Siemens Real Estate - my office with pigeon crap

I, together with my program team, had to move to a different office space recently.  Due to recent business changes, Siemens Real Estate was shuffling spaces in some buildings at the Neuperlach Süd complex.

In theory, the move would be easy:  we would stay in the same building, just going from the thrid floor to the sixth.  We would pack and label our things on Thursday, and Friday morning would find them in the new place, ready to be unpacked so we could get back to work quickly.

I was in for quite a shock that Friday morning.  First, I noticed that they put me in an old printer room!  You can see the sticker on my bright yellow door (upper right), although it's somewhat overshadowed by the huge NO SMOKING sticker right in the middle!

Looks inviting, huh?  Could be mistaken for a broom closet.  One colleague asked if it was the bathroom...

So, with my new key, I would just unlock the door and get started.  But... the lock was bolted over!

As it turns out, it is permanently UN-locked, so I could enter my new digs.  (Makes sense, I suppose, since a shared printer used to sit in here.)  Of course, that means I cannot lock my office!  This goes against security regulations, and I'm surprised nobody has filed something somewhere about it.

Unfortunately the inside failed safety regulations.  Let me explain.

Being now on the sixth floor, the first though was:  how's the view?  Yes, I CAN see the outline of the Alps if it'S not too hazy.  nice!  However, when looking down at the floor under the window, it looked a little like this...

Look at the corner/floor.  Is that... a pigeon feather... and pigeon sh*t?  Must make a closer inspection:

Yup.  That is definitely a pigeon feather and considerable bird droppings.  The room gets a lot of sun, and used to have big electronics in it.  So I'm guessing that people left the windows WIDE open rather than cracked.  Then the pigeons found a vacation house.

Cultural note -- for those not familiar with the German windows, here's the deal:
- Handle vertical, facing down:  window closed and locked
- Handle 90 degrees (horizontal):  can swing the window open fully (hinge on the side of the window engaged)
- Handle vertical, facing up:  can crack window open from top (hinge on the bottom engaged)

This is important, because most buildings do not have air conditioning, so sun blinds and a breeze are your primary means of climate control.  Here is (dark, sorry) a photo to illustrate, with one window in each position:

I'm surprised that it is acceptable in Germany to have me sit in an uncleaned office with pigeon sh*t lying around.  (Does Siemens Real Estate not include cleaning in the move service?)  Given that the U.S. government tells us about diseases associated with pigeon droppings, I'm pretty sure German health standards would not allow this.

Hopefully my German health insurance covers histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and psittacosis!

There is a fourth window to the left that you can't see.  This does not have window shades.  Ironically, I *know* that this is not allowed by regulation here.  You must be able to shield the sun to both control temperature and to reduce glare and prevent eye damage.  Right now, I'm baking!

But at least I'm alive.  The pigeon feather wasn't sitting all alone on the floor.  It had the company of two huge dead insects:

The second photo is even more interesting due to the tiny shell lying next to the bee.  Huh?  I did not move or pose any of these things -- it's exactly how I found them.

They did leave a large, double size bookcase in the room for me.  Unfortunately, it had not been dusted since Helmut Kohl was German Chancellor.  It made a good blackboard though:

As it turns out, facilities maintenance sent cleaners a day or so later.  So the pigeon crap was mostly removed (although there are some remnants that I will have to clean myself).

The doorlock is still, well, locked -- so I can't secure my room.  Not the most productive environment.  However... the view is good (see below).

Hope you're having a better day at the office than I am.  Thanks for nothing, Siemens Real Estate.

The Höllentalklamm [2]: Across the joch and through the klamm

Last week we shared the first part of our day trip to Garmisch.  Our destination: the Höllentalklamm (gorge).

The map is a little chaotic, but at this point we had finally made it from bus, to train, to another train, to a gondola, to another gondola... and arrived at the Osterfelderkopf panorama viewing area (end of the upper yellow arrow).

Now we really start walking.  We're going to hike left-to-right across the Hupfleitenjoch ("joch" = pass), the name outlined in yellow just under the Osterfelderkopf.  Then we reach the last yelow box on the right, the Höllentalangerhütte ("hütte" = hut -- it's the upper border of the gorge).  We'll walk down through the Höllentalklamm (labeled on map) to the bottom yellow box (Höllentaleingangshütte, the gorge's lower border).

From here, we'll descend the rest of the way to the town of Hammersbach. At it's train station we'll board the Zugspitzbahn back to Garmisch, retracing our train & bus spaghetti schedule back to Munich.

In the above photo, we've left the panorama viewpoint and Frau A is leading the way on the trail.

Pictured below, we could see the Hupfleitenjoch ("pass") snake its way through the peaks. 

At this point, the Osterfelderkopf (the mountain we're on, taking up the left side of the photo above) is shielding our view of the Zugspitze.  As we emerge through that gap ahead on the trail, we should be able to see it...

Sure enough, 40 minutes later we make it around the bend and can see the tallest mountain in Germany (below).  If you look carefully at the bottom of the photo, you will see the trail (with a couple of other hikers) continuing on the left side, and a small white hut on the right side lying about 300m/1000ft below. 

The next photo shows the trail better.  It snakes its way along the face of the mountain, and will wrap around and disappear left again before heading back right to the hut.  It took 45 minutes to get there from here. 

Finally, we reached the hut... and discovered that it is NOT the Höllentalangerhütte that we expected.  And it was boarded up.  We figured out that we still had another 45 minutes of hiking past this before the gorge starts!

When we finally made it to the right hut, we paused and indulged in a cold apfelschorle and snacks we brought. 

Upon leaving the hut, the trail became hedged in by walls of rock and we started to see hints of the natural forces that created the gorge, like this late-summer waterfall (it's probably much stronger in the Spring)... 

...also as we descended, the water became more powerful and the trail hugged tightly to/over it.

Eventually we came to the last point of direct sunlight (for a while)!  You can barely see the top of the gorge, and the trail now becomes steps that descend rapidly along the rock face, traing to keep up with the churning water.

The tiny colored flecks at the deepest part of the photo below are a band of other hikers!

Below is a photo taken a few moments later -- showing better the trail's steps and fellow hikers ahead.
The water on the right just drops off completely to the next small pool below, and is quite noisy now.

At certain points the gorge would open up again, letting in light.  This was my chance to photograph Frau A on the stairs -- you can see the rushing water, eroding boulders, and mini waterfalls better looking back up the path.

Eventually, the gorge gets so narrow that there is no room for a path anymore -- so they carved tunnels through the rock!  Below, some hikers are entering a tunnel on the left, while others have emerged down below.

This is what the inside of the tunnels looked like.  The wires are running electricity for lights.
Some were dry like this, but others were dripping water (and slippery) and quite cold.

Some points in the tunnels had "lookout windows" that provided a view to the water again (but dark)! 

In one place the path had to change sides, so a small bridge was built to connect tunnels on either side.

Finally, after 2.7km length and 300m descent, you emerge at the bottom and see the other "hütte".

After 30 more minutes walking through a forest path, you reach the town of Hammersbach.  On the way to the train station we paused to photograph a small Bavarian church with an interesting bench outside: 

It took a while to get there (and we could have taken a more direct route), but it was worth it.  The Höllentalklamm is fascinating.  For the next time, we're thinking about hiking some trails even closer to the big Zugsptize...

Dirndl Update

I have been working on the dirndl in sporadic bursts, but it finally is starting to take shape. I think the top is 80% of the work!!

Both layers of the bodice are complete and I've pinned them together.  I need to make a few adjustments but am almost ready to attach the pieces and put on the skirt.  So far, so good...

This weekend we stumbled upon a great trachten outlet just outside of Munich and I picked up a fun trachten hat. 

I hope to make some further progress this week, but have a couple of work trips planned.

Walking a dog from the Animal Shelter

Frau A and I have walked dogs at the main animal shelter in Munich and recently went back.  It's in a suburb called Riem and is reacheable by train plus a 15 minute walk - a little farther than the English Garden or Nymphenburg.

The "tierheim" (literally translated: animal home) opens at 09:00 daily, at which point you can sign out a dog and take it for a walk.  They ask that you walk your dog for at least one and a half hours to get them a lot of exercise.

There is already a line of people waiting at 08:50! Many arrive early to make sure they get their favorite friend.  We just asked for any two dogs that needed to get out.  While we were waiting, Frau investigated the small pond where all sorts of birds were starting to wake up. (Geese, ducks...)

Included in the mix around the small pond are hens!  We wonder how they got there, and if they lay eggs...

The queue eventually got to us and we received two dogs, then headed out onto one of the trails in the area.

Riem is the place for horse farms and riding areas in Munich.  There are lots of walking & riding paths through woods and along the farms here.  We paused on our path at a creek to give Frau A's dog a drink and relax a sec.

This guy is smaller than we usually get, but he was very sweet and had a lot of energy.

Also along the path was a small childrens' playground, with one of the longest playground slides we've ever seen!

The quaint farmer's houses along the trail had lovely flowers in a warm morning sun.

The horses and colts(two of them right here!) were out grazing peacefully too.

It's a great way to start the day, for both us and the dogs.  We'll go back to make more friends soon.

Festivals: Dauchauer Volksfest

In August, construction workers start erecting the huge tents and rides on Munich's "Wiesn" -- the first reminder that Oktoberfest is coming soon!  However, before late September gets here, Dachau holds its traditional Volksfest.  Some people say it's a mid-August warm-up for the big event a month later...

Dachau lies just to Munich's northwest.  I've added some recent Schnitzelbahn destinations for reference:

Dachau sits at the end of the S2 (commuter train) line, an easy 30 minute ride from the center of Munich.

Most visitors think of the concentration camp and museum when they hear the word "Dachau" -- but it also has a charming old town & church, castle, and lots of green spaces.  Last year we saw a classical concert in the castle. 

The Volksfest is basically like a smaller, less hectic Oktoberfest. It's a great way to spend a summer afternoon or evening eating, drinking, riding rides, and playing games (plus it's another excuse to wear your trachten).  Here's some views from the top of the ferris wheel. First, looking down at a beer tent, town in the background:

And the "Octopus" ride (second photo above) - a classic spinning carnival ride.  Great techno music pumping too.

You see everyone below in their dirndl's & lederhosen (except the far right - Americans?  White tennis shoes...).

There are two main tents plus a few smaller "gardens" serving weißbier, cocktails, and of course festbier.  The festival's 350 year history is older than Oktoberfest (sorry, link in German but video is fun).  The festbier comes from a local brewer (not one of Munich's big 6) and costs 4.90, whereas a mass at Oktoberfest will run 9 euros!

One of the smaller "tents" (pictured below) has a specific niche - strudl!  (We didn't have a chance to try it.)

The larger bier tents are decorated much like the ones at Oktoberfest.  the blue & white pattern come from the Bavarian crest /and flag), and the green wreaths are also traditional and a common color for trachten.

The outside of the large tents are also decorated in a manner like the tents at Oktoberfest (photo below). 

Due to the fantastic weather, the smaller biergartens were the most crowded.  The cold festbier was good. 

The tent's band warms up to begin the entertainment, after fueling up with some beer themselves.

It was VERY hot that afternoon -- finally, Germany gets some of the Summer heat that the U.S. experienced.
To stay cool, we decided to take the classic "log ride" and saw this furry fellow at the entrance.  Frau A said hello:

This dog was in the perfect place to stay cool.  The woman in the ticket booth would throw water at him and he would try to catch it.  Otherwise he would just hang out and greet riders.   (Why the "Welcome" in English?)

I think it's great, but for whatever reasons (legal?) could never see this happening in the U.S..

 

Also:  how about Frau A's awesone dirndl!!!

The festival has the requisite kiddie rides too (colorful and cute)...

...plus carnival games.  Below, Frau A is throwing a ball to try and knock down a stack of cans.  Classic! 

I took my turn as well, sporting short lederhosen and a country-style shirt (rather than blue & white): 

Almost!  I don't think I've even done this to 100%.  Next time... 

And this classic roll-a-ball-into-holes game pictured below.  I'm terrible at it.  Frau gave it a try though.

 

No luck, despite the good roll in the above photo.  Someone else just had the magic touch that time.

The ol' balloon/darts game had some odd prizes....a stuffed Meerkat in heart boxer shorts??? 

My favorite?  The shooting gallery.  No prizes, just a jaeger's (hunter -- yes, like Jaegermeister) satisfaction of knocking over bottles, starting the player piano, spraying water, or making odd taxidermied animals dance.
It's a staple at all Munich-area fairs, just like the U.S..

Naturally the sledgehammer/strongman game was here too.  Very popular with guys especially after a few beers: 

And no festival would be complete without big food.

There's the spit-roasted ox ("ochs") on a bun, a speciality we saw at one of the large beer tents:

Frau A skipped the Ox and had Wiener schnitzel in another beer tent (she loved the seasoned fries they served):

I tried something new, Ludwig-Thoma-Braten, which is thick chunks of ham (with sauerkraut and knödel).

It must be repeated: the festbeer was quite good, and an unbelievable €4.90 per maß (roughly 1 liter).
That's the same price as 2010!  For about half the price of Oktoberfest, it's a dark malty steal.

Outside of the tents are lots of other stalls, selling greek food, döner, and the usual carnival snacks.
We had to try a nutella crepe, of course.  Want to help support them vs. the stupid lawsuit.

Overall, Dachauer Volksfest is a great prelude to Oktoberfest, and fun in it's own right.  It's cheaper, less crazy, with a small-town feel.  We're definitely planning to go again next year... let us know if you want to join!

BMW Museum - Classic Luxury and Cabrios

At the BMW Museum, we shared photos from the motorcycle room, so now on to the luxury and cabriolet /convertable rooms.

The car on the left is the BMW 326, produced from 1936-1941.  "The first luxury-class BMW."  It had a OHV straight six, with innovative (for the time) hydraulic brakes and torsion bar rear suspension.  World War II only partially destroyed the factory, and production restarted briefly in 1946 during occupation (under the new badge BMW 326s).

On the right is the BMW 501, produced from 1952-1962.  This was the first new model by BMW after WWII.  The body weighed a lot more than anticipated, so the car's performance was not a good as the competing Mercedes at the time.  This spurred the development of BMW's first V8 engine.

The first luxury-class BMW.  This "saloon" also came in a cabrio version. 

As we mentioned in the previous post, the BMW museum is organized by topic rather than a pure timeline.  In this case, you can see the evolution of their luxury cars side by side -- into the 7-series of today.

Many of the luxury models also had a cabrio counterpart.  Below we see Frau A snapping a photo of the BMW 315/1 "sports roadster".   Only 242 were built, from 1934-1936.  Compared to its parent, the saloon 315, it weighted 180 pounds less but delivered 18% more horsepower (up to 40hp). 

The model behind Frau A in the previous photo is the BMW 328 sports car (I think).  It's innovations were a tubular space frame, and hemispherical combustion chambers in the engine.  Only 464 were produced, from 1936-1940.  Top speed was 93, and it finished 5th overall (and first in its class) in the 1939 Le Mans.

She particularly liked the detail and the old leather straps used to keep the hood closed.

Our favorite was the BMW 507.  Only 252 were build between 1956 and 1959, but a pre-production model made its debut at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, 1955.  They had hoped to sell a bunch in the U.S., but it ended up being twice as expensive as planned.  The Mercedes 300SL trounced it in sales.

It is primarily made of hand-formed aluminum (cool!), so no two models are exactly the same.  Despite the 2900lb curb weight, the V8 pushed it up to 122mph.

We really like the design (and so did Elvis - he bought one).  It was the inspiration for the limited production (and incredibly popular) BMW Z8 from 1999-2003. We see these on the autobahn from time to time and really like them.

The 80s were not forgotten, with the downward-retracting door of the Z1!  maybe not as cool as Doc Brown's DeLorean, but still fun.

This was a fantastic room at the BMW Museum.  Coming soon... the M Series!

Have you seen... [cat & dog bloopers]

Frau A loves cats.  So I found this YouTube video that has fantastic examples of cats... just being cats.

In the case of dogs, you're not always sure if it's the dog or the owner that is silly.