Sunday Brunch

Last Sunday Cameron and I hiked to the Mariahilfbergkirche Cathedral. It is on the top of a large hill, and its spire can be seen from anywhere in Amberg, including our apartment. We had heard that there was a good beirgarten next to the church, so we decided to check out it out before the end of the foliage (and just in time too, the leaves have all fallen from most of the trees around here). It was a good thing we walked up the steep hill rather than drive, because the beirgarten was awesome!!

The picture above of Amberg was taken on our way down. It gives you an idea of how high up the church is.

The goofy looking picture below was taken at the summit, and also has Amberg in the background

This is the church itself; the spire is not on the church itself but a connected building on the side. The building on the left is another smaller sanctuary. There seemed to be several smaller prayer sites scattered around and numbered- even a large crucifix on the path we took. The inside of the church had murals painted on the ceilings and walls, and gold gild everywhere (there was a service in progress so no pictures of that).

Another picture of Amberg, this one taken from the cathedral stairs. That little person trying to decipher the German bulletin board is me! The building below is the beirgarten, so I think I was actually spying on the food below...

SO GOOD! This dessert is their speciality, and almost every table had at least one. Cameron and I split this, and it was delicious. The whipped topping was lighter than I had expected, and the crust wasn't too heavy either. There was an older couple who sat at our table who spoke very little English (it was really crowded), but we determined that this beirgarten was famous for this dessert- they each had one! I doubt parents have a hard time getting their kids to go to this church...

I promise to take all my visitors here, a good incentive!

This Sunday Cameron and I went to the circus. The posters around Amberg were in German, but the name of the circus was in English (The Color of Life), there was also a tiger on the poster, so we had to go. Unfortunately, the only animals were a couple of dogs, 6 horses that had black spots like cows, and a trio of llamas that weren't that cool. While we were disappointed about the lack of wild beasts, there were some pretty cool aspects.

There was a woman who did acrobatics with a hanging rope- circ de sole style, and a trapeze couple- the man balanced on his head on a swinging trapeze while holding the woman who was also swinging. I mean, I have trouble balancing on one foot, never mind on my head like that!

My favorite act was a woman and her poodle. The dog could walk around and jump through hoops on its hind legs! It did a lot of cool things, but the best was when the woman trainer had the dog sit on her head like a person (hind legs only). It was cool, but I think we will avoid traveling German circuses from now on.

Regensburg

Our adventure this weekend was to Regensburg, about 40 minutes away. It is one of the most well preserved medieval towns in Europe, claiming landmarks that go back over 2000 years due to being skipped over during WW2. It is also home to the "domspatzen" (church sparrows): the world renowned choir of the Dom St. Peter.  We spent the day wandering around the city and sampling the delicious street vender cuisine (ice cream for a euro!!!).

This is a mural of David and Goliath we came across on a side street. Notice how Goliath's arm is resting on the window frame. Not surprisingly, the hotel across the street from this mural was named "The Goliath Hotel".

This is the Dom St. Peter, built in the 13th century, although the spires were added in the 19th. Either way, the architecture is incredible; it is said by many to be the crowning gothic achievement in all of Europe.

Another view of the Dom. Inside there were many stained glass windows and paintings, as well as signs prohibiting photography. There were other tourists taking pictures, but I figured God was probably watching.

Cameron outside Johannes Keppler's house. Apparently he did something scientific...

The Steinerke Bruke (stone bridge) was once the only fortified crossing of the Danube river.  It was built in the 12oo's, and I can't imagine how big the worker's muscles must have been when it was completed. 

Rumor has it that it was such a feat to build that the townsfolk thought it could only have been the work of the devil, and the first thing to cross the bridge would die. So they had a goat complete the maiden crossing and offered it as a sacrifice.  

And these are my new sparkly turquoise earrings I got at an antique store, for only 3 Euro. I guess good taste never goes out of style!

London

This past weekend I took my first trip on a budget European airline and went to visit my BC senior year roommate Jessie. She studied at Oxford for a year and is now working in London and living with her English boyfriend. I haven't seen her since graduation, so it was fantastic to be able to spend my four day weekend with her, as well as visit London for the first time. Unfortunately Cameron had to work so I made the trek solo (but we were able to spend more time shopping since he wasn't there). 

It was great to be around people speaking English, although I have to admit I had a hard time understanding some people if they spoke quickly. I was most flattered when people stopped me to ask for directions- in Germany they look at me and assume (correctly) that I don't speak the language (still learning, its slow going). I did not notice too many changes going on for the 2012 Olympics, mainly just updates/beautifying of the underground/tube stations, which were already very efficient. Boston needs to take notes- the T is brutal. 

This is a picture taken from outside the walls of the Tower of London (where I got a student discount, yay!). I took this picture because there was what looked like laundry hung on a line fluttering inside one of the walls. I guess the Beefeaters need to wash their undergarments too?

Another view of the Tower of London complex. There were also catapults set up on the surrounding lawn. 

This is the "traitors gate". Supposedly traitors would be brought through this gate from their cells in the towers on their way to be beheaded. 

I am convinced he was asleep standing up. You can't see their eyes under the furry hats, I wonder how well he could see me. He also had freakishly large feet- part of the uniform or just a coincidence?

A friendly reminder to not get run over by a crazy London driver!

This is how we are going to display our 

future gun/bayonet collection. There was another section that was a wall holding over 1,000 rifles layered on top of one another for easy access!

Tower of London bridge from the London Bridge. The London Bridge is very plain looking, I actually crossed it by accident when I got a little lost...

What are humped pelicans?

Crossing the Tower of London Bridge. It is amazing to think how difficult it must have been to build this with the limited equipment they had back in the day.

Parliament

Big Ben... When I stepped out of the tube station I was looking around for Big Ben and didn't see it, until I realized how far up you have to look to see it. Fun fact courtesy of Jessie- Big Ben is actually the name of the main bell inside the clock, not the actual clock.

The London Eye. I did not go on it, but it might be on the list for my next visit. I haven't decided yet if 40 minutes 440 ft in the sky will be too much for me.

The Eye at night. We had a cocktail hour on a docked boat with great views of this and Parliament light up at night. 

Big Ben at night. Its not a great picture, but notice the statue of a golden eagle in the foreground. Look familiar Boston College fans?

Last but definitely not least, did you think I would go to London and not visit Platform 9 and 3/4?? I'm actually updating my blog from the Hogwarts Express, not Amberg (and staying away from the Every Flavor Beans). 

Cheers!

Oktoberfest 2008

A rite of passage for anyone living in Germany is Oktoberfest. This past weekend we took the train down to Munich on Saturday morning and dove right into the crowds. It took us a while to get our bearings- the park that Oktoberfest is built on, Theresienweisse, is transformed from a meadow to a huuuuge fairground for 16 days a year. The main strip has 12 beer tents, and there are beer gardens smattered in between with venders selling 400,00 sausages, 600,000 chickens, and various cakes, nuts, and pretzels. I read that there are 6 million visitors who consume 5 million liters of beer (I find it hard to believe that there are more visitors than liters of beer consumed).  To get a beer, you have to either make reservations for a tent months in advance, get to a tent before 9 am, or push and shove into one of the beer gardens. After we figured this out, we pushed and shoved into a beer garden, planted our feet, and waited for a waitress slugging 5+ liters of beer at a time.

My first Burger King meal in Europe, and it was fantastic. Sometimes pretzels just don't cut it.

You don't need to know German to eat at Oktoberfest, this sign sums it up- you are going to eat meat on a bun.

This is a mound of empty beer steins. These carts were positioned around the fairgrounds, but as you can imagine, it is difficult to get drunkards to put their steins away in the right place.

This picture is of the beer garden we were drinking in. The main street was just as crowded, and we risked getting knocked over if we stopped to take a picture. Here, everyone was just standing around drinking

I'm practicing for my back-up job- beer wench. I'm not very good, as I could barely hold 2 in each hand. They carry 4-5 in a hand with one balanced on top, very impressive.

When Germans heard us talking, they would want to practice their English. This group really liked us, and we talked to them for awhile (tried to at least). And yes, my hands got tired of holding my stein of beer.

Oktoberfest would not be compete without getting into a tent. To do this you need to either make reservations months in advance, get to a tent and wait in line before 8 am, or sneak in. The bouncer at the particular tent door we were eyeing left to break up a fight, so Cameron and I walked in and found a table of people who did not speak English but liked Americans. There was a large brass band playing, and people standing on the picnic tables singing. I'm not sure what they were singing about, but it was awesome.

ps- don't worry, my next post will not be pictures of my appendectomy...