Sausage, Beer, Beer, Sausage, Beer, Pretzel, Beer, Beer, Sausage, Beer

The title of the post pretty much sums up our time in Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest, where we had lots of amazing German food and lots of amazing German beer.  We had a friend join us, Travis, for the festivities.  He came in from the states, and met us in London to head to Stuttgart, Germany on Wednesday. After an hour, fifteen flight to Stuttgart, we headed by train to Munich for another two and a half hour ride.

We made it to Munich, and the boys immediately put on their lederhosen, and I put on my dirndl.  We headed towards the festival where thousands of people were already drinking, eating, and enjoying the festival.  What a sight to see all of these people dressed up in the traditional attire.  There were 14 large "tents" that held all the different local beer.  And by "tent" I mean a standing structure that holds about 10,000 people.  Not so tent-like, right? 

Jeff and I in our Bavarian attire

Inside one of the beer tents. (This was taken Sunday so less people in their Bavarian attire)

Oktoberfest is known for its traditions like the cookies. 

We walked a little bit, grabbed a giant sausage, and headed into the Hofbrauhaus tent.  It was pretty funny to see the three of our faces as we walked into the tent. I think we were all in shock as there were people everywhere, the band was playing local tunes, hops were hanging from the ceiling, and everyone had giant beers in their hands (1 liter of beer, approximately 2 pints).  We walked around, a little overwhelmed, and found room at a table where we enjoyed a few beers.  We loved the songs the band played, even though we did not understand any of the words.  It was also fun to meet new people, mostly Germans to talk about the festival and whatnot.

Giant sausage. So yummy! (PhotoCred: Travis)

The festival area. You can see the large tents (buildings) on both sides of the pictures. One of which has the giant beer on top!

This was our favorite tent. The only one with sit down and standing tables. 

The boys in their gear with their beer! (PhotoCred: Travis)

On Thursday, the three of us walked around Munich.  We went into a couple churches that were really pretty, popped into a few shops, and ate at a cute little outside restaurant before heading back to get back into our gear.  We could not make it inside a tent, so we enjoyed an area outside a tent before meeting our friends, Julie and Andrew who were joining us for the remainder of the Oktoberfest excitement.  We all had a great night, grabbed some sausages, and headed home for the night.  Another successful day.

 The insides of the two churches in the city of Munich. 

Julie and I with our giant beers (PhotoCred: Julie)

On Friday, we got up early to rent a car. You're nervous about how this story is going to go, aren't you? Luckily they drive on the "right" side of the road and the driver's seat is on the American side as well, and Andrew took the lead, so that was nice.  No issues as all, really nice roads, only "bad thing" was the signs were in German.  We drove about 2 hours to the Neuschwanstein Castle. This is the castle in which Disney modeled their famous castle after. We were the lucky ones who could barely see the castle up close because there was a crazy amount of fog that morning.  We looked off the edge of the castle, and it was pure white...we couldn't even see the ground.  It was pretty disappointing that the weather was so yucky.  Other than that, the inside (no pictures allowed) of the castle was beautiful. It was not like the other castles we have been to because it wasn't used for war; it was purely for the joy of the king.  The rooms were still decorated as if the king still lived there, so that was pretty great to see the fine details.  Sidenote: The story of this king is pretty interesting if you want to read more.  We walked down from the castle area, grabbed a great local meal, and began to head back to the car for our journey home. Funny story though...the fog lifted and we looked up from the sidewalk to see the castle perfectly in the background.  Just our luck!

 Inside the castle grounds. Fog was so bad I didn't get many pictures

After the fog "magically" disappeared as we were leaving the city 

We ended our evening at another beer tent, and enjoyed the festivities.  Saturday morning we woke up early to head to the festival.  We knew that since it was a Saturday and the last "big hurrah" day we were going to need to get to the tents early.  We stood in line around 8:15, and the tents were supposed to open at 9:00.  The line began to move, and immediately everyone smooshed into one giant blob of a crowd.  At one point the line was moving, but I was not physically moving my feet. The line was pushing (not roughly, just tightly) that we were just moving together.  The 5 of us were split into 2 groups by accident.  Jeff, Travis, and I were sent to sit outside while Julie and Andrew made it inside the tent.

The Oktoberfest gang! (PhotoCred: Travis)

Inside our tent on Saturday morning. Great environment! (PhotoCred: Andrew)

We eventually met up in a few hours, and hung out until the early afternoon.  We took it easy the rest of the evening, and rested up for a long day of traveling the next day:

• 2.5 hour train ride to Stuttgart city centre
• 30 minute metro ride to the Stuttgart airport
• 1 hour 15 minute plane ride
• 1 hour long underground ride in London
• 2 hour train ride back to Notts (Back at 1 AM)

I leave you with a few little videos that capture the environment inside the tents. Pretty hard to describe it all in writing. Prost!

Video of the band's first song. Immediately everyone got up on the benches and began singing some German song. (VideoCred: Travis)

This video is of everyone singing the "What's Goin' On" song by 4 Non Blondes. (VideoCred: Travis)

Thank you to Julie, Andrew, and Travis for allowing me to use some of your pictures on the blog. You definitely saved me from lugging around the giant camera all weekend!

Onto the next adventure...

Sarah's Day of Learning

On Saturday, Rolls-Royce had an "open day" for employees and their families to come to see a variety of engines and machines created by Rolls-Royce.  It was put on by a group of retired employees.  We arrived at the building just in time to see a test-run done on one of their engines.  It was pretty neat, and really loud.  They even handed out earplugs, just in case.

The engine test

We went inside, and the learning began.  Jeff showed me a few airplane engines, and one of which was made in Indianapolis.  I was surprised at the size, and I'm sure you will be as well when you look through the pictures.

Huge is an understatement

I finally understood what part of the engine Jeff helps design and work properly...compressors which squeeze the incoming air and pressurize it.  He works on the 2nd (Squeeze) section of the 4-sections that makes the engine run. He went over this with me a few times, and even quizzed me on it later on.

1. Suck: The part of the engine that sucks in the outside air.
2. Squeeze: The part of the engine that squeezes the incoming air to pressurize it.
3. Bang: When the pressurized air comes into this section, it is ignited.
4. Blow: The ignited air then blows out the backside to make the engine move forward

Phew. And what a funny motto to understand how the engine works. Note: Jeff did not create the motto; he was just taught it.  

The Indianapolis engine, the rest were English engines

After our multiple lessons, we walked around to see ship, vehicle, and train engines as well. It was interesting to see how they made engines before they had all of the wonderful technology we have now.  They would make them out of wood, and then create the engine.  That. would. take. forever.  It was also interesting to see some of the tools they use to make sure the engines are running smoothly and especially how they have evolved over the years.

The model version made out of wood. 

Planes! Planes! Planes!

I learned a little more about Rolls and Royce, how they met, and who else they worked with throughout the years.  I was surprised to see that they worked with the Wright Brothers at one time as well. It was pretty neat to read about the logo, well mascot, of Rolls-Royce and how it was created as well. I'm not talking about the RR, but the Lady of Ecstasy or The Flying Lady. 

Onto the next adventure...

A Walk Through Sherwood Forest

We traveled about 45 minutes to walk the trails of Sherwood Forest. Jeff and I were able to see the Major Oak tree. In their attempts to try to preserve the tree, they held it up with metal rods and cables. The tree has stood there for over 1,150 years. That's a long time! We walked a short mile route to see the tree, then headed on a longer adventure for a few more miles. As always, it was muddy and we had to make our own trails at a few points so we wouldn't walk through muddy waters. It was a beautiful day out and we enjoyed our time with nature.

 The one mile loop to the Major Oak Tree. 

 Robin Hood's meeting spot: The Major Oak Tree

 Being a little silly in the exhibit.

 The trees were massive!

Beautiful landscape on the last leg of the outer loop trail.

Jeff Made Me Drive

I knew this day would come. Jeff made me drive.

No pictures to post nor video. I was pretty nervous. Jeff told me "Well, we can drive around the parking lot for a while." I told him I didn't need help learning HOW to drive. I was nervous about the placement of the driver's seat and ya know...driving on the opposite side of the road! I continued to reach to the right for the shifter, which was always on my left. Other than that, I felt comfortable with the mechanics of the car.

Jeff said I did well. Although I was getting a few:

  "Ehhhh...get over, Sarah!"

"Watch your lines."

"I can't see in your mirrors, so I don't know if a car is coming."

"You're not going the speed limit, are you?"

"The bus is coming...get over."

Needless to say, we're safe.

A Day in York

We had an amazing visit to York (England) on Saturday. York is about an hour and a half away, so we took a quick drive up there for the day.  The whole city is enclosed by a stone wall. We were able to walk around about half of it. It is pretty high up, so it had nice views.

 If you look closely, you can see the wall that surrounds the city.

 We walked around the city, which was surprisingly busy. Lots of people out shopping, eating, and having a few beers. We were able to see Clifford's Tower, but decided to not go up in it. We headed straight for York Minster, a beautiful church nearby. We bought tickets to go on a guided tour around the minster. It was really neat, and we were able to see so many more details that way. 

Clifford's Tower

The outside of York Minster, the main entrance, and the side where the tower is located.

After our tour, we climbed 245 stairs in this winding stairwell. It got pretty claustrophobic at times. I think if you would have tested my pulse at one point...they would have made me sit down! I was getting nervous hearing loud BOOMS and not knowing where they were coming from. We got to the top and the booming was the wind hitting the tower and...us. We were blowing all over the place; trying to enjoy the beautiful views. We were able to enjoy the top area before we headed down 245 more stairs.

And I warn you, Jeff had the camera due to me holding on for dear life. I apologize for my soon-to-be photo shoot. 

 

 View from the crosswalk from one tower to another...and yet more steps to go!

 

We made it to the top! Beautiful views from every angle and too many to post them ALL!

Told you, I was giving myself a photo shoot. The wind was out of control! In the second picture, you can see the small area we had to walk when getting to the top and bottom of the tower.

And everyone needs a good laugh...

 I thought Jeff was taking a picture of my crazy hair in the wind...he is so sneaky!

 

We ended our time in York going to Harker's. We went there due it being the last name of a close friend back home. We picked a winner! Jeff and I had some of the best food we've had since we moved over here. We were able to eat, drink a few beers, and watch rugby. I definitely think we'll be making a trip back soon.

Impromptu Visit to Salisbury

Our plan for the day was to see Stonehenge, grab lunch, and see Windsor Castle on our way back to Nottingham. We ended up heading to Old Sarum. There used to be a castle and cathedral that stood within the fort. All that is left is some of the remains. Jeff and I were in awe to see not only 1, but 2 drop offs where they kept invaders out of their land. The views were beautiful, as you could see the entire town of Salisbury. 

We decided to go to the town to grab lunch, and we ended up seeing one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen in my life. We were about ready to drive out of town, and made a quick turn-around so we could tour the cathedral. 

Now, pictures do not do the fort justice as we were inside the fort, but consider clicking the link above to see what it looks like from a bird's eye view. 

We're inside the grounds of the fort, but where the church once stood. The "hill" is where the castle stood. 

 The remains of the buildings. This might have been part of the chapel.

 More of the remains. If you looked closely you would be able to see arches, windows, steps, etc.

 Salisbury Cathedral. Beautiful.

 The last picture, if you look closely, you can see the depth of the building. It was huge!

 

They are renovating due to receiving a huge grant.

Overall, it was a really fun day. It wasn't what we expected, but we knew we needed to make the most of our time in that area. We can always visit Windsor Castle another weekend.

Stonehenge

Our trip to Stonehenge was...muddy! I thought I wore the right shoes this time, but they quickly filled in with mud. When will I learn? (And no, this is not Jeff typing)  It was a beautiful windy day, despite the mud. It has rained here a decent amount within the last few days. 

We drove 3 hours in our car on interstates, scenic routes, through small quaint villages, and back roads. It was odd...we'd be going 70 MPH, and all of a sudden we'd be reducing speed because we were in a village or hitting a round-about. We were arriving to Stonehenge, and you could actually see the boulders from the main road we were driving on. We were shocked. It was pretty amazing! 

We found the visitors center, and jumped on a bus that took us closer to the the mysterious boulders. We were able to snap a few photos and learn the "who, what, when, where, why" kind of thing. They were really incredible, and even bigger than I expected. 

View from the car

 Unbelievable sight!

 It measured how strong you were and how many more people you'd need to move the boulder. Jeff only needed 95 people to help him...

 I needed 99...