Although I have left Munich for almost two years, it felt as if I haven’t really left the place for a long time when I returned in mid-September. The scene of sitting at the airport train station waiting for the train was all too familiar to me.
雖說離開慕尼黑差不多有兩年，但九月中剛再次踏足，坐在機場火車站等車時，很快有種熟悉的感覺，心想我上次離開此地還不是很久之前的事。
The next day I turned up to my previous laboratory, only to find that a few familiar faces have disappeared. After a few days it was the farewell for another two colleagues. But the lab has recruited a few new people and thankfully I mixed with them pretty quickly, at work and outside. The research institute also looked quite different with so many new automatic doors installed. I couldn’t really work out the purpose of those doors. They seemed to help retain the heating at certain locations, but some people said that it was just some projects created in response to the global financial crisis to sustain jobs.
翌日回到以前的實驗室，好些熟悉的面孔不見了，再過幾天又給另外兩個同事送別，但也新來了好幾個人，幸好不用多久便跟他們熟稔了，不論是工作時或工餘都相處愉快。研究所比以前最不同的地方，就是到處都安裝了很多自動門，我實在搞不清那些門有何用途，我想大概是為了隔暖氣，不過也有人說是金融海嘯下要創造出來的項目。
When I went shopping later in the afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to find that supermarket price tags are pretty much unchanged compared to two years ago. I’m sure those from mainland China, Hong Kong and Australia would have their eyes brimming with glee upon reading this, like I was in the supermarket! Another factor in my favour was the Australian Dollar to Euro exchange rate which was at historically high levels while I was there. It was actually quite affordable to spend money in Germany, particularly on shopping and travel. Unfortunately I didn’t have too much time for shopping because I was too pre-occupied with work and meeting up with friends during my stay.
當日下午到超市購物時，喜見價錢牌跟兩年前差不多，相信不少中國內地、香港和澳洲讀者都會羨慕，特別是現時澳元兌歐元匯率正處歷史高位，在德國購物和旅遊有時會覺得挺划！很可惜是次行程，忙於工作和會友，想擠點空血拼也不行。
Prices have however gone crazy at the Oktoberfest beer festival, and this year the prices have gone up by 5% to 8.4 to 8.9 euros per one-litre mug. This didn’t seem to deter the revellers, and when they were generous enough, they would leave a 10-euro note for the beer waitress for a decent tip. Money didn’t matter as long as the patrons and the waitresses have joy out of the festivities. That’s why I said to the German colleagues that there was no global financial crisis at the Oktoberfest!
價錢飆得最厲害的倒是啤酒節賣的啤酒，今年每杯一公升的漲到8.4至8.9歐元，比上年貴5%，卻無損大眾到那裡及時作樂的興緻，不少人豪爽起來，連同小費會給端啤酒的女侍應10歐元，亦不計較，最重要的是乾杯的盡興，收錢的也高興，所以我也跟德國同事說，在啤酒節哪裡有金融海嘯？
Recession? What recession? 啤酒節無懼金融海嘯！
From a commemoration of marriage between Prince Ludwig and his wife, Oktoberfest has evolved to be one of the most well-known people’s festivals in the world. It is held at the same old festival ground of Theresienwiese , commonly abbreviated to Wies’n (sounds like Veeson in English) by the locals, but more and more people are crowding into the festival. The busiest times are Friday evenings and weekends, and all the beer tents may even have to shut their doors because they have a full house! A German colleague joked that the only way to guarantee a seat in the tents at weekends was to go there starting from breakfast.
啤酒節由二百年前巴伐利亞路易皇子的婚宴，演變成今日一年一度全球知名的盛事，地點仍舊是那個Theresienwiese「大笪地」（大草坪），當地人簡稱Wiesn（讀音像英語Veeson），但人愈來愈多，特別是週五晚和週末會有人滿之患，一眾啤酒館更會擠擁得要被迫封館！有德國同事打趣時，週末時真得到那裡從早餐吃到晚飯才保證有位坐了。
I have not expected to visit the Oktoberfest as many as 5 times. The first time was the second day after opening (19th September) when my friends and I went to see the traditional parade and had a beer at the Wiesn afterwards. The second time (22nd September) was the de rigueur annual outing with colleagues. The third time (25th September) was to take my friend who has moved to Basel and came back for a visit of reminiscence. The fourth time (29th September) was to catch up with an Italian friend whom I met at Oktoberfest 2007. The fifth time (1st October) was for a farewell of a Hungarian colleague who was returning to her home country. The Oktoberfest provided a simple, convenient and cheerful setting for meeting up with friends and other social occasions!
沒想到今年前往啤酒節總共五次之多，第一次是開幕後第二天（9月19日）看過傳統巡遊後跟朋友到Wiesn喝一杯，第二次（9月22日）是一年一度必會跟同事前往的社交場合，第三次（9月25日）是招待從慕尼黑搬到瑞士巴塞爾（Basel）後舊地重遊的香港朋友，第四次（9月29日）是跟2007年在啤酒節認識的意大利朋友聚舊，第五次（10月1日）則是歡送一個回匈牙利的同事，總之一個啤酒節，為會友和其他社交應酬提供最簡單方便又熱鬧的場所！
The traditional Trachtenumzug parade
傳統巡遊
The statue of Bavaria keeping an eye on the patrons
巴伐利亞女雕像俯瞰啤酒節全場
A toast to the moon at the Wiesn on mid-autumn festival (22nd September)
中秋節（9月22日）在Wiesn舉杯邀明月
My colleagues and I went to the 200th anniversary historical exhibition for the farewell of our Hungarian colleague. We felt we had stepped back in time with so many antiques on display, beer served in ceramic mugs and traditional shows and music which set it apart from the other tents playing Michael Jackson or Robbie Williams all the time. (Their songs are perfect for sing-alongs en masse, I must admit.) As we walked out of the historical beer tent at 20:00, the sky lit up with several beams of light emerging from the back of the Bavaria statue and criss-crossing each other in different patterns. The concept and timing were coincidentally a good match with A Symphony of Lights show that takes place in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour every night!
歡送匈牙利同事那一次，我們先到特別為二百週年紀念的傳統展覽，裡面不止有很多古董展出，啤酒館也有很多傳統表演和音樂演奏，啤酒杯也是舊式的，這股傳統氣息跟其他不停演奏Michael Jackson和Robbie Williams的啤酒館截然不同。（這兩個歌手的歌倒的確容易上口，很適合大合唱。）從傳統啤酒館走出來已是晚上8點，那時天空突然一片光亮，上演一幕「幻彩詠Wiesn」，原來有一束束光從巴伐利亞女雕像後面照射出來，並作出了一些花式表演，時間和方式倒與遠方的「幻彩詠香江」燈光表演吻合！
The centre stage in the historical beer tent
傳統啤酒館內的中央表演台
A journey back in time
時光倒流
Let the Oktoberfest shine!
光芒四射的啤酒節
I was glad to have met so many people in Munich and to have visited the Oktoberfest so many times, because no one knows when I’ll come to Munich next and even if I do it may not be Oktoberfest time. But perhaps the next time in Munich there will be some other festivities or other reasons to celebrate!
我興幸這次在慕尼黑能與這麼多人見面，到啤酒節趁墟也這麼多次，因為我實在不知下次是甚麼時候再到這地方，就算有機會舊地重遊也不一定碰上這個盛會。不過說不定下一次到慕尼黑，不知會有甚麼新喜慶或其他高興事呢。
雖說離開慕尼黑差不多有兩年，但九月中剛再次踏足，坐在機場火車站等車時，很快有種熟悉的感覺，心想我上次離開此地還不是很久之前的事。
The next day I turned up to my previous laboratory, only to find that a few familiar faces have disappeared. After a few days it was the farewell for another two colleagues. But the lab has recruited a few new people and thankfully I mixed with them pretty quickly, at work and outside. The research institute also looked quite different with so many new automatic doors installed. I couldn’t really work out the purpose of those doors. They seemed to help retain the heating at certain locations, but some people said that it was just some projects created in response to the global financial crisis to sustain jobs.
翌日回到以前的實驗室，好些熟悉的面孔不見了，再過幾天又給另外兩個同事送別，但也新來了好幾個人，幸好不用多久便跟他們熟稔了，不論是工作時或工餘都相處愉快。研究所比以前最不同的地方，就是到處都安裝了很多自動門，我實在搞不清那些門有何用途，我想大概是為了隔暖氣，不過也有人說是金融海嘯下要創造出來的項目。
When I went shopping later in the afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to find that supermarket price tags are pretty much unchanged compared to two years ago. I’m sure those from mainland China, Hong Kong and Australia would have their eyes brimming with glee upon reading this, like I was in the supermarket! Another factor in my favour was the Australian Dollar to Euro exchange rate which was at historically high levels while I was there. It was actually quite affordable to spend money in Germany, particularly on shopping and travel. Unfortunately I didn’t have too much time for shopping because I was too pre-occupied with work and meeting up with friends during my stay.
當日下午到超市購物時，喜見價錢牌跟兩年前差不多，相信不少中國內地、香港和澳洲讀者都會羨慕，特別是現時澳元兌歐元匯率正處歷史高位，在德國購物和旅遊有時會覺得挺划！很可惜是次行程，忙於工作和會友，想擠點空血拼也不行。
Prices have however gone crazy at the Oktoberfest beer festival, and this year the prices have gone up by 5% to 8.4 to 8.9 euros per one-litre mug. This didn’t seem to deter the revellers, and when they were generous enough, they would leave a 10-euro note for the beer waitress for a decent tip. Money didn’t matter as long as the patrons and the waitresses have joy out of the festivities. That’s why I said to the German colleagues that there was no global financial crisis at the Oktoberfest!
價錢飆得最厲害的倒是啤酒節賣的啤酒，今年每杯一公升的漲到8.4至8.9歐元，比上年貴5%，卻無損大眾到那裡及時作樂的興緻，不少人豪爽起來，連同小費會給端啤酒的女侍應10歐元，亦不計較，最重要的是乾杯的盡興，收錢的也高興，所以我也跟德國同事說，在啤酒節哪裡有金融海嘯？
Recession? What recession? 啤酒節無懼金融海嘯！
From a commemoration of marriage between Prince Ludwig and his wife, Oktoberfest has evolved to be one of the most well-known people’s festivals in the world. It is held at the same old festival ground of Theresienwiese , commonly abbreviated to Wies’n (sounds like Veeson in English) by the locals, but more and more people are crowding into the festival. The busiest times are Friday evenings and weekends, and all the beer tents may even have to shut their doors because they have a full house! A German colleague joked that the only way to guarantee a seat in the tents at weekends was to go there starting from breakfast.啤酒節由二百年前巴伐利亞路易皇子的婚宴，演變成今日一年一度全球知名的盛事，地點仍舊是那個Theresienwiese「大笪地」（大草坪），當地人簡稱Wiesn（讀音像英語Veeson），但人愈來愈多，特別是週五晚和週末會有人滿之患，一眾啤酒館更會擠擁得要被迫封館！有德國同事打趣時，週末時真得到那裡從早餐吃到晚飯才保證有位坐了。
I have not expected to visit the Oktoberfest as many as 5 times. The first time was the second day after opening (19th September) when my friends and I went to see the traditional parade and had a beer at the Wiesn afterwards. The second time (22nd September) was the de rigueur annual outing with colleagues. The third time (25th September) was to take my friend who has moved to Basel and came back for a visit of reminiscence. The fourth time (29th September) was to catch up with an Italian friend whom I met at Oktoberfest 2007. The fifth time (1st October) was for a farewell of a Hungarian colleague who was returning to her home country. The Oktoberfest provided a simple, convenient and cheerful setting for meeting up with friends and other social occasions!
沒想到今年前往啤酒節總共五次之多，第一次是開幕後第二天（9月19日）看過傳統巡遊後跟朋友到Wiesn喝一杯，第二次（9月22日）是一年一度必會跟同事前往的社交場合，第三次（9月25日）是招待從慕尼黑搬到瑞士巴塞爾（Basel）後舊地重遊的香港朋友，第四次（9月29日）是跟2007年在啤酒節認識的意大利朋友聚舊，第五次（10月1日）則是歡送一個回匈牙利的同事，總之一個啤酒節，為會友和其他社交應酬提供最簡單方便又熱鬧的場所！
The traditional Trachtenumzug parade
傳統巡遊
The statue of Bavaria keeping an eye on the patrons
巴伐利亞女雕像俯瞰啤酒節全場
A toast to the moon at the Wiesn on mid-autumn festival (22nd September)
中秋節（9月22日）在Wiesn舉杯邀明月
My colleagues and I went to the 200th anniversary historical exhibition for the farewell of our Hungarian colleague. We felt we had stepped back in time with so many antiques on display, beer served in ceramic mugs and traditional shows and music which set it apart from the other tents playing Michael Jackson or Robbie Williams all the time. (Their songs are perfect for sing-alongs en masse, I must admit.) As we walked out of the historical beer tent at 20:00, the sky lit up with several beams of light emerging from the back of the Bavaria statue and criss-crossing each other in different patterns. The concept and timing were coincidentally a good match with A Symphony of Lights show that takes place in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour every night!
歡送匈牙利同事那一次，我們先到特別為二百週年紀念的傳統展覽，裡面不止有很多古董展出，啤酒館也有很多傳統表演和音樂演奏，啤酒杯也是舊式的，這股傳統氣息跟其他不停演奏Michael Jackson和Robbie Williams的啤酒館截然不同。（這兩個歌手的歌倒的確容易上口，很適合大合唱。）從傳統啤酒館走出來已是晚上8點，那時天空突然一片光亮，上演一幕「幻彩詠Wiesn」，原來有一束束光從巴伐利亞女雕像後面照射出來，並作出了一些花式表演，時間和方式倒與遠方的「幻彩詠香江」燈光表演吻合！
The centre stage in the historical beer tent
傳統啤酒館內的中央表演台
A journey back in time
時光倒流
Let the Oktoberfest shine!
光芒四射的啤酒節
I was glad to have met so many people in Munich and to have visited the Oktoberfest so many times, because no one knows when I’ll come to Munich next and even if I do it may not be Oktoberfest time. But perhaps the next time in Munich there will be some other festivities or other reasons to celebrate!
我興幸這次在慕尼黑能與這麼多人見面，到啤酒節趁墟也這麼多次，因為我實在不知下次是甚麼時候再到這地方，就算有機會舊地重遊也不一定碰上這個盛會。不過說不定下一次到慕尼黑，不知會有甚麼新喜慶或其他高興事呢。
Comments