The Last Post...

... of the Hilpoltstein Hooley 2009!

By now, the weary fellowship has returned to the Shire, the one ring destroyed... (oops - wrong story!)

As Howard said, the holiday had a number of highs, and some lows. The biggest high was undoubtably Hilpoltstein - the friendly locals, particularly the Fanfare group, will stay in mind for a long, long time. Visiting Berlin for the first time was also memorable. The main low was being delayed hugely on my way to Gent.

I am grateful to all of you who have followed the musings of a transient, if I may say, bier today, gone tomorrow blogger. Some of you have even commented!

A huge amount of credit, and major thanks, of course, go to Hector. Without his hard work and organisational skills, the trip would not have happened.

My 'guest' bloggers Hector (again!) and Howard provided a different viewpoint - thanks to them.

The trip would have been rather boring without the other members - Dr Stan, Robin, Steve, Craig, Yvonne, Peter, Gerry, Neil and Bernard. I think everyone has been pictured here at least once...

Thanks also to the various brewers of Germany (and Belgium), without whom the trip would have been pointless!

And of course, I have to mention 'T', who seems to have spent more time on this blog than I have...

This blog will be back when Hector arranges another Horrible Holiday!

...Gone tomorrow

So here I am once more, on the sundeck of the Pride of Hull...

Seems familiar - although the view from Hull was better!

Sadly, that's another holiday almost over - one night onboard, then a drive back home. Having said this, I won't be the last home from HHH'09 - Dr Stan is continuing his exploration of Gent (he might even visita museum or two, he says...). He returns by Eurostar tomorrow morning - letting mainland Europe breath a sigh of relief that it has survived yet another invasion!

The closing credits will follow tomorrow, if anyone is left in the cinema watching...

In Gent

Storyline: 2 escapees from HHH meet up in Gent and drink bier...

Sorry - no pics today!

Hector and his minions had to leave our pleasant garden suburb at some ridiculous hour this morning. From his comment on an earlier post, it seems DB let him down a bit, although he managed to make home base (the Bon) by 1430!

If anything, my journey was worse! My train to Bamberg arrived there 40 minutes late (apparently due to 'people on the line'!) This meant I was unable to collect a promised barrel of Pyraser - sorry! Things went from bad to worse, with delays near Bamberg resulting in me taking about 90 minutes to travel the first 60 miles of a trip that was in excess of 400 miles... Fortunately, the roads cleared a bit, and Iwas able to make up some time (cruising at 110 mph helped!), and I was able to arrive in Gent by about 2200!

Once there, I met Dr Stan and managed to have a couple of Belgian biers with him. Tomorrow, the ferry home...

There was a Checkpoint Charlie...

... it's now a tourist attraction, complete with mock guards! It's good to see history being put in context!

After visiting the Checkpoint (and reuniting there with those who hadn't wanted to stay in our 'garden suburb' (Wedding), we went to the bier festival. Yet another event that has to be seen to be believed. The festival is about 1 mile in length, along Karl-Marx-Allee (the main street in East Berlin). It is so long that it is served by 3 U-bahn stations!

Too many biers to count, including a number of old favourites. There were even Scottish biers (including Fraoch). To Robin's dismay, the main Scottish presence was a Belhaven stand... He does, however, report that the draft Newcastle Brown was 'wonderful'!

For me, the discovery of the festival was the bier from a Berlin microbrewery, Hops & Barley. Others managed to miss this one, but say the Delerium Tremens was worth it...

With an early start, the plans were to leave the fest at 1900 or so. We were only a few hours later than that...

Meet the new posse, same as the old posse

If it's Thursday, it must be time for injury time substitutions. Off - Steve, Peter and Gerry McVey. On - Bernard. Stan has taken leave of German bier meantime - I'll catch up with him in Gent!

There will be further additions on Friday, but more then.

So, anyway, we travelled from Munich by Berlin - those not worried about carbon footprints by re-enacting the Berlin airlift, me by train.

After meeting Bernard, we had a wee walk through the centre, seeing the usual tourist sights (guess where from the photos...)

Only a few biers were had, including one at the strangest braukeller I've ever been to - in the Wedding suburb, surrounded on all sides by tower blocks. I blame the planners!

I suspect the sobriety was due to the imminent Berlin Street Bier Festival, starting Friday...

Confessions of a Foot Soldier

I have some vague recollection last night of Jonathan asking me to write something for the blog. Well, here goes.

As ever, the people on the trip are one of the best things about it. It's fair to say that we all have our eccentricities. Surely not I hear you ask. Don't call me Shirley. Which other group would end up having a heated discussion about Newton and his laws of motion. I have a passing acquaintance with maths and physics, but after all it's not rocket science.

There have been many highs and only a few lows so far. Bamberg is Bamberg is Bamberg. Having been several times before, it has lost some of its novelty. However, staying at Fässla was great, as was the Annafest.

Best bit of the early part of our trip was Hilpoltstein and the Burgfest. Nice people, beautiful setting and a bit of history thrown in with the locals in medieval costume parading through the town. If you add to that Pyraser bier then what more do you want. As ever, the music at the fest is a bit mixed. One day, I'm sure they will play Joy Division for Craig. There's nothing like miserable music to cheer you up. Highlights were a punk version of Country Roads, and the band playing Metallica.

The other major highlight was on Wednesday when most of us went to Tegernsee. It's a one trick pony like Andechs, but as Jonathan says "what a one trick pony". The weather was superb and a 90 minute boat trip (with the local bier of course) passed in the blink of an eye (gratuitous Star Trek and Dr Who reference).

As we leave Munich the party splits up although we do get to meet up with Bernard. Thanks have to go to Hector for his organisation and to Jonathan for an entertaining blog. Finally, if Jonathan will allow, there is a certain person who comments on the blog who I'm missing very much. Two more sleeps to Scotland.

Howard

Splitters!

It seems that Hector has lost his touch - once again, the group split. The breakaway group (Horrible Holidays of Hector - Splitters!) - went to Tegernsee. Myself and Hector (HHH (Continuing)) toured round Munich. Steve went home!

As I can say nothing about Tegernsee this trip, I won't!

HHH (Cont) first went to the suburb of Markt Schwaben, where we visited the Schweiger Privatbrauerei (regular followers will be surprised...). We then went to the Sommerfest at the Olympic park, before going to the Waldwirtschaft bierkellar (beer garden) in one of the western suburbs - a superb location, overlooking the Isar river - with a jazz band playing in the background.

On our return to Munich, we went to the Augustiner brewery and met the splitters!

Rather than writing "Romans go home" 100 times to show his loyalty to HHH, Howard has agreed to do a guest post detailing his day - coming soon...

Our Friends in the North (also known as Hilpoltstein)

I attach an email received from Hilpoltstein.

I tried to make a comment to your homepage, but i failed....So take this email


Hello visitors of Glasgow,
thank you for coming to our garden-party. Your homepage is great and i transfered the adress to Marlies, the owner of the Pyraser-brewery. Hope to see you again next year !
Ralf (Head of fanfare-group)

It is always nice to receive positive feedback! We certainly plan to return to Hilpoltstein for the Burgfest next year.

Men Behaving Splendidly

Curried up, we went to the Forschungsbrauerei (Experimental Brewery) in Perlach. Here, one drinks either a rather nice bock bier (7.5%...) or a helles (5.2%). Before 1600, one can order bier by ½ litres. After 1600, only 1 litre steins are available. What a pity…

The evening progressed - although the rather heated discussion about Newtonian laws of mechanics at the end caused a schism led by Robin!

When the rest of us left, most sensibly went straight back to the hotel. Myself and Hector went to the Hofbrauhaus, where Hector decided that the best way to make friends with the Dutch students opposite us was to pour his litre of bier over them…

From there to Andechs am Dom (which I managed to leave last…), and home via the sports bar...

It's a Fest, Jim, but not as we know it!

Wandering through München, following Hector's quest for a curry, we found ourselves delayed by a parade - it seemed to be something like a harvest festival (but more impressive!). Only problem was we had managed to find a Festival without bier...

We remedied that situation later!

A Post-Post Post

Leaving the Gasthof-Hotel zur Post in Hilpoltstein, we travelled to München. The first task for the weary travellers - a further train trip to Kloster Andechs… Sadly, the weather was not so good, so we had to sit inside. The bier, however, was as good as always!

On our return to München, we met Neil at the Augustiner brewery. For those counting, we are now 11. A very pleasant evening followed - the Edelstoff being as good as always, and possibly prompted Craig to do his bit for international relations by befriending an American couple next to him. We hope to see them again in Glasgow.

Hector wants it reported that he was last to leave the brewery!

Hector's Hilpoltstein Hooley - Part ? of ?

This morning, myself, Hector and Howard wandered up to the Festzelt at 9 am.

This is what we found:

It seems that one has to be at the tent at 7 am to get a seat - I suspect some never left last night!

Bier Trek 2 - The Roth of Stan

Breaking news - there was a day when we managed to avoid going to a Festzelt (almost - Howard succumbed at 9pm…)

Because we have not travelled enough this trip, we decided to travel to Roth (all of 20 minutes by train) - after all, it is a town with a brewery! This, according to Hector, was Dr Stan's input to the trip. Of course, having sampled the local bier, we then needed to have some good Pyraser bier in a biergarten close to the station - it was just as well - it rained (rather heavily) for the first time in the trip!

It seems that Sunday night in Hilpoltstein is not a good night to try to drink (except at the fest). Even the hotel bar shut at 8pm! We managed to find an Italian restaurant that was open, though, so all was good in the end.

Coming soon - Bier Trek 3 - The Search for Bock

Market Square Heroes

Some pictures of the Burgfest pageant. The whole town, young and old, dress in medieval costume and enter into the spirit (more properly bier) of things!

Garden party held today...

As mentioned previously, last night ended in us receiving an invite to attend a private party before the main ceremony today. We were made to feel very welcome, being offered bier at 10.15 am...

As you will see, the group were dressed in period costumes - which must have been hell given the heat!

When we were invited, we were told that the owner of the Pyraser brewery might be present. She was, and was most surprised to hear that we were able to drink her bier in Glasgow! She also loved the Hector t-shirts, and was really pleased with the Pyraser logo on them (I had been a bit worried in case she started claiming copyright...)

And just because T has been good at commenting (unlike anyone else reading this!)...

A message from the sponsor...

Eight Hector’s Hilpoltstein t-shirts occupied a strategic location a good distance back from the stage to avoid being overcome by the frivolities too early. The Herren McVey sat adjacent looking bemused.

As the evening progressed the tent filled until we were surrounded…Yvonne was straight up on to the table, Craig looked on in horror, Steve remarked that the Germans know how to enjoy themselves, Stan was as laid back as ever, Robin identified the composers of any songs more than fifty years old, howard went mental, Jonathan had another Festbier…

Craig and Yvonne were determined to enjoy themselves alternately it appeared…pogoing is not the norm.

Hector went to break the seal and returned to find four people missing, one out of the game, the rest incommunicado and two Hermans at the table with the McVeys now in the group…yes Gerry did get up on his bench….whatever next?

Hector's Hilpoltstein Hooley - Part 1 of ?

The best thing that can be said about the journey from Bamberg to Hilpoltstein is that it is over! The first leg was by rail replacement coach, with a driver who did not know where he was going - it’s interesting being in a coach doing a three-point turn on the main road…

We managed to meet up with Craig and Yvonne at Roth as planned (both trains arriving simultaneously – great planning!) Now there are 10!

It turns out that the Hilpoltstein Burgfest takes over the whole village – a few biers were had before we wandered out to the Festzelt. I would tell you all about it, but the Burgfestbier was only available by the litre. Suffice to say that some of the group were up on the benches dancing – including some that you might not expect. And no, I’m not naming names!

The night ended, for Hector and me, with meeting some members of one of the pageants, culminating in us being invited to their rehearsal this morning – but that’s for another post!

Hopefully, the next post will be Hector’s recollections of last night…

Annafest...

What can be said about the fest of St Anna at Forchheim? Other than everyone should go!

Once you tackle the hill (with something like 24 bierkellars built into it) you can then sit down, relax and enjoy the local culture...

Prost!