The best of Oktoberfest - besides the beer

The world's biggest beer festival is kicking off in Munich this weekend - and its not just about beer.

Traditionally the Costume and Riflemen's parade on the first Sunday of the festival is used to showcase a display of Bavarian history and culture, together with the carriages and floats of the beer landlords.

I arrive at early, with some friends, in order to get a good standing view from the road. The parade starts off at Maximilian bridge but we decide to catch the procession as it comes around the circle at Odeonsplatz, which turns out to be a great spot.

The big names are all here: Hacker-Pshorr, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten as well as the most well-known Bavarian beer house, Hofbräu - and everyone's favourite, Augustiner. A special kind of beer is brewed for the Oktoberfest, according to strict criteria and of course the Reinheitsgebot. At 6%, Oktoberfest beer is also slightly higher in alcohol than the beer you would usually find at a Bavarian beer garden.

The parade is even more impressive than I expected, with the beer carriages drawn by beautiful horses or oxen wearing bells and ribbons and decorated harnesses. The various brass bands performing in the tents during the festival also do marching renditions of their top tunes.

'Oktoberfest is actually called the Wiesn' 

Some popular German brands are showing off and we are lucky enough to get our hands on some Lebkuchen (literally: life cakes) as they are tossed from the parade. These gingerbread hearts are as synonymous with the Oktoberfest as beer and is adorned with icing sugar messages meant for your sweetheart. Ours say: 'I love BMW'.

From where we are sitting the parade continues right through the city to the Theresienwiesen (Oktoberfest grounds) where the carriages are parked next to their respective beer tents and the marching bands each go and perform their celebrated tunes inside the beer tents. Local Bavarians, in fact, don't call it 'Oktoberfest'. To them it's the 'Wiesn' - the traditional name of the festival grounds.

There are two 'Wiesn' parades that normally set the scene. The first happens on the Saturday, when the first beer arrives at the Theresienwiesen in grand carriages and floats that also carry the workers and the families of the beer lords. The mayor then opens the event by tapping the first keg and the beer starts flowing freely.

Rain - and an inside tip to watch the Sunday parade instead - kept me away from the opening parade on Saturday. Which turned out to be a good decision - as today's parade was quite the experience. Some say this is one of the most spectacular events of the Oktoberfest - besides experiencing the atmosphere inside the beer tents, of course.

Munich's thrilling Michael Jackson memorial

There's a small memorial park in front of the five star Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich where the statue of influencial 16th century musician Orlando di Lasso shares his legacy with the late Michael Jackson.

Fans of the pop singer have turned the statue into an unofficial Michael Jackson shrine, placing mementos, offerings and tribute messages here week in and week out - since shortly after the singer's death in June 2009.

Every so often I see people gathering here to pay their respects.  Or simply to marvel at all the fuss. The choice for this specific spot seems to be related to the fact that the undisputed King of Pop stayed at the Bayerischer Hof across the road a few times.

Apparently it all started because the local authorities refused to build a dedicated Michael Jackson memorial in the city - and so some hardcore fans simply hijacked one while trying to raise enough money to build their own.

There is even a Facebook fan page raising awareness for this cause and urging people to become 'messengers of healing the world'. MJ must have made a true impression in Munich to have such a dedicated group of German fans here.

The statue is never without an abundance of fresh flowers and burning candles, handwritten notes, ornaments and photographs in tribute of the singer. What makes it all a bit eerie, though, are the conspiracy theory posters amongst the gushing declarations of love that also seem to take a somewhat religious tone. 

Somehow my gut feeling says the whole situation is a bit of a 'Thriller'.

Yes, you can surf in Munich

It seems there is not much that you can't do in and around the Bavarian capital. Not only are there beaches right in the middle of the Alps - you can even surf one of Europe's best waves on Munich's man-made Eisbach river.

I encountered this famous surf spot by chance during a stroll through the English Garden, a large park in the centre of the city. Time spent in the garden always feels like a bit of a holiday, with all kinds of bands and festivities going on, yet it is still big enough to find some peace, quiet and lots of fresh air.. Next to the bridge that crosses the Eisbach at the Haus der Kunst, there is a man-made standing wave - about a metre high - where experienced surfers keep going as long as their balance hold. Apparently this is trickier than it looks.

The Eisbach surf wave is not the only surf spot in Munich either. At first I thought it was a joke when I heard that Munich is a bit of a surfing hotspot - but indeed the river surfing opportunities draw surfers from far and wide to try something more than just a little different.

At the Wittelsbacherbrücke on the Isar River there is another very advanced river surfing hotspot. It is close to one of my favourite cafes, Zoozie's. The river wave here is natural and only suitable for surfing after heavy rain. However when the conditions are right it is a very popular spot for Munich's surfers.

Not that surfing is generally the safest sport on earth - but river surfing in Munich can be exceptionally dangerous because of the shallow water and the rocky river. In fact, surfing in the city was forbidden for this reason until the summer of 2010. Since then the famous urban waves have added another feather in Munich's tourist hat, both for the surfers and the spectators.

There is another smaller wave close to the Thalkirchen where it is possible for beginners to learn the tricks of river surfing, although it is not exactly encouraged. At the same time it is possible at a push find surf board for hire in the city - but they do charge for damages and the boards often break on the rocks. It depends on how badly you want the experience, I guess.

Somehow, having the surfers running around in their flip-flops and wetsuits make me feel even more at home in the city - and while the imminent danger of the rocky shallow water adds to the adrenalin rush, surely surfing with sharks in Cape Town takes a bigger daredevil!

Summer in the Berchtesgadener Alps

As we set out for our second day of hiking in the Berchtesgadener Alps around Königssee we encountered a neat little patch of snow. I couldn't believe my eyes. Yes, the mist just about lifted and the air certainly had a chill to it - but we spent five hours climbing that mountain in 30-degree heat the day before. It was hot! And yet, snow!

Incredible, I tell you.

The white patch of sand in the photo may seem just as out of place. A beach in the middle of the mountains? Well, sort of. The Alps around Berchtesgadener is home to an abundance of white quartz. This may be why the sand in the area tends to be white, especially around the glittering lakes. The water coming from these mountains is known to be the purest in the whole of Germany - and Germany's water is rated pretty high in general. Swimming in a lake as crisp fresh as this after two days of intensive mountaineering is a regenerating experience to say the least.

But - let me start at the beginning. We (myself and a couple of expat friends) made a three hour train trip from Munich to Berchtesgadener - home to another fantastic beer brewery, just by the way. From here we walked along a footpath that follows a mountain stream running into the Königssee (King's Lake). We continued our journey by boat halfway down the lake to St Bartholomew, a small pilgrimage church and inn. I was totally enchanted by the epic surroundings - yet the challenging climb ahead quickly brought me right back down to earth. The Alps may be pretty - all butterflies and forget-me-nots - but they are deceiving. Every time I thought we had reached the top, there was another climb ahead. My thighs were complaining but my eyes were (almost) in heaven.

Heaven being the view from the Kärlinger Haus mountain hut - once we finally reached it. The tiny little Funtensee (Funten Lake) was almost like a dream image, greatly enhanced with each sip of well deserved Berchtesgadener beer. All the hikers at the hut were on a tangible high - there's something about the fresh air, the altitude and the gentle yet challenging beauty of it all that is a total rush.

At the end of our two day hike, after our swim in the lake on the picture above, we rewarded our tired bodies with a smoked trout meal at a pub around Königssee. Slow food, locally caught, smoked and cooked. Here, we lingered a little longer than planned, unsure whether we were too tired to rush, or too reluctant to leave. I may need a little time to recover, but there may just be another Alpine mountain ahead.

Could this be the best mustard in the world?

The foodie in me couldn't resist passing by the Händlmaier shop while in Regensburg. I've heard so much about Luise Händlmaier's sweet Bavarian mustard. She wasn't the one who developed the recipe but she was clever enough to spot a good thing and market it well.

Luise's mother-in-law was the mastermind behind the famous recipe. It seems simple enough: water, sugar, mustard seeds, vinegar and spices - but of course, only a Händlmaier could know the true quantities and the secret ingredients that bring it all together so famously. Back in 1914 the aim was to develop the perfect mustard to go with weisswurst (a white Bavarian sausage that makes a popular breakfast together with the traditional brezel).

Little did Luise know just how her legacy would live on.

Today Händlmaier is the mustard of choice for many. There are even a few noteworthy Händlmaier mustard fan clubs in the USA. Perhaps this is about as good as it gets for the hotdog. I expected more of a wow moment when tasting Händlmaier mustard for the first time, but the tube I bought has been growing on me. My Händlmaier of choice is the sweet and spicy version. It is a coarse-grained and tangy mustard that works wonders in combination with any mild sausage, of which my favourite is the Nürnberger.

If you're ever in Regensburg and feel like popping in, the shop can be found in Untere Bachgasse right in the centre of town. It is a small, unassuming little store where you can taste all the different kinds of Händlmaier mustard with bread sticks and buy gift packs or different kinds of mustard in various types of packaging. The standard mustard tubes, however, are available in stores and supermarkets all around Germany.

If you've tasted Händlmaier mustard, let me know what you think!

Regensburg's angels

It was early on a Saturday morning and all was quiet in Regensburg. As the vendors unpacked their fruit stalls on the Neupfarrplatz, we were offered some figs right in front of the church steps  - and decided to peek inside.

I didn't pay much attention to the music session right away. However, as my friend Gina and I made our way around this fairly unassuming church, we kept finding reasons to stay and soon found ourselves completely overwhelmed by the rendition of Ave Maria, magnified by the church organ and the acoustics of the building. The deep and peaceful voice immediately set the tone for the rest of our day.

The Neupfarr church itself is a parish chapel built on top of an old Gothic synagogue built on top of a Medieval Roman church. So, while it is not as visually overpowering as other structures in the area, it said to be built on one of the most historically rich sites in Germany - which also yielded a large collection of Medieval coins.

Gina and I ended up spending the rest of the day church hopping in Regensburg and the incredible thing is that not one of them looks the same - even in the slightest. Some are white and light, others are pink and bright, while we also found ourselves inside some dark and mouldy places where I was gasping for air.

Just around the corner from the Neupfarrkirche lies the Regensburg Cathedral, one of the most famous Gothic buildings in Bavaria. It is majestic and beautiful, but also be somewhat eerie, especially with all the skeletons and and evil looking creatures making their appearance in the design of the building. The cathedral, however, is also home to the popular smiling angel - created in 1280 by a sculptor known as the Master of St Erminold. She looks particularly cheerful, especially in such dark and dramatic surroundings.

It's a little bit like information overload to spend time in such diverse and elaborate churches. There is so much detail and I'm sure it would be possible to notice something different no matter how many times you enter through those heavy doors. I always strain my neck trying to look at the roof paintings and I wish it would be possible to just lie down on a church bench and stare at the roof paintings and sculptures for hours. Of course, such behaviour would not be welcomed in these kinds of environments so I simply try the next best option and take as many photos as possible so that I can enjoy them later.

On this trip, one of my favourite things by far was the little angels (as in these photots) perched on the pillars and looking down from the church ceilings in all shapes and sizes and colours. A little reminder that there are pure hearted creatures out there that help us get by. Friends, family and, sometimes, angelic voices that knowingly and unknowingly help us find our way.

When in Munich, follow the music

The girl sitting next to me on the train hummed quietly and started singing as we got off at the same stop. The sound of her voice travelled on the still evening air and reverberated through my body. As we seemed to be heading the same way I followed her somewhat enchanted - until I met up with my friend Gina - and was temporarily released from the spell.

Some of the most beautiful things about Munich are chance encounters - walking home on a summer's evening and being lured by the sound of a classical street quartet around the next corner. Or a travelling trio livening up the tedious wait for an underground train with a few chords on a Spanish guitar.

Someone told me in passing that the Munich locals sometimes dance at the Diana Temple in the Hofgarten (Court Garden) - weather depending, of course, as this is an open air garden structure. And on this summer's evening Gina and I decided to pass through the Hofgarten on our way to dinner.

It was full moon - and the summer air was thick with humidity and magic.(I know, almost over-the-top romantic but somehow these kinds of moments really do take on a surreal sort of edge).

Gina and I crossed the Odeonsplatz and lingered for a while to take in the passion that a pianist brought to the evening. However difficult it must be to transport heavy musical instruments such as a grand piano, it is so worth it from a spectator's side. These kinds of performances make classical music, theatre and even opera freely available to anyone and everyone - right there on the sidewalk - and adds an incredible soundtrack to the city.

From Odeonsplatz we continued into the Hofgarten. As we got closer to the Diana Temple the tango music increasingly possessed the air around us, gently willing us into a silent awe. Candles flickered on the temple tiles and dancing shoes carefully moved across the scattering of rose petals, infusing the air with the sweet smell of flowers.

And there she was, the girl from the train, dancing the tango as though in a trance, her eyes filled with a collected madness - as though there was no other person in the world but her partner and no other moment than this.

I remain but a spectator, the story teller rather than the story - but moments like this remind me that, just sometimes, its worth taking a step back from this mad rush we call life. There are moments that require one to be truly present. To own your moment. To live with abandon. And to keep dancing even if everyone's watching.