July 4th Food

Happy July 4th!

Since it isn't a holiday here in Germany, we celebrated yesterday with a good, old-fashioned American summer meal.

Spicy pork ribs, sweet corn, and rosemary potatoes...with some Andechs Bergbock Hell, of course.

We've found an easy way to do ribs here (and luckily good pork is available everywhere). Wrap the ribs so they're air-tight in aluminum foil and bake in oven around 100°C for several hours.  The steam released from the meat should make the packet puff up as it cooks.  We usually just leave them in low all day and they come out perfectly tender and falling off the bone.

As a special treat, we topped it off with a homemade version of one of America's finest inventions - Reese's Cup Blizzard!
It's not a road trip without stopping at Dairy Queen, and sadly they don't have them here. Reese's Cups finally are becoming more widely available here - they have them occasionally in the American section of grocery stores in Kaufhof or Karstadt. But now they're available at the mini-Edeka in the Hauptbahnhof and at many gas stations!

Take your favorite ice cream and let it soften. Add crumbled Reese's cups and blend.

Delicious! 

While it's wonderful ice cream, the Häagen-Dazs Beligian Chocolate really is a bit too rich for this. It's great on it's own, but is just too much and also overpowers the Reese's cup taste a little. Next time we'll try with some vanilla or less chocolatey ice cream.

Women's World Cup

Back in February we attended an Alpine skiing World Cup event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Women's Downhill).  So yesterday, we went to Augsburg to watch Sweden take on North Korea in one of the Women's World Cup soccer matches.

Augsburg is just a 40-50 minute train ride from Munich - basically the same as going to the airport!  Quick & easy.  It's smaller than Munich (about 260,000 inhabitants vs 1.3 million) with a likewise smaller stadium.   The Impuls Arena seats 31,000 (vs. 65,000 in Munich's Allianz Arena) and this game drew over 23,000 - a good size crowd for the first round.  First round games of Germany or the U.S. are the most popular and sold out... 

There is a typical pre-game activity for all FIFA World Cup matches:  the teams march out in parallel; each player walks with a child, holding his/her hand.  The players line up, country flags are displayed, and the respective national anthems played. 

 

We were sitting in the third row of the southeast corner of the stadium -- so anything in our end was really close, but action on the far side of the field was not so easy to photograph (even with the big zoom lenses we brought along).  In the first half, Sweden defended the goal in front of us.  We did get one shot of the Swedish keeper with a Sony 3D ad making her look cool, but North Korea for the most part was not too dangerous and the ball didn't spend much time in our zone. 

The first half ended 0-0, and we hoped that Sweden would continue to create action... and that in the 2nd half it would be in front of us.  We were not disappointed!  In the sequence below, the Swede made a dangerous push right in front of the goalie box, but the keeper made the stop. 

A number of corner kicks were right in front of us -- in the photo below the set was handled right, but the header ended up off target (and probably not strong enough anyway).  But Sweden was creating the most chances and you got the feeling they would break through eventually. 

North Korea did keep it interesting with a few scares of their own.  The picture below was one of their best opportunities, but the Swedish goalie made the stop (with the help of some physical play by the defender). 

Still early in the second half, Sweden again went knocking on the door, but the North Korean goalie again closed the door... 

The North Korean style is ball-control, and most corner kicks and free kicks were NOT put into the air -- rather, passed to a neaby player.  (The height differential probably also dictates that style of play.)  In this case, however, we have a clear view to the other end where North Korea did try a set piece.  Not well executed though. 

Around the 60th minute came the game changer.  Sweden came quickly down the right side, right in front of us!  A smart, fast cross came to the striker who trapped it and placed a hard shot past the goalie who could not get back left-to-right in time.  1-0, Sweden. 

  

Yes, the ladies celebrate the same way as the men... 

And that's how it finished too.  In the end, the better team won but it was a fun game to watch.  In general, we've found that watching fussball in person give a much better feeling for the speed and precision of the game -- we prefer it to television.  We're going to see of some of the elimination round games are available!

German Beds

Travellers always find little surprises wherever they go. The most common one in German hotels - after "what do you mean there's no air conditioning?!?!!" - is the bedding.

Perhaps it's in response to complaints, but I'm impressed that a recent Jetsetter popup sale on a Berlin hotel added this to their "What to Know" section.

Whether you're staying in a hotel or trying to buy bedding, Americans are in for a shock that it's extremely difficult to find large duvets. Usually they're closer to our twin size, so that you'll need 2 duvets for a normal sized bed. Many couples who come here are shocked that they have to sleep under separate covers.  There is a logic behind it, that men and women often have different sleeping preferences and having two different duvets (and sometimes 2 different mattresses joined together!) allows each to have their own preferred comfort and temperature.  It's supposed to prevent many matrimonial arguments, though many German women's magazines now debate whether the traditional is extremely practical or terribly unromantic.

What do you think? Strange? Great idea?

Personally, I like to able to totally wrap up in the winter and those little ones just don't do the job.

The Automobile Summer

 

In a place with such a long history as Germany (and so many different histories…), it’s often seems like every year is some anniversary of something in excess of 100 years. Last year was Munich’s 850^th anniversary, the 200^th Oktoberfest, etc…

This summer is Automobile Summer, commemorating the 125^th anniversary of the first auto.  Naturally, the festival is centered on Baden-Württemburg,and more specifically, the Stuttgart area.

While BMW, Audi, and VW rank high in the mind in German cars, the auto was born closer to Stuttgart, where Messrs. Daimler, Benz, and Porsche had their workshops. 

If you find yourself in Baden-Württemburg this summer, check out some of the festivities.  Scattered around the region, the events will showcase both German automotive innovation and the region's highlights (Black Forest, Lake Constance, Schwabian Alps, etc).

A calendar of activities can be found on the website, as well as info on the featured towns.  We're curious about the closing event in Mannheim in September, the "autosymphonic."  With light shows, video, orchestras, and sounds from 80 cars, it has potential to be really special, or very bizarre. The event site describes the production as:

a piece of art composed of music, singing, the spoken word and automotive sounds brought together with images, videos and lasers to form a huge multimedia symphony for cars and orchestra – making the emotional side of the automobile tangible.

Mannheim was chosen for the closing, as Bertha Benz (wife of inventor Carl) made the world's first road trip (100km) from Mannheim to Pforzheim in 1888. On the closing days of Automobile Summer a variety of "future-oriented" cars (i.e., with alternative powertrains, high fuel efficiency, and low environmental impact) will make the journey along the Bertha Benz Memorial Route in the Bertha Benz Challenge. The goal is to get these cars off the auto show concept stages and onto the road for everyone to see.

And if you miss out on the festivities this summer, there is still plenty to see. Earlier this year, we took a weekend trip to Stuttgart, where we visited the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche Museums. Surprisingly, these two museums take very different approaches and you can safely visit them in the same weekend without too much overlap. Full of beautiful, shiny classics as well as concept cars, race cars, and memories of the 80s, there's something to meet everyone's automotive tastes. Porsche focuses more on technology and on showing the development of their cars over time. As well as a few fun surprises tucked in there - the Italian 911 Police car, the station wagon made for Ferdinand Porsche's family vacations....

Daimler-Benz has a slightly different focus. As they really invented the engines and cars, the museum begins with a focus on the invention of the auto. And then focuses on its cars and company's place throughout history. With panels walking you through history (political, economic, as well as cultural/social), it also serves as a quick remedial history lesson. Particularly interesting was how openly the museum addresses the wars, especially acknowledging the company's participation in German war efforts.

Both are worth a visit, for car lovers and for those interested in modern architecture.  In the past decade, it's almost become a contest between the major German automakers as to who can build the coolest, most modern museum facility. You'll see the same here in Munich at the BMW Museum.

I'll take one of these, please!

Cats and Dogs

Though it would be an appropriate description for last night's weather, this time the topic is literal.

I’ve been cat-sitting a sweet baby Russian Blue and Herr J and I walked dogs this weekend at the animal shelter, so it's been a couple of weeks of cats and dogs.

It's been wonderful having animals in our lives again, even though it's temporary. They really do make life better....albeit more complicated.

When I moved to Munich, I had to face the difficult decision of leaving my cats behind. I fear the flight would have greatly traumatized one of the inseparable pair. They're much happier anyway, living with my parents in a house with many birds and creatures outside the big windows and with two people to give them treats and loving.

my sweet kitties, Gus and Loki

It took some adjustment for me to get used to not having to consider the cats in every action...african violets typically got beheaded, other plants eaten; leaving laundry out or the closet open was inviting destruction; and having anything breakable out in the open was a recipe for disaster.

Now I find myself adjusting again...remembering that the cat will drink out of any open container and attack anything hanging down invitingly. And I'm afraid to open the windows to let in air, lest he test the theory that cats always land on their feet.

But it has prompted lots of interesting conversations. Herr J is a dog person (not that he dislikes cats, just never spent much time around them); whereas I grew up with cats and fish mostly.

We've been comparing notes and observing similiarities and differences. Trying to explain to Herr J what is normal cat behaviour is surprisingly difficult. Perhaps impossible, actually. Are there typical cat behaviors? Perhaps some…running amok early in the morning, sleeping most of the day, then coming out at night to loudly knock things off any high surface…that seems very common among all the cats I've known.

life is rough!We have realized that while dogs seem to want human company without exception, cats want it on their own terms. At a distance, and usually at inopportune times or from the person in the room who least likes cats. But they often do want to be around people, contrary to popular thought.

Of course, as soon as you think you have cats figured out, they’ll change things up and keep you on your toes.

It’s been fun having little Smokey around. He’s definitely livened things up and has a really good disposition.  He’s exactly the right mix of loving and aloof. As he's gotten used to his new surroundings, he's been incredibly sweet and wants to be in the same room as me. Whether it's napping or running around, he wants to be with people. He'll follow us from room to room.

Initially we were worried that my speakers would frighten him, as my parents’ new speakers are NOT beloved by the cats. However, he’s done quite well. I actually think he enjoyed District 9, as the prawns made a subtle clicking sound that probably is attractive to a cat (or sounds like food). 

I'm definitely going to miss him when he goes home in a couple of days. However, it's getting really warm and I'm ready to open the windows!  

Look at those gorgeous eyes!

Herr J will post more about the Munich Tierheim (animal shelter), but we did meet one of the sweetest dogs there. Here are Lilly (black) and Romeo (brown), who we walked for a couple of hours Sunday morning. Despite an unhappy start in life (he was part of a major dog rescue led by the police), Romeo's just a bundle of love and extremely well-behaved.  It was really hard not to take him home, or the gorgeous black and white Great Dane we saw on the way out. So far, I'm resisting the call of the animals, but my strength is being greatly tested!

Munich Zoo - Elephant Baby

One thing that always drives traffic to a blog... baby animals!

On May 6, the Munich Zoo welcomed a new Asian elephant boy -- 117 kilograms and almost a meter tall at birth!  (No name has been given on the zoo web site yet.) Frau A and I went to see if we could "meet" him.  Even though the Elephant House is closed for renovation, we got lucky:  the weather was nice enough so they let mom "Temi" and son outside for a little while.

Here he is:

 

The time outside was a mixture of fun and training (training for Temi only, of course).  At the start, Temi marched out carrying a tire (with ease), and the new baby at her side.  She stopped for a pose and we grabbed a photo.

 

The keepers had a watermelon on the ground for them.  Temi stepped on it right away to open it, but baby was more interested in playing with a pink towel.  They eat the watermelon rind too, by the way.

 

Sometimes his trunk did not have the full dexterity needed to pick up the towel, so he used his foot to help.  So cute.  He'd thrash the towel around a bit with his trunk, then get bored and turn back to mom.

 

Temi really liked in the watermelon and chowed down.  (BTW:  notice the towel in the keeper's pocket for playtime, and the stick for training.  Also, he would tell onlookers what is happening with the wireless microphone, but only while interacting with other adult elephants, NOT mom and baby.)

Since Temi did the work to open the melon, baby could grab a snack too.
From a nice safe place underneath mom, of course.

 

Here's another gratuitous close-up of the baby.  Really adorable, afro & all.

 

After the snack, the trainer worked with Temi for a few minutes on training and tricks.   Here she is practicing with the keeper's hat, taking it off and putting it back on again.  The trunk is amazing - strong enough to throw a tire around but nimble enough to manage this.

In this shot, the keeper used his training stick to ask Temi to sit.  She then rolled onto her side close to baby and startled him - he shrieked for a second.  Then everything was back to normal.

 

Yup, this guy is really cute, but Temi is beautiful too.  There are some of the animals that you wish you could get in there and interact with... Frau A would take 'em both home if she could.

 

We'll head back later this summer to see how baby and Temi are doing...

Bauernregeln

As I investigated the Schafskälter, I stumbled upon other Bavarian weather folklore, which collectively are known as the Bauernregeln ("Farmers' rules").  They typically are little rhyming sayings dealing with weather prediction - similar to our "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning..." and "March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb."  Different from the Anglo-American ones, many of these use the name of a saint to denote the timing (based on the date of the Saints' feast days). Not a surprise, really, as the Catholic church played a much greater role in daily life in old Bavaria than it did in the early days of the US.

With the Schafskälter, the Eisheilige, and the Siebenschläfer, the past 6 weeks have been quite full of activity and proverbs!

The Ice Saints (Eisheilige) are a cold snap in May, which farmers and gardeners expect to be the last frost of the season.  Gardeners are admonished to "Die Eisheiligen abwarten" ("Wait for the Ice Saints") before doing serious planting.

In the Julian calendar, this cold snap coincided with the feast days of St. Mamertus (11 May), St. Pancras (12 May), St. Servatius (13 May), St. Boniface (14 May) and St Sophie (15 May), hence the view that the saints brought the cold weather that ends with the day of "Kalten Sophie" ("Cold Sophie"). However, with the timing changes caused by adopting the Gregorian calendar, today this cold weather usually falls a week later in May.

The Siebenschläfer ("Seven Sleepers") is a pivotal day in weather forecasting, along the lines of American Groundhog Day.  Legend has it that the weather we have on the Siebenschläfer day is representative of the weather for the next few weeks.  "Wenn die Siebenschläfer Regen kochen, so regnets vier ganze Wochen,"says the rule ("When the Seven Sleepers cook up rain, it will rain for 4 whole weeks"). 

The name refers to the old Christian and Muslim legend of the Seven Sleepers (though it also is the name for the dormouse), who were martyrs who went into a cave to pray before their executions, fell asleep, and awoke a century or two later to find the world completely changed.  The meteorological explanation is that the jet stream settles into position around the end of June, thus often bringing stable (good or bad) weather in Central Europe for the next weeks. While the memorial day for the Seven Sleepers is celebrated on 27 June, for weather purposes it likely is around 7 July today (again due to changing from Julian to Gregorian calendars).

Since the weather yesterday (27 June) was wonderfully warm and perfect, I'm hoping this Bauernregel holds true! Just to be safe, I'll check in again on the 7th next week. We could use some warm days after the rainy cool of the Schafskälter days!

A few Bauernregeln: (sadly they lose the rhyme in translation)

Pflanze nie vor der Kalten Sophie - Never plant before Cold Sophie"

Corpus Christi schön und klar, guter Wein in diesem Jahr - "When Corpus Christi is lovely and clear, we'll have good wine this year"
Je nasser ist der Februar, desto nasser wird das ganze Jahr - "The wetter February is, the wetter will be the whole year
Peter und Paul hell und klar bringt ein gutes Jahr - A light and clear Peter and Paul brings a good year" (tomorrow, the 29th)

It's in German, but there's a whole long chronological list of Bauernregeln and feast days of meteorological significance on Wikipedia.

Update on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 12:56 by Frau A

While I definitely buy into the Schafskälter as an annual phenomenon, I'm afraid that the Siebenschäfer might also work this year too.

27 June was a lovely warm sunny summer day, but supposedly the modern date (accounting for changing from Julian to Gregorian calendars) is around 7 July.

July 7 was a very strange day, mixed with hot sunny spells and cold rain and thunderstorms all in the same day. Kind of like Texas weather, except that the drop in temperature here is much more severe and it gets much colder.

I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but the weather since then has also been a strange mix, with a lot of rain. And many days that have swift changes from sun to storms and back to sun. Luckily we had almost a week of beautiful weather the week our friends from Dallas visited (the storms all were at night so didn't interfere with plans).

I'm now looking forward to the Hundestage!