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Spring is here …. Not that you’d notice it with the horribly damp weather we’ve been experiencing for the last week! I can’t believe that last Thursday I had shorts and a vest top on and was sunbathing around the lake. Since then, all it has done is be damp and miserable and rain (and I thought it hardly ever raining here in Bavaria)!?
It’s been a while since my last blog so I’ll update you all on what’s been going on.
OSTERN:
For the Easter weekend Ian and I went to Munich for a few days. I managed a little window shopping, avoiding the designer shops in Maximillonstraβe while Ian managed the real shopping (something wrong here I know)! We popped into the Hofbrau Haus where we drank litres of beer (literally) and listened to the live German band (see pics attached). We strolled around the English Gardens, watched people surf in the river (yes they were actually surfing on a river where they had created a bit of a false, reverse wave - you’ve gotta see it to believe it), we discovered a cinema that shows English speaking films so watched Alice in Wonderland in 3D and
we ate out at some fairly nice restaurants even discovering a lovely organic, vegetarian restaurant. Unfortunately we had to cut the trip a little short as I had managed to pick up a horrible 24 hour sickness bug and just needed to go home (this was nothing to do with the lovely organic, vegetarian restaurant you understand)!!
KEMPTEN HALB MARATHON:
About 3/4 weeks prior to the Kempten Half marathon (18 April) Ian and I had decided to finally enter, get our arses in gear and put some serious training in with the hope of getting a good time. The course is a fairly flat, fast course so there was hope for us yet. Having a little bit of spare time on my hands I managed to get plenty of training in, my first long run ended up being a little longer than anticipated when I got lost while out running in some unknown countryside - I ended up running for 1hr 45min and at one point I was completely lost. Ian and I then became a little competitive, if I’d run in the daytime, Ian would want to know my time and the exact route so he could go
out and do the same (Ian always beats me as he’s just naturally faster than me).
Finally race day came around, the weather was perfect (fairly overcast but mild). We wished each other luck on the start line and then headed off at our own pace. The course consists of four loops, I managed to stay reasonably close to Ian for the first lap but then I lost him on the subsequent laps. Not really knowing how far ahead of me he was, by lap four I had long given up hope that I might be hot on his heels. I found the race very boring and couldn’t wait for it to be over, I have always hated looped races as you know exactly what’s to come. I did manage to increase my pace on the final lap and even managed a sprint finish. Shortly after finishing I found Ian, desperately hoping that he hadn’t finished too far in front of me. While Ian had beaten me, I was very pleased with my time, managing to get a PB of 1hr 50 mins 44 sec and what pleased me even more was discovering that Ian was only 2 mins
in front of me. I picked up my very first International medal, see pics (Mr Lacey take a look at how big it is) and Ian walked away with the knowledge that he must find me a job because I obviously have far too much spare time on my hands to be training etc. (and he’s very worried that next time I might actually beat him)!!??
MAIBAUMFEST:
On the 1st May we discovered how the German’s celebrate Maibaumfest (translated as May Tree Festival). In the morning Ian and I headed down into Niedersonthofen (our local village) where the all the locals where out in full force, complete with extra tables, benches, bars and of course the obligatory Sausage van, all in the space of our pub car park. We had traditional costume, the local band, dancers and even some whip crackers (not sure how else you would describe these)! First of all they erected the May Tree - essentially a very tall tree, with all the bark stripped away, some local business coat of arms for sponsorship, some pretty ribbon and then right on top they stuck a Christmas tree. There was drinking, dancing and singing all before midday.
We even had a “guess the height of the May Tree” competition - which we didn’t win. It was a real shame that we didn’t win as the winning prise was the tree itself, all cut up in October ready for your open fire.
By 12.30 it was time to move onto the next village where we did exactly the same all over again. Because we actually live in-between the two villages we thought it was only fair that we visited both on this special day of celebrations. We met up with our next door neighbours in Niedersonthofen and were gladly led by them as to how to really enjoy May Day (no more dancing round the may pole for me). We managed to get first row seats in Memhölz to watch the erecting of the Maibaum, although I might add that they did stretch this out a little. They had horses, people, tractors and ropes to erect their Maibaum and it took a very slow hour or so to get it upright.
Our neighbours did a good job of pointed out who everyone was and I discovered that the “main man/farmer” was the very same man that
I had managed to upset shortly after moving over here and who still doesn’t say hello to me and won’t even acknowledge me (all this for parking outside my own house)!! This wasn’t good news as he obviously has a lot of say in Hupprechts.
After more local music, dancing, guns being shot, beer and a bottle of wine later (and it was only 2pm) we headed back home with our neighbours. When we arrived home we promptly bumped into our other neighbour and we all decided to take a walk up hill to our summertime retreat - it was the first day it had opened for the summer season. So the five of us drove up the hill (we would normally walk but our elderly neighbour is waiting for a hip replacement) to the local bar. We were introduced to the owners and the 5 or so local farmers who had beaten us there. As the weather was a little miserable we were invited inside to the owner’s kitchen. We brought beer, ate cake, pretended to speak to the locals and sang some good ole German folksongs for the next few hours.
Ian and I finally left
about four hours later, a little worse for wear (some more than others) leaving our neighbours and the local farmers to continue celebrating well into the night.
All in all it was a great way to spend May Day - spending some quality time with our neighbours, meeting the local farmers, being introduced to the local traditions and getting drunk. I’ll attach a few pictures so you can see for yourself.
So, apparently Spring is finally here (Fruhling ist endlich hier) …… I’m just waiting for the nice weather to return before I truly believe it’s so.
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