Fairfields in Germany: December 10-16

Monday, December 10th

It continues to be standard German winter weather: cold and gray, some drizzle and light rain, but not constant. I went to the Stadtbibliothek and swapped out some books GE had finished for some more Magische Baumhaus (Magic Tree House) chapter books. She's plowing through them at a rate of one every other day or so! I also baked cookies for GE to take to her class on Wednesday to celebrate her birthday. In the evening I went to choir rehearsal--last one before our Weihnachtskonzert on Sunday!

Tuesday, December 11th

I got up early to shower and get ready before the girls got up. It's GE's 10th birthday and I got to spend most of the morning with her! I accompanied GE's class on a field trip. We took an U-Bahn and then S-Bahn out to the Forstenrieder Park to visit the Hochwasserzonenhalter (high water zone storage). It's part of the public water utility service which gathers fresh water from under the Alp's foothills and stores it in huge underground tanks before it is piped--almost all downhill, gravity fed--to Munich and its suburbs.

Double digits!

There were snow showers all day!

My little gnome hunkered down waiting for the S-Bahn.

After taking U-Bahn and S-Bahn, there was a still a 30 minute walk through Forstenrieder Park. I had to wonder if an American class would ever undertake such an excursion. Granted, counting 24 9- and 10-year olds every time we got on and off the public transit, was nothing short of anxiety creating!

Checking out the giant pipes that guide the water from the Alpenvorland downhill to München.

The gentleman in this photo gave a 30 minute presentation about how München gets its drinking water from the foothills of the Alps. He had a thick Bavarian accent and occasionally tossed in a Bayerische phrase or two. I thought for sure GE wouldn't be able to understand most of his talk (I had to really pay attention to understand him!), but she filled me in on most of what he had talked about!

One of the entry points for the fresh water--this apparently also generates some electricity as the process "calms down" the water before it's piped to the city. Read more about the park and the "High Zone Container" (which is what the field trip was all about).

"The incoming water from the Loisachtal near Oberau has due to the gradient still much kinetic energy that must be withdrawn before it is introduced into the elevated tank. This happens in a distribution structure, where it is passed through a turbine . In this way, the water is "calmed down" and generates electrical energy . Park visitors are not allowed to enter the grounds, but Stadtwerke München regularly offers sightseeing tours for school classes, companies or private persons." - Wikipedia page, Google translated

This water is so clean (from being filtered through the layers of stone and lime that lie under the hills) that it rarely needs to be treated. It's quality is monitored constantly to make sure it is not contaminated with anything. It has a high mineral content is considered the "best water in all of Germany." Lucky us!

"I speak Bayerisch and you?" The presenter's bumper sticker!

More snow! Walking back to the S-bahn...

In the evening the girls and I took the bus over to the Mattäuskirche on Sendlinger Platz for the Klenze Gymnasium Weihnachtskonzert. Afterwards I met ME's band director who had lots of wonderful things to say about ME and suggested we should just leave her here. Go ME! While I'm bragging a little, ME also texted during the school day to say she'd gotten a 1 (equivalent of an A+) on her Biology test--the only 1 in the class. Oh my! Later in the week she found out she'd gotten a 3 (about a B) on her Math test which she'd taken a couple of weeks ago and was sure she'd failed because she couldn't finish some of the problems in time (they were ALL word problems), but apparently she'd demonstrated enough knowledge of the material (there are NO multiple choice questions--it's all about showing what you know and understand) to still earn a passing grade (a "4" would a low passing grade, "5/6" would be failing).

ME chatting with her band teacher, Fr. A.

Jazz Combo! ME on trumpet. :)

ME behind the girl in the red.

Wednesday, December 12th

We awoke to more snow! And deep cold. The kids took the bus to school and I took the U-Bahn to meet the walking group at the Englischer Garten. This group started at the end of the summer as an Internations (international networking platform/app) weekly activity and a Meetup Munich group. There are a handful of us who were at the first walk and have been coming ever since, while others sort of come and go. One of the other regulars, FD, is an artist and jeweler. She spends part of the year in her home country where her daughter and grandchildren live, so she's leaving next week and won't be back until May. Hopefully we'll get to chat one more time then, but we said "farewell" just in case. It was fun getting to know her and sharing the weekly walks and coffee chats the last few months.

Today is also our oldest daughter, MK's 18th birthday. We miss her! But we also recognize that leaving her in the US to finish her senior year at Eastern Mennonite School was the best decision. She has really leaned into the experience (living with my sister, but responsible for her own laundry, cleaning her bathroom, changing her sheets, getting to appointments--and rescheduling them if needed, taking care of her car... basically a preview of college but while still in the warm embrace of a family home [THANK YOU SIS!]). And in just over a week, she'll join us here for the holidays! Can't wait to squeeze her!

View from our kitchen window just after the kids had left for school!


Mucky paths in the Englischer Garten, but I hardly noticed! So nice to be out and moving. The snow coats the winter gray and makes the light seem a little brighter.

Thanks for your friendship, FD! Safe travels and see you (hopefully) in the spring!

After my walk, I warmed up at home and then dashed out to the ReweCity around the corner (using my rolling cart, not my bike) for some groceries. After dinner in the evening, we bundled up and walked to the Alte Utting to check out their little Weihnachtsmarkt

Skirting around the bottom of the ship to get to the Crêpe Stand.

Steaming hot and yummy!

Fire pits lit and cozy!

The line for Glühwein...

Lights and stars strung up in the kids' Gartenzone.

Stalls lining the path from the food stalls to the bathrooms.

The yurt had a wood stove!

ME picked up a very hippie trinket (it's not permanent!)

The glow of the city center on the winter night sky above the historic Dreimühlenstrasse.

Thursday, December 13th

Super quiet, laid back day. It's soooo cold! Below freezing temps and dark and overcast. I took a walk mid-morning to the grocery store but had a very short list, so was mostly going to get out of the apartment for a bit. I detoured through the Süd Friedhof on my way back. I walk past it almost every day, but have never ventured inside. Turns out the history is quite interesting! It started as a cemetery for victims of the plague in 1563! There are also a boatload of "famous" people buried in it. I'll have to take more detours...

The protective cover on the sign is coming loose...

April 12th, 2013: The Old Southern Cemetery turned 450 Years old.

Friday, December 14th

I met my friend E at Zoe's Kitchen in the Maxvorstadt for breakfast at 9:30 a.m. I got to know her through the Himmelfahrtskirche Chor. She's my age and studied theater and music but works for her husband's start up, so we have similar interests and life paths. She's also just plain friendly and open. We had a fabulous long chat, auf Deutsch, and finally parted around 11:15! Planning to do it again in January.

I needed to pick up two more arias that Stellario wants me to start learning. I planned to bike to the music shop on the back corner of the Rathaus, but when I mentioned this to E, she suggested that instead of buying it, I should check the Musikbibliothek at the Gasteig center. I've seen this library before but had no idea it had a huge music section! So, I biked directly there (straight across the city center, just north of the Altstadt--a route I'd ridden sections of before but never strung together, so now I have more details added to my inner map of München!)

The Musikbibiliothek had what I was looking for and I could even get a copier card and make copies of what I needed (from two large albums; I can make copies of anything I need for the purpose of learning/lessons, but if I were to perform them, I'd need to buy the music). Win! Then I biked home along the Isar. It's still COLD. Below freezing and gray, but at least it's dry and not too windy.

GE had her trial piano lesson with the teacher down the block. She enjoyed it and was very receptive, so she's going to start with regular lessons next week with a two-week pause for the Weihnachtsferien (Christmas break). The teacher gave her a couple little songs to work on, so we'll have to work on making practicing a daily habit again...

ME went to Tollwood Winterfestival with her school friends in the evening while the little girls and I stayed in. I practiced some and listened to the new arias while paging through the music copies: Strauss "Großmächtige Prinzessin" from Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos (this one is a DOOZY); and "The Jewel Song" from Gounod's Faust. Both of these will be quite challenging for me vocally--but that's the point. No holding back!

Saturday, December 15th

Still cold! We mostly stayed in, although I braved the weather to get some grocery shopping done. After lunch HR had a tutoring session and then the two of us went into town. She wanted to go to the Müller for some gel coloring pens and to window shop. I set up in the Coffee Fellows café down the street to study my new arias with recordings. When she got bored, she joined me. Some nice, relaxed one-on-one time.

Sunday, December 16th

I rose early and have been trying to make a morning walk habitual while I ease my knee back into service for running (mild tendinitis). It's chilly, but layers and some toe-warmers make it all possible! Starts my day off right...

Ducks paddling on one of the many canals feeding in and out of the Isar river.

Gray and cold, but beautiful just the same.

It's concert day! But I also wanted to take the girls to church at least once during the Advent season and today the Liberale Mennonitsche Kirche was having their monthly Gottesdienst at 11 a.m. in the Offenbarungskirche in the suburb, Berg am Laim. To complicate matters, I needed to be at the church in Perlach for a 2 p.m. rehearsal with the harp player, so we wouldn't have time to go home in between. So, I scoped out an Italian restaurant near the S-Bahn that we would need to take out to Perlach, the girls packed self-entertainment supplies (for sitting through the 3 hours between when we'd arrive a little before 2, to when the concert started at 5 p.m.) and we carried our dress shoes while wearing our winter boots with our Christmas outfits! We left the house a little after 10 a.m. and took a bus, then U-Bahn out to Berg am Laim.

I really enjoy this sweet little congregation. There were a few regulars who were absent due to illness, so with us, there were only 18 people in attendance. But for its size, the worship time is meaningful and filled the void I'd been feeling.

After socializing a bit, we hustled over to Pastello Ristorante. It had started to snow again, so the sidewalks were dusted with flakes.

One of the youngest members accompanied one of the songs on her recorder.

Someone is not happy that she has to use a knife and fork to eat her pizza (I relented after a while and let her use her fingers).

Snowy sidewalks! The snow keeps coming down on and off--total accumulation was probably just an inch or so. Just enough to be pretty and not too difficult to get through.

We had a lovely lunch, then bundled up and got the S-Bahn from just down the street. We arrived at the St. Paulus-Perlach Kirche at about 1:50 p.m. Perfect timing! The concert went well. It was a combination of the Frauenchor and the Münchener Mädchenchor, both led by Katrin Wende-Ehmer. There are three choirs within the Mädchenchor, divided by age. The younger ones opened the program with a Krippenspiel (nativity play/musical), then the older group joined the Frauenchor to sing Britten's Ceremony of Carols, featuring me and one of the altos as soloists.

Someone was given the job of turning on the voice recorder and used it for selfies while she waited! Goof-ball!

The Angel comes to tell the shepherd boy about Jesus' birth.

The angels and shepherds all go to see baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

Afterwards many of us from the Frauenchor gathered with our families at the Gasthaus Perlacher Hof for dinner and a little Weihnachtsfeiern! Wie gemütlich! When we finally trudged through the door of the apartment, it was after 8 p.m. Whew!