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.