Karneval Tuesday München

On returning to München I was surprised to find that the school had decided to finish classes early that day and hold a little Karneval party.  They generously provided the students and teachers with Prosecco and Berliners.  The plan then was to head into the centre of town for the street party.  To give you an idea of how easy bicycling in München is consider this.  The students left on mass to go to Marienplatz.  They took the U-Bahn and I rode my bike.  I was there 10 minutes before them and it cost nothing.  It took a bit of phone coordination to find each other but we got there in the end.

The usual suspects from my class quickly lost sight of the others and congregated around the first stand selling alcohol.  "Let's get some schnapps!"  Some said with much enthusiasm.  I always love playing this game.  "What? You mean like strong liquor.  I don't think I should."  "Go on it will be fun."  "Well just one then..." (Suckers)

 

Harry and I going all gangstar with Feigling.  Yo

 We wandered amongst the revellers enjoying the enthusiasm of the crowd.  Occasionally seeking refreshment and sustenance.  Eventually Harry insisted that we find somewhere that we could sit down and drink some beer.  Being the street wise Münchener  that I am I managed to lead every one to the only quiet bar in the centre of town that day.

The beer forest

Karneval Monday - The big Kahoona

The wooden spoon brigade

The daisy nipple float

Colour

More colour

A smile in the crowd

Distributing the lollies

The society of gynaecologists

The crazy Bumble Bee dancers

3 hours of continuously showering

3 hours of continuously being swung on the end of a davit

Monday was our last day in Köln/Bonn and had us heading into Bonn to watch the Rosenmontagsumzug.  Literal translation is Rose Monday Around Train and means the Rose Monday Parade.  The day was very laid back compared to our other Karneval adventures.  We packed our bags loaded them into the car and drove to a U Bahn station then caught the train into the centre of Bonn.  We arrived just at the start of the parade.  I climbed up onto a switch box next the U bahn entrance, this gave me a good vantage point to take endless photos.  The lighting wasn't ideal and I was shooting into the sun for most of the time.  However I took loads of photos, some of which are posted here.

We watched the parade for almost 3 hours.  This gives you some idea of how long the procession was.  For 3 hours we were passed continuously by floats, bands, dancers and clowns.  Conscious of the time we left before it finished and caught the train back to where the car was parked.  Birgit then dropped us the airport and before we new it we were touching down in München.

Karneval Sunday - another break from festivities.

Accurate colours.  I promise

Another really late night meant a really late sleep in.  We skyped with Mal before heading out the door for another walk.  This one was local and had us heading to the ruins of an old abbey.  The walk took us up into the hills again through the some woods.  At one point we passed a small vine yard overlooking a village.

 
The abbey was demolished sometime in the 1800s for reasons unknown.  There are no records of why the decision was made to dismantle it.  The monastery still remains though.

Karneval Saturday - Ghosts and lollies

The subtle Karneval costumes

Saturday was another slow start.  Birgit once again attempted to make us feel guilty by getting up and buying the mornings brotchen.  Saturday's itinerary was to attend the local parade in Oberkassel and then go into Köln to join the ghost parade.  Frühstück turned into Mittagessen and it was 3 before we headed into town.

The cake women

She is on to me.  Probably judging the range and wind direction.

This is what Karneval was all about.  Parades, costumes and projectile lollies.  I took the DSLR with me to practise missing good photo opportunities.  We stood and watched this parade pass.  This was just a small local parade and no where near the spectacle of the parades in Köln, Bonn or Düsselforf, nonetheless it was something to see.  As I may have mentioned, it is not just the members of the parade, that are in costume.  About 90% of those watching were in costume.

On the train, beside myself with anticipation.

Benny and Birgit

The next event was the Ghost Parade in Köln.  We raced back home to get dressed up.  We were late and literally ran to catch the train into Bonn.  From Bonn another train into Köln to meet with the other Ghost Train revellers.  Regardless of it's origin the Ghost train has become a sambanista affair with many bands joining the procession.  The trick was to find one that was doing well and keep up.  We chose the demonic chefs, as they had the coolest outfits and were playing well.  I noticed that some of my fellow members of the procession had improvised their own drums.  There were people with all sorts of kitchen implements keeping rhythm with the bands.  The parade finally finished under a bridge and the crowd slowly dispersed.  We went to a small pub called the Beehive.  The music was typical Karneval and it was packed.  We left around midnight and started the epic journey home.  Epic it was.  It took 3 hours to get home and we even had to resort to going to MacDonalds to get out of the cold.  I can't remember the last time I went to MacDonalds and this particular visit on reinforced why.  It is pleasing to know that a BigMac tastes just the same Germany as it does in Australia.  No big surprise there I suppose.  The unusual texture of the beef patty, reminiscent of meat but with the hint of cardboard.  The limp lettuce and special sauce that is indeed quite special.

Karneval Friday - a break from festivities

The start of our walk

Friday started late.  Thursday night still lingering in our movements as we went through the motions of breakfast.  Feeling hung over and slightly cheated because the amount of alcohol consumed didn't justify the slowness of our movements or the muziness in our heads.  We had planned not to plan anything for Friday and we succeeded... at the least for the first half of the day.  Shortly after 1 feelings of guilt started to overwhelm the lethargy.  The day was beautiful, clear and sort of warm.  There was no other option than to go for a walk through the forest up to the ruins of Löwenburg Schloss

The walk involved a short drive to the picture perfect town of Rhöndorf, home of some of the largest carp in the smallest pond in existence.  From here we parked and headed into the forest, following trails up hill to the ruins of the Schloss.  The walk was just what was needed after such a late night and it was good to be outside.  The ruins were impressive.  I always enjoy visiting old fortifications and castles as I am fascinated by how they were made and why they were needed. Annika and Birgit enjoyed the chance to catch up and I enjoyed messing around with the camera.

There were lots of my little feathered friends visiting the Schloss that afternoon and I entertained my self trying to capture the little bastards on card (I was going to say film but I guess that isn't true any more.  Card doesn't have the same ring to it but it will have to do).

We left the ruins and headed down to the pub which wasn't far away, our bellies reminding us that it was cold and we hadn't eaten for a while.  The meal was delicious, lentil and sausage soup.  Good hearty food for the walk back down.

That night we had a light supper *, drank red wine and played a really good board game.  It was late again before we realised it.

*I made spaghetti cabonara following an old recipe I got from Mark Beissel.  Mark may seem like an unlikely source for a cabonara recipe but he has hidden talents as a chef.  One day I believe he will step out from behind the shadow of the gastronomic flare which his lovely wife so frequently displays and he will shine with an intensity that will blind his friends and family.  God that sounds good.  I think I will start reviewing plays.

Karneval Thursday

I had an interview today in Leverkusen.  Leverkusen is a town just North of Köln.  It is only 45 minutes from München (if you are travelling at 800 km/h in a Boeing 737 800).  The potential commute is shaping up to be a disincentive.  None the less I accepted the interview as I need the experience and you never know they may have a project planned in München.  I had the choice of dates for the interview and I chose the Thursday afternoon of the ramp up to Karneval. Karvneval or Fasching is a festive period for Germany, it starts at 11 minutes past 11 on the 11th of November and goes until the beginning of Lent.  Nothing much happens until the last 5 days and then the normally austere Germans go crazy, at least they do in Bonn, Köln and Düsseldorf.

The Rhine near Bonn

We flew into Köln/Bonn on Wednesday night and were collected from the airport by friends, Birgit and Ben.  A few minutes on the autobahn and then we were sitting around the kitchen table sharing wine in the fashionable suburb of Oberkassel, coincidently the same name as the fashionable suburb where Paul & Jodie lived in Düsseldorf.  The next morning we shared Frühstück together before dropping Ben off at the Bahnhof.  Ben has a low tolerance to Karneval and chooses to leave for greener less chaotic pastures for the Karneval weekend.  At the station I had my first glimpse of Karneval, the DB train was packed with revellers in costume.  We then went back home to collect Birgit's costume as her work colleagues were to start celebrations at lunchtime.  I will side track for a moment and point out that the first Thursday of Karneval is women's day, or Dirty Thursday as I was later to learn.  On this day every woman can do what she likes with all sins being forgotten come midnight, they also have the right to cut their bosses, husbands, boyfriends, friends, acquaintances or complete strangers tie off should the afore mentioned individual be foolish enough to wear one.  I was vaguely aware of this when we entered Birgit's office Karneval party and became increasingly more aware of it as the party started to liven up.  This old duck in a costume that would have been really fetching on a someone half her age kept giving me the eye.  Now I know that when it comes to body language I am not the most fluent of individuals.  In fact my inability to correctly interpret body language is second only to my inability to deliver snappy one liners in the appropriate moment. However I was pretty certain I was being targeted for some Karneval flirting. So the more this woman kept catching my eye the closer I moved to Annika.  Alas it was to no avail and I ended up dancing with her whereby she insisted we rub our arses together.  We beat a hasty retreat soon after.

Preparing for the interview

The next activity on the days agenda was to attend the interview, the reason we were in Bonn in the first place.  Ben and Birgit had generously decided to lend me their car and Annika offered to come along to ensure I didn't become geographically challenged along the way.  It was only a half hour drive away so we made it with plenty of time.  The interview was to be held in an industrial park with strict security.  Luckily, due to Annika's insistence, I had my passport with me so they were happy to let me in.  The interview itself was one of the best interviews I have had.  Although it got off to a shaky start with both interviewers thinking that it would in Deutsch and not English. Once this had been sorted out the next moment of trepidation came when Andrea left to get me a coffee. Her interview partner looked at me and asked me if I was acquainted with the customs of Karneval and informed me that my tie was in danger.  Thinking that he meant my tie would be in danger later that afternoon I confidently replied that I knew the custom and that I was driving home so my tie would be perfectly safe.  He gave me a pitying look and said.  "Your tie is in danger now.  My colleague has left to get some scissors."  Sure enough Andrea returned not just with a cup of coffee but also with a large pair of menacing looking scissors.  In the end Simon decided that in the interest of international relations it would be best if Andrea did not cut off my tie, at least not until after the interview.  She relented but kept the scissors in full view for the duration of the interview.  The interview lasted 90 minutes but they flew by.  Both interviewers were exceptionally likeable people and asked intelligent questions and expressed an interest in my answers.  I escaped with my tie intact.

The next activity was to head into Köln to join some of Birgits friends who had been celebrating since mid morning.  Luckily Birgits landlord had a wardrobe full of Karneval costumes so Annika and I could blend in with the rest of the population.  Karneval in Bonn, Düsseldorf or Köln is something to see.  99% of the population gets dressed up in costume.  We headed into the student district to check out the street party, this is where we met Andreas and Anna (The king and the Geisha).  After hooking up we tried to find a pub or club to get into.  This proved difficult as 2 million other people had the same idea.  After being kicked out of one club before we had even got in (which takes some doing) we finally settled on a quiet little pub.  It was a little too quiet so we moved to the Altstadt where we found a large noisey pub.

A pub somewhere in Köln

Helen Mirren was there.  She was wearing a black leather choker with studs and matching bustier.  Her make up can best be described as subtle gothic with a hint of dominatrix.  I was hoping that she would try and catch my eye but she remained aloof.  Her friend on the other hand was quite generous with her attentions but she just wasn't Helen Mirren.  Dancing in this pub reminded me of a moment some years ago when I was with Paul and Jodie in similar circumstances.  In that particular instance I remember being struck by the peculiarity of how the Germans celebrate Karneval.  In particular the songs played in the clubs and pubs.  The normal dance music would be interspersed by traditional folk type songs.  What was even more weird was that everyone would sing along with drunken gusto.  There is nothing more fun than trying to sing along to German folk songs with loads of drunk happy Germans all swaying and shouting in unison.  It was a grand night and we didn't get home until gone 2am.

Ich fahre mein Fahrrad like a bastard

We went to the cinema with Melanie last night.  We saw the King's Speech (in English).  The cinema was down near the centre of Munchen just south of the Deutsche Museum.  We rode our bikes there, riding down Belgrad Strasse to collect Melanie, then across to Leopold Strasse and straight into the centre of Munchen.  Riding through Munchen is incredibly good fun.  Melanie was leading because she was the only one with a white forward facing light and I was trailing because I was the only one with a functioning rear light.  Annika, who had no functioning lights at all, was in the middle.  Melanie set a cracking pace which suited me and we alternated between riding on the road and the cycle paths.  The cinema was tiny and decrepit in chic kind of way.  The movie was as good as everyone had said it would be.  I was particularly glad to see Guy Pearce in a supporting role.  The ride home was even more fun than the ride there.  I must remember to take the big camera down to the Isar one night as there are some great shots to be had.

Last night only highlights to me how well Munchen is set up for bicycles and I really am enjoying riding around.  So far I have only hit one cyclist and one car.  The cyclist was a couple of days ago and the car was this morning.  I was late for class and giving it a bit down Belgrad  Strasse.  I was on the cycle path and the lights had just gone green in my favour.  There were two cars turning right and the first snuck through, the second one followed, then saw me.  I had seen all this and adjusted my speed and course to pass cleanly behind the second car.  The driver of the second car, realising he was being naughty, decided to stop the car dead in the middle of the intersection leaving me no option other than to sail into the side of his car.  There was a dull thud as I connected and I was disappointed to see that I had not left a dent.  It sounded worse than it was and both me and the fixie escaped to fight another day.  The driver was very apologetic.  "Kein problem. Alles gut. Now piss off I am late"