Smoke Free at Oktoberfest

My only two requests for our trip to Europe was at least one night in Zurich to see old friends and one day in Munich to properly introduce Martin to Oktoberfest. Yes, this American was introducing her German boyfriend to Bavarian culture. I was excited and not just for the beer and general good cheer, but also because we were going on a weekday, which meant plenty of time to walk around, play carnie games and experience the festival without the obligation or fear of getting into a beer tent. That plus in the past few years, Munich has banned smoking in the tents which meant clean air for all!

We took the train from Zurich and arrived in Munich to find the rain and clouds even darker and more miserable…so much for walking around the fair grounds. We quickly hurried to the hotel (an overpriced tenement) dropped our bags and got changed, at least I had to get changed, Martin refused to wear lederhosen.

We spent approximately 17 minutes walking through the fairgrounds, checking out the empty rides and vacant beer gardens before ultimately admitting defeat and heading inside the Lowenbrau Tent. 7 Masses, 2 pig knuckles and plenty of new friends later we were having the good time I always expect from Oktoberfest.

At 8pm it was time to introduce Martin to the true craziness of Oktoberfest. While our Tent had begun to fill up and the band was amazing, it was Monday night after all and therefore not as ridiculous as on the weekends. That is, at least our tent wasn’t. But there is always one that is beyond chaos– the Hofbrau Tent, home of the rowdy Americans and Australians.

We were able to get in, but that is where the fun ended. The place was packed as expected and not willing to battle it out, we called it quits before even ordering a beer. At 9pm we called it a night and headed back to the hotel, slightly buzzed but excited for a good night´s sleep. And there was the rub, while Oktoberfest was finally smoke free and we left feeling healthy and happy, our hotel room was anything but. The placed reeked! What we had originally mistaken for a musty smell turned full evil nicotine. The smell was so potent, even with the windows open, neither Martin nor I slept the entire night. We were in fact happy and excited for our 6 am train to Martin’s house the following morning.

Martin and I in the Lowenbrau Tent

Back Home in Zurich

We landed in Zurich Saturday night just in time for a quick shower before dinner at Eisenhof with all of our friends…at least those still living in Zurich. With less than a week’s notice we were able to get Petra and Sean, Erin, Esther, Bianca (minus Pete) and Charlie (minus Robin) all together for a reunion dinner at our favorite meat on a stone restaurant. True to Swiss form, it took over 3 hours from start to finish, with some slight confusion as to ordering, but overall the meal was perfect. It was so good that Martin and Charlie both felt the need to order another round of meat to end the evening. We capped off the night at a nearby bar with those still standing and Martin and I had a quick dance at Nelson’s for old time´s sake.

The next morning, true to Zurich form, it rained – a hard, cold miserable rain. Good thing we weren’t there to sightsee. And due to the rain Martin, B and I spent the afternoon indoors watching movies. We did make it out for an American brunch at our old American dive bar Iroquois, which has sense been remodeled and renovated to classy French Country decor bistro…if we didn’t know what it used to be and could have been, I would have loved it, unfortunately it was a little too surreal to see the once smoke filled dingy restaurant all dressed up, light and airy.

That night, Martin and I went to have dinner at our old apartment building, hosted by our favorite landlord Helen. The whole building showed up (including new arrivals and old friends) and it felt like old times. After swapping stories and making new memories, I wished we could have just gone downstairs to our old apartment and called it a night.

I could have stayed in Zurich at least another 2 weeks. But we had more important things to do…the next day I was taking Martin to Oktoberfest!

Construction has Begun!

After 4 weeks of waiting, including numerous trips to the planning department by Martin, we finally got the permits to begin construction (or more realistically, deconstruction) on the house! And Friday was marked as the day to take down the wall – the one between the kitchen and bedroom/soon to be living room. Unlike the first house we put an offer in on, where an argument over taking down a wall almost ended our relationship, I couldn’t wait for this sucker to come down. And better yet, I got to help.

Geared up in my proper construction girl outfit, including work gloves, jeans with plenty of deep pockets and newly purchased hammer, I was excited for Martin to give me my first task….unfortunately, like all new interns/employees, I was stuck with the grunt work. Task one – Make coffee. Not exactly what I had in mind, but I took on the task anyways (it was the least I could do considering). Thankfully for me, things picked up from there. Martin showed me the best technique for tearing out drywall as well as the older slat boards. And while I went to work tearing out the wall, Martin used the power tools to get rid of the awkward angles of the hallway in between the two doors.

After 6 hours of serious demolition, including a 30 minute lunch break on the roof (as regulated by Martin), we were down to the studs! Below are some of the photos of our hard work.

The studs were removed the following Monday which included adding in supports on either side, tearing down the load bearing supports and raising a 8 foot 4x10 beam into place. Given the success of the previous Friday, we felt unstoppable. That is, until we were stopped. The 8 foot beam was 120 lbs and with just the two of us, it was impossible to lift and hold into place 10 feet above us. After 30 minutes of attempts and creative engineering, we were ready to admit defeat.

But, thankfully, I knew a guy around the corner (an old co-worker) who might be home and might be able to help. A quick 5 minute walk, I grabbed Mike, along with his neighbor´s ladder and we were back in business! Mike and Martin held the beam, while I kicked supports into place, allowing Martin to screw the brackets into the ceiling. After that, things went surprisingly well and we were wrapped up and cleaned up for a late night, Labor Day dinner.

Here´s to hoping the rest of our problems are so easily solved.

The Lumber Yard

This past Thursday, I found myself in a lumber yard, buying wood, and lots of it. Unlike most accountants, who typically work during the week, I had a break between jobs and took the opportunity to watch Martin in his element. And this included a trip to the lumber yard to buy 2x4s and 4x10s to re-enforce the wall we were taking down the following day. Yes, after watching countless hours of HGTV about home makeovers and remodels, I knew the lingo and felt ready to become a member of the construction crew…I was pumped!

Within minutes we were able to get everything we needed, included bracket thingies, screws and even ordered the wood cut to size…all alongside the contractors and carpenters like pros (which I guess is true, given Martin’s profession). It actually wasn’t until we got out to the car when a well equipped contractor looked at us, our supplies, our car and exclaimed “what are you building” that I realized how not normal we looked. And I suppose his question was warranted – there was Martin in his button down shirt with popped collar, sweater and nice jeans, me with ballerina flats and designer purse distracted with my blackberry, putting down the seats in our Volvo and meticulously covering everything with old towels and sheets before putting in the wood…so okay, we might not have looked like professional, but we were getting there.

I guess HGTV can only take you so far.