Weekend in the Garden.
Well, not THAT kind of gardening.
Not digging in the dirt. More like sampling different
biers un der garten.
The 2nd annual Beer Garden was held in Brittlebank Park on a cloudy Saturday. It did not rain.
Was reminded - as I saw Craft Beer
growlers all around me - that Charleston has come full circle with cars and beer. This event was sponsored by certain
Sunoco gas (and growler) filling stations.
As a teenager growing up here, I recall you could get a beer with your cheeseburger and fries at drive-in restaurants. Where the cool high school kids hung out. (Burp, 'scuse me).
There were plenty of places here to have your souvenir (plastic) pint stein either filled or used to sample 3 ozs. of different beers. Several times.
Picnic tables, white folding chairs and shady spots galore. Also games involving beer themes.
While I was there I enjoyed the sounds of Lily Slay of
The Royal Tinfoil.
Mackie Bole backed her on guitar.
It was just about the right size crowd - plenty of room to roam, quick service at the draft pulls and many of the white chairs ended up scattered around in front of the stage. Comfy.
People -watching was good here.
A yacht was anchored nearby and cigar smokers had a clear field day.
The Bridge radio station signs mirrored the "other" one with the Ashley River bridge in the background.
Body art was on full display. Many tattoos showed real artistic ability.
And some whimsy.
The beer itself offered quite a variety.
Local brewers were represented as well as regional and national brands. All pull together now!
Saw people walking around wearing "necklaces" they had made by stringing small pretzels on a cord.
I settled for a few of the small bags to munch with my Dogfish Stout.
There were games of skill and brawn sited around the park.
Don't know what the prizes were but I saw throw-the-hoop-around-the-growler at one table.
A crowd gathered to watch and cheer the
Keg Toss competition.
The longest throw was marked with a small flag marker and the goal was to make yours land further ahead.
Apparently it was open to both men and women. That's only fair.
I was really impressed until I noted these were EMPTY kegs. Well, Duh.
Didn't see anyone spin around and around and release like throwing the discus.
But it was early yet and the beer had not kicked in sufficiently.
All in all, it was a pleasant afternoon for a walk in the park.
Heard some music, saw some creative and ornate tats, and dodged empty kegs flying through the air.
No surprise where my appetite led me to continue this German-ish celebration.
There I ordered my favorite : a plate of Wiener Schnitzel.
Und ein bier, bitte. Yah!
(Click on the photos for more detail.)
Enjoy beer moderately.
And breaded veal.
Danke.Labels: biergarten, breaded veal, Charleston Beer Garden, danke, Gene's Haufbrau, Lily Slay, Mackie Bole, plastic pint steins, Sunoco growler filling stations, The Royal Tinfoil, weinersnitzel
Silhouettes.....
My Photography Group meets monthly and we have a SHOW & TELL session to present our work to the other members.
We vote on an optional theme for the next month and
"Silhouette" was picked for March.
Members can choose to shoot pictures that support that idea.
Or, ignore it and bring a few favorite shots they'd like to share.
15 is the maximum for each member ...or we'd be there all night.
The last option is to look through your files and seek out pictures that match the theme
Each month I usually try all three options. My
"biergarten" shot in Munich came from the files.
I was in Germany a few years ago and enjoyed an evening of Oktoberfest. This was in September.
Details are a little vague.
This was followed by a late breakfast the next morning in an outdoor setting.
Yes, those are BIG glasses.
My boutique hotel in Germany was very close to the
Munich U-Bahn subway station - on purpose - so no driving was involved.
No matter what hotel you choose, the party continues there night after night and mine followed that rule.
This shot is not really a silhouette but has a nice combo of light and dark.
The train stations in Europe are HUGE and very busy. Few in the United States reach that level of activity.
Each rail hub is a small city with food, drink, benches, shops, stores, cabs, buses and parking.
Also a police force, municipal workers, and sanitation facilities.
A weary traveler is well served.
The Oktoberfest survivor needs all the help he can get.
In England's capital, it is hard to ignore
"The London Eye."
I'm sure the name has changed since it opened in 2000 and was known as the British Airways London Eye.
It stands 443 feet high on the south bank of the River Thames and now is known by the newest sponsor name, EDF Energy.
We do that - selling a sponsorship when naming a football stadium or other big buildings or structures.
But, it makes a good silhouette picture.
I recall that I had that in mind when I snapped it.
The
Cliffs of Moher is where Ireland meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Hmm, is THIS a true silhouette?
Our tour guide/bus driver warned us that it was a foggy day so the odds were against us.
It depended on the wind whether or not we would see the view on the western seaboard of Clare County.
Sadly, it was socked in when he was parking the bus but we trudged to the viewing areas anyway.
The wind picked up, the fog was blown back to sea and there they were, all in a row. "Wow," I recall saying.
This view from the plane coming back to Philadelphia certainly qualifies as a silhouette.
I've noticed that more and more of the
Photo Group members are dipping into their saved world-wide photos to meet the challenge of a monthly theme.
Doesn't bother me.
The photo is a souvenir, a keepsake, a memory-flogger.
One of the many beauties of photography is the chance to revisit an experience.
(Click on the photos for more details.)
Back-lit is pretty close to a silhouette. We'll see if others feel that way at the meeting on Wednesday.
Thanks for stopping by. Bring your camera and come to a meeting.
* I have 99,618 hits on my blog right now.
Should hit 6 figures any day now.
Labels: beer garden, biergarten, British Airways, Cliffs of Moher, EDF Energy, Ireland's County Clare, Leonardo boutique hotel, Munich, Oktoberfest, The London Eye, U-Bahn, Western seaboard of Ireland
Surfing In Deutchland....
While on a walking tour in Munich, we passed into a Central Park-like setting.
And saw defiant
surfers ignoring a "Verboten" sign.
The surf, er, river, was up.
Unexpected sure, but so many sights were just that.
I was tempted to join some
"pedalers in the Square" and drink beer as I sat down for a tour. We had tickets to tour the Royal Residence and Museum so I delayed having a beer till later.
They sure looked like happy sightseers though.
We eventually ended up in a pleasant biergarten and had Lowenbraus with our wursts.
My toasted brat - with sweet mustard - reminded me of German festivals I had attended in Missouri of all things.
But, we were a long way from the States and had just spent more than a week in Ireland.
Tomorrow would be
Oktoberfest. Plenty of beer there.
(Click on that surfing picture for amazing details.Yikes.)
Labels: biergarten, Dammen en Herren, Deutchland, pedaling tour, Royal Residenze, surfing
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