texans on the autobahn

There was even a Germany "oompah" type band at the back to school picnic. 

posted by stuckinthemiddle @ 3:00 PM 1 comments

The back to school picnic at the Bavarian International School where the PTO serves beer (of course) and everyone brings picnics and visits with each other. 

posted by stuckinthemiddle @ 3:00 PM 0 comments

First day back to school at the Bavarian International School. In Dallas, the boys would still be wearing shorts to school, but the weather here is much more mild so they dress warmly. Sam starts 9th grade and Joe starts 6th grade. 

posted by stuckinthemiddle @ 2:58 PM 0 comments

Sam attended Manchester United Soccer School in Manchester England in August. Here he is after arriving back home wearing his official Man UTD kit. . .he had a great time, and many people have commented that his skills were visibly improved. . . 

posted by stuckinthemiddle @ 2:57 PM 0 comments

Robin with his colleagues enjoying a mass of stark bier. . . 

posted by stuckinthemiddle @ 2:55 PM 0 comments

Robin and I went with his colleagues to the Freising Volksfest. 

posted by stuckinthemiddle @ 2:55 PM 0 comments

Before we arrived in Germany, our family spent valuable time in cultural training. This was wonderful training that taught us both general facts and specific facts to prepare us for our adventure in Germany. In training we learned that Germans are much more direct and frank (see Deidre’s blog below about being stopped by a policemen for example.) We also learned the specifics of paying radio and TV tax for every radio and TV we use; yes even the car radio. However, I have found a serious deficiency with the training we received, and this gap in the program also turned out to be quite dangerous for me. It is a common known fact, that beer served at festivals (such as an Oktoberfest for example) has a higher alcohol content than beer served on a normal basis. Yet this fact was not taught during cultural training. I learned this fact the hard way, after drinking 4 huge glasses called a mass - imagine the biggest beer mug you can imagine.) The impact of this “STARKER” (which is German for STRONGER) beer leads to loss of memory. So please don’t ask what happened, that’s really not the point of this blog. Just remember, Festival beer is stronger. If you absolutely need details, send a private email to Deidre. She will be very happy to send you a detailed account. I do not endorse her account, because I can’t remember if any of it is true.

posted by stuckinthemiddle @ 1:53 PM 0 comments

Stopped by the BIKE POLICE!

Today as I was returning from the gym and completing my 25 km bike ride for the day, I was stopped by the POLICE! "Gross Gott" the policeman said, followed by a lot of German that I clearly didn't understand (clear to me, maybe not to the policeman. So I replied with my usual "sprechen Sie Englisch?" and the policeman seamlessly started speaking English to me. Seems like it is "prohibited" to wear earphones and listen to music while riding your bike. You can wear an earphone in one ear while riding, but not two. OK, no problem - I'd been telling the boys this for a while now, but now I can say it is a law! Secondly, after riding only about 10 meters on a sidewalk to approach the cross light the Polizei also told me I can NOT have my bike on the sidewalk. I actually thought I was on a bike path. I asked if I could use the cross walk light and he said yes, but I had to walk with my bike. Of course, as the light turned green, I saw others on their bikes crossing the path - who knows why I was stopped? A random act of pointing out the law! I know it doesn't say "American" across my forehead! I think I have been here long enough to no longer let these types of things upset me. I just told him, ok, no problem, and drove off! Can you even imagine a policeman in the US stopping someone on their bike? Oh well, another day in Germany!

posted by stuckinthemiddle @ 11:11 AM 0 comments