Waitangi Day Pub Crawl 2008

Much the same as last year and, I imagine, the years gone by before it the traditional Waitangi Day Pub Crawl around the Cirle Line on the London Underground was a huge amount of fun for all!

This year my university friend Shariar (aka Glenn) was over in the UK and joined us for the festivities. The photo below is of Glenn and my flatmate Gwen who was an honorary Kiwi for the day.
For those of you unfamiliar with the event, the task is to get from Paddington to Temple via every stop on the circle line in between where, at the designated pub nearby, a beer is consumed. The difficulties arise when several thousand Kiwi's join in and these pubs just cannot cope with the numbers....
As you can see, the roads surrounding each of the stops get absolutely packed with people dressed in black both actual Kiwi's and honorary Kiwi's alike all joining in to mark the day of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. So everyone carries with them a supply of beer and stands around outside drinking beer, singing NZ songs and generally having a fantastic time whilst onlookers stream past wondering what on earth is going on.It's amazing how may Kiwi's there are in London and what a small place NZ really is. On the day I bumped into several old friends from Uni, an friend from CanTeen from back when I was a teenager, high school friends (admittedly I already knew these guys were in London) and of course my sister, her boyfriend and their friends who we'd already arranged to meet up with on the day.The event is rounded off with a stop at Parliment Square where, at 4pm, an en masse haka is performed. As always there were sevral attempts (some successful!) to climb to the top of the lamposts on what was a cool but beautifully clear winter day. Without a doubt, any New Zealander travelling to London must make sure that the Waitangi Day Pub Crawl is a 'must do'. It's a wonderful day, the atmosphere is friendly and exuberant as we all express I pride to be New Zealanders.

Cure-iversary

Köln (Cologne) Christmas Markets

A good friend of mine, Viktoria, who I met in Galway, Ireland, is from Germany and we'd been planning to meet up again for some time. Finally, with us both getting our A's into G we arranged for me to come and visit her in Köln (aka Cologne) to visit the famous Christmas Markets. I'd already been, briefly, to the Christmas Markets in Frankfurt (on the way to England when I was younger) and having already been to Köln in the summer during the World Cup. So I had a an idea of what was coming, but I have to say the entire experience was so much more than expected =)

Viktoria and I in front of Der Dom

I can say this with absolute surety, the Germans know how to do Christmas! And being shown it all by a good friend who's grown up with it all is the way to go - Viktoria was a wonderful guide and "forced me" to try as many different foods and drinks as possible!

Basically, the Christmas markets contain food, drink, more food, more drink and Christmasy arts and crafts such as traditional German Christmas candles and tree decorations etc. The specialist drink is Glühwein (mulled wine) and it it such a fantastic way to warm up as it does get very cold. Glühwein is a tradition that I will definitely be trying to bring back to NZ to warm the winter spirits =)

But if mulled wine isn't your thing, don't worry, there is a huge list of other possibilities. And that's just the drink! The food, ohhhhh the food! There's a huge range of traditional fare and it's all absolutely excellent. If you're a foodie or merely enjoy your food and drink (and really, who doesn't?) then you have to visit the Christmas markets in Germany. Ooooh, the food =D

What makes the Christmas Markets in Köln that much more special is that the main market (yes, there are six in total!) is situated under the stunning Gothic masterpiece that is Der Dom. The feeling of the bitter cold diffused with warm Glühwein under the soaring spires of this magnificent centrepiece to a city which dates back to Roman times is what the word atmospheric was made to describe.

To while away the days between evenings spent at the markets there were the wee matters of a trip to the Chocolate Museum, the Lego shop and the crazy Caribbean busker who sings nothing but Bob Marley songs. This, and eating more excellent food from Viktoria's very hospitable parents.

The final night I was there we went to a medieval themed market just outside Köln. It was really cool! Everything to eat, drink or buy was made to be as authentic to a medieval Christmas as possible. Largely lit by candles, everyone working there dressed appropriately, arts and crafts and warm honey mead for all!

I realize that I've said this of places many times before, and will probably say this many more places, but the Christmas Markets in Köln are a must visit if you're planning a trip around Europe.