Munich

Last week I got to attend the ROSS workshop and the ICS conference in Munich. The prediction was for rain most of the week, but it was hot and sunny, and we won best paper for our workshop submission. Yay!
I did not have much time outside the conference but did take a few pictures walking there and back. On the last afternoon we sneaked out for a couple of hours into the English garden which was just a few steps away from the conference venue. My pictures are on picasa.

The Englischer Garten is one of the largest city parks in the world, but just a little over half the size of Phoenix Park here in Dublin. What it has, and Phoenix doesn't, is an artificially created water wave which surfers enjoy during the Summer. It is fun to watch the skill of these athletes.

The first night we went to a local beer garden for dinner. It had big round tables for eight or more people and we joined some people from Munich. The standard quantity of beer here is a Mass; about a quart. Together with the heavy glass mug it comes in, this is actually difficult to lift one-handed.
One of our table neighbors had brought an old-style ceramic one with a metal flip-top lid. He got a discount that way, and he needed it too. By the time he left, he had to pay for six Mass. He was at the table before we showed up, but six Mass is more than a gallon and a half of beer! This was also not the first time he was there. During the evening several people walked by and greeted him.

Another of the people we were sharing the table with was more talkative. He wanted to know whether I liked the goulash I was eating and whether I was gourmet enough to judge its quality. On my advice he ordered the same but requested the spicier version because I told him it was good but rather mild.
After we got to know each other a little bit, he asked whether I had a good sense of humor. I tentatively confirmed and he promptly called me a pig dog.

In Switzerland, calling someone a pig dog is a pretty bad insult and usually reserved for very mean people. After my astonished look, he began to explain. He said that in Bavaria, pig dog is actually a compliment. My quizzical face made him explain that dogs who heard pigs must be pretty clever to keep up and that in this part of the German speaking world, telling someone is a pig dog means that they think of you as highly intelligent.
Another Bavarian joined us later after the first one had left. We asked him about pig dogs and he confirmed the story. Of course, it is possible that it is all a big hoax by the Bavarians who most certainly have a sense of humor.

One evening, before dinner, the conference had organized a walking tour of the old part of Munich. It was quite informative and fun. We learned that the first Oktoberfest was held to celebrate the marriage of crown prince Ludwig and princess Therese. This did not prevent Ludwig to have an affair with Lola Montez. That was pretty common, but this affair cost the citizens of Munich a lot of money and even led to the closing of the University. In protest, a student wrote a letter to now king Ludwig, complaining about the affair. In the version we heard, the king was impressed with the letter and offered a large sum of money to meet the student.

The student, in need of money, turned himself in. The king was so impressed by this show of courage that he paid the student. Before the student had entered the king's residence, and after he left, he rubbed the face of the lion on one of the many statues in front of the building for good luck.
Ever since, locals, and tourists who heard the story, repeat the ritual. It did not take me long to take the shots of hopefuls above.

The conference dinner coincided with the start of the soccer world cup championship in Brazil. We sat with a group of Brazilians and Oldfield spent the night watching the game with them. It turns out one of them works here in Dublin for an HPC center.
I am back in Dublin too and it is time to start packing our things. We're moving soon!