German Shopping Trip

October 24, 2009 at 6:16 am | In Germany, Swiss Observations, Switzerland | Leave a Comment

With A being away for work at the moment I decided to take a bit of a trip yesterday. There is a place near Stuttgart in Germany called Metzingen. It used to be where Hugo Boss had their biggest factory (now in Poland) which had an outlet attached. Over the years this has grown to become a whole village of factory outlets such as Nike, Diesel, Oakley and Esprit. They are not necessarily factory seconds but are heavily discounted.

I have been there a couple of times when I have visited Germany. I mainly go there to buy suits which are about 70% cheaper than Sydney. It is just over three hours from Zürich by train each way travelling by the Inter City Express (ICE) Train which travels at up to 200 km/h.

It’s quite a funny experience going to ‘Germany for the day’. I came back with a bit more than I had planned this time, mainly warmer clothes which I have never owned. There was no need for them in Darwin! There was 5 hours between my trains which I thought would go very slowly, but time just flew. Especially after spending 2 ½ hours in the huge Hugo Boss outlet. So, I have had my shopping fix for this year, and I definitely won’t freeze now.

Biergarten

September 22, 2009 at 5:37 am | In Germany, Life Observations | Leave a Comment

Last night we, along with A’s parents, went for dinner at a local Biergarten. For those of you who have never been to one in Germany it is a bit more complex that simply putting a few Ikea chairs and tables out the back of a pub. There is often a lot of history to them, and some prerequisites they must contain before being allowed to be called a Biergarten.

First and foremost they have to have adult chestnut trees. The one last night had three beautiful examples all more an 40 or 50 years old, and all in full fruit. Quite spectacular.

There are also some compulsory menu items like Pork Knuckle (Schweine Haxe), Sausages (normally veal Bratwurst) and a type of Bavarian pasta called Spätzle. The Biergarten last night was a bit more upmarket than most, more like an outdoor restaurant, but it didn’t fail in delivering all three on its menu.

There a couple of really big Biergartens in Munich as well. The most famous of which is probably the Englische Garten, literally The English Gardens. It is famous for its big biers, gigantic pretzels (Brezen) and the nearby nude sunbaking area, which is most popular with teenaged boys (watching, not baking). I have only been there once back in 2003 but will try to get there some time soon… for the bier.

Life in the Biergarten is some what short lived as well. Unlike Sydney you can’t sit outdoors 320 days of the year, so you need to make the most of the four months or so of good weather. A friend who I studied with here in Germany went back to one of our favourite Biergartens’s at the start of winter, only to find out it was being used as a car park. He was very disappointed.

One Day in September

September 20, 2009 at 9:22 pm | In Germany, Switzerland | Leave a Comment

On Friday night we went to visit some German friends who live in Munich. The town where A’s parents live is about an hour from the city. We had a wonderful dinner of Quiche and Federweisser which is a semi-sweet white wine. It is traditional to have these things together, and at this time of year.

We spent Saturday walking around Munich city and trying to buy a proper winter-weight jacket for me, something that eludes the Australian market due to lack of need. Saturday was the first day of Oktoberfest so the city was very busy with the influx of American, Italian and Australian lager hounds. I went to Oktoberfest back in 2002 and don’t have any desire to go again. Once in a lifetime is enough I feel. Some of our friends over here can’t get enough the place, one going 10 times last year during the 16 days it was on.

We also spent some time looking for new furniture. We got rid of the vast majority of ours before we left Sydney and a new lounge is at the top of our priority list. A lot of things are cheaper in Germany than they are in Switzerland so it is in our interest to find one here then have it delivered to Zurich. Some furniture companies on this side of the border now specialise in this type of transaction knowing full well the price difference on the other side.

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