No kidding lost in Bavaria

I enjoy walks in the evening and took one just now. It is a pleasant evening; unusual for Germany at this time of year it is also clear and starry, making it all the more enjoyable. Over the years I’ve been asked by passing drivers for directions more times than I could ever count, usually to someplace in town. Generally I can give an intelligent enough answer, which I always find amusing given the fact that I am indeed a “foreigner”. So when a small, battered Renault pulled over just past the train station I was not terribly surprised when a woman came out asking for directions.

Perhaps 25, she was relatively well dressed, perhaps for a party, but the streetlight reflected on tears clearly rolling down her face. Her license plate indicated she was from Regensberg (a large city an hour drive away) and that is exactly where she asked directions to, adding that she’d been driving around for three hours completely lost.

I’ve got to say that staying “lost” three hours in Germany is something I would have considered completely impossible prior to this, villages and towns pop up constantly even on country roads and there is always going to be a gas station or passing pedestrian to query. But she seemed perfectly sincere so I took some time mentally formulating a simple version for a rather complex answer. For one thing Germany doesn’t use highway numbers and cardinal directions, rather city names as the means of identifying the direction for a road (not better or worse, just different) and first I had to get her out of town. I told her to take a right at the next light which was just visible at the end of the street, less than a kilometer down that road take the highway to Amberg, follow it through towards Schwandorf and then pick up the Autobahn.

She thanked me as she drove off and I spent the fifteen minutes walking home wondering what she’d been doing for three hours, what her chances of getting home in a reasonable time were, or if I should have directed her the very long but perhaps idiot-proof way via the Nürnberg Autobahn. Thinking it would be terrible if she spent another 3 hours aimlessly driving around, I even wondered if I shouldn’t have offered to ride far enough to get her out of town. Of course, I also wondered if it was her car I saw turn left at the light … rather than right.

The Christmas Family Photo

Well, I got both Chris and Lisa to pose for the photo which is a triumph in itself. Of the four tries, this was the best (one which only had my arm and half of Lisa was particularly worthless, you’d think I’d have figured out the timer feature by now).

It would be a Bavarian

Hopefully if you click on the title (above) it will take you to the first of Sports Illustrated's Most Interesting Photos of the year ... a Bavarian (I learned AFTER deciding to post this) woman who clearly looks both overdressed and terrified holding on to a flying sleigh. Ho Ho Ho!

Christmas Market in Sulzbach

Well, there was no snow last night but at least it was cold enough (30° F) for Lisa, Chris and I to justify a trip to the small local Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) to eat a bratwurst and drink glühwein (hot red wine spiced with orange, cinnamon etc.). Sulzbach’s market is tiny and actually rather sad compared to other ones in Germany. Chris was in a hurry, ate and ran to a party (getting home, I believe at 4a.m.) so no picture of him this time. We did meet a few friends there however and it was a pleasant enough evening … at least well enough to justify a posting a few photos (the building is Sulzbach’s Rathaus or City Hall)

A Basketball Christmas, German Style

How does a German basketball club celebrate Christmas you ask? Why, by sharing schnapps and hot spiced red wine while hiking five and half miles through rainy forests to a small country guest house of course! And then returning afoot the same way between 12:30 and 2:20 in the morning!
It was a very pleasant evening actually; at 5:30 Wolfgang, Ute and I walked a mile or so to the linkup point where another thirty assembled for the hike (Lisa historically drove to the party but declined this year for reasons never quite explained). No one admitted knowing the way through the darkness to our goal; but it mattered not a whit to anyone and delayed our departure perhaps 20 seconds. Light rain started about a mile into the adventure, my “cowboy-like” hat (like I’m really going to wear a real cowboy hat?) came in most handy; but I think the hot wine was even better protection from the elements. We only came across a few piles of horse er, … apples and mud puddles to avoid. The teenagers outpaced the older crowd after the last roadside refreshment stop (I’m sure the occupants of the nearby farm house were thrilled by the rowdy group crowded around thermos cans and flasks), the thirty to fifty year olds arriving fifteen minutes or so behind our heartier companions. The guest house was cozy and warm; making for a very lovely evening.
Full from schnitzel, goose, beer and pear schnapps, the last of the crew closed the place down at 12:30 and trudged our way home, a bit less rowdy and a bit wetter than on our trek there. Ahh, but what better way to start the final week before Christmas?

Welcome

Greetings and welcome to what I hope will be an interesting excursion into the web. I’m horribly remiss in getting out Christmas Cards, letters and such but figured I might just be able to reach old friends, family and others by an occasional post to a blog. And I certainly hope that I’ll also hear back from you as well.