Regensburg Spindellauf 2014

On January 16, 2014May 30, 2020 By StevenIn Life In Germany8 Comments

Last weekend was the annual Regensburg Spindellauf, a yearly run in the DEZ (Donau-Einkaufszentrum,) a big shopping center a short distance away. The run is partly inside this multi-level shopping mall, but a part of it goes out to the spiral ramp on the corner of the parking garage, hence the name Spindellauf. (For those who don’t speak German, Spindel is exactly what it sounds like, and lauf is “run.”)

The reason I was there was that Robert (usually mentioned in conjunction with Jenny) fufills a regular function as the Spindelhase. Hase is German for rabbit or hare. In the Spindellauf, he acts much like a pace car in automobile racing. He leads the first lap, then leaves the course.

Before the race, he was introduced so that everyone else could see who he was. He’s wearing a bright yellow shirt with a racing hare on the back, rabbit ears, and – most amusingly – a sequined pink bowtie. That’s just how Robert rolls.

During the race, there are food and drink tables and two separate stages for bands to rock out- this is a festive event that draws a pretty huge crowd.

I didn’t bring my good camera to this event, so my race-time pictures aren’t very good. This is Robert leading the first lap:

Although you can’t really see it from my pictures, there were a great many runners in this event.

For contrast, this is what it looks like if you’re the official Spindellauf photographer with a proper camera- this next picture is from the 2013 race, but you get the idea.

Some of the runners were doing teams, and passing a baton. These are runners waiting for their teammate to reach this point to hand off the baton.

…and when the baton reaches them, they take off.

Have you ever attended a marathon or running event in your town?

Tasty Donuts In Regensburg

On January 9, 2014May 30, 2020 By StevenIn Life In Germany8 Comments

I was walking with a friend near the Hauptbahnhof recently, when we stumbled (almost literally) across this sign:

The Dunkin Donuts brand has made it’s way to some of Germany’s larger cities, and I go out of my way to eat there whenever I’m in Frankfurt or Berlin. (The Pflaumenmus, plum jelly, is absolutely delicious.) Dunkin has thus far failed to reach Regensburg, however. Up until now, the only place that really had Donuts in town was McDonald’s McCafe, and I use the word donut very generously when speaking of McDonald’s. The bakeries in Bavaria all serve Krapfen at certain times of the year, but a Krapfen isn’t quite the same thing as a Donut. It’s very similar, but it’s not quite the same.

Enter Tasty Donuts & Coffee, a German chain that tries to mimic the success of Dunkin Donuts. I have now tried their “6’er Box.” They have a “12’er Box,” but I’m eating these without assistance and twelve is just too many for me alone.

Here’s my selections. I prefer the unfilled to the filled donuts, but they were all pretty darn tasty-

Top row: Classic, Rasberry Kiss, Tasty Cream.
Bottom row: Classic, Peanut & Jelly (filled with a peanut flavored filling), and “Schokoloco” (filled with a chocolate cream.)

All in all, these were very tasty and I’m pleased as ~~cake~~ donuts that we have one in Regensburg now.

What’s your favorite local donut shop?

All Too Brief: Winter Kipferl

On January 2, 2014May 30, 2020 By StevenIn Life In Germany5 Comments

One of my favorite sweets is a candy that appears at the local Aldi stores in November or December, and it vanishes again by late February or early March- the Winter Kipferl. Kipferl is a type of cookie, so these are delicious chocolate wrapped cookies in bar form. Each box contains eleven individually wrapped sticks of delicious chocolate joy.

I stock up as much as I can, but I miss this like crazy during the summer.

What’s your favorite seasonal-availability snack?

The Regensburger Domspatzen

On December 26, 2013May 30, 2020 By StevenIn Life In Germany2 Comments

One of the things I’ve wanted to do since I arrived in Regensburg was to see a performance- any performance- of the Regensburger Domspatzen.

The Domspatzen (literal translation= Cathedral Sparrows) is a world famous boy’s choir based at St. Peter’s Cathedral, the tall pointy church known to Regensburg locals as The Dom. The choir was founded in the year 975 by Bishop Wolfgang of Regensburg, and they’ve been present here ever since. The institution is not just a choir- it’s a boarding school for boys aged 10–19 and a private secondary school with emphasis on musical education.

The Domspatzen sing both regular mass services as well as concerts around Germany. Jenny also was curious to see them sing, so we went to the Holy Mass services on the Sunday before Christmas. Advantage: It’s free, at least until the collection plate comes by. Disadvantage: It’s a Roman Catholic Holy Mass, so there’s a ton of ritual, chanting, kneeling, and the swinging of incense which is catnip for migraines, as I discovered. I’ve been to Catholic mass services before, and my ability to follow the ritual was about the same in German as it is in English. Still, it’s a good way to see the Domspatzen in their native habitat, and you get a sense of what they sound like without going out of town to attend a full concert.

The Dom is an amazing structure. The altar space is very tastefully appointed, and very large:

I didn’t take very many photographs, because this was a religious service. The majority of the people present were locals attending their church, not tourists. I try not to be too disrespectful. Still, you can get an idea of the size of the Domspatzen by seeing the group fully assembled:

Since I wasn’t partaking of Communion, I used that time to try to get a little bit of the Domspatzen singing. This clip is the older boys with the black vestments in the back. If I’d kept the video running for another ten seconds, the younger group in red would also have been audible.

Because my video isn’t a complete song or a very good example of what seeing this group is like, I’ve gone out to the Tubes Of You, and found two pretty good clips that will give you an idea of how they sound.