World's Largest..oh wait..

...that would be Oktoberfest, not Carnival (or 'Fasching' as the Bavarians call it), wrong party!  But it seems like the Germans are always partying to the max for some reason or another, contrary to popular belief.  What people probably don't realize is that they just prefer to set the proper parameters for their partying..you know, there's a time and place for everything, and of course, there are certain 'rules' for everything here too, why should partying be any different?!  But then they are guaranteed to get it right and really allow themselves to let loose, when they're supposed to.  Even most local businesses close their doors at 2 pm on Fat Tuesday so they too can partake in the fun!

I've gotten over the fact that Germans don't celebrate Halloween (big disappointment in the beginning) but I soon realized its not that they don't like to dress up in silly, scary, freaky, 'sexy' costumes, its just that they save it for February (when its the coldest) and go all out just once a year.  We got lucky this year, the weather was beautiful and sooo warm:  around 40-degree F/4 C!  But you don't care so much about this when you're dancing the day away at Viktualienmarkt with hundreds of your closest friends and the Caipirinhas are flowing..

T'is (T'was) the Season!

Greeeen Mann..

All the Queens come out!

And the pink nuns of course too..

You'll shoot your eye out kid

Nothing klein about these two!

Hangover dude!

No idea..

Ghostbusters on break.

 

Everyone has a jolly ole time at Fasching!

Oh why stop here?

People of ALL ages celebrating!

ALL AGES

Capis were flowing!

Thanks for stopping by!

Our very first Munich Creative Group's Pop-Up Gallery was so much fun last weekend and I just want to thank all of those who came out to support us.   Special thanks to Emmy who did so much for us all, including, but certainly not limited to, allowing us to fill her new home wall-to-wall with our latest art projects!  I think we all really enjoyed it and it was exciting to have around 100 people view our work, offer feedback and chat with us.  To keep up with our future events and to view more photos from this one, take a look (and why not 'like'?!) our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/MunichCreativeGroup

Munich Creative Group, in all our glory! 
Thanks also to Lia, our official event photographer!

I would also like to put a little plug in to a small company who was a huge help to some of us in printing out high-quality, fine art prints of our work:  Simone and Sabine at Pixel Manufaktur, really care about making your prints look the best they can (and are very knowledgeable about various fine art papers, color management, printing processes and so much more!).  They also offer photography workshops and have all the latest equipment on location!  A fair amount of German speaking is required!

A couple of the photos I showed (and are available for purchase):

"Friedensengel at Dawn" 30 x 40 cm,
Limited edition archival print on fine art photo rag paper

"Early at the Park" 30 x 40 cm,
Limited edition archival print on fine art photo rag paper

London - "Pauls" on Piccadilly St, 30 x 40 cm,
Limited edition archival print on fine art photo rag paper

8 km of pure "Rodeln" in Chiemgau (Frasdorf)

Finally... made it out to the 'Berge' for the first time this winter, to a beautiful area of the Alps, near Chiemsee (lake), called Frasdorf.   And what a day to pick, there's just this little cold snap that won't leave Europe.  But the first saying I learned when moving to Munich years ago was "There's no bad weather, only bad clothing."  And I am living proof of that.  In -12C (or 5 in Fahrenheit) temperatures, we made the 2-hour hike up to the delightful, but crowded, Riesenhutte for a refreshing 'Russn' (Wheatbeer + Sprite-like soda that I love) and some hearty food cooked by a much better than average cook for these mountain huts.

So much to say about this place.  For starters, the food:  yes its your 'typical' hut food but the 'Rahmchampignon mit Semmelknodel' I had was aussergewohnlich (exceptional:), oh this is a creamy mushroom sauce, indeed with loads of mushrooms, and 2 dumplings - hit the spot right after our chilly climb, followed by what must be the most deliciousestest 'Kaiserschmarrn' I've had in all my days in Germany!  Doch!!  This guy (Alexander Egger, owner and cook) knows how to transform some fluffy pancakes into a gourmet delight fit for an Emperor (that's what the name means by the way, 'Kaiser' = Emperor, schmarrn = uh, nonsense, or messed up!)  Like scrambled pancakes with some sugar, in this case perfectly carmelized, and compote on the side (usually apple, we had plum today)..Deeeeeelicous!

Oh ya, but the reason we were actually there was for the hike up and even more so for the 'Rodeln' (Sledding) down...weeeeeeeee!  Love that sledding!  It's not just for those too chicken to ski either (and I love skiing too) but this sledding is serious business here in Bavaria.  Its definitely 'at your own risk', and you are sharing an 8-kilometer long, steep and somewhat narrow passageway with hikers, skiiers (mainly just coming down from the off-piste skiing), kids, dogs and the occassional mountain biker (wasever!).  Today was quite icey by the time we made it down which made it rather difficult to steer...and to stop...and even to walk..but a beautiful time of day to awe at the snow-topped trees, and views of the surrounding Alps and the lake in the distance.  All of these things totally outweigh the bumps and bruises I got on a couple of wipeouts.

To Sum it Up:
- 2 hour hike up to quirky, cute and friendly Riesenhutte (still not at the peak, but great views)
- About halfway up is another hut you can stop into if you need to break it up
- No option of taking a gondola, you are stuck hoofin it!  But its sooo worth it!
- Get your sled(s) at the Riesen hut after a meal to warm you up, for 8 euros to go all the way back down to parking,  or 4 euros to drop it off at the halfway hut and walk rest of way down
- When I say 'all the way back down' let me say that the hut is 1346 meters high (4,416 feet), but an 8 km path
- Can stay overnight at Riesenhutte (basic accomodations)
- Very friendly service and quirky atmosphere with shoes hanging from lamps
- Course offerings for avalanche safety and the hut participates in the 4-day tour from here to Kampenwand
- About an hour outside of Munich (by car) on the A8 (Salzburg), Exit Frasdorf, left onto Sagbergstrasse, then right towards 'Lederstube' and at the end of this street is parking
 
!!!  A fun idea:  time your trip with a taste of their full moon menu and stay the night, or sled down at night with your headlamp!!  2012 dates:  March 9, May 4, June 8, July 6, August 3 and 31

 

Beautiful snowy hike up.

Hot tea break...Oh, even my hat was chilly!

Now we're talking..weeeeee!  Sooo much fun!

Looking for something to do next Saturday in Munich?  Come see the Munich Creative Group's first exhibit!  Look here for more details!

We're Having A Show!

Oh, do stop by!  The (in)famous Munich Creative Group will be holding our first 'Pop-Up Gallery' on Saturday, February 11 (see our Facebook Page for more details on this and about the group and to see the logo I designed:)  A variety of fine art photography, painting, mixed media, and more exciting stuff like musical performances and some creative writing from some very talented local artists.

I will be showing some of my photos from chilly early mornings and even chillier late nights (see my previous post for a sampling) as well as a couple of abstract watercolors.

We are a diverse, international group telling a variety of stories through a range of media.  Some, but not all, of the art work will be for sale.  Come by between 2 pm and 8 pm to have a look, for more details, see our poster:

Hope to see you there!

04:44

That's the time I woke up this morning, couldn't go back to sleep (but tried til 5:45) and so then got up to take some photos of all the snow outside!  What a treat!  This is the first snow that I have been here for this winter (and I believe only the 2nd time it really snowed in the city). 

I wish I could get up more often like this, at least before it's really light outside, even a stroll around our neighborhood becomes a new place to discover at this hour.  We have the English Garden and 'Friedensengel' (Peace Angel, one of my favorite Munich landmarks) just a block away, on our very own street we call home, Prinzregentenstrasse.  There's gourmet Kaefer right across the street (warning:  leave your wallet at home for this place!  Just browse and sample the freebies!)  And so much more, but I'll save that for another post!

Hope you enjoy a few of my snowy morning shots, time for me to go back to bed:

6:30 a.m.  These car lights are kinda my thang lately..

Car lights mean there were others out and about at this ungodly hour!?!

Europaplatz with Russian Embassy behind (just a block from us)

The light was perfectly shining upon the monument for this shot at 7:10 am..but I blurred the little angel!
(my remedy:  don't zoom in, maybe you won't notice)!

Below the Angel of Peace

6:53 a.m.  ISO 200, f/20, 8 sec... I kinda liked this better! 
Happy Accidents.

@6:52 a.m.  ISO 200, f/4, 1/15 sec.

07:05, and the day has dawned.

In Search of Yoga: Yoga Expo München 2012

Come get your dog down at this year's YogaExpo, here in Munich.  This is a great chance to explore many different styles of yoga by many expert yoga teachers.  Just pay one entrance fee (either 13€ per day on Saturday/Sunday or 2 days for 22€, or all 3 days for 30€).  There is enough to do, see and experience each day to get your money's worth, some suggestions I can recommend firsthand:

• German-American Patrick Broome is teaching a jivamutki class each day - GO!  He will leave you feeling like you've been to Samadhi and back.  He brought the Jivamutki style to Germany from New York, which has become quite popular here as well.
  
• Susanne Giesse is a fun, soothing, spirited teacher who gives the gift of a deeply rooted yet uplifting practice.  You can't help but smile in her class.   She will be teaching some YogaWorks classes which is the teacher training I did in 2010 at her beautiful studio, Yogalounge in Pullach (just outside of Munich central).  If you can't make a workshop, get to her studio sometime soon!  Susanne teaches Sat, Sun.
  
• Jasmin Kirstein, owner of MySportLady in Munich and a heartfelt teacher, will lead a unique type of yoga class, Hormone Yoga and Meditation (and I will assist!).  She learned from the pioneer of Hormone Yoga, Dinah Rodriguez who founded this method.  Even if your hormones don't need balancing it's a calming and relaxing class.  Depending on how many attendees are there, you'll even receive a mini massage!  The meditation will leave you...well & happy!

I think the Handstand workshop sounds like fun and I highly recommend trying an Iyengar style class.  This style is so valueable for a safe, precise method of practicing yoga (which seems more and more to fall by the wayside these days).  Their teacher trainings are much more rigorous and take a lot longer than most to accomplish.  Strong focus on technique, sequence and timing separate this from other yoga styles.

At this YogaExpo one can dabble in the whole yogi lifestyle without committing by making the rounds:  Ayurveda methods, vegetarian foods, kirtan concerts, yoga for kids, accessories/equipment/clothing, lectures, meditation workshops.  As the popular Yoga Journal puts it, "Eine Messe für Körper, Geist und Seele" or "A Tradeshow for Body, Mind and Soul."
Hope to see you there!