BAYERN MUNICH GAME

BAYERN MUNICH GAME

Conor, Marcus and Dario with a group of Bayern fans outside the Allianz Stadium.  We got them to sing "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie," which the fans all loved.

This is a great story.  When we first mentioned the idea of us moving to Israel, Dario, in particular, was not fussed about the idea - understandably for a 9 year old.  He suggested we move to Amsterdam instead. In order to sweeten the deal I jokingly said that we might be able to go to a Bayern Munich game.

Dario is OBSESSED by football (soccer) and his favourite player is a Dutch fellow, Arjen Robben, who plays for Bayern Munich.  Dario lives in Robben's jersey and signs his name Dario Robben.  I regretted making the suggestion that we attend one of Bayern's matches after I started asking German friends about how I might be able to secure tickets for a game.  "Are you kidding?" they'd say.  "Those games sell out five years in advance."  I started searching online for tickets and found a couple, which were very expensive.  To fly to Munich, stay there and pay top dollar for tickets seemed too indulgent, so I feared it may not happen.

One Sunday morning, a couple of months before we were to leave for Israel, my sister-in-law, Lindy, who lives in Holland and knows nothing about football, sent me an email saying: "Dear all, Guess what - I have arranged tickets for you all for the match Bayern Munich vs Stuttgart!"  Lindy had just had a tennis game with a colleague who she realised was the FATHER of ARJEN ROBBEN! :)  She told him about our family and how we were hoping to go to a game.  He said that all the tickets are usually sold out but that he might be able to get us some tickets.  We couldn't believe it - what are the chances?  Dario was so funny and was too stressed to get excited in the fear that it might not come off but within a couple of months we had secured four tickets from Mr Robben and then I was able to buy two tickets online for Brigid and I.  So off we went to Munich - for a football game.  Not something I ever thought we would do....but we had such a wonderful time together.  The Allianz Stadium in Munich is amazing in itself but having Bayern playing in it was Dario's dream come true.

To really top it off, Bayern won 4-0 against Stuttgart.  Dario told me that there was no way they were not going to win.  It was like a gift to Dario though when Robben scored the first goal! The atmosphere in the stadium was electric.  It's a like a religion to these fans!  Brigid and I were seated behind to the left of the main fan squad, which was a great experience.  They sing the whole way through the game. Such a fun time that we will all remember so fondly.

There are FC Bayern Munich Fan Shops all over Munich.  They sell EVERYTHING - from toasters, with the FC Bayern emblems burnt onto the toast to puzzles to waffle makers.  The must make a fortune out of the merchandise.  The boys' eyes were popping out of their heads in excitement.

The whole of Munich was taken over by Bayern Munich fans on the Saturday morning.  It was like a sea of red and white in these markets near Marienplatz.  Dario blended in beautifully with his new Bayern jersey and cap and Wurst roll in hand.

The train to the Stadium was filled to the brim with Bayern supporters singing their fan songs.  Here the kids are walking from the train toward the stadium.

Conor & Dario in their Bayern jerseys.

 

You have to be frisked before entering the stadium.  Wouldn't want to have been a Stuttgart fan at this game!

Arjen Robben warming up before the game.

Marcus, Conor & Dario.

The Bayern team clapping their fans after the game.

Big smiles after the game.

Conor in front of the impressive Allianz Arena stadium.

The train ride home was quite an experience.  You could hardly breathe it was so packed but everyone was in such a great mood that no one cared.

TRIP TO MUNICH

TRIP TO MUNICH


During the kids midterm break we went to Jordan and Munich.  It was wonderful to catch up with one of our former and beloved aupairs, Carina, who lives in Bavaria.  We rented an apartment just 5 minutes from Marienplatz and Carina came into Munich to meet us and show us around.

Our first meal in Munich with our wonderful friend Carina.  The kids loved the size of the soft drink glasses as well as the pretzels.

Here we are waiting on a platform at a train station.  We got on the train from the airport, thinking that we had purchased a group ticket.  When the conductor checked our ticket he said that it was only for one person and that we would have to pay 60Euro for the other 5!!! We were so shocked and pleaded with him that we had only just arrived and, not speaking German we didn't know we had purchased the wrong ticket.  He whispered that he would accept just one payment of 60 Euro so we pleaded more and he eventually said we would have to get off at the next station to buy the correct group ticket, which is only 22Euro.  We all had a good laugh about it afterwards.

Carina and Dario reunited.

The boys enjoying their pork sausages!  Who knew they loved so much until they were denied them in Israel :)

Brigid enjoying her very German meal.

Carina and the family at Marienplatz in front of the Neues Rathaus (New City Hall).

The Neues Rathaus - New City Hall

Odeonsplatz

There are so many Catholic Churches in Munich and they are all so ornate.  This one is the Theatine Church of St Cajetan (Theatinerkirche St Kajetan).  It was very sweet when we walked into this Church as all four children immediately went up to the altar and started praying.

After being deprived of pork sausages in Israel, Dario's eyes lit up when he saw this shop.

So different to Israel - walking amongst the autumn leaves in Munich.

The English Garden in Munich

Band members playing in the Chinese Tower in the English Garden

Autumn leaves....

PETRA - WADI MUSA, JORDAN

PETRA - WADI MUSA, JORDAN

The Treasury Building (Al Khazna) at Petra

The Treasury Building (Al Khazna) - it's almost 40 meters high and intricately decorated with Corinthian capitals, friezes and figures.  The Treasury was constructed in the 1st Century BC. 

We drove from Wadi Rum to Petra with Amjed, making the customary stop to a souvenir and coffee shop along the way, in the hope of us buying something.

There are no eyes on me ... they're all on Alex.  The Arab men love to stand and point at Alex for being so tall.  Here is Alex making friends with a local in the cafe on the way to Petra.

Brigid being dressed up as a local.

On the way out of Wadi Rum we stopped to visit the historic train line that used to run between Turkey and Mecca, carrying pilgrims.  It was also the train line that Lawrence of Arabia continually attacked with the help of the Bedouins.  Having watched the movie the kids had a better appreciation for what we were looking at.

Turkish train line

Conor aiming to fire...

On the way to Wadi Musa, to visit Petra, we passed the mountain on which Aaron, the brother of Moses, is buried.  It is a strenous 12 hour return trek undertaken by some pilgrims.  We were not one of them :)

Jabal Haroun - a place of pilgrimage for Jews, Christians and Muslims.  You can just see the small, white shrine at the top of this mountain honouring the burial site of Aaron, Moses' older brother.

PETRA

Petra is known as "the lost city" and is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.  It was built by the Nabataean Empire around the 1st Century BC as their capital, which became wealth through its trade in frankincense, myrrh and spices.  Petra was later annexed to the Roman Empire and continued to thrive until a large earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city.  The earthquake combined with changes in trade routes, eventually led to the downfall of the city, which was ultimately abandoned.  From this point on it appears that it was only the Bedouins who knew about Petra.  In 1812, a Swiss explorer, Johannes Burckhardt, dressed us as an Arab and convinced his Bedouin guide to take him to the lost city.  From that point on Petra has become a point of fascination and intrigue for thousands of tourists.  It really is quite a sight to be seen!

Petra is also known as the rose-red city because of the wonderful colour of the rock from which many of the city's structures were carved.  The buildings and tombs are carved out of the side of the mountains.  It is hard to imagine how such exquisite buildings could be carved out of rock like that.  I feel for the men who had to do the work.

The Nabataeans buried their dead in intricate tombs and the city also had temples, a theater and, following the Roman annexation and later Byzantine influence, a colonnaded street and churches.

THE SIQ
The Siq is the main entrance to the ancient city of Petra and is a dim, narrow gorge, which winds its way approximately 1.2kms before ending at the Treasury - a sight to be seen!

There's a lot of walking to be done in Petra.  What amazed us was the number of elderly people making the trek down through the siq to the Treasury and then on through the rest of the lost city.  Many take donkey or carriage rides and the look of fear on their faces had the children laughing.  I certainly wouldn't want to be a donkey in Petra - it's a tough gig!

Making our way down through the Siq 

A carriage travelling through the siq.

The stunning rock that forms the siq.

The Siq widens at points through the 1.2 km trek down to the Treasury.

After walking 1.2kms you catch a glimpse of the Treasury - it's breathtaking.

The first glimpse of the Treasury.

The canals carrying the water down through the Siq to the city.  The Nabataeans are reported to have been masters in hydrological engineering.

Brigid in front of the Treasury

THE TREASURY

The name "treasury" came about because locals were convinced that such an impressive structure could only have been created to hold treasure.  At one time the sculptures above the entrance, and particularly the urn at the top, were thought to be full of treasure.  You can still see the bullet marks from people firing in a desperate attempt to smash them and release what they assumed would be gold.

Excavations have shown that the Treasury stands on top of a group of much earlier tombs, which are now hidden beneath the sand and gravel deposits washed down the Siq over centuries, and that it was more likely to have been a temple.

Some cool Jordanian soldiers posing with the kids in front of the Treasury,

The inlets either side of the Treasury which men used to climb to the top to carve out the rock.

This is a photo of the area discovered under the Treasury where doorways and a fountain have been discovered. This area is no longer accessible to tourists and can only be seen through a wire grate.

There are so many places to explore in Petra.  You would need a couple of days to fully explore the city but I don't think the kids would have been too impressed if we pushed for that.

This photo, taken from the internet, beautifully shows "The Street of Facades," which is a row of monumental Nabataean tombs carved in the southern cliff face.

The Petra Theatre is the only theatre in the world carved into the rock and can accommodate 4000 spectators.   

The Theatre

The Theatre

Petra's Royal Tombs

Brigid on the site of the Great Temple Complex.

The original floor of the Great Temple.

THE MONASTERY (AD DEIR)

The kids were absolute legends in climbing the 850 or more stairs to the Monastery.  Marcus counted close to 900 and some people say there's more but no matter how many there are, it's a tough climb.  It's well worth it though.

The Monastery facade is so big that it seems like an optical illusion.  The doorway alone is taller than a house but it's hard to get a sense of this looking at the photos.  The facade is 48m high and 47m wide.  It's not as decorated as the Treasury but still very impressive.  It gets its name from the time it was used as a Christian church but it was originally built as a temple, possibly dedicated to the Nabatean king Obodas I, who reigned in the 1st Century BC and was posthumously deified.

Conor and Alex continued their journey to the top of the mountain, following a sign which read: "Top of the World: Best View in Petra."  It appeared well worth the extra climb.  They returned with stunning photos.

Some people pay for a donkey ride up the stairs to the Monastery.  It's a cruel ride as most of the people who opt to take the donkey ride are overweight so I can't imagine what it would be like lugging people up and down those difficult and tricky stairs every day.

The Monastery - Petra

The kids in front of the Monastery, after a long climb up.

Conor and Alex headed up to the top viewpoint above the Monastery.

Alex's photo from the "top of the world."

Conor, and a cat, at the "Top of the World."

A statue of Conor.

The colour of the rock in Petra is exquisite.

The varying patterns in the rock

A local boy playing horsies with a broom and a piece of string on the stairs leading down from the Monastery.

Marcus with a kitten he found on the way down from the Monastery.  Any distraction from the hike was welcomed.

Alex in front of the Treasury, as he was heading out of the city, after all the tourists had left.

Petra stretches over a massive 60 square kilometre area so there's a lot of walking to be done and I, for one, could hardly walk by the end of the day.  Alex came to Petra in 1993 so it was somewhere that I have always wanted to visit, after hearing of his experience here.  It really is a remarkable place and points to the incredible ingenuity from people living over 2000 years ago.

After our long day walking we headed, or crawled for me, back to the Petra Palace Hotel (certainly not a Palace :) but you get what you pay for).  Thanks again to tripadvisor I found a great place for us to eat dinner and we all then headed back to our rooms and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of empires past.

FAREWELL TO JORDAN

The next day we made our way back to the border crossing after three glorious days in Jordan.

Brigid in between Jordan and Israel....

The boys playing around on one of the many tanks on display throughout the Israeli desert.