Curating for @I_amGermany and reminded why I used to enjoy twitter

Quite a week here in Munich. The Oktoberfest is waiting impatiently at the gates like heathen hordes. The skeptical and easily spooked locals are sure terrible things are going to happen at this year’s Biggest Beer Festival in the World. All the while, I’ve been curating the @I_amGermany account over on twitter. I don’t talk… Continue reading Curating for @I_amGermany and reminded why I used to enjoy twitter

How did the American get on the roof of the toilet?

   This blog has been only about refugees lately, and as much as I’m still obsessed with the topic (more on that another time), there’s so much else going on. Other things need to be dealt with. And quickly.  For example: people climbing objects in public & standing on said objects. Like in the photo… Continue reading How did the American get on the roof of the toilet?

Fully upright, I might add (Octoberfest edition)

Sleeping rough in your best Lederhosen? Yes, it’s that time of year in Munich. The Oktoberfest has arrived and shot off with a vengeance. The celebrating is in full swing. It does look a bit like there are casualties on the hill above the huge Volksfest, as the people who started quite early take a… Continue reading Fully upright, I might add (Octoberfest edition)

Guinness is apparently good for you…apparently

  Not sure exactly what’s going on in this window, but apparently Guinness is Good for You. I suppose that’s useful information to know. I thought the gnome holding up those several Krugs of Bavarian beer would be a nice way to mention that the Oktoberfest has begun here. For the uninitiated, that means upward… Continue reading Guinness is apparently good for you…apparently

six months at The Munich Times and then The Munich Eye

People hear again and again that print journalism is dead, but when it comes right down to it, some people just want to hold the paper in their hands. You’d think that being a journalist opened doors for you, but often the worst thing you can do is say, ‘I write for a newspaper.‘ (I… Continue reading six months at The Munich Times and then The Munich Eye

Oktoberfest’s Black Economy-Flat Rental

My colleague Michael Owens‘ piece on Oktoberfest’s Black Economy-Flat Rental got me thinking. Since I’ve decided to blog incessantly about the world’s largest Volksfest over the next few weeks, this is a great segue into the economy of the ordeal. Especially the Black Economy, or the untaxed income, is something that you might expect at any event… Continue reading Oktoberfest’s Black Economy-Flat Rental

Endstation Floh-zirkus

Here’s where we last were, but that was early morning. This is a Volksfest, or was originally intended as one, so the families and people more interested in the folk part of the fest come in the daytime. The mayhem mostly happens after dark, so I thought I’d show you a bit of that. Once… Continue reading Endstation Floh-zirkus

zeroing in on the Wies’n

Well, did you come here for more Oktoberfest? I’ve got more…plenty more. Another two weeks of this. If you want. To be forthright, the caption on the photo above is actually not entirely true. It’s not All the beer. That wouldn’t fit in one photo. Unless you took that photo from a mile up in… Continue reading zeroing in on the Wies’n

Walking by the Wies’n: from the train station to the Westend

What a perfect morning it was yesterday. My dogs have turned a corner this summer when it comes to training, and I can leave them off their leads when there’s little traffic. I still have to watch them carefully and am aware it’s still dangerous in a big city. Nevertheless, we have a wonderful time… Continue reading Walking by the Wies’n: from the train station to the Westend