First of the lasts!

 We are returning to England after our 3 1/2 year adventure in Germany.....

Elijah  had his final league match with his SV Bubenreuth team, they made him honorary Captain and he did a great job encouraging them back from being 4-2 down to a 5-4 win in the last few minutes...the team said they wanted to win for him!

So proud to be captain he couldn't stop touching the armband:

 Well marked!

 Half time chat:

 The end ritual, chant and leg kicking!

 In the Regnitzhalle, the indoor football halls in Bubenreuth, there is a poster with Gary Lineker's famous words, (translated into German of Course).

''Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win."

My theory as to why this might be so, is that from the very beginning of their football training, and at the end of every match penalties are taken and practised. Below is Elijah's penalty:

 A celebratory ice cream after the match:

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We had to drive straight on to Jonah's final  match.

 S.V Bubenreuth U13s team had to win to come top of their league and earn promotion.

And the score.....

 S.V Bubenreuth U13s - Meisters 2011-2012!!!!
Champions!!!

 On the way home the whole team (and supporters) stopped at McDonald's to celebrate!

Looking for a transfer to England now!!!!

Pfingston Holiday Weekend.

The annual Bergkirchwieh has begun it's ten day run in Erlangen. As it's just over the hill from us we see a lot more traffic in our usually quiet little spot. It literally means 'hill church blessing', which in reality is a German Bierfest! Many of the more than a million visitors expected wear local Bavarian costume, blue or red checked shirts with lederhosen, and Dirndl dresses. As well as beer and food there is also a funfair and a few other colourful stalls thrown in, and an enormous Ferris Wheel as a landmark centre piece. I have posted pictures on other years we have visited, feel free to look back in the archive for them. Here are just some new things we did.....

Keller Tour

Last Thursday we had the chance to visit the cellars that are tunnelled into the Berg (Mountain/large hill) near to our home in Erlangen, and where the annual Bierfest- Bergkirchweih- is held every May. It proved quite an adventure....these were used to store beer during the brewing process pre-refrigeration.

Our guide was the owner of Entla's Kellar, so we began by seeing into their premises, and own cellars, used for storage now:

cheese.

We were then taken for a tour of the Cellar Number 8....

 This picture is misleading as I used a flash....

 ...this is what it was really like , lit only by candles......

Then we were asked to put all phones and cameras away and walk many metres in the pitch dark. I lost Pete and Elijah in the complete black, and was panicking , wanting to stop and wait til the others came back...Jemima still holding my hand persuaded me to carry on, which we did , I must say very outside my comfort zone!

The good news is we made it....

Above ground on the side of the Berg, is a sculpture garden. (We explored this when some English friends came to visit us in our first summer here) Deep inside the hill is one more...

I had to use the flash to see the labyrinth of tunnels.

 If you click on this picture to enlarge it it gives all the details of the many hundreds of metres of tunnels right into the hill.