The Oktoberfest 2008 or simply October Feast in English is celebrated from Sept. 20 to oct. 5. I was finally there as you can see in my previous post too..You still have time to come and enjoy the feast..You will surely have a great experience in your life especially if you love beer...wink!!


The original "Oktoberfest" occurred in Munich, on October 12, 1810: For the commemoration of their marriage, Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (namesake of the Theresienwiese festival grounds) organized a great horse race (the marriage took place on October 12; the horse race on October 17 — therefore, there are different dates named as being the first Oktoberfest).

HISTORY of Karlstor in Munich
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlstor_(M%C3%BCnchen)

Im Rahmen der großen Stadterweiterung durch Ludwig der Bayer entstand 1285 bis 1347 eine zweite Stadtbefestigung, in deren Rahmen das Karlstor, damals noch Neuhauser Tor genannt, entstand. Erstmals wurde das Karlstor 1302 urkundlich erwähnt. Das Karlstor wurde im Laufe der Zeit immer weiter ausgebaut und befestigt. So wurde beim Bau des Stachus-Einkaufszentrums 1970 ein mit Backsteinen gemauerter Fluchttunnel gefunden, mit dem Soldaten, gegebenenfalls auch Zivilisten, hinter die feindlichen Linien gelangen bzw. flüchten konnten. Ein kurzes Stück ist am Brunnenplatz des Stachus-Einkaufszentrum im 1.UG ausgestellt.

1791 baute Graf Rumford, damals Kommandeur der bayerischen Armee unter Kurfürst Karl Theodor, die Flankentürme um. Im selben Jahr wurde das Neuhauser Tor auch in Karlstor umbenannt.

1857 explodierten die Schwarzpulver-Bestände, die im Nebenhaus des Hauptturms gelagert waren, und beschädigten diesen so sehr das dieser später abgerissen werden musste. Die beiden Flankentürme wurden umgestaltet und später mit einer neuen Brücke(neugotisch) verbunden. 1861/62 gestaltete Arnold Zenetti das Karlstor neugotisch um.

Beim Bau des sogenannten "Stachus-Rondells" durch Gabriel von Seidl 1899 bis 1902 wurden die beiden Flankentürme einbezogen und dementsprechend umgestaltet. Im Zweiten Weltkrieg schwer beschädigt wurde das Karlstor etwas vereinfacht wieder aufgebaut.

Das Karlstor ist neben Isartor und Sendlinger Tor eines der drei erhaltenen Stadttore. Nicht mehr erhalten sind u. a. das Angertor und das Schwabinger Tor.

Hi Guys!! How are you doing today? I already woke up very late today. Imagine waking up almost 12 noon time. We went yesterday in Prague and was quite tired with the trip but I was happy and satisfied seeing this place. Did you notice my very beautiful and fantastic lay-out??? I was surprised after reading the comment of Sis Twinks... Very very nice!! I love it!! Thanks to my dear friend Carlota for this very excellent lay-out. My Nipa Hut is now a Palace!! I know you are always very busy not only online but also offline but you still manage to put-out my new lay-out. I am very happy and satisfied!! You're great!! Thanks a lot once again for the time and effort being exerted..You are blessed to have a talent like this!! pasensiya na sa akong kanunay pagsamok-samok nimo...wink!!

I also want to thanks all my friends online and offline for always being there for me. Special thanks to blogger friends, visitors, readers and viewers of this site. I hope I can still share and impart more about Germany for you to experience its beauty especially its culture and history and most of all the beautiful and interesting places here!!

To everybody, please also visit the sites of my other friends in my sidebar. They would gladly see you there!! Once again thanks a millions dear Choco for this very beautiful lay-out!! luvyah...mwuahhhhh!! your simply great!! Keep up the great job and spread the good news!!

Marienplatz is one of Munich's landmark. I had been here three times already. The last time I visited here was last September 24 during the greatest and biggest Oktoberfest Celebration. Me and my husband thought of walking around the old city before going to Theresienwiese where the famous Oktoberfest is usually held.

I love this place and I love Germany. Cheers!!...visit Germany too especially during Oktoberfest. For sure you have a lot of fun!! Enjoy your Sunday!!

Marienplatz (en: Mary's Square) is a central square in the city center of Munich, Germany since 1158.

In the Middle Ages markets and tournaments were held in this city square. The Glockenspiel in the new city hall was inspired by these tournaments, and draws millions of tourists a year. Marienplatz was named after the Mariensäule, a Marian column erected in its centre in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation. It is home to Munich's Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus) and the New City Hall (Neues Rathaus).

It's a gothic council hall and ballroom and tower, which have been reconstructed. The New City Hall was built 1867 - 1909 in Flanders gothic style; its facade, over 300 feet in length, features strikingly elaborate stone ornamentation. Its 260-foot tower with carillon is, with the nearby St. Peter's Church and the twin towers of the Cathedral, one of the most distinctive features of the city's skyline." explains muenchen.de, which also ranks Marienplatz as one of the top ten sites in Munich.

The pedestrian zone between Karlsplatz (Stachus) and Marienplatz is a crowded area with numerous shops and restaurants. The Marienplatz S-Bahn and U-Bahn station, an important transportation hub, is located below the square. (courtesy of Wikipedia .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marienplatz)

Oktoberfest, one of the famous events and celebrations in the whole whole..I was finally here last Wednesday.. .I am just sharing some photos before I sign-off.. I need to go to sleep early today!! I'm going to Prague in Czech Republic tomorrow..so I can share more of my travel experiences in Europe...feel free to visit my other sites for more updates!! have fun!! enjoy your weekend too!! tschuss!!

I would to thank first my dear husband for taking all these photos for me. I was finally in Oktoberfest in Munich yesterday. It is my first time there. We went with the train. We don't drove with our car. You know why because it is very difficult to find a park place and it is very traffic too in the autobahn and in the inner city of Munich. There were a lot of people there yesterday and everyday I guess. Munich is always like that. It is one of the most visited tourist spots in Germany so no wonder that everyday is like a feast especially in the old city.

It is getting very late now. I will update again tomorrow with more photos and personal experience during the oktoberfest. Please also visit my other sites for more updates!! take care everyone!!

The Stone Bridge, built 1135–1146, is a highlight of medieval bridge building. The knights of the 2nd and 3rd crusade used it to cross the Danube on their way to the Holy Land.

The Dom (Cathedral) is a very interesting example of pure German Gothic and counts as the main work of Gothic architecture in Bavaria. It was founded in 1275 and completed in 1634, with the exception of the towers, which were finished in 1869. The interior contains numerous interesting monuments, including one of Peter Vischer's masterpieces. Adjoining the cloisters are two chapels of earlier date than the cathedral itself, one of which, known as the old cathedral, goes back perhaps to the 8th century. The official choir for the liturgical music at St Peter's Cathedral are the famous Regensburger Domspatzen.

I talked to my husband today when we are going to the Oktoberfest in Munich. He said on Wednesday...yepeeeyy..I am so happy!! I live in Germany now for 5 years but was never in the Oktoberfest. I am quite excited!! I am sharing a bit info about this famous feast in the world, the Oktobest in Munich..here it is...I promise to share some photo after our visit their!!! Alles klar!!! thanks to wikipedia.com for this information!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany during late September (and running to early October). It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event.

Oktoberfestbiers are the beers that have been served at the event in Munich since 1818, and are supplied by 6 breweries known as the Big Six: Spaten, Löwenbräu, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr.[1] Traditionally Oktoberfestbiers were the lagers of around 5.5 to 6% abv called Märzen - brewed in March and allowed to ferment slowly during the summer months.[2] Originally these would have been dark lagers, but from 1872 a strong March brewed version of an amber-red Vienna lager made by Josef Sedlmayr became the favourite Oktoberfestbier.

Since the 1970s the type of beer served at the festival has been a pale lager between 5 and 6% abv, and the terms Oktoberfest and Märzen are used by non-Oktoberfest brewers in Germany and the USA to market pale lagers of this strength.[3] The colour of these lagers may range from pale gold to deep amber, with the darker colours more common in the USA. Hop levels tend not to be distinctive, though some American examples may be firmly hopped. Modern beers sold as Oktoberfest and Märzen in Europe tend not to be too differentiated from other pale lagers of this strength, while older German and American influenced examples will be fairly malty in flavour and inclined to use a range of malts, especially dark malts such as Vienna or Munich. [4]

The Munich Oktoberfest, traditionally, takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October. In 1990, the schedule was modified in response to German reunification so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival will go on until October 3rd (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2nd and 18 days when it is October 1st. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called d’ Wiesn for short.

Visitors also eat huge amounts of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as Wurst sausage, Hendl (chicken), Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), and Sauerkraut, along with such Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda (a fatty, spiced cheese-butter concoction), roast ox tails and Reiberdatschi (apple pancakes).

Landstuhl (IPA: [ˈlantʃtuːl]) is a municipality of over 9,000 people in southwestern Germany. It is part of the district of Kaiserslautern, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the north-western edge of the Palatinate forest, approx. 10 km west of Kaiserslautern.

It is perhaps best known in the U.S.A. because of the U.S. Army's medical installation. The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) post, is often the first stop for American casualties leaving the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ramstein Air Force Base is also located nearby.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landstuhl

Burg Nanstein is a castle in Landstuhl, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

It was built around the year 1162 after Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I demanded its construction as additional defense for the Palatinate.

In 1504, German knight Franz von Sickingen, inherited part of the castle after his father's death in the War of the Bavarian Succession, finally acquiring the entire castle in 1518. He immediately began extensive refortication to make the castle suitable for firearms.

Nanstein is well-known for an elaborate siege during the Knight's Revolt in 1523 which claimed the life of von Sickingen. The fall of Nanstein was a symbol for the decline of castles in the Palatinate.

In 1542, von Sickingen's sons recovered Nanstein as a fief and started reconstruction of the castle. Reinhard von Sickingen completed the reconstruction in 1595. In 1668, Elector Charles I Louis forced Lotharingian troops from the castle and razed the fortications.

In the 19th century the first conservation work was done on Nanstein, and this has continued to the present day.

From Amberg to Rothenburg!!! great trip!!! The last time I was in Amberg was in Jan. 19, 2008..The next day we proceeded to Rotehnburg with friends and really enjoyed our trip!!...I had been to Amberg for quite lot of times. We usually go here just to eat to our favorite Chinese Restaurant...as usual sharing some photos for you to see..I have to sign off now...my head is getting very heavy..guess getting a headache now!!! goodnight!!


Amberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate (Germ. Oberpfalz), roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth.

HISTORY

The town was first mentioned in 1034, at that time under the name Ammenberg. It became an important trading centre in the Middle Ages, exporting mainly iron ore and iron products. In 1269, together with Bamberg, the town became subordinate to the Wittelsbach dynasty that ruled Bavaria.

In 1329 the town and the entire Upper Palatinate fell to a branch line of the Wittelsbach family and was no longer part of the duchy of Bavaria. Although in geographic terms it was regarded as Bavarian and the region was part of the Bavarian circle in the organisation of the Imperial Circles. The rulers of Upper Palatinate were open-minded towards Protestantism. In the 16th century the town turned to Lutheranism, but attempts of the ruling family to introduce the more radical Calvinism failed due to the reluctance of its citizens.

In 1628 Amberg and Upper Palatinate became part of the electorate of Bavaria. The inhabitants were given the choice: return to Catholicism or leave the town forever. Many families left the town and fled to the Free Imperial Cities of Regensburg and Nuremberg.

Amberg was the regional capital of Upper Palatinate until 1810 when power was transferred to the larger cit

y of Regensburg. After the Second World War, after which Bavaria fell into the American Sector, Amberg was home to Pond Barracks, a United States Army base. The base was finally closed in 1992 and turned over to the local community for housing, most of it social housing.

Breitenbrunn is a municipality in the district of Neumarkt in Bavaria in Germany.

Die Geschichte des Marktes Breitenbrunn
courtesy of http://www.tillyfest.de/

Die Geschichte des Marktes Breitenbrunn, der im Jahr 826 zum ersten Mal urkundlich erwähnt wird, ist eng mit dem Namen Tilly verbunden. Johann Tserclaes Graf von Tilly war einer der erfolgreichsten Heerführer im Dreißigjährigen Krieg (1618-1648). Im Namen der katholischen Liga, die von Kaiser Ferdinand II. von Österreich und Kurfürst Maximilian I. von Bayern angeführt wurde, kämpfte er gegen die Protestanten. Deren Haupt und zugleich Tillys erbittertster Widersacher war der schwedische König Gustav Adolf II., der sein Land zu einer europäischen Großmacht erheben wollte und große Teile Deutschlands besetzt hielt. In Anerkennung seiner überragenden militärischen Verdienste verlieh Kurfürst Maximilian Tilly am 2. Mai 1624 die Herrschaft über Schloss und Gericht "Praittenegg" sowie den Markt "Praitprunnin" (Breitenbrunn).

Tilly stammte aus einer angesehenen, flämischen Adelsfamilie im südlichen Brabant (heute Belgien), das damals zur spanischen Niederlage gehörte und Teil des spanischen Weltreichs war. Die Eltern schickten ihren Sprössling zunächst auf eine Jesuitenschule - er sollte Priester werden. Doch der einzige Wunsch des jungen Mannes war, Soldat zu werden. Er erlernte das Kriegshandwerk von der Pike auf, diente als junger Fähnrich in den Armeen der Herzöge von Parma und Lothringen und trat 1594 in die kaiserliche Armee ein, wo er im gleichen Jahr in Ungarn gegen die Türken zu Felde zog.

Bereits 1604 ernannte der Kaiser Tilly zum Feldmarschall. In den Schlachten des Dreißigjährigen Krieges stieg er zum bedeutendsten Feldherr neben Wallenstein auf.
Wegen seiner katholischen Erziehung und seines tief verwurzelten Glaubens wurde Tilly auch der "Heilige im Harnisch" genannt. Bei seinen Truppen achtete er auf strengste Disziplin : Übergriffe gegen Frauen wurden unerbittlich bestraft. Er selbst sagte einmal über sich: "Ich habe nie einen Rausch gehabt, nie eine Frau berührt und nie eine Schlacht verloren." Das Letztere zumindest stimmte nicht. In seinem letzten Lebensjahr verließ den greisen Krieger das Schlachtenglück. Am 17. September 1631 verlor er bei Breitenfeld/Leipzig gegen die Schweden, am 15. April 1632 unterlag er dem gleichen Gegner bei Rain am Lech. Dort zerfetzte eine Kanonenkugel sein rechtes Bein. Mühsam wurde, der 73jährige in einer Sänfte nach Ingolstadt gebracht, wo er am 30. April starb.

Die Schweden zogen nach dem Sieg mordend und plündernd durch ganz Bayern und richteten unter der Bevölkerung furchtbare Greuel an. Nach seinem Tod übernahm sein Neffe Werner Graf von Tserclaes die Herrschaft über die Besitztümer. Als Maria Theresia Reichsgräfin von Tilly am 21. Juli 1744 in Breitenbrunn stirbt, erlischt die bayerische Linie dieses, berühmten Geschlechts.

I was up on the castle in Kallmuenz. I read another blog that says you cannot come up to this castle..that's a big joke!! I mean lie...wink!!..I guess for people who don't have the strength to walk in going up there!! Of course you can go there anytime!! see this evidence, I was there!!


The castle Ruins in Kallmuenz..This is around 15- 20 minutes drive from where we live...that's all for now!! take care everyone!! Tschuss!!

I took this photo last month of our small town, Hohenfels. With the color effects that can be made by my new canon powershot camera, this colored picture turned to black and white!!
Hohenfels is beautiful too!! have a great evening to all!!

The Airplane Museum in Sinsheim, Germany...we usually pass this Museum everytime we drive to Kaiserslautern...Now they already covered it with high walls to avoid accident of drivers in the autobahn who keep on looking here while driving. I took this photo while we are passing the museum. Will visit there one of these days ...hopefully next month!!

I got lots of lotto scam mails again. I don't exactly know where these scammers get my email address. I guess its not only me but some also other friends online have the same problems too. If ever you receive these kind of emails, please never entertain them as they are not true. In fact they are all fraud/scams and only want your money. Below are some samples of these scams which I received today in my mailbox. Scammers, please stop what your doing because they are really bad!!! Scammers go to hell!! TGIF!! wish everyone in advance a happy weekend!!

FIRST SAMPLE SCAM/FRAUD MAIL:

Salam (Confidential)
Friday, September 5, 2008 1:32 PM
From:
"Ms Ashirat Mohammed"
Add sender to Contacts
To:
aclt@infohq.com

Hello
Actually, My name is Ashirat Mohammed.Our company is intending to embark
on trade in Asia market for a product known as Silica Oil Regen Lubricant.
This lubricant is an industrial lubricant used for lubrication purposes in
the brain box of a ship. Here in UK, it is very scarce and expensive. The
amount here in UK for each pack of ten bottles each is $10,800.00(TEN
THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED US DOLLAR) per pack.This same oil is sold in
Malaysia for RM6,500.00(SIX THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED MALAYSIA RIGGIT) per
pack, and i have gotten the contact of the supplier in malaysia market,I
have already disclosed to our company's management that the product is
sold for RM13,500.00(THIRTEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED MALAYSIA RIGGIT) per
pack in Asia market, and our company have agreed to buy from Asia market
since it is cheaper and available.


So if you have interest in business, we can both co-operate in the
sense that i will introduce you to our company's management as the
supplier of this product in Asia market, then i will give you the
contact of the supplier in malaysia market so that you can buy the
product at the price of RM6,500.00(SIX THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED MALAYSIA
RIGGIT) per pack and supply to our company at the price of
RM13,500.00(THIRTEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED MALAYSIA RIGGIT) per pack
respectively and the profit is shared between us 30% for me and 70% for
you.

my company will be sending our representative to asia to purchase this
chemical and i dont want them to go directly to the agent because of
the price which i have quoted to them for this will cause a conflict
of interest and i stand the risk of losing my job thats the more
reason i need a middle person in this transaction,if this is
acceptable to you get back to me ASAP,If you have any queiries, you
can contact me via email (mashirat@yahoo.com) You can also check our
company's website at; www.d-pandl.com . I want you to treat this
matter with utmost consideration.

your sincerely
Ms.Ashirat Mohammed

Dundee Perth and London Shipping Company


SECOND SAMPLE SCAM/FRAUD MAIL:


GLOBAL EMAIL PRIZE PROMOTION
Friday, September 5, 2008 12:22 AM
From:
"GLOBAL PROMOTION"
Add sender to Contacts
To:
undisclosed-recipients

-----Inline Attachment Follows-----

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For more information on how to redeem your price,do contact MRS SANDRA
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You are requested to provide the following information for
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1.Full Names:
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The big foot in front of the historical Porta Nigra in Trier, Germany. The other foot is located near the bahnhof or train station!! visited this place last January 2008. Germany has really very interesting places worht exploring!! I love this country!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trier

Trier (French: Trèves; Luxembourgish: Tréier; Latin: Augusta Treverorum) is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC.[1] Trier is not the only city claiming to be Germany's oldest, but it is the only one that bases this assertion on having the longest history as a city, as opposed to a mere settlement or army camp.[citation needed] It is also one of the few cities in Europe that have been capitals of the Roman Empire.

Trier lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of ruddy sandstone in the west of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, near the German border with Luxembourg and within the important Mosel wine-growing region.

Legislation

Bicameral system: in addition to the Bundestag, the Bundesrat (consisting of delegates of the state governments to uphold the states’ interests) participates in legislation

State structure

Germany is a federation consisting of 16 federal states, each with its own constitution, parliament and government. The highest state authority is exercised by the federal government. Through the agency of the Bundesrat, the states are represented at the federal level and participate in federal legislation.

Suffrage

Universal, equal and secret suffrage as of 18 years of age (in the case of municipal elections in part as of 16), elections to the Bundestag are held every four years.

Federal President

Prof. Dr. Horst Köhler (CDU) since 2004

Federal Chancellor

Dr. Angela Merkel (CDU) since 2005

Party system

Multi-party system, parties have a special constitutional status, receive state financial support, can only be prohibited by the Federal Constitutional Court

Parties represented in the Bundestag

Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), German Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU), Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (The Greens), Free Democratic Party (FDP), Die Linke (The Left)

Legal system

Germany is a social constitutional state. It is based on the principle of a division of powers and the lawful administration. All organs of state are subject to the constitutional order. The Basic Law guarantees every individual citizen basic and human rights. The Federal Constitutional Court watches over adherence to the Basic Law. All the other organs of state are bound to uphold its rulings.

http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de

Social security

Germany has an elaborate network of social security systems (pension, health, healthcare and unemployment insurance), financed in equal measure by employees and employers alike.

Health

Almost all Germany’s inhabitants have health insurance (88% on statutory and just under 12 % in private insurance schemes). Given total outlays on health of 10.7% of GDP, Germany is well above the OECD average of 9.0%.

source: http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/content-home/facts-and-figures/social-system.html