Dave Germany: 51-63 (Internet, Herzoman Triathlon & Nuremberg Classic Music)

After a successful first trip in Germany, I was excited for Wednesday to come along, as I would finally get internet inmy own apartment, only 53 days after getting here!

I was nervous that something would go wrong, but everything actually went to plan!  The only funny story was that O2 (my provider) ships your modem in the mail.  Since I was at work, they left a pickup notice at my door.  Since it was allin German, and google translate didn't really make sense, I went to the post office. The lady there didn't speak english, and my German is stellar.  She kept saying something which I didn't get.  Finally a younger person came over, with decent English, and told me that they left the package with my neighbors, and I need to pick it up there.  I thought that was odd (as I do now of many German things) but headed back anyway.  I knocked on the door, introduced myself, and they had the package!  They were quite nice and we quickly shared a smile.

But on Wednesday morning, I became connected to the outside world! Wooo!  After 3+ weeks, I finally video chatted with Nadine & family.  While I did have plenty of free time to sit and think about everything, it was nice to get the internet back and start to make plans for the rest of my time here.

That weekend I met up some friends of Pat & Katherine.  Katherine's old Undergraduate roommate was living inNuremberg with her husband, who worked at adidas.  Go figure!  So we got together for drinks on Friday night, then I biked back in the dark.  After 1+ hrs I got home safe, but learned how far away Nuremberg actually is by bike!

Work was keeping me super busy during the weeks, so days were still flying by.  And I also found some trails in a nearby forest, so in addition to the occasional bike ride, I was also doing some trail running to keep my butt in shape during the week (which is tough when you sit in front of a computer 6+ hours a day).

The next weekend (July 25/26) I found out there was a triathlon in Herzo sponsored by Puma, the Herzoman!  It was a short race, so I figured I give it a shot.  I hadn't signed up yet, so on Saturday I went down to the registration tent, and they had a spot for me!  The swim was in a pool, and so the race was setup in groups.  17 groups of 30 people each would go off every 20 mins, from 840 until 11am.  There were over 300 people!  And in a town with adidas & Puma, you know there are some wicked good athletes.

http://anmeldeportal.ts1861herzogenaurach.de/list/list_finisher.php

It was great fun to do the race, and the weather was perfect.  I was now officially an international triathlete!  And as usual, I crushed the swim, held my own on my stellar pink bike, and survived the run.  Most importantly, no injuries or stories!  Myself and two other engineers did the race, so afterwards we hung around together and enjoyed the refreshments.

That night I was invited a big classic music concert in Nuremberg.  It was free, outside, and there were 80,000+ people (no joke).  It was pretty neat to be sitting there, listening to classic music in Germany, on a pleasant summer evening.  The coolest part of the night, was when everything lit up sparklers during a certain song, and the whole crowd lit up.  

We got home late, but another great weekend.  I was almost having a complete opposite of the first 35 days.  And to end the month of July, I had booked a weekend trip to Amsterdam, to stay with a friend.  It would be my first travel via flight!

Look at the beer I found in the store... ha, Mississippi again!

The trail system near Herzo

There's me, #281 (it says Puma because the previous person)

RIght before my heat went off

Me finishing the triathlon

The 3 adidas engineers... Dave, Dan (from UK), and Justin

Look at all the people for the concert... and the stage way in the back

Everyone had sparklers

The stage up close... there must have been over 100 seats up there

Dave Germany: 43-50 (Sun - Dachau) 4/2

The final day of my 3-day weekend was a Sunday trip to Dachau Concentration Camp.  It was about a 30 minute train, followed by a 30 min bus ride.  

I got to the visitior center around 9 am, which was nice because the crowds were still small.  I ordered an audio book for a self-guided walking tour.  I had planned to take my time here, and take in as much as possible.

As expected, it was a very moving experience.  And the whole grounds is setup very well to help you learn about Germany right after WWI, then to the Camp liberation in 1945, and even through the 1960s when it became a memorial site.

I read almost sign, listened to every audio clip, and watched every video.  I've been captivated by WWII, probably because both Grandpas were in the war.  The only problem of the day was carrying everything in my backpack.  My feet and back began to ache, probably bc that HB mug was so heavy!  

The most striking visuals were the main gate, the open grounds where the prisoners would stand every morning, the guard towers, and of course the ovens.  I think it is important to keep these around to remind us, but it is still solemn to see.

They also had a record book of Prisoners.  There was a sense of reflection, but pride when I found a "Krzeminski" in the entries.  

I wasn't ready to leave, but it was to go.  It took about 4-5 hours finally get back to my apartment in Herzo.  What a great weekend!  I have traveled successfully & safely.  No bad stories too!  I had made it through my first 50 days in Germany.  And best of all, I was going to get internet at my apartment soon!

Dachau Main Gate Sign

The infamous gate.. 'work makes you free'

The actual check-in desk

Daily routine

You can see here, that deaths didn't rise until late 1944, then it was disturbing

Krzeminski in the archives

The old crematorium

The 4 newer ovens

Dave Germany: 43-50 (Sat - Munich) 3/2

It was a direct train ride from Innsbruck to Munich, and I arrived to the Munich Hauptbahnhof at 12:30pm.  The sun was shining, and I had mapped out a walking plan around the city to see several sights.

Since it was near the main station, up first was walking over to where Oktoberfest takes place.  The grounds were empty, which was actually neat to see.  When I hopefully come back here in September, it will be fun to juxtapose this view to the mayhem.

I then headed for the Old City, and came across the Munich Gay Pride parade.  Always fun to see a colorful parade!  Then I strolled on into the Marienplatz, the famous square with the Glockenspiel with figurines.  Since it was a sunny Saturday, it was packed.  And the whole town square was full of enchanting buildings with old bell towers and structures.

Then it was onto a river, where surfers ride a standing wave in the city.  I had to see urban surfing for myself, and sure enough, it was pretty sweet.  I sat there for a bit in the shade, and relaxed.  I still had plenty more to explore.

From there I took a subway train up to the Olympic Park.  Most famous for the Israel athletes that were taken hostage.  A memorial was out in front of the exact apartment.  I sat there for a few minutes, thinking about athletes having a dream come true by being at the olympics, and then the unexpected terror and tragedy.

From there it was over to the pool, where Mark Spitz famously won 7 gold medals.  Pretty cool for me to see the North Sydney pool & this pool, all in a few months.  I thought about Tanya, as she swum in this pool 13 years ago.  Then my thoughts went to family (which is all of you), and how I missed yall.  I got a little emotional, but realized that I am pretty blessed to be having these amazing experiences.

I then quick popped into the nearby BMW museum, to cool off and see a few neat cars.  From there, it was onto the Reichenbach, where Hitler was thrown in jail, and went onto to write Mein Kampf.

Then it was onto the place that is special to our family...The Hofbrauhaus!  Dad started a tradition many years ago, by sneaking a mug out of there, in his pants nonetheless.  Tanya kept the tradition going by grabbing her own glass during her visit.  And now it was time for the youngest to make the pilgrimage (Mom & Dad also went there together in 1980).  I strolled on in, and all I could do was smile.  The environment was great.  The uhm-pah band was playing, people were drinking & singing.  I grabbed a seat and ordered a meal and of course, a beer!  

As I looked around, I realized sneaking out the mug wouldn't be as easy as I thought.  An old German guy sat across from me (he paid for his beer with exact change, so you knew he was a regular).  He was friendly, but just kept looking at me.  I had my back pack with me, so I cleared out room, and waited for the moment to pounce.  When the coast looked clear, I finished off my beer, put it straight into my backpack, and got up to leave.  Well remember the old German guy, he pointed at my overly-stuffed pack, and started saying something to me.  My heart start pumping, so I just made a B-line for the door.  I heard him saying something louder, but I walked brisky out the door (no one stopped me) and out onto the street. I kept walking until the coast was clear.  Phew!  I had completed the pilgrimage, but now had to carry the mug around for the next 24 hrs!

From there I went to straight to my hostel.  I checked in and got the key to my co-ed 6 bedroom room.  The room was empty, but I saw the open top bunk.  I prepped my bed, dropped my stuff, and headed out for one more stop.  I heard that the Augustiner Beer Hall was a more local experience (compared to the touristy Hofbrau).  When I walked in, it was smaller, yet cozy.  I loved it.  I found an open table, and order a cold one.  Then two guys sat down next to me, and they were from Australia!  HA!  We chatted for over an hour about Oz, and then I walked back to my room.

My Saturday in Munich was a success!  My legs and feet were exhausted, but all the beer in my belly helped the pain.  I needed sleep, as I was headed to Dachau Concentration Camp on Sunday, before heading home.

What Oktoberfest looks like in July

Munich Gay Pride Parade

Marienplatz... with teh famous Glockenspiel figures

Munich City hall building... very enchanting

Urban Surfing!

Munich Olympic Park - where Israel athletes were taken hostage

Olympic Swim Hall

Selfie at the pool

Fun car at the BMW museum

Reichenbach...where Hitler got into a scuffle and was placed in jail

Hofbrauhaus!

Two beers is always best

The mug that I snuck out... and the arm of the old German guy to the left

Augustiner Beer Hall

Dave Germany: 43-50 (Chiemsee & Innsbruck, Austria) 2/2

Friday was a big day for me.  It would be the first time that I would travel outside of the Herzo/Nurnberg area, and really get an idea of traveling around Germany.  I had purchased 3 train tickets for the 3 separate parts of my journey...1) Erlangen to Prien am Chiemsee, 2) Innsbruck to Munich, & 3) Munich to Erlangen...(I would travel from Chiemsee to Innsbruck with Pat & Katherine in a car)

Thankfully it was a clear morning, and I biked from Herzo to the Erlangen train station with just a backpack.  I locked up my bike amidst the sea of bikes & waited for the 7am train.  It was direct train to Munich, with 1 transfer to get to Chiemsee.  The conductor came by, looked at my ticket, and said 'danke'...the travel was smooth (no stories!)

I arrived at Chiemsee at 10am, and Pat/Kath were right on time for us to meet up.  Seeing friends in Germany was great!  There were hugs, laughs, and stories from their wedding.  The reason for meeting here was that one the last German Kings built a castle on the island in the Chiemsee Lake (Herrenchiemsee), which is on the foothills of the Alps.  Katherine picked it out as a stop for their honeymoon (they were in Salzburg the night before).  We walked from the train station to the lake, took a ferry to the island, then walked around the grounds.  There were statues, fountains...it was fantastic.  We grabbed lunch by the water, then got back to the car, and headed for Innsbruck Austria.  It was wonderful to be traveling with friends, in a car!

Innsbruck was quite the awesome city in the Austrian Alps.  Home to 2 Winter Olympics, it had a amazing views.  We got into town, then took a lift ride all the way to the top for panoramic views (and steep cliffs).  We had dinner, then headed back down.  Pat/Kath did me a huge favor, and let me sleep on the floor of their hotel (during their honeymoon!).  I was very grateful.  As the night ended, Katherine retired early to give Pat & I a little personal time.  So we headed out to walk around the old city, chat, and grab a quick beer.

I slept surprisingly well on the floor, and we were up early anyway, as Pat/Kath had to get on the road for Como, Italy.  After only 24 hours, we said goodbyes, and it went by too quick!  I had them drop me off at the Olympic stadium before catching my train to Munich.  I walked around, thinking about how the eyes of the sporting world were on this place at one point, and now it rests quietly.

I headed for the train station & was back to getting around alone via the trains.

Plenty of bike space at the Erlangen train station.. mine is the pink

Welcome to Chiemsee

Pat and Katherine Snyder

Chiemsee Lake with the foothills of the Alps

Statues

Fountains

Front of Herren Chiemsee Castle

View of Innsbruck looking south

70% grade ski slope...yikes

Came across this quote... and thought it was speaking to me

Hilarious shirt I found walking around in Austria...

Dave Germany: 43-50 (Herzo Beerfest) 1/2

After an awesome week of furniture, driving way too fast, and running til it hurt...I woke up early on Sunday (bc I went to sleep early) and went for a low-key bike ride to get the soreness out of my legs.  I came across concert poster, that featured me on stage (see attached).

But Week 7 was a shortened work week, since I would be taking my first vacation day on Friday, to visit Pat & Katherine Snyder on their honeymoon.  They got married on June 27th in Asheville NC, but it was just too quick for me to fly back.  Nadine & I were able to camp in Alabama with Pat & Katherine last year over Memorial Day Weekend, so the couples know each other real well!

Before the fun could begin, I got my first urgent deadline at work.  A project got put on my desk, with a deadline of Friday.  But since I was out on Friday, that became Thursday (yikes!).  I worked my tail off, and even had to work at home each night.  It was a pretty intense 4 days, but I wanted to impress the team, so I made sure I got it done.  And since adidas does flex time, I could count the extra hours towards my work week.

And on Thursday night, the engineering team headed down to the Herzo beer fest taking place in Herzo.  It was quite small (for beer fest standards), but every town in Germany one, and its always good fun.  Especially people sing indifferent language.  

We all had a few beers, and even got up on the tables and danced.  Its what you do at beer fests.  I also walked around a found a USA hot dog stand.  It was quite entertaining to see.

But after a few beers, I retired early, as I had an early morning train to catch.  I was off to see Pat & Katherine!

Look in the lower right... David K is playing!

Clever picture with a street mirror!

All the bikes riden to the Herzo beer fest (including me)

Step right up and order. what could be so tough?!

My first cold one of the evening

Herzo beer fest main area... big, but small for beer fest

Another view of the tables & stage

Standing on the tables... as the Germans do at beerfests!

And of Course... a silly USA hot dog stand at the beer fest