The Oktoberfest - die Wies'n - in Munich 2023

 

Dear You,  

can you imagine that Yours Truly was for the first time in her life (and she is no greenhorn anymore :-) on the Oktoberfest in Munich? 

I went in the early afternoon - many people already there, but not so many drunks. 

Beautiful traditional costumes - Dirndl for the women, Lederhosen for the men (and Wow, they show off) - and of course floods of beer. 

The sun shone on a bright Bavarian blue sky - and for a moment I hesitated if I should repeat one of the joys of my childhood and youth: going around in a carrousel. The are even bigger than in the olden days - and signs generously offered "Half the price for people over 60!" What a chance! 

                                               

Fasten your seatbelt - you'll need it! 

And up you go - you'll have a beautiful view over Munich! 

Up, up !!! 

Even that might be enjoyable - what kept me back was that they fall with enormous speed back to the ground (you have to trust the labourers who build up the plant). 

And you have to trust your heart...

Well, after some consideration I preferred these hearts: 

Though there were many exciting alternatives: 

"O'zapft is!"  - that is the traditional shout for the Oktoberfest (= die Wies'n) and means: "The beer cask is tapped!" 

PS: And after two "Maß" = 2 Liter beer (and I only have to smell at the crown cap to become VERY bold) - I might change my mind and go up ... 2024 maybe... if Tom or Tasker join in, that is... 

Living Like Miss Read

 

  

  Dear You, 

imagine that you possess a crystal ball, put a record on your antique record player, hum along with the Rolling Stones "I went to see a gipsy, to have my fortune read" - and then tell me that I eventually would be part of Bavarian village life - AND enjoy it.

 

If ever there was a City plant it would be me.

 

And now I watch for the second time in my life how two with colourful ribbons decorated trees - felled the day before - are heaved up against the very blue Bavarian sky. The sun smiles benevolent, the fire brigade plays a brass song, the village people cheer - and then the  "Kär'wa" starts. 

It is a parish fair - and in such a small village as this - yes, Tom: no shop, no café, that's why Yours Truly had to buy a car, 511 inhabitants - you soon know almost everyone, and that is nice. 

Two days from afternoon till midnight you can sit on wooden benches and talk, eat cakes or Bratwurst, drink coffee or beer and feel good. The children enjoy it immensely - they sing ("I am a village child and proud of it") and rehearsed a dance, (and no: the two blonds in the photo above are not part of the triplets) and afterwards they run around while their parents are deeply engaged discussing the state of the world and drinking beer - and last year at night young men from another village came and nobbed the Kär'wa tree - revenge for the same crime the young men of this village committed the year before.  :-) 

All those joys I didn't know in a huge city. (And I very seldom drink beer). 

Yours Truly,     Britta  

                                                

If you wondered about the title:      

 

 

Royal Cauldon "Victoria", England. Est.1774

 

Dear You, 

yesterday I went to the "Graffelmarkt" in Fürth - a flea market which takes place twice a year. "Graffel" is dialect and means: "stuff" - well, actually I try to down-size my "stuff", hahaha... 

But the weather was fine, the little red train is on the rail again (after a month off absence - they try to repair the rail network of the Deutsche Bahn). 

In Fürth, hundreds of roaring football fans clogged the way out of the station - "singing" and spurred by beer, beer, beer. I thanked God that I am tall and not shy, thus I managed to part the beer stinking crowd. 

The photo below gives a wrong impression, many visitors came to the market. 

I enjoyed to visit normally private little yards behind the houses. 

When I was tired, I followed intuition, a staircase up to a little place. And there I found something! Not valuable, but soothing the heart :-) 

In Berlin I have - beside my Spode - an (incomplete) vintage coffee service by Royal Cauldon, Victoria - I found it about 20 years ago when I still lived in Hamburg. In Fürth stood a few remains, e.g. a funny butter dish, but in my long life I learned to "think before you buy" (at least most times) and so I "only" bought three egg cups and two porridge bowls. 

They will join their "family" in Berlin soon! 

Disrupted Days.

 

Dear You, 

this is no complaint. It's just real life - and revision of some expectations that did not consider all possibilities. 

The triplets had their fourth birthday - and two days later kindergarten started. 

The beautiful kindergarten is in the next little town, and my son brings them there, and my DiL brings them back after they have eaten their lunch. 

That was the plan. 

But every child, even when they are triplets, is different. 

The "twins" have more difficulties in adjusting and letting Mama go - the third, single, is the star and jumped into her group (each triplet joins another group, which I think is a very wise decision of their parents). 

But soon all adjusted well. 

But then the first got a cold, with fever - so she had to stay at home. 

The second had to be collected after one&half hour in kindergarten = familiarisation time for her, decided the Kindergärtnerin. 

So I looked after the lively but sick one, DiL went by car to fetch Number 2, then, 2 hours later, she had to fetch no.3. (I have a car but do not drive the children - I think the responsibility is too great). 

Two days later, no.1 was healthy again - and of course you guess what happened? Now no.2 was sick. 

So: DiL and I are looking forward for a "normal" day. 

Yours Truly , (a bit flustered)  

Light and Clouds

 

Dear You, 

with blogging it is as with other things: if you don't find time for it waiting makes it difficult to start anew. So much has happened in the meantime, where to start? 

When I was a child and had learned to swim I still hesitated to jump from a small jetty into the Klopeiner See in Austria. I stood and stared into the water. 

First my father tried bribery: "You'll get an ice cream when you jump!" 

But what is an ice cream (which at those times we didn't get very often) against dear little life? 

Eventually he lost patience. While I still stared he came behind me - and suddenly he gave me a push into the back - I remember that very well - though "well" is not the right word... 

Yes, I had a hard childhood 😁- but also the audacity to ask for my ice cream when I arose. 

So: now I'll plunge into blogging - without a push. 

The picture above is from the wonderful exhibition: 

               "Clouds and Light. Impressionism in the Netherlands" 

in the beautiful museum Barberini in Potsdam, which the Flying Dutchman and I visited during our stay in Berlin. 

                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQwUuTzfKuY 

It was such a treat! 

Next time I'll tell you about our holiday on the isle of Sylt. 

Yours Truly, Britta