StringGirl photo archives: Oktoberfest 2011

Apparently, I take many pictures that fail to get uploaded, or even reviewed. I have gone back to last summer to see what I had for Oktoberfest and found these. Not exactly photographic gems, but still pieces of the past that are fund to review.

If you sit in the Bier tent, expect neighbors

For most Americans one of the first things that they find odd in German restaurants and bier gardens is the informality of the seating. There are no strict start and end of the table (unless you count the fact that after 40 feet or so the wood ends). If there are 4 open spots in the middle of the table, new people com a squeeze in. If there are only two open spots, four people might squeeze in. Get used to it, there is no claim on the spot inside the tent.

Standing on the bench and singing, semi mandatory. Knowing the words, optional

Oompah-pah oompah oompah.

Get used to that sound. it is the full soundtrack of the Oktoberfest. That and happy drinking and eating.

StringGirl, with Alex and Michael

StringGirl and Eric (sorry no Lederhosen for either of us)

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Hints for the Geocache Hidden in Zurich

GeoCaching is a global game for users of GPS devices. A global treasure hunt with millions of hidden locations, and a multinational following. www.geocaching.com is where you can go to play as well. I have placed my first in Zurich. It is a mystery cache, so the players will have to locate clues along the way to solve a puzzle for the location. View Larger Map Puls ? How many films play here? View Larger Map Did you take a tram to EscherWyss? Which one? View Larger Map How many containers tall is the Freitag tower? this is just one of their locations, AKT Get GeoCaching swag: travel bugs GPS units Super magnets Search for Travel Deals What does the cache look like? Maybe one more hint . an obscure view standing near the cache.

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Brewery Tour by Canoe: Boardman Lake, Traverse City, MI

Boardman Lake is smack-dab downtown in Traverse City, MI. Easily accessible from the lake are three, maybe even four breweries. Local kayak liveries have scheduled tours to kayak and bike to several local breweries and taprooms. So on this August Sunday, StringGrrl and I decided that we should make the tour ourselves. Coffee first! It would be irresponsible to embark on day drinking un-caffeinated Boardman Lake Trail Bridge and entry to the River There is a free public launch in Hull Park, just behind the Traverse Area Public Library. Parking adequate for up to 5 cars and up to 5 trucks with trailers, right near the launch and more parking elsewhere in the park made for an easy launch that morning. We paddled our way into the river first to have a coffee while drifting through town. Ideally, one should be able to portage the canoe past the dam and connect directly into Grand Traverse Bay, but construction near the dam made that portage just inconvenient enough that StringGrr...

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Kyushu izakaya with Keysight (ESI) team in Shinjuku

Kyushu Netchuya, Shinjuku in the Nomura Building The team in Shinjuku Tokyo, in Japanese custom, very hospitably invited StringGrrl out for an Authentic Kyushu izakaya experience. We walked from the office to a nearby shopping area to visit the restaurants in the lower levels (Why can't we have such nice things in the USA?). Izakaya are casual Japanese pubs or taverns that serve drinks and a variety of small plates, similar to experiences with Tapas in Spain, the work teams will leave the office for a drink and meal of several tastes before embarking on sometimes long commutes home. Kyushu Island is home to Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Oita, Saga, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa prefectures. It is the 3rd largest of the Japanese Islands and is the southernmost of the larger Japanese "mainland". Credited with being the "Birthplace of Ramen", where Tonkotsu Ramen was innovated as a novel new dish using Chinese Noodles in a Creamy Pork Bone broth. Hakata Gyoza,...

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