Munich !

Munich is a great city.

Even the city motto, München mag Dich, is great...it means 'Munich loves you"...actually I think it means Munich likes you...but, same diff.

I haven't been to Munich since ,oh geez, here comes one of those statements that makes me feel old, ....since 1989. Yes, twenty years ago when I was in the Army and stationed in Nurnberg.

Billy and I stopped in Munich overnight so I could visit with the guys from Munich Lacrosse. Defenseman Philip met us at the train station and took us to his family's house where we could rest before practice. In a display of true Bavarian hospitality, they not only welcomed us into their home, let me work for a few hours on their internet, but Philip's Mom also cooked us a delicious dinner of Bratwurst, potatoes and broccoli.

Herzlichen Dank !

In the evening we had a great training session with the Munich Lacrosse club at their kick ass sports facilities which include a handy dandy bar/restaurant for after practice get togethers.

Munich Lacrosse is one of the oldest and most established programs in Germany. They have a lot of players and have both strong Men's & Women's teams.


The next day, Philip took Billy & I on a short sightseeing walk around downtown Munich. It's a beautiful city with a rich history and lots to see. As we rounded a corner, we came across a statue of a wild boar...much to Billy's delight, it was the German Hunting & Fishing Museum.

We did a quick walk through the museum, but eventually we had to drag Billy out of there and see the rest of the city.

It was a nice day for a walk around the old city.

The Church with the two towers is the Frauenkirche.

The Church has a nifty legend to go with it. Inside the entrance is the Teufelstritt, or Devil's Footstep. The legend goes that the devil made a deal with the builder that no windows were to be built in the church. But the devil was tricked by the clever builder who had set the columns so that you couldn't see a single window from a certain spot in the entrance hall where the devil stood. Once the devil found out he was tricked the church had already been consecrated so he couldn't enter, but left a footprint at the entrance where he madly stomped his foot.


See, no windows can be seen from the entrance (the big one at the end was apparently covered by a tapestry when the devil came to inspect)


I was expecting a scary devil footprint, but apparently the devil has a size 11 shoe...pretty standard really (said in a Dr. Evil voice)

Billy & I had to catch a train around 3pm, but we had one more stop to make.

The Hofbräuhaus

Opened in 1589 it is one of the oldest breweries in Germany, and certainly the most famous. It is state owned, as it was the Royal Brewery of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria.

Its packed with tourists and has a gift shop, but its still a great place to experience some of that Old Bavarian charm.

We didnt want to leave, but had to hustle to make our train....we made the train just in time. With our bellies full of yummy Bavarian beer we waved goodbye...

Auf Wiedersehen Munich...we'll be back.

Kassel

While in Germany, I coach here in Göttingen as well as at their partner club, Kassel, 40km south. This evening I'll hop on the train to have a practice with the Raccoons.

Kassel is in the next State south, Hessen, as opposed to Lower Saxony where I spend most of my time here. One of the best things about traveling is learning more about the places I get to visit.

Kassel has a rich history, read more about it here

Unfortunately, I don't have my camera with me, but this is what the Kassel Team looks like.

Göttingen III

My third trip to Göttingen to coach the Grasshoppers, this time for 10 days.

I'm staying in the same apartment, the yellowish building, all the way up top. (those two white windows behind the tree)

I'm a prisoner in the attic !

Its a small apartment, but its a great location right across the street from the University.

Its a quick walk downtown, only 10 minutes if I cut through the campus.

Its cold here now, 30 degrees, but not too bad. Downtown here is much more calm now that the Christmas Market has packed up shop.


All the nifty old buildings are still here, including this one below Kelly pointed out to me last time we were here.



The central meeting place or "the Navel" with its statue.

and of course the famous statue of the girl with the goose, the Gänseliesel

Team organizer and girls team captain Anjulie pointed this little marker to me, its a plaque on the ground where you can actually see all 4 old churches from...or at least the tops of them over the buildings.

Like this one....

I went shopping today for some food and decided that I need to drop about 5 pounds, so I'm gonna drink a lot of broth....

in this particular case, clear broth

I also got mustard for my sandwiches...ahhh german mustard, who loves ya Mustard ? Me thats who.

...and it comes in a recyclable friendly tube that minimizes waste. Clever Germans.

Auf Wiedersehn Niedersachsen !

Goodbye Lower Saxony, Hello Dublin !

Another trip to Gottingen completed. I spent 10 days in total coaching in Gottingen, but with Kelly visiting as well, we were able to get out and check out some of the local sites.

Look at the size of that dog !

Ok its actually a pony, but thats what I said when I caught a glimpse of the sturdy beast through the crowd at the Christmas market.

The Weinachts Markt in Gottingen is very festive and has all the things you expect including :

Booths to get hot Alpine Cheese treats,

Buildings that are made up to look like advent calendars,

A street rally / protest by black clad piereced left wing German dudes...watched closely by the Polizei,


and the item most people come for... Gluhwein.

We had our hot Gluhwein with Rum...ohhh so tasty and warming. Its like drinking a German Holiday Hug.

On Sunday, local lacrosse player Annette let Kelly & I use her car so we could go tool around outside of Gottingen. So off we went !

We didnt have to go far, about 15 km away is Plesseburg

a 900 year old castle perched atop a hill overlooking the town of Bovenden.


Looking over the walls you could just imagine hoards of animal pelt wearing barbarians screaming and shaking their axes up at the defenders...to no avail.


We did all the usual castke stuff including saying stuff like, "wow, these walls are thick" and "I wouldnt want to try to attack from the outside" and "I bet this is where they dumped hot oil on people from".

We also climbed the tower and had coffee at the small castle cafe'.


and Kelly made a snowball.


More pics and stories to come from coaching trip #2 to Gottingen.

Göttingen

Guten Tag !

I'm in Germany for 10 days doing my coaching bit with the Grasshoppers of Gottingen.

For those of you unfamiliar with Gottingen, it is smack dab in the middle of Germany in Lower Saxony. Read more about Gottingen here

Its a very old & beautiful city that was spared major bombing in World War 2 due to its historical significance as a University town. Apparently there was an unspoken agreement that if the Germans didn't bomb Cambridge and Oxford the Allies wouldn't bomb Heidelberg and Gottingen.

There are many old buildings in Gottingen, including a bunch of churches.

The population of Gottingen is around 130,000.....25,000 of which are students. When not in class they ride around in gangs on bikes.


I've never seen so many bikes. They are parked everywhere and are zipping all over the place.


Being in Germany is always fun, if for no other reason to see the famous attention to detail and observance of rules in action. example a) every bike has a light, front and back.


and b) every kid is wearing a reflective safety vest when walking about.

My apartment here is right across the street from the University, so I hang out in their modern library to get internet access.


Although it is cold out, that just means its almost Christmas...and that means....

Christmas Market Time!

Hot Gluhwein with Rum for everyone !

Nurnberg, Germany

I felt like I was returning to the scene of a crime.



My first time in Europe, relived....Nurnberg.

21 years ago (ugh) I got off a bus from Frankfurt airport in this same spot. I was 17 and had never been to Europe...hell, I hadnt been anywhere.

Walking around the old town, I realized how lucky I was to have had my first European experiences here....it is absolutely beautiful.

Nurnberg is old. Really old. Lots of history here.

Having lived here for 4 years, I still knew my way around but...it wasn't the same.

pictured above, Lorenzkirche

The city was more modern, lots of new stores and buildings, but the same old ones.

below, the Main Market

I only had a brief overnight stopover, but the vibe was different. I think mainly because there were no Americans. No soliders. No one in uniform.

When I was stationed here there were 4 military bases around Nurnberg and one, where I lived, in the city.

I walked up to the castle, thousands of memories came rushing back as I walked through the old city.

It was great to be back and to see it...but it felt lonely.

The bars where GI's used to hang out are either closed or only open on weekends. I was there on a Tuesday night, so I couldnt even visit my old haunts.

I went to bed early....lol. Never wouldve done that back in the day.

In the morning I took a cab down to my old base, Merrell Barracks.

You first get a glimpse of it from up the road. Its an impressive building. Built by the Nazis in the 30's, it was home to the SS before it was taken by Patton's troops in the war.

Now it is a German Army office complex. I couldnt even get in to poke around. The guy at the front office seemed annoyed that I even asked, it must happen all the time since American soldiers were stationed here for 45 years.

So I sat across the road and took pictures of my old home. The front gates where convoys used to roll out of to patrol the Czechoslovakian border or to go on maneuvers.

The same gate we left from to deploy to the Gulf. The same place we came back to when it was over.
I'm glad I came back, but it wasn't the homecoming I had expected. I dont know what I thought it was going to be like, but...I dont think I'll go back again anytime soon.

Thanks Nurnberg...Auf Wiedersehn.

UCD Lacrosse goes to Karlsruhe, Germany

The Bock Auf Lacrosse Tournament in Karlsruhe was a big success for UCD. Both Men's and Women's teams took first place and took home the trophy !

Karlsruhe is a beautiful city tucked away into the Southwest corner of Germany. It is the warmest area of Germany and rarely receives significant snowfall. The city was planned before being built so it is well organized and has a famously easy to use and efficient system of public transportation.

The kids had a great time nursing their hangovers by exploring Karlsruhe and being goofy as usual.

While some of the kids climbed to the tower of the castle, Moffet & Flopsy decided to take a nap in the fountain out front. They had purchased reflective vests and Christmas ear muffs earlier in the day just so we wouldnt lose them.

One by one the kids left for Dublin via 3 different airports until only Springer (above) and I were left. We spent the last day touring the castle and its gardens as well as the Botanical Gardens where the Dahlias were in full bloom.
Considering I started this trip by stepping in baby poop at the airport, it ended up being a great trip and a great first leg in my 19 day European Lacrosse tour of Germany, Switzerland and Austria....next stop, Zurich !

-Chris