Eltern sind Geschwester! Hey, Hey!' - Literally translated 'Your parents are brother and sister' very similar to the 'Your mum's your dad, your dad's your mum' song we sing back home, insinuating that there is inbreeding in the opposition fan's parentage.

'Insert team name here.. wir hoeren nichts!' - Team name we can't hear you - a bit like the classic 'You're not singing anymore!

Also I saw on a kid's t-shirt:

'Ich danke meine Eltern, Freunde und Bekannten dass ich kein drecks Munchen fan geworden bin' - 'I thank my parents, friends and acquaintances that I didn't become a scummy Munich fan'. I thought that was pretty cool. I too must be thankful as a Munich ticket costs 7 times more than a Nurnberg one!!

They were just a few little ditties anyway. There are some full songs too, though like the above chants they aren't really done justice unless they're sung to the right tune and you are accompanied by 30,000 like-minded yobs.
Despite the result it was a really good day which we ended with a roast dinner in Wheelers. I reckon that with the football, a couple of pints and a plate of meat I have recouped the man points I lost by watching a chick flick with Laura and Helen on Saturday night. Grrr MAN!

Labels: FCN

Last night was Christian's leaving night out as he leaves for Wurzburg to continue his studies. It's been great having him here organising trips, helping me with my German and of course I'm really grateful to him for inviting me to his house a few weeks ago. He has tried to show me authentic Bavaria which has been a really cool experience. Definitely be going to see him in Wurzburg pretty soon.

Last night we went to the new club in Erlangen 'Horsaal' (the lecture theatre) which is pretty huge. It was pretty much like an english nightclub really, even with english music. There was about 8 of us and we had a good laugh. Have a look at the pics! (Left: Christian, Marie, Max and Pete; Right: Laura and Max)

Having a quiet Saturday today, saving myself for the footy tomorrow, also I have nightschool homework to do, boo! Also, don't miss the other new posts below this one, I've had a blog catch up sesh.

On Thursday I was invited to go to an event organised by our advertising agency 'Publicis'. 'Die Cannes Rolle' is an evening where they show the adverts which were premiered at the last Cannes film festival. It was really cool, a flashy event with free drinks and an awesome buffet. Everyone loves a good buffet!
There were some superb adverts, particularly from Lynx and Volkswagen. Most of the department was there and we had a really good laugh.

On Wednesday I managed to catch most of the England vs Croatia game after night school. Was rather awful wasn't it. Don't think Paul Robinson should have received any stick for mis-cueing his kick, there was nothing he could do!! And he kept us in the game in the first half with a series of superb saves. There is just no final killer pass, I say bring back Beckham! Even if he does nothing all game he might score a free kick or put a good corner in!
Also watched Deutschland humiliate Slovakia afterwards. Though it pains me to say it, England could learn a few things from the way Germany played :(

On the subject of football, it's Matt's birthday on Sunday and we are heading back to the Franken Stadion to watch FCN take on Bielefeld. We only paid 7 euros a ticket which is unbelievable in comparison to what you pay in England. We are in the crazy 'Nord Kurve' terrace this weekend, will certainly be an experience.

So, I finally have a chance to breath and regail you with the tales of the week.

On Tuesday we went to the cinema to watch 'Das Parfum: Die Geschicte eines Moerders' (Perfume: a story of a murderer). It has been an incredibly popular film here, based on a very famous book. Not sure if it is being shown elsewhere around the world?
Though it was in German I followed it fine and really enjoyed it. The storyline is basically that a young man, gifted with an incredible sense of smell, makes it his life's mission to capture the scent of a woman. To do this he has to kill a few ladies and cover them in what looks like lard to extract the smell. It was a bit dark at times and the orgy at the end was a bit weird but it was a very visually powerful film. Was a bit strange to see Dennis Hoffman and Alan Rickman speaking Deutsch though.

Hey Hey,

Sorry for the distinct lack of posts this week, been so busy. Will regail you with all my tails via a monster post this weekend. Ich verspreche!! (I promise)

Much love from Deutschland,

Der Mike x

Had a decent weekend so far. On Thursday we welcomed two new Englanders to the Wohnheim, Laura and Pete who are both students from York uni.
On Friday we introduced them to a couple of pubs in the area including Cubanitos (the latin salsa bar) where we made fools of ourselves by trying to join in the group dances. Was a good laugh.

On Saturday me and Matt had an English day. We went to Wheelers, had a roast dinner and a pot of tea while we watched the England game (awful performance by the way). We met another new English face in there, a guy called Simon who had just arrived. He is studying for his doctorate over here.

After the game a few of us, including Simon, went to little place I had heard of called 'der Musik Keller' (the music cellar). It was really cool, descending a few flights of stairs into what was a small candlelit cave (see pics). There was no music when we arrived which was a bit odd. We asked the barmaid who said that the band named 'Plan B' were running late.
After half an hour a 50 year old guy in leather pants came and played instead. I forget his name,but I guess he was 'Plan C'. Anyway, he was really good and played lots of the classic tunes we requested. Before we knew it it was well late and we headed home. We sometimes walk home after a night in town but it was far too cold yesterday. They really do seem to skip Autumn here. Last week I topped up my tan at Oktoberfest and this weekend I have had me scarf and gloves on! it's mad.

All the natives have told us to expect snow very soon, which has got everyone really excited. Not me I'm afraid. I reckon snow is overrated. It's fun for a day and then it turns to slush (Matsch in German) and is just annoying. Controversional? Leave me a comment, I would like to know your 'snowpinions'.

I must introduce my new German buddy, Norman Bordihn. His second name is pronounced Bor-deen and his ability to drink copious amounts of Wheat Beer without ill effect has earned him the nickname 'Bordihn the Machine!'

He is your proper German dude, into his beer and football, and I'm really grateful to him for organising the trips to the footy and to the Oktoberfest for us. With his bleach blonde hair and rotund frame (Wheat beer is renowed for being calorific) he slightly resembles Daffyd (the only gay in the village from BBC's Little Britain) which the lads in Wheelers constantly remind him of, all in good spirit of course.

He also helps with the community and the local church which I think is a very noble thing for him to do in his spare time, though having seen the gorgeous girls from his church group I must say I doubt his motives.

You can see him in his 'Obdachslos Hut' (homeless hat) in the pic with his mate Arnold in the background, just one of the many cool people he has introduced me to.

Summer is over! After a beautiful weekend of sun at the Oktoberfest the weather here has deteriorated rapidly into rainy drizzle with the odd thunderstorm. The locals tell me it stays like this until late November when the snow comes. Need to get me some sensible footwear!

(The day of German reunification). Today is the 16th anniversary of East and West Germany becoming one, and is a national holiday so I have the day off! Awesome!

The pictures are of the Erlangen statue which is a trubite to this very day. The text running around the top reads 'Deutschland ist unteilbar' which means Germany is inseperable. Here is a little bit about what happened:

After the GDR's ( German Democratic Republic - the East) first free elections on 18th March 1990, negotiations between the GDR and FRG (Federal Republic of Germany - the West) culminated in a Unification Treaty, whilst negotiations between the GDR and FRG and the four occupying powers from the second world war (France, UK, the US and the Soviet Union) produced the so-called "Two Plus Four Treaty" granting full independence to a unified German state.

After 1990, the term "die Wende" became common to describe the events that led up to the actual reunification; it literally means "the turn(around)". When referring to the events surrounding the German reunification it carries the cultural connotation of the events that brought about this "turn" in German history. At present there is a hint of animosity between the two areas as the richer West pay taxes to help develop the poor Eastern side, though no-one really mentions it.

Well, there's your history lesson, my plans for the day? I'm just gonna chill before going to win the pub quiz and sample the new Winter menu at Wheelers. Happy reunification day!

Yesterday we went to Munich for the 2006 Oktoberfest, the biggest beer festival in the world!

It was different to what I had expected, I assumed there would just be beer tents but there were huge rollercoasters, ferris wheels, restaraunts, everything, it was huge!!

With hindsight we chose the wrong day to go, the last Saturday of the two week event is always the busiest and it was absolutely packed. We took a train at six in the morning, arriving in Munich at around 9 and getting to the fest slightly afterwards. Our attempts at beating the crowds were in vain however, as the beer tents and gardens were full when we got there, with thousands of people drinking litres of beer before 10am. I couldn't believe it.

There were people from all over the world there, with a strong Italian contingent, revelling in their World Cup victory in Germany. The natives were unimpressed. There were lots of Indian and Chinese people too, though most of these were passed out on the grassy verges by midday, obviously not used to the strong beer. Most people don't realise that the breweries use a special brew for the festival. This 'Fest Bier' is stronger than the stuff you get in pubs, and can be up to 8%. Sold only in litre glasses (called Krugs) it is a lethal combination if you can't take your ale.

We eventually managed to get a beer and sat in the sun at the foot of the huge statue of lady bavaria which watches over the park. You can climb up inside the gigantic sculpture and the view in the picture above was actually taken from the viewing hole in her head. I will post some more pictures, including lady bavaria, and me with some bavarian ladies, when I get the images from Helen's camera later.

It was a good atmosphere, with lots of men in lederhosen and girls in traditional 'Dirndl' dresses. We went on a few rides and relaxed before leaving the fest to head into Munich city centre. There we went to the famous 'Hofbrauhaus' which is basically a huge pub. The girls did some shopping while Matt, Norman and I had a few drinks with some cool american people, listened to the live music and enjoyed the great atmosphere which had spilled over from the fest.

It was a great experience and I'm really glad I can say that I have been.

We left quite early in the evening to get back, again trying to be the rush but without success. The train was so packed when we got there it couldn't move and was delayed for over an hour. We didn't even attempt to get on it and opted to sneak onto the ICE Train, the expensive first class version which was completely empty. We were soon ejected though!

Though Germany's bus and road systems are second to none the rail network leaves a little to be desired in my opinion. There are always delays and cancellations which can be really annoying. I cannot believe they didn't put more trains on for the Oktoberfest, they knew that an incredible volume of people would be descending on the city. In England it just wouldn't happen. Someone would stop people getting on when the train was that full. We commented that it was really dangerous and unfortunately we were proved right. A sour note was given to the day when an ambulance appeared inside the station and came right on to the platform. We later found out that a lady in her 50s had died on the train from a heart attack, presumably because of the heat caused by the crush and probably too much alcohol.

Luckily we were not forced to fight for a place aboard theaforementioned regional train. The genius that is Norman persuaded the ticket officers that we had a plane to catch in Nuremburg and they upgraded us to the ICE free of charge. It was luxurious, super quick and empty. It should have been used for more people.

Overall I had a really good day, Munich is a cool city and I would like to go back to have a proper look round. Look out for the pics of the day, I will post them as soon as I can.