Cottage life: The ultimate Canadian experience

If you ever get a chance to visit Canada, you will have to go to a cottage, for a weekend at least. Cause honestly, if you've never been to one, you wont know what the Canadian way of life really is about.

There simply is no arguing about it: Being at a cottage is the Canadian experience. Hanging out in the Canadian wilderness, nothing but woods, lakes, animals and bonfires to experience.

Talking about animals: The squirrels in Canada must be on anabolics. They look as if they've just eaten three South Tyrolean squirrels. As a little snack. Before they have a South Tyrolean badger for supper.

And! There are flying squirrels in Canada. Yes, they are squirrels. And yes, they fly. Or rather glide between the trees. I used to think, that this kind of animals lives in Madagascar only and has big parties singing "I like to move it". Well, that's how wrong one can be...

:-[==0

Munich Oktoberfest in numbers

This year's Oktoberfest, or "Wies'n" as the locals call it, is coming up.

For quite a while now it hasn't just been a local thing anymore, people from all over the world come to say "Prost!" and "Mahlzeit!" which results in some crazy numbers:

• 95 gastronomical companies feed the visitors

• Oktoberfest employs 8.000 fixed and 4.000 changing workers

• the biggest tent is the "Hofbräuzelt" with 10.000 seats available (including the beergarden)
• all in all there are 14 big tents and 21 little ones (the smallest has 60 seats available) and together they offer 105.000 seats

 

 2011

• had 6.9 million visitors
• 7.5 million liters of beer (Maß) were consumed 
• 522.821 chicken and
• 118 oxen were eaten
• 4.750 things landed in the lost and found office including a Viking's helmet and some fake teeth

Wies'n Hendl

entrance of a tent called "oxen roaster"

even crazier: in the previous year 2010 the same office had to deal with a pug dog, a bunny, riding crops oh hello Christian Grey! and more hearing aids and fake teeth.

the poor dog found in 2010 - who would even bring one to Oktoberfest?!

 

200 people ask here for their lost phone DAILY!

Canada, eh!

Obviously, this map doesn't show, what Canada is all about. In the upcoming posts, I'm gonna share some of my recent Canada-experiences with you; e.g. what a chiropractor does to you if you let him, that there really are fast food chains where you get delicious food (McDonalds & Burger King pale in comparison) & why I will never ever ever fly again with Delta, ever!

:-[==0

Bartlmäh: the heyday of traditional celebrations on Ritten

After the 15th of August, the Kirchtag in Oberbozen, the 24th is another red marked day in the traditional party season here. I'd even say marked in all rainbow colors, blinking and with glitter as "Bartlmäh" is the biggest and most popular outdoor Dirndl or Lederhosen event in the area.

Historical background

The day, the animals were brought down from the alpine pastures where they spent the hot summer time, has always been a big celebration day. Not only had the lonely life of the herdmen, far away from family and friends on the mountain pastures an end, but of course all the peasants came to check on their animals and bring them home.

Shocking but true, this reunion of the sheperds, encounter of all farmers around and symbol for the nearing end of the summer turned into a cheerful celebration. Cattle, horses and other farm animals were traded, merchants offered their goods, everbody enjoyed food and drinks and the corner stone for marriages or the one or other scandal was laid.

On Ritten this "Almabtrieb", the day the livestock is chased down from the alpine pastures, falls on the 24th of August, the day of Saint Bartholomäus. And there we find the reason for the strange name, in the German dialect spoken around here, the holy man's name sounds like "Bartlma" or Bartlmäh".

And today?

Nowadays people in the area still pilgrimage up the alpine grassland. Not because many of them are interested in checking on their cows' health condition. Or because many would even touch a cow willingly. But because it's a big party with lots of good food and even more good beer. Cattle and Haflinger horses are still chased down into another and lower pasture, traditional music bands play and Alphorns' tooting is heard in the summerwind, accompanied by the rhythmical snapping of the whips.

15 impressions from the Kirchtag in Oberbozen

Lederhosen

One of the music groups taking part in the procession came from Bavaria, Germany.
That's how they were dressed:

Bavarian Dirndl

Bavarian musicians

Some important town personalities take part in the procession with that beauty of a historical carriage:

...pulled by Haflinger horses, a breed originating from South Tyrol.

Haflinger horses

you have to put up with less traditional peace signs in the pics if you know the "stars" :)

The blue apron is typical for Tyrolean peasants.
In the time, when they weren't allowed to wear their traditional costumes (due to the planned "Italianization" of the region by the government), the blue aprons were regarded as a secret backup costume.

traditional costume

A short Dirndl, maybe a little less traditional, but who cares when the legs are this mind-boggling :)

traditional costume Ritten area

traditional costume Ritten area women

Rocking the town: "Kirchtag" in Oberbozen

Every year, on the 15th of August, the whole town of Oberbozen is going wild. Thousands of tourists and visitors are invading our little town to celebrate the "Oberbozner Kirchtag", the Assumption Day.

Pretty much every town in the southern German-speaking area has their own patron saint, and on this saint's day the so-called "Kirchtig" is held. In Oberbozen that day is the 15th of August, the Assumption Day of Holy Mary and it starts with the celebration of a Mass and a procession. But right after complying all those formalities, the fun begins: Traditional celebrations, folksy music, lots and lots of traditional costumes and Dirndl dresses.

South-Tyroleans, Germans and Italians come together for a huge party, eating traditional foods and drinking considerable amounts of beer and wine.

Even though Italians have their own holiday to celebrate on the 15th of August: the "Ferragosto", which is the "turning point of the summer", and supposedly the hottest day of the year. Around Ferragosto, life in Italy shuts down for a little while, everybody goes on vacation (mostly by the sea or in the mountains) and celebrates this holiday first introduced by the Roman emperor Augustus and therefore is the oldest holiday in the history of mankind.