Bears on a Mission

Better than Tickle Me Elmo anyday...

I was just going through the pics on my computer and ran across this forgotten gem. It was taken in a Build-a-Bear store in Salt Lake City. You know, the ones with dozens of kids running around, gleefully constructing their next best friend teddy bear? Kind of like a Frankenstein laboratory, but with cuter outfits. Anyway, in Salt Lake City there is a special outfit for those bears with a higher calling: the missionary outfit. Gotta have a good bear role model for the Mormon kiddies, right?

Sending a shout out to the Stormin' Mormon! Miss ya!

I like traffic lights

The famous Ampelmann walk sign of Eastern Berlin

I gotta say, I wasn't really sure what to expect when we visited Berlin. I mean, people told us it was great, but I just didn't really know much about it. Most of my knowledge came from its recent history: it was divvied up between four countries after WWII, a wall was built by the Soviets that divided the city, and when the wall finally came down it made my mom happy enough that she cried. In truth, much of Berlin is still defined by these parts of its history, but the city's character goes much deeper than that. After spending the weekend in Germany's capital, I've gotta say that I see why so many people love this city.

For me, Berlin seemed to give off a energetic vibe. The city is full of youth in so many ways, and just being there and walking through its streets somehow made me feel more alive. The city itself is a living contradiction: every bit as new as it is old. Its history runs so deep. The Brandenburg gate, the last remaining of several entrances to the former Prussian capital, still stands proudly a reminder of Berlin's triumphs. Just as the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church, heavily bombed during WWII, its damaged steeple a reminder of the destruction of war, rises above the stores on the Ku'Dam. And just as segments of the Berlin wall, covered in graffiti and weathered with age, remain as a reminder of the once divided city. Somehow the history of the city felt tangible as we walked the streets, and by the end of our two days we were already planning a trip to come back.

Andy in front of the TV tower in East Berlin, also known as "The Pope's Revenge." During the days of the DDR, the Soviets had all of the crosses removed from the churches of East Berlin. In the meantime, they had been working on constructing this TV tower, designed to be a display to the West of East Berlin's prosperity. When it was unveiled upon completion, the sunlight reflected off the faceted sphere in the shape of a cross, and thus the tower received its nickname.

Fountain south of Alexandar Platz, with the Berlin Dom in the background

Front of the Berlin Dome

Pretty city library near Humboldt University

The inside view of the Sony Center's dome in Potsdamer Platz

The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church: damaged ruins of the bombed cathedral alongside the newly built memorial church.

View from inside the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Trabants. Once the main car of East Berlin, people were on 10 year waiting lists to get one. Now you can rent them and drive around the city on a tour, but be forewarned...they stink!

This parking lot was the location of Hitler's bunker in Berlin, where he committed suicide here, along with his wife, shortly before Soviet troops arrived at the end of the war.

Surviving section of the Berlin wall. Note the ceramic pipe along the top; this was used in lieu of barbed wire, since its circumference makes it impossible to grip.

Picture of the dome that Hitler planned to build in Berlin, which he wanted to rename "Germania". Ridiculously grandiose in scale (see comparison with the Berlin Dom), the laws of physics would make it impossible to build. It was to be so big, that it could fit 200,000 people at once. It would've rained inside just from the moisture produced by when everyone breathed!

Moving war memorial sculpture by Käthe Kollwitz, who herself lost two sons to war

Us in front of the Bradenburg Gate

My One Hour of Glory

"Drive as fast as you can around this curve, and when I signal I want you to brake as hard as you can. "

Them are fightin words if I ever heard any, and the first time I tried this I braked like an old Lady. Actually I did it the second time, too, only moreso like an Accountable Adult - gently turning the wheel to avoid the wall of cones. But the third time I nailed it in a way that would make Will smile with glee. I crushed that brake pad so hard that I thought I'd break the damn lever. But my Stuttgart Stallion took it in stride, and brought me from 90 km / h to 0 in less than 15 feet. Holy Geez that was awesome. And I was just gettin' started.

My birthday present this year was extremely unique and a sexy way of kicking and screaming into The 30-somethings. For one whole hour, I commandeered (legally) an atomic-bomb red 2006 Porsche Carrera S and careened it around a specially-designed racing track the way you're not supposed to drive: hard and fast. Sure, I took it easy around the curves that scared the bejeezus outta me, but as soon as I had a clear shot ahead I punched the gas and didn't look back. The track is wet? It's 36 degrees F outside? I'm driving an 80,000+ Euro car with ZERO insurance on a track that was designed to mimic five of the most challenging curves of modern tracks? Exhilaration vandalizing every stone in my head, each twist leaving another spatter of paint obscuring .. well, whatever was there before.

No better than to learn the track from Sebastian, my Porsche Racing Instructor, who I fondly remember leading me out of a tight corner and saying "now go as fast as you can." God I love this guy. The first moment of sadness that day was watching him crouch down into his midnight-blue 911 Turbo huddled adjacent to our 911 Carreras. The second moment came when I realized there was no way in Hell I was going to keep up with that guy! Hey, I never said I stopped trying. He introduced me to the Bus Stop, the slalom thru the row of cones, the tight curves, The Hill and subsequent down-right-sharp curve, the tight s curve that I may have fishtailed out of (and recovered nicely I might add) when I asked for a little too much torque. The last moment of sadness arrived as I realized I waited 30 years to do this. All that sadness washed away remembering that my wife gave me this opportunity. And I Prost!'d this best I knew how: I ate it all up and left nothing behind but an awful smell Sebastian called "a Porsche Driver's Chanel No 5".

That tour may have been only one hour by your standards, but in my head it was hours of analysis reading the Carrera's responses to all of my questions. I ripped through that track testing the steering's range, the suspension's forgiveness, the strength of my hands holding that steering wheel, and also a fellow student's patience as I kept urging him to drive faster. At the end I walked away with electricity in my feet and the re-aquaintenace with an AMA-acceptable heart rate. But in usual form I thanked Sebastian properly and reminded him that we'll be seeing each other again. Soon.

Since we never received the official "ticket" for the Porsche Experience, there's still a second chance..

http://www.porsche-leipzig.com/en/leipzigangebote/leipzigpilot/default.aspx

Electric Youth

I couldn't wait to get this photo online after our kick-ass weekend in Berlin and Leipzig, Germany. The Porsche Leipzig campus has a building called the "Diamond" which houses the museum, conference centers, restaurant, etc. One of the automobiles, a 1997 Porsche GT1 race car, is an amazing auto that is currently on display at the Leipzig Diamond. It's a wicked car in all respects, and during our tour I heard a tip about special paint used on the body of this GT1. I took a picture with and without flash as a comparison:

How cool is that? It's sick cool, for sure. Or did I just date myself by showing excitement over neon-colors oh-so reminiscent of the early 90s.. Schade.. this car is 10 years old and I'm still crazy about it. I wonder how this car handles on the Porsche Leipzig test track..

PS: it's shaped like a diamond, if you're still wondering from where the moniker arose.

Even better than the real thing

You all may or may not know this, but Stuttgart has an Oktoberfest of its own. It's called the Canstatter Volksfest, and takes place at roughly the same time as Oktoberfest. Even though it's not quite as grandiose in size, it's still the second biggest beer festival in Germany, and many Germans prefer it to the "real" Oktoberfest. Probably because there are fewer tourists...

We were fortunate enough this year to attend both festivals: Oktoberfest (see below) and the Volksfest. I still think Oktoberfest is awesome for a number of reasons, but in some ways I liked the Volksfest better. For one, I didn't feel like a tourist because it was local, and second, I liked the band a lot better. They played a nice mix of traditional German festival songs and cover songs that any sorority girl would love, like "I Will Survive". The other difference was that we had a big group of people that we crammed into our one reserved table. The more the merrier is right. :)

Actually, Melissa and Vicky were also able to experience both festivals, having taken a trip to Italy after the Oktoberfest trip and stopping into Stuttgart for one night before heading home. What better way to spend your last night in Europe than at a German beer fest?

Me, Melissa, and Andy "Prosting"

Melissa, me, and our friend Rebecca
(stole this pic and the one below from Rebecca's
husbands webpage...nice pictures, Victor!)

Our friends Mike and Kathleen.
Note Mike's Lederhosen...totally upstaged us! :)

Certainly there are some things that Volksfest doesn't have, like not as many rides and not as friendly waiters (ours was a real jerk...oh well). It also doesn't have nearly the selection of beer tents. Stuttgart has 3 large tents and 6 smaller tents, while Oktoberfest has 14 large tents and 19 smaller tents. Plus some would also argue that Bavarian beer tastes better than Schwabisch beer (and I'd be inclined to agree), but I don't know how much it really matters. Most people don't come to savor the beer....they just come to drink it. :)