StringGrrl sees the World

Once again at Marienplatz, Tell anyone that you are in Germany in the mid of October and invariably they will all "cleverly" assume that you are going to Oktoberfest. Never mind that Oktoberfest ENDS at the beginning of October and by the time you arrive on October 9th, that it will most likely be wound down. Besides, who would want to be in Munich during that complete cluster? Not StringGirl any longer. She's had her fill in the past. Read more... Dinner with Jan at the Augustinerbrauhaus  But a trip to Bavaria would not be complete without at least a little of the Bayerische flavor. My preference being for a Schweinhaxe (Pork knuckle) roasted at high heat with crispy skin and a big old potato dumpling (or Knoedel). Schweinhaxe mit Knoedel, AGAIN for the WIN! This was a work trip, so we did have to log some time at the Messe (ICM or Expocenter) to find out what NVIDIA has in store for all of us in the VR and GPU accelerated computing business. Not just a...

On this recent trip to Seattle, I stayed in the north eastern burbs near the town of Woodinville. A quick Google search pointed me toward the Woodinville Tourist District and the Redhook brewery and Forecasters pub. The Redhook Brewery in Woodinville View Larger Map The tanks are readily visible as you approach along the drive to the brewery confirming that this "MicroBrewery" does in fact not only brew beer for internal consumption, but is also the same site that brews the Redhook Ales that I have sample before. Forecasters Public House entrance Bob, a local was kind enough to make suggestions on the beers and pose with Hops Mr. Hops has come a long way from Oktoberfest to enjoy the beer here in Washington. The Redhook Brewery serves a wide array of beer from its own stock. I tried the "Nitro Blackhook Porter" a nitrogenized beer. The use of Nitrogen instead of Carbon-dioxide results in an exceedingly creamy beer. And the Blackhook delivered. Af...

Long exposure shot of the lights Alex makes new friends in the Bier Tent         We meet the nicest drunk people at Oktoberfest 

"Nur ein Schwein trinkt allein"- Only a pig drinks alone  Very little chance of that each September and October when in Munich. StringGirl and Amber made their way into Munich to celebrate the annual Bacchanal. However, to show up at Oktoberfest without a group is a pretty lonely proposition. Brian and Cindy, dropping in from Oregon for a Bier StringGirl and Amber did not let this stop them. Shortly after arriving onsite they wandered into one of the lesser biergartens just outside the Thereisenwiessen. There they wandered up to the first English speaking table they came accross.       View Larger Map Just a few hundreds thousands visit the Oktoberfest daily Brian, Cindy, Hilary, and Audrey meet StringGirl and Amber Stepping into the Wies'n

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. ...

The rites of fall are upon us, summer is coming to an end and that brings us to the time of year when we celebrate the harvest. StringGirl and Amber are packing their bags to prepare for this years festival. Where we hope to be able to meet up with Uncle Alex and a new colleague from AutoForm (Patrick). Apparently I did not post any of the photos from last years visit. So this video of what is what I thought one of the best attractions at the Festival was. A 75+ year old attraction, that features a ride down a steel chute on sheets of burlap. No big deal, we've seen that plenty at various county fairs and other common events. What makes this attraction unique is it's lawsuit inspiring deathwish ascent. Customers rather than having to ascend a set of stairs for the ride, are instead whisked up to the top on a conveyor belt moving at Usain Bolt like speeds up a 30% grade. Fun yes, Funny definitely.  Munich plays host to the Weissen yearly

StringGirl and Amber at the entrance to the "altstadt" (old city center) Dust off your Lederhosen and Dirndl and get ready for some authentic Bavarian food when you book a table at the Schanzer Rutschnd in Ingolstadt. Featuring "heavy" brews and slow smoked meats and Bavarian sized portions, this family restaurant in the heart of Ingolstadt offered some mighty fine eats at reasonable prices. Roasted Duck, Schweinhaxe, and Beef Rib.... FTW!  A reasonable 12-15 Euro for portions of meat that might well be reported in Kilos instead of grams with Knoedel the size of baseballs and hearty meat gravy are pretty much the norm here. Vegetarians stay home as on this menu the only non meat that I say was chicken and fish. Ask any Bavarian and they will confirm that chicken is not meat. The Large portions quite shocked this diner The restaurant is in the below ground level in what appears to be an old cask hall for the brewery. Tracks laid in the floor...

We are going to have to see if we can get the StringGirl fitted for a Dirndl in time to arrive in Munich for the Volksfest (Oktoberfest) next week. Getting packed for a two week jaunt in the Germanic Speaking areas of Europe. Will be hitting all the big ones on this trip. Austria (Vienna then Graz: for a technical conference on sheet metal forming ) Switzerland (Zurich for work, by night train from Graz) Bavaria (to couch-surf with colleagues and the celebrate Oktoberfest) Germany *(to work at the German offices of AutoForm) *distinguishing the visit to die Freistaat Bayern from Deutschland, perhaps a bit old fashioned View Larger Map Hopefully the trip is that correct magical blend of effective work (for the work that I have to do) and enjoyable down time and visiting with friends and making new ones. Hopefully some good post material for later. Tschüß ! Search for Travel Deals Outside Magazine Gear of the Year Summer 2010: eBags Mother Lode TLS Junior

Octoberfest .... in Tokyo? That's right, Oktoberfest in Japan. The folks here in Tokyo have decided to celebrate the hops harvest just like they do in Bavaria with a good old fashioned Biergarten and Octoberfest. AutoForm Japan and Sumisho Computer Services got together for some Bavarian Barley Pops not far from the office in Minato Ward of Tokyo, in the shadow of the Tokyo Tower. Taki-san Delivers some pils to the crew Brian, Intaek, Taki, and our partners from SCS StringGirl tries to sneak a sip of Bier