A week in Cologne, Germany

After Oktoberfest, Brett and I traveled to Cologne, Germany where I attended a tradeshow called Photokina. It's the largest photography show in the world, with about 160,000 attendees. We were in Hall 5, so every morning I was able to practice my limited Germany by saying "Halle funf bitte" or "Hall 5 please" to the taxi driver.

This was my 4th Photokina but I'm always struck by the beauty of the town. The gothic cathedral towers over the town and the Rheine, and I was lucky enough to have a view of both from my hotel. Unfortunately for my boss, he had a view of another brick building - but I wasn't about to switch rooms :-)

Germany is for the young

In the US we have a clothing store called "Forever 21" that serves the youth market. Not to be outdone, the Germans have taken it down a notch with "Forever 18." I'm sure it has something to do with the lowered drinking age in Europe but it's still amusing.

Prost!

Last Saturday Brett and I met some friends from San Francisco at Oktoberfest in Munich. In addition to the beer tents there were rides, food stalls, souvenir shops and a parade. It was opening day and people started arriving at the beer tents early in order to secure a seat. We arrived at 9AM and the tent we chose was already FULL - 3 hours before they were even serving beer. What makes it even crazier to me is that some tents can hold up to 10,000 people! I guess the people of Munich love their beer.

The festival is attended by locals and international tourists alike, and everyone had fun showing off their dirndls and lederhosen (leather pants). Some men even wore "calf warmers" to show off their calves, which are considered the sexiest part of the male body in Bavaria.



At noon a rolling cheer went from tent to tent and they started serving the beer. The oompah bands started playing and the festival began. Waitresses carried 5-10 liters of beer at a time to the tables of thirsty festival goers. It was an impressive sight. These women had biceps of steel! With each glass easily weighing 5pounds, Oktoberfest is a fun way to do strength training for your arms :-)

Tasty Bavarian Food

When we were in Munich we ate a LOT. Soft pretzels as thick as my wrist and pork and potato products galore. Amazingly we ate almost everything on these plates, from the sausages and sauerkraut mashed potatoes to the cheese spaetzle and red cabbage. Yum.

Munich was made for Brett!

We found a few "Brett branded items" in Munich.....







....like Brett "noodles" and "Brett Bacon"

Visiting Dachau

Last Thursday Brett and I took an overnight train to Munich so we could attend Oktoberfest. On Friday we attended Dachau, which is a former concentration camp outside of town. It's a sobering experience to walk the grounds, and the photos and stories of the activities at the camp are truly horrifying. We're glad we went, despite the somber experience. This photo is of the memorial sculpture at the event. Nearby, the words "Never forget" are displayed on a wall in multiple languages. I can't think of better words.

When you see WWW it doesn't mean WC like toilet

We overheard that phrase while waiting in the public area of a government office. How can you not chuckle after hearing that one? :-)