Munich vs. Hannover

I always get a good laugh at the Bayern games when they announce goals and regardless of the opponent's score, the people yell 'null'. We survived the bone chilling, snowy game, thanks to friends and many cups of glühwein and hot chocolate.


The result... Bayern 5! - Hannover - null (1)

It's worth going to the games just to look at the arena - it's so unique!

Bayern game

One of the few perks of having a husband that travels a lot is that he gets special ways to enjoy his free time. My in laws came to town and we were able to show them our new car and then go to the Bayern Munich game. We had terrific seats on the field courtesy of Lufthansa.

The game was exciting and they expectantly won against the Wolfsburg Wolves with a score of 4:2. The beginning of the game was a bit intense, but Bayern came back.

The fan section was right near us and it reminded me of the college basketball games at my university. The people were very rowdy and added to the spirit. I was surprised how small many of the players are. Stefan pointed one out that was the same height as he is and he looked massive compared to everyone else.

Allianz Arena VIP Tour

Stefan collected on his anniversary surprise today. We went to the arena for their 'VIP tour' and there were several differences from the tour I went on in August.

The only unfortunate aspect is that the Bayern München team is getting a new more neutral toned locker room and therefore that area was closed.

Some of the differences were that we went to more exclusive areas of the arena and were allowed onto to the field. We also used elevators rather than steps. I guess VIPs can't even be bothered to walk. This tour also ended with a glass of prosecco in the restaurant.

It caught Stefan off guard, but our tour guide asked him to sit at the press table and then proceeded to conduct an interview as if Stefan was Jürgen Klinsmann. I was sitting in the audience and the woman next to me, who knew he was my husband, said 'he's really good at this!' It was funny, but I realize he is a really good public speaker.

We both had a great time and I was excited to be able to watch him visit the field of his favorite soccer team. I could tell he would have put some cleats on and started to play if given the option.

Mad Libs Surprise

I really wish they made a Mad Libs for occasions like this. You know - the children's fun game where you enter nouns, verbs, and adjectives to make a funny story.

Instead I wrote a hokey poem with delightful photos to accompany it in order to surprise Stefan when he comes home.

Hopefully after the 10 rhyming clues (11 if you count the last happy anniversary message) he'll be able to guess what I did while he was away and where I will be taking him.

It's probably difficult for Stefan to go away on business, because I always do something exciting while he is gone... movies, dinner, anything but moping around. Lucky for him, I don't forget him while he's away. As he would probably say, 'I'm just testing things out to make sure they're OK.'

And test I did!

I spent my anniversary at... Allianz Arena! Yes, the beautiful structure that also is home to Munich's soccer teams. Can you believe it can hold 69,000 spectators and it's typically sold out?!

Stefan loves the soccer, I love the architecture - and we both win! It just so happens they now offer tours, including a VIP tour. I went to purchase tickets, only to find out the women selling tickets were entirely aware of what I was talking about, but since I didn't want to book it as a group they couldn't help me.

After going all the way out there (OK - in Munich time a 15 minute subway ride is a long time), I was just in time for the everyday English tour. So I had to make sure I was giving a worthwhile gift.

So what does a VIP tour of the arena entail you might wonder... he (we) will get an up close behind the scenes look at the inner workings of his favorite soccer team - FC Bayern München.

Not only will he get to walk through the dressing rooms, but he will also get to sit in the coaching dug out, and hang out pitch side. He'll also get to check out the press room and feel what it's really like to walk out onto the field. Of course this isn't during a game, but it will be exciting for him nonetheless.

And because I love to share, I graciously took the honor of taking photos for those unable to be in Munich: This is where the players, practice, change, get massaged, and rinse off, before they get paid way too much money.

And wouldn't you know it... there I am on the field.

For more information you can read about tours and visits at Allianz Arena.

Germany vs. Turkey

I must be delusional to even consider baking on a sweltering day sans air conditioning. Since Germany plays Turkey tonight in a highly tension filled game, I have decided that baking cookies would be a nice way to support Germany. As I have previously noted, my delight for the games stems mainly around culinary adventures that I pair with them. It's kind of nice that no matter the outcome I will be happy with my yummy cookies.

Besides, who doesn't love a cookie shaped like a beer?


Just to give you an idea of how serious Germany takes this game + soccer in general:

• The US consulate sent out a warning to Americans saying they should use precaution if attending a public viewing and avoid demonstrations. The Turkish and Germans are good friends but this is a big rivalry, so in true American fashion they put the fear in us. 
• Porsche, BMW, Daimler, and Opel have either stopped production or created arrangements for their workers to watch the game. Typically Porsche only displays the score on monitors for it's workers (we learned this on the tour we took in March). 
• The radio has been playing a new Catholic 'Our Father' prayer with the words changed to be about Lukas Podolski scoring goals. I hope the Bavarian Pope has a sense of humor about that. 
• Leopoldstraße (a large street in Munich's Schwabing neighborhood) is expecting 100,000 people. The Brandenburg Gate has 500,000 spectators. 
• Out of the 80 million people in Germany 35 million are expected to watch tonight's game. Even German soldiers in Afghanistan will be watching. 
• People had to leave work for the public viewings at 4:30pm... the game begins at 8:45pm.

Tonight we are also expecting heavy rain and hail storms - so you can guess where I will be... hanging out at home.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is everything Munich isn't. There's a large difference between the two cities. Amsterdam is young, very liberal, and there are virtually no dogs or children around. Noticing the contrasts was very interesting and at times slightly disheartening.

We arrived in Amsterdam on Saturday afternoon and I was instantly reminded of one of my favorite American TV shows - The Amazing Race. I remember one season when they had to find specially marked bikes amidst the large bike racks next to the station. I still don't really know how people figure out where they parked their bike.

After we met up with our friend Martina, who lives along the Keizersgracht, I was also reminded of the same show where they had to move furniture through the large windows using pulleys. Her apartment is really spectacular, but the staircases are very narrow. She was telling us how difficult it is to bring luggage down or to bring groceries up. I don't envy that. She even had a special 'torture wheel' as she called it, which looked like a torture device, but was really used to help with moving things through the windows.

Since Amsterdam is such a bike city that is how we chose to experience it. The bikes are very cheaply made, which Martina said was because they are often stolen. She said that on average people go through two bikes a year! I could not get over how thick the chains were - even for a rusty piece of junk. If it functioned it was apt to be stolen.

Martina guided us around town and we stopped at most of the stores I wanted to visit and then stopped to rent a bike for me. It wasn't as smooth of a ride as my cute bike at home, but it served its purpose. I also started to feel that I may want a bigger lock for my Munich bike since I would be devastated if someone stole it.

Kitsch Kitchen had my oil cloth for our biergarten. They had tons of variety, but I liked the blue polka dots. The shop was filled with interesting objects from around the world, but typically from Asia + Mexico.

Egg Mercantile is a place I could probably go bankrupt in. I absolutely love their spoons. Now I just need to have some friends over for a tea so we can use this sugar spoon! [Egg Mercantile isn't open any longer, but the Otherist is and they have similar products.]

During our ride I was surprised to see so much orange in preparation for the soccer game. I even saw inventive bike bells fashioned after a cleat kicking a ball. Later in the evening we'd soon see the pride and spirit that is even in the oldest Dutch person. I could not get over the variations of orange that people came up with. Even though it's not always the most flattering of colors everyone was dressed to support their team. Unfortunately many people went home grumpy since the Netherlands wasn't able to defend it's World Cup title. Thankfully Germany is still in the European championship.

Some of the restaurants we visited were the Bakkerswinkel, a cute little cafe with pretty mixed decor that was designed by Piet Hein Eek.

And also Tempo Doeloe, which had the Indonesian rice tables. We ordered the medium spiced dishes, which weren't very spicy. There were 25 small dishes filled with various Indonesian foods. I'm glad that we tried it and I liked the concept, however I'm not sure I would go back. The food was just OK.

No trip for me is complete without checking out the new and interesting confections. We stopped at Papabubble, a candy shop where they make the candies on the premise. The candies also reminded me of old time things that my Grandma used to have at her house. They had a more modern twist with interesting flavors such as mojito and mango. The colors are just beautiful and the candies almost look like little beads.

Another stop was at Puccini chocolates. We shared a box with interesting flavors such as tea, plum, honey, mint, and apple.

The city's architecture is something that I also found myself enjoying. A lot of the houses had interesting colors, such as a slate gray. Many of them also have a slight (and some not so slight) lean since they were built on each other for stability. The canals add to the beauty.

At night I occasionally felt a deja vu moment as I recalled having been places before. The last time I visited it was at night due to a rerouted flight. Since we were there during the summer solstice it was light until about 10:30PM, so I wasn't completely able to retrace my steps from my previous visit, but I did recognize things when it got dark.

On Sunday, we met up with Martina to visit the Bloemenmarkt, take a walk through 'De Wallen' (better known as the Red Light District), the neighboring China Town, and then to a coffee shop.

De Wallen was interesting to me because I just don't get it. I know it's complex and I understand what happens there, however after walking through I felt as though I only had more questions. I must say it felt strange even walking through this area. Many of the women were quite young and I just wondered how they got into this predicament. It was also strange to see a Christian youth hostel on the same street as several red lit windows.

I was surprised that there are several red light districts, which can be a surprise when walking past and not expecting to see a lady in the window on a seemingly residential street. Martina told us the following that she has heard - there are areas specializing in various ages, ethnicities, you name it. If there is a blue light (we didn't see one) it was a transvestite. The ladies in the higher windows are more expensive. We also went to this strange crack in the wall that opened into a huge area of men standing around. Some I presume were looking to purchase, while others were probably body guards or pimps. Some ladies sat and sent text messages while others attempted to draw men in by dancing and tapping on the glass. It was very odd.

Amsterdam also had much less graffiti for a city it's size - except for the squatter houses. According to Martina, if a building is unoccupied for 6 months people are free to inhabit it. I always pay attention to graffiti and find it fascinating. I also look for politically charged imagery because so much of it is extreme and controversial. I am curious how people view things.

At night we went to the 'I amsterdam' sign. Martina guided us to the Rijksmuseum so we could make a visit the next day.

We also went to the Van Gogh museum, both were very interesting and informative - thanks to the headset guided tour.

It was great to visit Martina and finally see the city in day light. Now it's time to eat stroopwafels and learn the answers to all of my unanswered questions about the city.

Austria + the Euro championship

It has been a few months since I have been to Salzburg, but I was anxious to go and see how hyped up Austria is for the soccer games and to buy some champagne truffles. It was nice to go back and even nicer to have one of my best tour groups yet. There were 13 people from all over the world - US, New Zealand, Brazil, Korea, Canada, and Spain.

The train ride to Austria was filled with conversation and I appreciated chatting with an American woman was like an old friend. We had so much in common from the traveling husbands to our midwestern roots. I was so happy to hear she could possibly move here for her husband's job.

From the moment we exited the train, there were many flags flying and people dressed up to support their favorite team. I gave my tour making a few adjustments due to 'fan zones' being set up around the city, but it only added to the excitement and appeal.

I love sharing Salzburg with people, but the soccer and camaraderie is special. There were also a lot of German supporters strolling the streets and joining in on chants and sharing beers with other fans.

During the free time I always tend to roam around and take photos of things that grab my attention as well as stopping at several stores we don't have in Munich. I remembered I didn't have a children's book from Austria and then I ended up buying two. I am a sucker for cute illustrations and especially those of children in wellies (rain boots). When I have children they will probably have multiple pairs because I just adore them.

When we met to head back to the train station one of my tourists came back with his face painted with German flags and his wife had one on her arm. The German pride was running deep.

The train ride home was equally as pleasant. When I arrived back I joined Stefan at his office to watch the Germany vs. Croatia game.

Unfortunately Germany lost.

A nice consolation were the cute Germany inspired gummy bears from Haribo.

Fondue for two

After a bit of a rough week we decided to enjoy the Switzerland vs. Turkey soccer game in traditional Swiss style - with a fondue. Raspberries always make me a bit nostalgic since we always had them growing in our backyard while I was growing up. For me it's a nice healthy comfort food... especially when paired with chocolate.

Every time we get our fondue pot out I think we should have it more often, with cheese or chocolate, since it's rather effortless and never disappointing.

Something else that never disappoints is watching field sports during rain, like the game tonight. The slipping and sliding makes everything less predictable and a bit comical.

I'm hoping to pick strawberries this weekend at one of the near by fields. It looks like we'll have plenty of fresh fruit for another fondue on Sunday when Switzerland plays again.

Another excuse for soccer

The Europameisterschaft began this weekend, although we weren't entirely able to get excited for various reasons. Last summer there were ads around Vienna for the games and it's crazy how fast the time has passed. 

Last night Stefan suited up in his jersey, hung a German flag, popped open a beer, and then asked me for a little bit more enthusiasm. One thing I love about the games is that Stefan and his father always bond over them. As soon as it's half time they call one another and debate who played well and how ridiculous missed plays were. 

It's also very nice to see the patriotism return. As we were driving the autobahn many people had flags flying from their cars. 

I'd really like to have a cookout tonight. The next couple of weeks will be filled with soccer and a uniting patriotic buzz that hums in the streets which I haven't seen since the World Cup. 

I'm going to tentatively be in Austria on Thursday so I will be interested to see if there's as much excitement there. As a side note, if you are traveling to Austria from inter continental Europe bring your passport - I hear they are trying to keep the hooligans out with that.