With the Greatest of Ease

You know how when you live someplace you tend to put off doing the things you want to do because you think you will always get around to them at some point?  Yeah, me too.  And now with our move date looming (I'll get to that when I finish up the posts I am behind on) I knew that if I did not get my tushie in gear I would miss out on some great sights.  And since I love having the girls around, I have been inviting a few of them to enjoy my bucket list of adventures with me.  The first week we walked the gardens at Nymphenburg and  took a bike tour through the city.  Last week we only had time for one (as we also had a weekend away planned and I had to get ready for that) but this one was a doozy - Climbing through the famous roof of the Olympic Stadium.

Built for the 1972 Olympic Games, the Stadium was considered revolutionary in its design at that time.  The sweeping canopies that are symbolic of the stadium and a very recognizable part of Munich, were the first of their kind.  Made of acrylic glass and stabilized by large steel cables the design is meant to imitate the Bavarian Alps that surround the area.  The transparency of the canopy was intentional and was meant to symbolize the new and democratic Germany.

Now days the stadium stands mostly empty and is used only for very large rock concerts and sometimes a tv show (The Biggest Loser Germany was filming while we were there).  But you can take a climbing tour of the roof, hear its history, and then zipline down across the field.  Which is exactly what we did.  After putting on our safety gear, of course.

Ready to climb!

You can't see it super clearly here but the front edge of the "tent) has a walkway with a railing in front.  We were clipped into a steel tube that ran along the bottom of that rail.  It looked like this...

That silver thing that looks like a tube is my clip which I had to pull along with me, at a 45 degree angle so it didn't get caught, at all times.  And notice how they don't take any chances with it being slippery - that walkway is gripping the bottom of your feet the whole way.

Not that I look worried anyway.

We followed the path forward taking in the incredible views we had all around us.

Looking straight down at the stadium seats.  They look tiny!

The view across from us.  From left to right - the BMW building, the Tower and the Olympic Swimming Pool domed tent.

The view out into downtown Munich.  This shows how high we were better than the others really as we were standing in that bottom left corner at one point.  

And then we walked straight up to the top!  And believe me when I tell you it wasn't easy because as you went up the incline became steeper.  To the point where when we were coming down, my toes were jammed at the front of my shoes from the incline.

We took one last group picture just before jumping off and sailing across to the other side.

The flying fox.  Just before I jumped.

My view of the girls on the platform about halfway through my zip.

It was everything I expected and more and I am so happy I finally made it up to the rooftops!

Random Goings On

As any parent knows the last few weeks of the school year get busy.  REALLY busy.  They are packed with assembly's and art shows and final projects.  Throw in all of the summer birthday parties that need to be celebrated before everyone leaves for the summer, the goodbye parties for those moving on and it becomes jam-packed craziness.  I don't have time to do separate posts for each happening/event so I have smashed them all into one and, even though I haven't done each justice in its own right, at least they have made it to the blog and are documented and not just photos that will get lost on my phone.

I give you the random goings on around Munich these last few weeks...

 Here in Germany kids get a license to ride their bikes at age 10 (fourth grade).  They spend a few weeks learning the practical and the theoretical and then finish it off with tests.  I am proud to report that she is one of the children that passed and is now able to ride on the streets by herself (even if I am not ready for that yet).

 They carried the Venezuelan flag at the schools International festival!

 The G family threw an end of year party a few weeks early (they are moving so would be out of a house) for the entire 3rd and 4th grade, plus...Ambitious and fun...

 Still going strong at the G's party!

Madhatter playing drums at the music assembly.  She also played another piece on the xylophone.

Stinkerbell on the xylophone at the music assembly.

MadHatter's class took a year-end trip to Legoland.

Our student council threw an end of the year party in the park after school on Friday.  We rode our bikes to the English Garden, snacked on some goodies and then caught the World Cup match between Spain and Portugal before...

 riding home to our last sleepover with A since she is moving home this month.

We occupied ourselves as best we could while the kids were painting at Stinkerbell's birthday party.

 Sunday in the Biergarten again for the Germany match (they lost but we had fun).

 Another day, another bike ride through the English Garden.

 Art exhibition.  Stinkerbell was inspired by the Ocean and made all kinds of artwork in different styles.

 Goodbye dinner in the city for J!

 The rest of this one will come soon - the 4th grade has designed, drawn, and now painted a mural on the wall at school.

Stinkerbell's diorama for her book report on Geronimo Stilton.

  

 A chilly Birthday celebration for B.  Where else would we be but the Biergarten?

Munich Feis

When we first moved to Munich, the girls both signed up for Irish Dance as an after-school activity.  Once a week they would meet, learn a new step and practice until they got it perfect.  Stinkerbell didn't enjoy it as much as MadHatter did, so she found another activity to do on that day.  MadHatter, on the other hand, fell in love with the music, the movements, and her teachers.  If you have been around her for any period of time in the past two years you have probably had the privilege of watching her dance.  And dance well.  She has rhythm, she has precision and she can get those really long legs of hers into positions I can't even think about without pulling a muscle. 

The one thing I could never get her to do though was to take her grade exams or enter the competitions put on by her dance school.  She just didn't think she was ready to get up in front of the judges.  But her teacher, Ms. Lucy, convinced her that she was more than ready and that the only way she could move on to her hard shoes (the ones they are all wearing in Riverdance) was to pass her level 1 and 2 exams and MadHatter agreed.

On our way...

Last Saturday was the big day.  Up first, the grade exams.  There are 12 levels in Irish Dancing and you must take the official grade exams to be able to move on to the next level or to compete on a national level.  I am not sure she is going to want to go that far but it's nice to know she can if she wants to.  She was nervous!  Having never performed for judges before it was understandable.  And having to do it behind closed doors in front of your peers makes it even a bit scarier.  When she came out you could see the relief on her face, though she was a bit nervous about how she did.

 The four BIS girls before their exams.

 Opening their results.  She passed both levels!  On to level 3.

She was so relieved to have passed that she wasn't even nervous for the competition rounds.  

The rounds consisted of doing the single dances in pairs (or small groups).  She competed with her easy reel, light jig, slip jig and single jig and finished it up with a solo performance of her slip jig.  Quite intense for her first go at it.  I snapped a few pictures but they really don't do the dancing as much justice as the video's do...

 Awaiting her scoring on one of the group rounds.

 

 The judge was none other than the lead dancer in Riverdance and arguably one of the best in the business.  She is a former 5 time World Champion, a principal dancer with Riverdance, a tv personality and luckily, a good friend to our own Shane McAvinchey, who is one of MadHatters teachers.

After a few hours of dancing (and watching the more experienced kids dance), it was time for our results.  MadHatter took home 5 medals in all placing as high as 4th place!  It is safe to say that she is hooked and is already looking forward to her next competition in June.