Afternoon in Munich

I had a great time seeing my family for Christmas. It was funny that my mom got a special boxed set version of The Sound of Music (for those of you not in the know, it was filmed in Salzburg, Austria just 1/2 hour drive away). So for the New Year holiday I decided to head back to Germany to celebrate Bavarian style.


The weather was a bit cold and rainy just like Ohio, and there wasn't enough snow for skiing, but I managed to have some fun anyway!

My trip started off with an afternoon in the old town section of Munich at the famous Marienplatz.

Munich Town Hall (Rathaus)

The famous Rathaus Glockenspiel which consists of 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures. The whole show lasts somewhere between 12 and 15 minutes depending on which tune it plays that day. At the end of the show, a small golden bird at the top chirps three times marking the end of the show.

One of the two towers of Theateinerchurch.

Feldherrnhalle (Field Marshals' Hall)

Mariensaule

I believe this is a copy of "Il Porcellino" (The Piglet) which is the nickname of a bronze fountain of a boar in Florence, Italy. It was sculpted and cast by Pietro Tacca in 1612. People in Italy rub its snout for good luck. This one is located in front of the Deutschen Jagd - und Fischereimuseum (German Hunting & Fishing Museum) in Munich. Similarly, I noticed there was a copy of the statue of Juliet in the square as well just like the one in Verona, Italy and people were even rubbing her breast for good luck! *fact found: The Juliet statue was given to Munich as a gift by its "sister city" of Verona.

Another view of Theateinerchurch.

The Frauenkirche (Catherdral of Our Dear Lady). Buildings in the city center are prohibited from exceeding the height of the towers on the church.

A row of flats. And yes, that's a real guy hanging form the billboard.

3rd International Falconry Festival

His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, flew around 700 delegates from 77 countries, all expenses paid, for the 3rd International Festival of Falconry (so that's where the money for our raises went). It was an amazing display of nationalities all dressed in the traditional costumes of their country from the Americas to New Zealand.

A few hundred birds of prey (including hawks, owls and eagles) were loaned out to the various countries so they wouldn't have to fly their own birds overseas.

In 1976, the First International Falconry Conference was inaugurated by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul, in order to preserve falconry as an important element of the UAE national heritage which draws people's interest and care.

The first two modern falconry festivals were held in 2007 and 2009 at Englehard Estate in North Reading, UK. In November 2010, UNESCO added falconry to it's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, and in 2011 the festival was brought here to Al Ain. According to the International Association of Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey:

Since before the time of the pyramids, over 4000 years, falconry as a hunting method has retained an unbroken thread of tradition. Fathers have been passing down skills to their children for nearly 200 generations in a chain of intangible heritage, bringing this art to us, the 21st century.

The submission to UNESCO was made by Abu Dhabi on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain and the Syrian Arab Republic. It is expected that Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Slovakia will be added shortly.

Al Jahili Fort with a small steppe village in the foreground.

A guy from Qatar busting out a dance.Men from the UAE on their horses preparing for the parade.

An American tee pee. I heard there was an awkward moment when , after the parade of nations, a huge group of Afghans were chanting "Afghanistan" stopped in front of the American tent and chanted even louder before moving on. I also thought it was strange during the parade when America was announced as "North America" although Canada and Mexico were announced separately.

An American Bald Eagle, our national emblem.

OwlA Saluki; the traditional falconry dog.

Someone asked, "Is that a falcon?"His Highness Sheikh Nayhan bin Mubarak Al Nayhan (the guy on the left with the gray beard) the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research along with his crew and his pilot (he flew in on a helicopter).

Delegates from Germany on the left, New Zealand on the right.

South Korea on the left.Malta and Romania

Italia!

I was trying to get a shot of the Americans and noticed the Pakistani guys posing for me.

During the parade the announcer yelled, "Arriba! Arriba! When he announced Mexico and yodeled for Austria. I think was getting drunk!
Colorful Peru

Japan and their weird shoes.

Lining up for the parade of nations. That cracking sound is the Hungarian whip master. *see video at the bottom of this post.


A peek at the parade of nations.

Traditional Emirati singing and dancing.


Enjoying the music.

More dancing.

The hood on the falcon's head is actually called a "burka" which is Arabic for "cover."

Ireland's Seamus O'Byrne's painting that won first place!

Hungarian whip master.

Christmas in Al Ain

Although I live in a Muslim country, Christmas is still celebrated here by most of the expats. Even the Muslims enjoy the Christmas decorations and celebrations.

This was my second year attending the Al Ain Christmas concert complete with the audience participating in The 12 Days of Christmas, and a turkey and prime rib buffet. Yummy.

Exit only.

Little mince pies at the tree lighting ceremony at the Hilton

The Hilton Hotel had a tree lighting ceremony complete with a dramatic entrance of Santa Claus being kidnapped and chased by terrorists and escaping a'la Mission Impossible style. One problem, Santa got stuck 1/2 way while he was trying to escape.

Santa rides off in style on the back of a Harley driven by a Lebanese cowboy through the lobby of the Hilton.

Afterwards, a friend and I went to the Al Ain Mall and happened upon an ice show with Ukrainians, or maybe they were Romanians...or Russians.

Fun for the whole family!

UAE National Day 40 Years

Today is the 40th anniversary that the UAE became a union. There were a multitude of ways to celebrate. Here are a few examples of how people did.

National Day celebrations at Al Ain Men's College with car decorating.

One of my students proudly shows off his car.

Students brought in their falcons.

The late Sheikh Zayed and all of his sons.

Festive Horses

Girls doing a Falcon dance...I guess.

At Heritage Village with a patriotic sky glider.

Fireworks!

Making homemade sushi.

Yummy sushi!

Barbecuing wabbits and sing-alongs.

Getting a bit chilly.

Singing "Hotel California."

Marina the birthday girl!

Some ebullient music!