When you can run your BBQ at Christmas - and feel toastie too!

One should not ever trust blindly what one can see on the internet.  Usually I do back check some stuff - and the Milankovitch Cycles have long been established as a factual past / present and future life of our planet! 

Technically we are still in an ice age - albeit with a warm inter-period! 

Here is a vid on tube - that explains this in a simple to follow visual!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01aFP88qfQs&ab_channel=Astrum

 

I took a couple of things  away from this

 

In 13 000 (let me type that - thirteen thousand) years there will have been a change in seasons relating to our monthly calendar. So during December/January months the northern countries will have a lovely summer night and whip out their BBQ's and wine coolers and sit out in their gardens 'till late at night and enjoy an evening sun and friends and social get-togethers, While the southern Hemisphere folks will be skiing and making lots of snow-men/women/kids/figures!!!

Skiing in NZ during Nov/ Dec / Jan / Feb  - Christkindl markets - Gluehwein - roasting Chestnuts - Christmas light decorations shining away from 5 pm on-wards!! 

 

  C  A  N  '  T    W  A  I  T

 

I am looking so forward to experience this asap!!  No expensive plane tickets and travel arrangements need to be made for this or next year!!  Just a tiny matter of a few years - ok - some 13 000 years to be waiting - but hey - I will get there!!! I should make plans for that already - hmm lets see - first of all I need to invest into a pair of decent skis and thermal undies and - yup - snow-chains for the car and . . . . 

The other thing - as said before technically we still in a global long term ice age cycle - and yes despite our best efforts - eventually we will get our glaciers back - I just have to wait some 9000 (let me type that -- nine thousand) years for that or so!!   NO PROBLEM there -  patience is a virtue - and lately I had to - urm - *cough* grow my virtues!! We should stop dick-in round with this CO2 Angst and just get on with it - let nature take its course!! After all - we all want our glaciers back - right?!

 

To be fair though  - while I am looking forward to experiencing my birthday in a summer setting (oh those trips to the West coast will be so special) my sister (living in Europe) on the other hand might struggle to comprehend a regular Summer temperatures (say 25c - 30c) Christmas!!  Sorry Sis'!! 

 

Bring it on!!!!!!


Have fun!

Name that Christmas carol - help needed

Yikes - I used to know all of the answers but have since forgotten them - can you fill in the blanks???? I kinda need the answers to use in a news letter . . . .

If you know the answer - PLEASE leave with the nr and answer in the comments section and I will put them in as they arrive.

1, Bleached Yule
White Christmas -- Bing Crosby

2, Castaneous-colored Seed Vesicated in a Conflagration
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

3, Singular Yearning for the Twin Anterior Incisors
All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth?

4, Righteous Darkness
O Holy Night

5, Arrival Time2400 hrs - Weather Cloudless
It came upon a midnight clear ????

6, Loyal Followers Advance
O come all Ye faithful

7, Far Off in a Feeder
Away in a manger

8, Array the Corridor
Deck the Halls . . .

9, Bantam Male Percussionist
Little Drummer Boy

10, Monarchial Triad
The Three Kings of the orient

11, Nocturnal Noiselessness
Silent night

12, Jehovah Deactivate Blithe Chevaliers
God rest Ye merry Gentleman

13, Red Man En Route to Borough
Santa is coming to town

14, Frozen Precipitation Commence
Let it snow let it snow - Dean Martin / Bing Crosby

15, Proceed and Enlighten on the Pinnacle
Go tell it on the Mountain

16, The Quadruped with the Vermillion Proboscis
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer

17, Query Regarding Identity of Descendant
What child is this

18, Delight for this Planet
Joy to the world

19, Give Attention to the Melodious Celestial Beings
Hark the Herald Angels sing

20, The Dozen Festive 24-Hour Intervals
Twelve days of Christmas - my true love gave to me etc.

Lazy hazy sunday

lol - well the alarm did go at 7.30 am - but not a mouse stirred and it is getting towards Christmas so everyone decided to have a sleep in - now its 10.16 am and breakfast is slowly coming.
It is raining again - snow level set at 800 meters above sea level and Salzburg is 400!
We will have to brave the rain and go to the railway station and find out what time the Munich express leaves - for euro 30 up to 5 people can travel by train to Munich - which is exactly what we will be doing on Monday - and visit yet another Christkindl market. You never know - we might yet find a pressie for our boys there. Wonder if we get another cup????

Freezing Prague

Had nice long sleep, got up and ate and decided to head out and explore. Day started cloudy and stayed low cloudy with freezing temp's. Walked into the center of town - lots of old buildings. Came across yet another Christkindl market - yet this one was diff to all the previous ones. Notice the Nutella Pancake?? I did resist having just had breakfast - i know such a strain!!!


The sold special damper (scouts should know what they are) coated with cinnamon and sugar. Many other different things were sold too.
These kids where so well behaved and had a ball watching the bloke multi -task and get completely lost in smoke. Wonder if we would be able to to this in CHCH - probably not - to much smoke!!!!

Decided to head across river and up to castle. Mamabear not to keen on the 1000 odd steps to get to the top, but was worth it. Entered the local church on top and was promptly told by a zealous old guard to remove beannie hat.
Funny that woman are allowed to wear theirs but men have to disrobe! Old sexist attitudes die hard. I would have thought that in a church where everyone is equal and equally reverent same rules should apply. It would seem not so.




Mamabear having photo taken with local guard. What is it with woman and man in uniforms? And why does my scout uniform not work in same way??? Hmmmm these things are worth pondering??!!
Anyhow walked 1000 odd stairs back down and by that stage were so cold we jst had to have a hot gluehwein. Decided to head back over bridge (again) and bought a pressie for Jade in Aussie. (Belated xmas 4 u)
By that stage we were hungry and very cold and we looked for a meal. Found a Italian pizzeria that looked promising, food was really great but rather expensive. Around NZ $160 for one entree/ 2 pizzas and 2 drinks.

Of note should be that while the old part of town is charming, the tourist shops are overloaded - about 4 types selling the same stuff and there are dozens of them - overkill really. Mamabear did the maths and we realised we had to take out some money from bank to pay for the car park - another $100 NZ for the weekend. After this we headed back home early evening-ish - having walked the better part of 20km plus. On way back came across the christkindl market - which was still going strong. Lights started to come in their own and the food stands did a roaring trade with the locals. Arrived back home tired and cold and decided to take a easy evening off reading. Will have to pack up tomorrow and look for a way out of town (no map and cant use Google) - Dresden and beyound and stay a night somewhere in Germany before we find Radar and Dees.
Be good.

Second time lucky

okies - after we arrived home yesterday night - Mamabear had this real urgent craving for McDonalds. So Wilfried stayed at home and the two of us braved the Vienna streets. Saw some more decorations - a whole length street with blue balloons. Brilliant. Found the Golden Arches and settled in for a meal. Not much diff food on offer compared to NZ. Had to bring my burger back as the meat was not cooked properly.
Then we took the strassenbahn back home and settled in for the night. Wilfried watched the movie 'Pearl Harbour' - us oldies decided by 11 pm to go to bed - we knew how the movie finished.

This morning we went back to Schloss Schoenbrun and the Christkindl market was pleasantly half empty. One could actually walk around and see the goods on offer. However the weather was terrible and sleety. Naturally we had to warm ourselves up with yet more gluehwein, then rung Doris to see if she was home to see our pics. She was and after we bought some gifts for folks back home, we made tracks to her place again. Unexpectantly she had cooked a meal for us (lunch) so we fore-went a meal in a typical Vienna restaurant (that we had planned to visit) and set down with my cousin and her children. After that we showed some of our NZ pics and I think we have convinced one of her daughters to come and visit us.

Sadly after a good and warm meeting it was time to come home - and take a breather before we go out and see the play "Charlie's Aunt" - I will let you know later how it went.
2morrow we head into the unknown of Prague. The town has 350 Hotels listed via Google - so I'm pretty sure we wont miss out on a decent bed.

All bright and beautiful

Well we couldn't get tickets for the play so
we ended up going to "The Graben" - a Vienna inner city street where the local council puts up a lot of decorations. A small sample enclosed. Amazing decor, and this is not the time to think of the local powerbill. We did get tickets for Monday night though - so that will be interesting.



I suggested to Pam that we are now entering the red light district - not.
However the lights continued for many a streets. We also run smack into a emergency operation by police / Fireengines / and 2 ambulances. No idea what was what but our walk had to be diverted.








Well "Old Nick" was newly added to the family and straight away initiated into the local customs of late night walks and gluehwein. Another mug to be added to the collection. By this stage we had seen the 8th Christkindl market. Having walked the better part of 2 hours around town admiring all the lights and sights we were ready for a hot drink and then the return journey.

Another Christkindl market

Another stunning shot. Shame we could not stay on the autobahn and further admire the scenery





Snowangel - this one is just for you. As you can see I did make a angel as requested. You can also see the depth of the snow and believe me - it was hard walking in it.





Today we picked up Oma and Margit and went to yet another Christkindl market. When I was a little boy we ever only had the one Market in town. Seems everyone decided there is money to be made and the markets sprung up in lots of locations some bigger then others. And we haven't even gone to Vienna yet. Anyhow this shot - taken from one of the locations of the "Sound of Music" film - Schloss Hellbrun, also known for its quirky water games, which you can only see during summer. Mamabear bought a rainbow scarf to keep her neck warm - and it matches her rainbow socks!!!! Naturally we had to have some more Gluehwein to keep warm. I'm so gonna miss that when we come back to NZ.


Interestingly enough there are at least 3 scout groups who have stalls at the Christkindl markets selling hot fruit punch. That hot drink has no alcohol and is geared for children. Of course for the grown ups you can get something a little stronger. It was good to see them wearing their scarves.

Christkindl Market

Okies - here is a pirated - oops - borrowed picture of the Christkindl market. Note this pic will have been taken around 3.30 pm-ish. It is absolutly magical if there is plenty of snow on the ground. The market is a bit like our Riccarton market - from kitch to some really very good Christmas gifts and decorations. Then there is the social meet and greet - hot kastanien and a cuppa of the famous Gluehwein and other food goodies. Yumm!!
Naturally we will be there and have a good walkabout. Then every Saturday evening from 7 - 7.30 there will be a Carol by Snow Performance. Basically in the market Square in all 4 corners, there will be performers who rotate their songs - and more often Wind instruments are being played. Ahhh the crystal clear trumpet sound across the snow . . . . . . . .
Some native towns folk come and sing (or in my case hummmm) along - ahhhh you have to be there to appreciate the atmosphere.


Thought I throw these two in from the net. I so hope to be able to take similar pictures. There is something soothing and magical about Salzburg in snow. For a start it dampens all sound, and if the sun shines it reflects of the snow . .


I wonder if Mamabear wants to go to the chapel where the song "Silent Night" first was penned and performed. It is only half an hours drive further north from Salzburg. We have already seen it in summer (after the huge flood) B U T in winter time . . . . .