Festival Season in Germany

Kranzplatzfest is held in a small park (about as big as half a football field) and yet they can find room for 2 stages, multiple beer stands, food, hippie culture clothes booths, and plenty of German festival tables.

Festivals in Germany are a piece of german engineering packed with fun.  These are a few of the recent festivals I (Pete) attended with friends in Wiesbaden (Mary is home in the USA working the greenhouse for her umpteenth season).  Apologies for the qualities of the pictures - they are taken with my iPhone - and yes, I do use it as a phone once in awhile.

One of our good friends here from Detroit for a few years - Chris and Sue.  We were enjoying the band and beer on a  Wednesday night before the Ascension Thursday Holiday.  Another reason there are so many festivals in May-June.

 

This act is a Doors tribute band.  They were right on with their keyboard-guitar-drums just like the Doors.  Best was the lead singer who looked like Jim Morrison might look today if he were alive - long gray beard, leather pants, big beer belly. 



This festival - Schlossgrabenfest (literally castle moat fest) is held in a small town near Wiesbaden famous for being the headquarters of Merck pharmaceuticals.  So they have some nice sponsor money to afford 4 stages and 100 bands in 4 days. 

Interesting people watching...

...and outfits.

And great festival food.  This is one of my favorites - plank salmon grilled over a wood fire.  Served in a fresh bun with dill and mustard sauce. 

Even the local bikers have a booth - burgers and Jack Coke.

This one you could smell a mile away... Knobi-Brot.  Essentially baked bread with garlic and other toppings!  Couldn't get myself to try this one.



Just off the grounds near the castle was this interesting bit of architecture.  A modern glass building built around remnants of the medieval wall of the city. 



And fnally, Germans among many things are not understated.  This says it all:  Slush with Alcohol.  Appeals to the kid in all of us. 

London - Spring Break

Our girls took another spring break trip this year to Wiesbaden.  We decided to visit London in the year of the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  Because of these two events, the city is undergoing a major facelift.  Everything is being cleaned up, including trash.  It is the cleanest we have ever seen the city since coming here a few years ago.  Although they could have considered other warm-weather destinations for a typical spring break, London was unique and the weather mostly cooperated.  The first day, we took a walk to Harrod's - no stop in London is complete without this.  Much to Dad's delight, no bags were needed.  It was a tourist stop only.

The next day, it was a bit rainy, so we jumped on the hop-on, hop-off tour bus for an excellent trip around the city.  We learned about the history of each location and got a better idea of the layout of the city.  During the tour, we hopped off at Trafalgar Square for a visit to the historic church, St. Martin-in-the-Fields.  After that experience, it was time for a proper pub.

When we finally made it around the city, we hopped off again at Buckingham Palace for the traditional changing of the guard.  The next day's weather was much improved so we decided to make the Millennium Mile walking path along the Thames.  We began the walk at the Borough Market, a lively farmer's market near Tower Bridge (the bridge that everyone thinks is London Bridge).  Then we walked along the Thames past the reconstructed Shakespeare's Globe Theater.  We eventually wound our way to the giant London Eye - Europe's largest Ferris wheel.  At first glance, it looks out of place and gaudy, but we had heard many good reports from locals.  So, Emily and Pete braved the heights and went for the ride.  It's amazingly stable and moves at a snail's pace, never stopping to let people on and off.  And there were some amazing views.  Enjoy the pictures....
Tschus!

Inside Harrod's candy pavilion.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields near Trafalgar Square

Katie standing with Eric Clapton in front of Royal Albert Hall where he plays his legendary London Concerts.



Katie dashing in to make a quick call to the Queen Mum



The girls on the partially covered upper deck of the tour bus in the rain

Just below Big Ben and Parliament

Break time at a "proper" pub

Tasting some interesting concoction at the Borough Market

The famous Tower Bridge

On the Queen's Walk (Millennium Mile) along the Thames

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Prior to the ride on the London Eye



It looks quite daunting from this angle




In the distance, Buckingham Palace is kissed by the sun.  What a view!!



Going up, Emily is not quite sure...

...Going down, much more relaxed.

Inside the glass bubble, it's a freaky look straight down

At the Top!  Looking down at the next glass pod

One final stop at Carnaby Street - scene of the "Mod" look in the 60's





Lucerne in Winter

Lake Lucerne looking from the shoreline of the city

Beautiful late afternoon sun on a Friday

We joined the rest of the community for early TGIF

The famous Kapell-Brucke wooden bridge across the river which divides the old and new city.

Beautiful sunset on the Lake with only the snow-capped mountains still in the sun



We visited this incredible 360 panorama museum painted in 1881 by an artist who took part in the end of the Franco-Prussian War which ended in neutral Switzerland who cared for all the soldiers

This mural was painted for Fastnacht - the Swiss version of Mardi Gras

A nice mixture of old and new in the city

We were guests of long-time Daktronics partner, Fritz Mueller for a Lucerne FC game.  That's a Daktronics video screen showing celebration after Lucerne's first goal

On our way home, we stopped in the little town of Titisee in the black forest

The glacier lake in town probably looks much more inviting in the summer

Some classic standup "imbiss" dishes available on the street 

We found a nice restaurant just off the lake for coffee and ....

... Black Forest Cherry Cake!

Berlin in December

We have been wanting to visit Berlin since arriving in Germany almost 2 years ago.  We finally had an excuse - yes, we booked tickets to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Berlin.  The city is full of history and great museums.  The weather was cold and rainy in early December, so museums were a perfect break from the cold.  Checkpoint Charlie museum was really interesting - it charted the history of the Berlin Wall around east Berlin built in 1961 by the Soviet Union since it controlled East Germany after the war.  It was the only wall in history ever built to keep people IN.  There are unbelievable stories of attempts to escape by digging under or flying over the wall all the way up to 1989 when it fell.  All of the attempts done with meager tools or handmade contraptions. 

Another museum we visited was the Jewish Museum that charted the history of the Jews in Germany.  It's an architectural wonder and full of really interesting history.  There's a timeline written on the wall that shows as early as the 1890s, people were talking about "eliminating the Jewish problem."  It's no wonder Hitler's sick vision came to be so widely accepted.  We also visited the Berliner Unterwelten - an underground walk through an air raid shelter, still completely intact next to an underground train station.  It gives you a better understanding of what regular families had to do everytime there was an allied bombing in Berlin. 

After all this gloomy history, we picked up our spirits by visiting one of many Christmas Markets in Berlin.  These markets are more like Festivals, with beautifully made huts selling German-made products, a Ferris Wheel, skating rink, and of course, the drink of choice - Gluhwein.  This is like a warm, mulled wine flavored by rum or amaretto too.  Of course they also do the same to bier as well.  We tried them all of course.

Portion of the wall still standing near Checkpoint Charlie.  They have built a fence in front to keep people from chipping off their own souvenirs.

Checkpoint Charlie where those coming into West Berlin were checked by American soldiers.  During the cold war, this was a very tense location.

Just above the word "Haus" is the window perch where journalists were allowed to watch the goings-on at the wall near Checkpoint Charlie.  Many of these photojournalists were sending pictures to the US for spying purposes.  The building to the left is new since the wall came down.  Just 50 feet to the left is where the wall stood.

One of the gathering spaces in the Unterwelt - underground air raid shelter.  Easy to imagine going stir crazy down here when the raids lasted many days. 

The front of the Jewish Museum which is next to an ultra-modern connected building.

Entering a Christmas Market near Alexanderplatz in former East Berlin.

We have our Gluhwein and ready to walk the market.

A view from inside the enclosed cabin on a huge Ferris Wheel a the market.

Another view as we hovered at the very top of the Ferris Wheel.  They built a skating rink around what is usually a fountain in the middle of Alexanderplatz. 

Pete had to try the Gluhbier - warm, cherry-flavored beer - not bad on a cold night.  Just behind this was a bier garten complete with tables and heaters.  It doesn't get any better. 

A daytime visit to one final Christmas Market - this one is considered the best in Berlin.  All the huts match and there are full restaurants under tents in this square.  We opted for a Bratwurst instead. 

Me and my friend the Berlin Bear wishing you a Merry Christmas!
Tschus!