Frozen lakes in Ingolstadt - finally
Last week wasn't so special except a riday party with Kai, Maxie and Georg where we made raclette (kind of table barbecue) and played some games til midnight when it was time to celebrate Georg's birthday.

Kai and me waited since our arrival here in Ingolstadt that the lakes freeze and that we can skate on them. A good week of very cold weather was enough, so we did it Monday morning at the Baggersee. We would have waited longer but today the warm weather is said to return to South Germany, so yesterday may have been the last chance for outdoor ice-skating for a while. It was snowing and the lake looked so nice under this plain white and innocent surface. The ice beneath was very smooth and nice.

To complete Monday's description: In the evening Marc, Feli, Steffen and me went out with Prof. Lee, whom we know from the Sogang GSIS in Korea where we studied. First we visited the restaurant Weissbräuhaus and later we visited the "le café", a relatively new and very nice bar in Ingolstadt. It was comfortabel to to reminisce about our experiences in Asia and compare the different lifestyles.


(click on the image for a bigger one)

Back in Ingolstadt
I'm back to town since Saturday, working on my thesis. I may find some time to go out, just contact me. This evening I have to clean up my calling list and phone some dear friends.

New Year in Austria
It was quite an effort to pack all our stuff into Kai's Audi 100. Ayway, around one o' clock in the night we left his home and hit the road. The autobahn was as empty as expected, therefore it was quite foggy. Our goal was to be at our bed&breakfast at 9 in the morning and we almost succeeded. The guesthouse was located in Laengenfeld, 10 to 15 km from the big ski town Soelden, in the middle of the Tyrolean valley Oetztal.

We had two medium twin rooms including breakfast for around 450 Euro (for both rooms) which is quite cheap for this location and for the most popular skiing week in the year. We also had luck that we had chosen Soelden for our winter location as Austria was hit by warm weather and snow was rare almost everywhere except our nice Soelden ski area, which sports two glaciers and ski pistes in over 3000 m altitude. It snowed for the first 3 or 4 days during the sun was just rarely be seen. But therefore we had the very best powder snow you can imagine.

That was the reason I changed my skies into a new snowboard on the third day. I learned fast and could ride it by the afternoon, waglling down the black pistes or carving on the edges when it was less steep. Snowboarding isn't difficult at all if you have a good sense of balance and not too much fear of speed. I also learned that it makes much more sense to try it on your own at the beginning rather than taking courses. They are not just expensive (50 Euro for the first day) but the result is minor to the well tried learing by doing. From time to time I spied out other snowboarders for their technique and found out that it is quite easy if you just try it out. My second insight was that the more speed you have the more easier and the less shakier you stand on your board. There's nothing more difficult to stay on the board on a flat hill on low speed. And this is where the snowboard school starts. Well, to be honest, I tried out snowboarding already before, but this were just some hours in an Korean ski resort, that's all.

The best day of the week was New Years Day. An empty ski resort (people where still recovering from the New Year's eve), a blue sky, sunshine, beautifull vistas and powder snow. Just wonderful. It was worth getting up at 8 and having had just two hours of sleep.

After four days I returned my board to the rental station. Originally I just wanted to try it out for a day, but I liked it more than expected. Also the board was much better than the one from Korea. I had a brandnew Burton with Salomon shoes and the easy step-in binding. Anyway, the ski pistes got harder during the week and there was less powder snow to ride. In this conditions I still clearly prefer skiing. It's not that funny with a snowboard on an icy piste.

You could get the intention that we've just been skiing, no party, no aprés-ski etc. - Well, that's true. - No, not really. But we were normally skiing from 10 to 4:30, so that we first went home, took a shower and cooked something, before taking any further action. On New Year's eve we partied outside in Soelden til half past midnight, then went into a nice discothèque. For the name of the place and the names of their female guests you better ask Kai than me. I'll forward any inquiries to him :)

The photos are uploaded to my pixum photoalbum. Click on the picture above or here. There ain't that many this time, I was to lazy to carry my camera everywhere.

Christmas with Jolle
On Monday I went to Rostock to pick up my grandparents for the Christmas celebrations on Tuesday. Wednesday we went to my uncle for tea and to make some house music (not this type -but the type where several members of my family try to generate sounds with their instruments, quite successfully by the way). Today I was visiting a friend and played badminton.

Moreover I played some rounds of ice-hockey with my cousins on a frozen lake during the last days and read the wonderful book of Patrick Süßkind: Das Parfum (The Perfume) which I will probably finish tomorrow.

Oh yeah, tomorrow, I have to pack and buy some groceries for my skiing trip. We start half past 11 here and meet Kai at his home in Hamburg where we'll go to Austria in his car. If everything works as planned we'll be there around 9 am and ready to ski. By travelling at nigth we'll avoid the usual traffic jams on Saturday, the day when all ski tourists start or end their vacation.

And also answer the usual question these times: I got some money for skiing, a nice LED flashlight, an electric foot bath (don't laugh, it was my wish) and some other things. Enough presents for one Christmas.

I HATE shopping
Tuesday I worked the last time this year, Wednesday we finished the barbecue-season on Kai's terrace, and Thursday was the day to go home. I took the train 'cause hitchhiking with a big backpack and a violoncello wouldn't be so easy. Anyway, the train ticket was quite cheap, thanks to the nice train clerk, who cannot even calculate with his computer. I paid 37 € including the added fee for the fast train type ICE. Moreover I was so lucky to find a TV seat which made the 8 hour trip even more comfortable.

Why did I leave yesterday? 'Cause today is the last day all the offices are opened in this promised land of customer service. And I urgently need a new ID card and a drivers licence as well. I needed just 2 hours for all the procedures. Not that much, if you take into account, that 2 different offices with more than 40 km distance had to be visited.

During lunchtime I helped my father with his christmas mailings for his clients. Later I tried - yes tried - to shop a bid for the remaining presents. But all I found was not so satisfying, or far too expensive. I hate shopping, so I finished the city trip with a visit at the hairdresser.

Weekend Report
Thanks to Kai I who gave me his old but comfortable Audi 100 I startet on Friday afternoon to meet Steffi in Waldshut near the Swiss border. But because of the bad weather I was behind the schedule and we adapted our plan and met in Schaffhausen, where the famous Rhein falls are to be seen. Around 8 the only thing between me and Steffi was the Swiss border. Maybe I should have been a bit nervous, 'cause I had no drivers license and no car registration documents with me (I can't find my license and Kai can't find his car documents - what a team we are). But you'll never been asked for that at the customs, truly believed. But today of all the days, the friendly Swiss customs official wanted to see my passport and my drivers license. I instantly said that I forgot the latter one which knocked him out for some seconds. But then he recovered and told me to park the car and wait. So I did. He made various phonecalls and I was just praying not to be returned, 'cause it would take me more than one hour to drive around this piece of Switzerland to Eberfingen where Steffi lives. Not to forget, that Steffi was still waiting at the Schaffhausen train station. But after some minutes the official came back, still not really sure what to do with me. I guess he confirmed with the German authorities that I at least possess a drivers license. Moreover I think he didn't want to send me back, but still it wasn't everything in an correct order, so he started small talk. Where I want to go, where I come from, what I will do in Switzerland and so on. I answered and finally he seemed to have a solution. It was a full scale inspection of the car. He asked me kindly if I would allow him to search in the car. What irony, as if I had a chance to resist.

Around 10 minutes later he seemed to be satisfied and gave me back my passport, not even advising me not to forget my papers next time. I drove off quickly, but not fast, as the speeding fines in Switzerland are heavier than you might imagine. Steffi was still waiting and we went to the so famous Rhein falls. Actually the Rhein falls were a "Reinfall" (learn German to understand the joke!!!), 'cause the fog destroyed any chance of seeing something. On the other hand it is quite impressive to listen to the daunting sound of flowing water. Maybe it was good that way and the falls look better in my imagination than a real picture can be.

No need to think about it further, Steffi and me drove home back to Germany, this time using an unofficial border crossing not to get checked again today. Saturday morning she gave brunch for some friends to celebrate her birthday. In the evening w went to Zurich in Switzerland to meet my cousin Lothar and visit the town. The christmas market was a desaster, some tiny huts stacked in a concourse, not very romantic. Anyway, the old town with its narrow alleys and multicultural flair has something. We went up to the university to get an aerial view over the town and the lake. Later in the evening we went back home. We crossed the border for 4 times for this small trip and they just one tome they wanted to see my passport. Things are normal again.

On Sunday I started early, half past six. It was raining and the temperature was around zero, but I made it to the Arlberg in Austria in less then two and a half hours, 'cause I could use the alarmingly empty autobahn. I met Geli and her friends at the parking ot of the ski-lift. They had just arrived some minutes ago, what a timing. I really enjoyed skiing for the time this season, I missed it. And now I'm looking eagerly forward to our skiing trip around New Years Day.

A small annotation to the picture. It's a building in Zurich decorated for Christmas. Not that nice, if you ask me, but it remembered me of the Korean style of overdecorating things.

Photos from Nuremberg and the Xmas prom
The weekend in Nuremberg was joyful. We visited an old prison in the centre of the old town, then the castle and the xmas market. Later we played some games at Marc's home. On Sunday morning Marc and me went to the Albrecht Dürer museum, later we had a delicious lunch cookedby Marc's father, and afternoon tea at Feli's home "in the mountains".

Go to my Pixum site to view the albums or click on the selected pics at the former entries. If anybody has some more digital photos of the prom, please give me the link by adding a comment.

Nuremberg
I'll visit Nuremberg this weekend with Marc and Felicitas, who will show me around a bit in their hometown. I'm especially looking forward to the Christmas market "Christkindlmarkt" in the centre of the old town. I've been there already last year. Have a nice weekend, too.

Update: Click on the pics below to see all photos from Nuremberg.

X-mas prom
Saturday evening was this years christmas prom of the university. The first time really big and glamorous. Normally not the kind of event I like, but this time it brought some fun.

I made just a few pics, but there have been lots of photographers, so I'll give some links later when they appear somewhere.

Monday evening will be the next time we'll go ice-skating. We'll be at the ice rink between 7:30 and 10 pm. Just join us.

Update: Click on the pictures to see all photos I made.

New Website
I made a new website for a friend today. Very low tech, but enough for the project. Visit it here. The Nicaragua site is the new one, the old Istanbul site I made some month ago.

Now it's time to go home.