26.11.09

Did Darwin Kill God?

From a recent ABC Australian television "Compass" documentary on Darwinism called "Did Darwin Kill God?"

The human body has around 20,000 genes.

Pinot Noir grapes have more genes and rice even more again. Both have about twice the number or more than we do.

Might they be sentient?

Next time you wash down that asian meal with a glass of the red think about how they must feel being consumed by a less complex creature.

Is there no justice or just no God?

18.11.09

Musing On The Absurd.

If a Jewish man marries an Italian girl and they have children together, will their offspring be, "Kosha-nostra"?

4.11.09

Dancing With Vikings


It was a fun trip to Flensburg but really,really tiring. Don't think I was really 100% up for it but I made it anyway. I walked an average of about 10-15 km each day around various areas. On the trip up my reserved seat on the ICE (freebie from Bettina's annual rail card points) I was on a table of 4 people . The other 3 people turned out to be from Toowoomba in South Queensland. A 4 Aussie table. Larf!! They were off to an agri-tech fare in Hannover. Nice guys. Bought me a coffee for helping them sort out their rail tickets with the conductor and what they needed to know.


When I got off the train in Flensburg I was talking to a young turk at the bus stop about best bus cards to buy when a young school girl came up to me and said," Your from Australia!" She was a year 12 exchange student from Auckland in New Zealand with 2 more months to go till her return to Sheepland. Anyway Chloe sorted me out with the right bus passes for 3 days and then rode with me quacking away all the way to my guest house at Seeewarte. I think the poor lassie was starved of english speaking people. Nice kid and a big help given how done in I was after the 6.5 hour trip up there. So a full day of new antipodean acquaintences.


The weather throughout my stay was mainly overcast and gray. Really consistent light rain for the last 2 days. Still I forced myself to walk through it all and covered lots of ground. I took a new pair of Blundies to break in as my old ones were letting in water after 5 years on the run here. Great boots. Never gave me an inch of trouble as always. The weather also really did not help a lot with my photos as I think my little Trip 35 struggles in the lower light a bit. I should have had the common sense to go up to a 400ASA film for the trip but I had gotten a good deal on Fuji 200 so I used that. The results were not too displeasing but the higher ASA would have given a bit more contrast in some of the shots.


Where I stayed was an old guest house called Seewarte. The guy who owns it Willie gave me a fantastic deal at 15 euros a night plus 6 euros more for a full breakfast each morning. It was a really quaint place with a lot of historical naval and shipping stuff around. The town is not so far from Rostock one of the largest U-Boat dockyards of the war years. So a lot of old navy relics on the walls. The place was warm, clean and friendly so I couldn't ask for more,


Flensburg - Seewarte Flensburg - Seewarte


Willie's nephew Heinrich worked in Australia for a while. I found out he worked on the vineyards around Ballarat at Seppelts Wines and lived in town for 8 months. Larf larf larf again! He had designed and built up a really modern, ultra trendy cocktail bar under the guesthouse. Best in Flensburg he says. I would believe him. He mixed me a cocktail and threw in some beers as well. Win, win, win!!!


On the first night there it was very quiet given it was a Sunday. I found an old tudor / fachwerk pub in the city centre called Porticus 1740 where I managed to get in a couple of quiet beers. Ancient building with very, very low doorways. Ouch!!! They were holding their annual Skät card playing tournnament and although it was a closed function till 2030hrs they allowed me stay and watch and drink beer. Made for a very interesting Sunday night.


Flensburg Flensburg


On one day I went out to see Schloss Glücksburg (Lucky Town Castle) which is a lovely water castle set on a lake. It was raining lightly and the inside of the castle was closed for the Winter but I walked the 5km right around the lake which was lovely. Wet but lovely.


Schloß Glücksburg Schloß Glücksburg


Flensburg was the original trading port for rum,sugar, tobacco and spice woods from the Carribean. As a result they learnt to make their own rum and at one point had rum distilleries all over the town. Today there is only one left, Braaschs, which I visited for a small free tasting and bought some rum truffles which were to die for. It's the last dedicated full time rum distillery in Germany. http://www.braasch.sh/


Flensburg


They have two breweries in the town being Flensburger famous for their, "Plop", the sound there swing top bottle seals make when you open them. http://www.flens.de/ I visited the Plop Shop and scored some nice glasses for my collection. One was a free gift from the lady at reception. Cool. Hansens Brewery on the harbour is the northern most brewery in Germany and the meals they served were grotesquely large. My god I have never seen the likes. My roast pork had 9 slices about 1cm thick and about half a CD in size. A half litre of pickled red cabbage (rotkraüt) and a solid mountain of baked potato chips. I really could not eat more than a half before I started to feel like I was about to expire. A valiant effort even for a piggy like me. They make seriously good unfiltered beers which were extremely addictive. http://www.hansensbrauerei.de/.


Flensburg


The town is only 3km from the Danish border and as a result the last stop on the city bus line is just over the border in Denmark. I decided to ride to the end of the route and check it out. Typical border station. Three casino type places, a bunch of fast food take aways and a large bus parking area. Next town was 30km on and by bus in Danish krone far to expensive. For lunch I had a pair of fabulous danish hotdogs (bigger than a longboat) for 4 euros then got on the bus and went back to Flensburg. So yes, I've been to Denmark but only for a hotdog lunch. As you do.


The harbour is really quaint and has a wide variety of older sailing ship as well as steam boats which ply the fjord in the Summer months with tourists. I visited the Maritime Museum to get a feel for the historic background of the port. Their history going back to the Viking longboats and such is awesome. Really interesting. On the last evening in town I went to a small pub across the road from the guesthouse and ended up drinking beers with a guy called Rolf. We had a funny evening. Turns out later in the evening that he captains the big steamship from the main harbour around the fjord. The Alexandra. He said that if I do come back when they are operating I can visit the bridge and sit with him. I think that would be fantastic in an old steamer. Some times really nice things happen. Right place, right time. Arrrr Cap'n, Arrrrr Jim Lad !!


Flensburg Flensburg




Long trip home and totally worn out but a nice experience to the land of the vikings.


Vikings - 3
Jimbo Shorthorn of the Long Glass -1
They took all my gold!


3.9.09

Un-Made In Germany (Part 2 T-Home Alone)

(N.B. Some names have been changed to protect the guilty)
Germany has, since the end of World War 2, embraced democracy with a fervour that is nothing short of fanatical. To be seen to be doing anything other than giving every man, jack and his dog his full and legal voting rights, is a throw back to very much darker times when personal choice was simply not on the public agenda in any way, shape or form. Franklin D. Roosevelt said, ”Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” Germany on the whole has a fantastically well educated society and in general they reap the rewards of many long and arduous years of higher and advanced education.

In my first few months of living here I was given the opportunity to vote in the local Hessen state elections. It is a given right here, that anyone whomsoever that wishes to run for a public office, shall be given the right to do so. The pre-voting sample form that was wedged in my letter box, some 3 weeks before the elections, was to be the beginning of a long and convoluted understanding into the ways of the German psyche.

Having only recently arrived in the country and not knowing any of the potential candidates was not my main concern. What beggared belief was simply the sheer number of candidates on the ballot paper for your consideration. “Political insanity”, springs to mind as one appropriate term. Aristotle once said, “Man by nature is a political animal.” This undoubtedly was a safari park, the fences were down and someone had forgotten to feed the lions.

Community Vote Card For Hessen 2003
*** Make your free and educated guess from any of the 481 nominated candidates ....... yeah right !!!!!


Inherent to this new world process of giving everyone their unhindered freedom of choice, there has also arisen a darker and more menacing side effect of the overall process. A debilitating cancer that is slowly eating its way into the every day lives of people all over Germany. This staggeringly detrimental effect is seen in the daily inability, in offices everywhere here, to take charge, make a hard and fast decision of your own volition and to hold firmly to it.

This truly spirited embracing of the democratic procedure, now means that nothing at all can move forward in the workplace here unless you have the unequivocal backing of 99.9999% of your departmental colleagues. Every single form and memo must be stamped, countersigned, duly notarised by one of the 12 Apostles and distributed by registered mail to every living person within a 5km radius. Finally, somewhere within the triple bound and stapled addendum is a blood weeping stigmata being ultimate proof of God’s own seal of approval.

I see endless meetings everyday in my workplace. Hundreds of hours per year are frittered away without anyone apparently making a hard and fast decision about anything much at all. I hear the same sorts of stories from all my friends wherever they work, no matter the type of industry or its size. In German office culture no one ever wants to be the one who says, ”Alright, that’s final then, make it happen people.” When it comes to decision making it is far preferable that someone, anyone but yourself, does it so that your head and career, are not at anytime in jeopardy or god forbid, under scrutiny, from higher powers. Hence the regular use of stigmata to condone a decision truly does assist.

I do not believe I have ever found a German translation for, “The buck stops here!”. I have very strong and depressing suspicions that if indeed it ever did exist then it has probably gone the same way as all those back copies of, “Mein Kampf.”

Where I am living, my house mates and I have always led a very simple, eco friendly and cost effective life style. We try very hard to waste nothing at all. We only use electricity for the essentials like refrigeration and washing and most evenings the only light in the house comes from a pair of candles in the kitchen. This is not only cost efficient but it eases the stress on your eyes after sitting in front of computer terminal all day at the office. We collect as much rain water as possible for the garden and other house hold tasks as well as making good use of all the fruits, nuts and vegetables that mature in the garden. Television is virtually never watched apart from a very occasional DVD.

With a recent change to our circumstances and after 8 long years of careful deliberation, truly the German way, we decided to get the Internet connected at home. Initial enquiries produced some favourable results and after several more months of household round table discussions, as well as searching for a locally available Apostle to sign off on the decision, we signed up with Telekoon and their T@Home-Alone package. It was at this point that our odyssey into that bizarre and frustrating realm of German indecisiveness and buck passing began.

The initial switch over form our ancient analogue lines to the digital network was implemented on the 27 June. This fundamental alteration which is achieved by the mere flick of a switch in the local exchange resulted in our house being without any telephone connection at all for several days. The roller coaster was gaining momentum.

We enjoy our peace and quiet at home and rarely do not get more than a handful of phone calls in a week. To this end we were not particularly perturbed and life continued without any major dramas. What lay ahead of us would prove to be one of the most uncoordinated, mismanaged customer service events I have ever witnessed. The idea of full and proper, “Customer Service”, does not seem to exist in Germany either. I know this issue is becoming a bug bear the world over but some places still do it worse than others. Maybe I was looking in all the wrong places and should have been looking under “T” for “The Buck Stops Here” or under “M” for “Mein Kampf” but either way this much flaunted selling point of our new service provider failed to materialise under any guise or in any form when dealing with T-Offline. Ineptitude is such a lovely word that nicely sums up the total lack of any qualities that might have rendered their services of any value or redeemed them as a service provider. Ineptitude, yes, I like the way it rolls off the tongue and slithers off your chin to the floor, where you can then grind at it at leisure beneath the heel of your jaded, world weary, boot heel.

After 3 days the phone was eventually restored to life. This was a miracle of precedented proportions given what was to come. After having spent more than a day with our newly restored phone line trying to get the computer to connect, we conceded defeat. The error message was always the same. User-name and Password not recognised. Consulting our endless booklets of brightly coloured documentation, provided by the company to terminally confuse and bewilder the average customer, we actually discovered a Customer Service number. It was a free call number.

How soon we were to learn that nothing is ever free and that this so called free number would consume, without pausing for a redial, massive quantities of personal time, whole days of annual leave and endless mental stress. It was somewhat like having a black hole attached to a spiral cord in your house. Place the receiver to your ear and your brain would get sucked into an awaiting vacuum which resounds to the tacky sounds of bygone pop or worse. This was day one of the great telephone marathon and on this day alone we called T@Home-Alone 4 times.

Each successive call would reach a different operator, most often in a different location around Germany. Each operator had to be fully enlightened as to the reason for the call before they would inevitably tell you that it was a matter for the Technical Department and that they would transfer you. Most times the call transfer failed and you would be cut off, only to end up back at square one, redialling, just to tell another agent the same story once again, so as they would have an opportunity to disconnect you yet again. Eventually, we managed to talk to a voice at the Technical Department who advised us that they would raise a Job Ticket to look into the issue and that someone would call us back when the issue was resolved.

Thirty hours later we were calling them again, we were told that no error could be detected and therefore the problem lay at our end with either our Fritz-box, computer or cabling. By day 5 with the assistance of a friend and her laptop we ascertained that the outbound line was indeed functioning as she could access her office and emails from our property. Armed with this information it was time to go back into the T@Home-Alone freecall black hole.

This time we got rather a nice young lady, who listened very carefully to our tale of woe for 15 minutes, before telling us that we really needed to discuss it with, you guessed it, the Technical Department, soon to be referred to as “The Death Star in the Vacuum”. She transferred the call and surprise, surprise, the line fell out. Determinedly, we called back and got another person to whom we again explained the situation and then they transferred us successfully. The Tech person we spoke to agreed that the fault must lie with the User-name and Password, just as our home computer system had so kindly advised the first time. They would now open a Job Ticket, look into that particular issue and then someone would call us back to advise the outcome.

Two days later we still had no reply so it was back into the black hole. After going through 3 different people we were told that this last Job Ticket was also now closed and that no problems had been detected. We asked them what they would then suggest, given that we had access from our house to the net but not through our own house account, which was blocked by the invalid User-name and Password. The solution offered was that we now required a visit, from one of their technical staff, to our house to fully review the computer setup before they could take any further action. Action being a word which was used a little to freely given the com plete lack of it. The earliest appointment available was 4 days away, unable to do otherwise we agreed to have someone at home to meet them between 9-12 in the morning. On the evening before the appointment we had a phone call from the assigned technician asking us, had we tried this, had we tried that. He obviously had no love of house calls, he was going to solve it right here and now. After an hour of discussion and explanations he said that he would investigate further at his end before coming to the house the next morning. If and only if, we should manage to get a connection before he came, then please let him know so that he could cancel the appointment. We said that we would do this and that was that.

The following day the technician never turned up and one of us had taken a day off work to be there for him. After 2 more calls and another hour on the phone in the middle of the afternoon, we were told that the appointment had been cancelled, as they never received any input from our end as to whether or not we had established a connection. As they had heard nothing they assumed that we were now alright. Not that anyone there checked to see if our account connection was up and running mind you. The word KILL was slowly beginning to surface in darker thoughts as the honey toned agent prattled on about excuses and unavoidable misunderstandings etc etc etc. It was Friday and the next available appointment was Wednesday of the following week, a mere 5 days further on.

At this point, sheer frustration was slowly beginning to boil into a cauldron of barely suppressed anger. This was becoming to much to bear and the sheer lack of professional and helpful support was nothing short of sickening. How any company, in any country, could employ so many people with absolutely no idea how to do their job efficiently, defies logic. I guess it comes down to a badly run HR department and poor or non existent job training. At this point we had been waiting for a solution for over 2 weeks. We were none the closer.

On the following Monday, we contacted them yet again having decided that waiting till Wednesday for a home visit was utter nonsense. All they had to do was accept the fact, that the connection at their end was flawed, to reset our account and issue us with a new User-name and Password. Having gone through the entire rigmarole of explanation yet again, one begins to wonder why, a high tech company with so many agents, handling so many customers, would not have a more effective system in place. A system, whereby simply keying in your home phone number would show them the entire case history of your account and any pending works or tickets that were currently being actioned. Oh no, this would be far to logical and simple. There was only one way to do this and that was the hard way, with not one person ever recording a single bit of information on file with the exception of opening useless Job Tickets. Tickets that obviously got closed out without anyone investigating them properly. We were told that there were no pending Job Tickets open for our account, nor was there any record of the previous tickets. We would need to speak with, “all together now”, The Technical Department. Please hold while I transfer you to 'The Death Star'. Bloody Hell!!!!! This time it seemed the Gods were smiling. We got a girl who actually seemed to know what she was doing. One of Darth's daughters no doubt. Hurrah!!! She said that she could see in a separate system that our account had no connection to the T@Offline DS-LAN server. User-name and Password were false. Ahhhh sweet progress. At last someone could see the glitch. She knew how to work around 'The Dark Side'. She opened a new Job Ticket and said that we would be contacted as soon as the ticket was resolved. This was at 9am. When it got to 5pm on the same day we called again to check on the progress and why we had not heard back. After doing the explanation routine all over again to Agent 100-XYZ-Noname-52 we were transferred again to 'The Death Star' where we were answered by one of the lower minions of evil who explained that they were permitted 24 hours to to clear a Job Ticket and that we would simply have to wait. Obviously 2 and half weeks was not sufficiently long enough. Time is not relative in a Death Star and if you are not from 'The Dark Side' then be prepared to wait !

The following day at midday, 27 hours after the ticket was raised we called again. Same explanation routine to Agent 100-XYZ-Noname-53 and off again to the Darth's kingdom. We had to stop meeting like this, people would begin to ask questions. GRRRRR!!! The wonderfully intelligent, bright spark we spoke to then said that they had checked all of the data and that nothing was wrong at their end and hence no one had called us. They had nothing to report so why bother calling! He had obviously suffered damage in a recent meteorite shower or radiation storm and was not feeling quite himself. We told him that the girl on the previous day, Darth's daughter none less, could see in her system that we had no connection to DS-LAN server, how could he not see the same? We asked if he would PLEASE be so kind as to reset the account and issue us with a new User-name and Password. Just send us out our new log-in details as this was obviously the source of the problem, pleeeease!! After 18 days of inaction, we had had enough of the run around and all we wanted was some positive action from their end. He then asked us why we were calling on the Customer Free-call number and not the pay by the minute Death Star hotline? My housemate told him that after almost 3 weeks of paying for a non existent service, that the last thing we were going to do, was to pay extra to contact them when the problem was of their own making. He hung up on us! Click!! Un-bloody-believable! The incompetent jackass hung UP!! He was obviously suffering from delusions of adequacy. What a waste of flesh. Darth was obviously paying bonuses for acts of extreme vindictivness. Whatever social and mental dilemmas he was currently facing were obviously sufficient to get him institutionalised. He had the attention span of a short circuit. Dogs would refuse to lie down with him. Where was my AK47 when I needed it most. In old age Mikhail Kalashnikov had said that he was truly sorry that he had not invented the lawnmower instead of the Kalashnikov automatic assault rifle but I guess he had also tried to get connected with T-Offline. History written as needs must.

     Kalashnikov     +       =   kalashnikov
Mikhail Kalashnikov                            Home Internet                    Lethal Weapon


"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein.

I think in the case of this particular Death Star employee Einstein had it right. This agent was no doubt on a, "Death Star Evil Executive Fast Track Program". He was surely destined for great lows!

Calling back yet again, with near bleeding fingers and a thunderhead circling the room spitting lightening bolts, we were subjected to the same numbingly pointless explanations again before being given another audience with 'The Dark Side'. Customer service my ass! Customer aggravation, customer exasperation, customer harassment! The song they were playing on hold was, "Don't You Want Somebody To Help You." So utterly painfully absurd it was almost worth laughing. I have to say it brought tears to my eyes. Tears of frustration and anger. This time the minion of darkness we spoke to agreed to send out a Telekoon technician (a separate entity to T@Home-Alone technical support) to get an overview but we would have to wait 2 days as he was booked up until then. The appointment would be scheduled by the end of the week and Santa Claus is an anorexic and the Easter Bunny has chronic diabetes. I wonder how hard he laughed after the call ended. I was positive I heard a deeply resonating evil chuckle echoing through the cavernous darkness of the Death Star and out to the galaxies beyond as the call disconnected. The kind of laughter that haunts your dreams and costs vast amounts of money on a psychiatric couch to treat.
The evening prior to his appointment, a very nice man from Telekoon phoned the house. He was courteous and helpful and was obviously schooled in a completely different level of customer assistance. He was to be our Mr Skywalker. (FX- Fanfares and cheering!) He went through a long series of checks with us and called us back on that evening a total of 6 times as he went off to re-check on each of the various possibilities. The eventual upshot was that he properly ascertained that our log-in details were false and that we should call T@Home-Alone, get new log-in details and then he would call back in an hour and see if that worked. Once again we set off on the road to nowhere. Dialled T@Home-Alone. Why oh why hadn't we made an MP3 of the full explanation, so we could tell the answering agent, please listen to this recording whilst we go and make coffee or have our dinner. Explanations and family history given we were transferred to Death Star central. It then transpired that one of Darth's severly inbred offspring was chosen to inform us with great delight and no doubt, maniacal rubbing together of the hands, that this information, no matter the request from the Telekoon technician, could not be given out over the phone and that we must wait for it to be sent out by post. It would only take but a few short days to set up a new account and post the information out to us. Let's not forget now, time is only relevent outside the Death Star. This was day 23 of the debacle and now we had to wait for them to send a letter out. I wondered about interstellar postal services and whether we would live long enough to see it.

When Mr Skywalker called back we told him what had been said to us and he said he would call us right back. Fifteen minutes later he called and gave us a temporary user name and password which, wait for it, drum roll ...... actually worked. He obviously, had not forgotten where he had stashed his AK47, light sword or whatever. The Dominions of Evil had fallen to his persuasive threats. The log-in was only valid for 7 days but he said it would be enough time for our new details to come by post barring any nearby suns going nova. Gravity wells and time warp distortions could not be guaranteed against either.

We all stood around our home computer staring at the Google home page as if it were the second coming of Christ. It certainly was not of any less significance. This battle was over, the forces of good + Google had prevailed.

Twenty three days of endless, mind numbing idiocy to get a simple problem rectified. Countless hours on the telephone, days wasted waiting on non existent call backs and appointments. The true cost in personal time, anxiety and stress was enormous. The impression that will remain for a lifetime of T@Home-Alone services will never sweeten. It is soured milk that not even pigs would deign to slurp.

This was the proof positive of all that is so very wrong in German businesses where no one wants to make a decision or put their head on the line to make a hard and fast decision. Better to pass it on to someone else and perpetuate the democratic process of which they are all so fond and deeply inured.

It is the true tragedy that this melding of democracy with modern office thinking in that little if anything ever truly gets efficiently completed. We have no doubt that we were not alone in going through this bungling chaos. The narcissistic democratic processes which thrive like a cancer is painful to watch and infinitely harder to work with. They are like ships at sea, steered by helmsmen whose eyes lie fixed, all slow, dead ahead. In the modern business environment the need to adapt to change on a daily basis is paramount. To wait for the rest of your department, the cleaning lady and him on high to give the tabled decision the thumbs up is simply not an expedient or practical way to run a business. In all fairness I will say that in so much as Germany is slow to adopt change and new practises it did stand them in good stead in the recent financial crisis. Pension funds, property prices and inflation barely registered a blip here in comparison to the rest of the world. Maybe their cautious and pedantic approach to change lies within the knowledge that not all change is good and if it's not broken then don't try and fix it. One firm that does need to adopt a better attitude towards their customers is certainly T-Offline. Just fixing any single thing at all, in a timely manner would be a monumental leap, in the right direction.

We have now been billed to date for the full period, including 23 days of non-existant internet service, as well as, a sum for Mr Skywalker to rescue us from the grubby hands of Death Star minions. AK47 rental and light sword polishing were obviously included in the rate. A letter of complaint has been written to the Head Office and sent over a month ago. Unsurprisingly it has not been answered. In some ways this is maybe a god send, as no doubt, any reply would ask us to ring the Customer Free Call number, where our complaint could be effectively dealt with. I think that paying the bill is better than going down that road to nowhere once again. This then, is surely the evil plan that lurks behind their diabolical thinking.

Somehow this entire ongoing business attitude in my every day life is driving me quietly but inexorably insane with frustration. Hence I have written this little blog, in the remote hope that others who have suffered the same mindless torture might be in someway be stirred to action against these bungling, inadequate, brain dead Agents of Customer Disservice.

Maybe it will be me that will be finally Un-Made In Germany!

27.11.08

Menus Served On My Latest Trip to Bayern

Hotel Königshof – Munich

8th November 2008 – 1300hrs

Königshof Restaurant

This award-winning restaurant defines elegant dining. From the moment you enter the restaurant, you sense the unrestrained dedication to elevated service and gastronomy.
Chef de cuisine Martin Fauster begins each day by sourcing the finest, freshest local ingredients, then crafting his menu to reflect the flavours that best capture the moment.
His commitment and inventiveness has earned the Königshof Restaurant a Michelin Star and 18 points in Gault Millau.

Entrée
Jakobsmuscheln auf cremigen Blumenkohl
Grilled and marinated Scallops with creamed Cauliflower and Pine Nuts

Served with:
2006 – Rully Les Cailloux Domaine P.Y. Colin Morey – Chardonnay

These wines have the colour of pure white gold, seductive aromas of citrus fruits, almonds and broom and an elegant taste with hints of fruits and flowers. The parcel "Les Cailloux" is one of the best of the appellation.

Main
Medaillon vom Reh mit Zwetschgen – Gänseleberpovesen
Medallion of Venison with Plum-Goose Liver Povesen and Poppy Seed


Served with:
2004 – Chateau La Serre St.Emilion Grand Cru
This variety of Red Bordeaux Blend is a blend using any or all of the five traditional Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

Dessert
Knuspriger Kaffeepudding mit Quitten und schwarzen Nüssen
Crusty Chocolate-Coffee Pudding with black Chestnuts and Quince and Raisin Icecream

Served with:
2006 – „Opitz One“ Zweigelt Schilfwein- Beerenauslese Weingut W. Opitz – Neusiedlersee

This dessert wine made from indigenous Zweigelt grapes was awarded "Wine of the Month" for June. It is dried on straw mats exposed to prevailing winds, from vine yards that yield only 7 hectolitres of juice per hectare of vine yard. Willi likes to compare with Yquem's 28hl/ha or so. It has a gorgeous, pure, strawberry and rose-hip nose, with some plump sultana notes and a certain mineral quality that is quite schisty and earthy. On the palate it is smooth and silky-textured, with a broad palate of raspberry and blackberry fruit, very refined tannins and that schisty, mineral acidity always present and adding a savoury grip despite the sweetness from 200g of residual sugar. This flagship wine is the Zweigelt straw wine „Opitz One“, which was named with reference to the famous Californian wine Opus One; a special bottling of this is called “Mr. President” and is served at the White House..







Seehotel Überfahrt – Rottach–Egern - Bayern

8th November 2008 – 1930hrs

Restaurant „Egerner Bucht“

Mixed Entrees
Auswahl von Blatt und angemachten Salaten mit vershiedenen Dressings.
Selection of salad leaf and mixed salads with various dressings

Frische Fin de Claire mit Zitrone, Schalottenvinaigrette und Chesterbrot
Fresh shucked oysters with lemon, shalott vinaigrette and soda bread

Geräucherter Lachs, Frisch aufgeschnitten mit Dill – Senfsauce
Smoked salmon freshly carved with dill and mustard sauce

Bayrischer Hirschschinken mit Kürbischutney
Bayern smoked venison ham with pumpkin chutney

Bayrisher Aufschnitt mit Kartoffel – Gurkensalat
Bayern cold cut with potato and gherkin salad

Rucolasalat aus dem Parmesanlaib mit Pinienkernen
Rucola salad with parmesan shavings and pine nuts

Detrüffelte Kohlrabicremesuppe mit Thymiancroutons
Truffled crème of turnip soup with thyme croutons

Served with:
2007 Grauburgunder HEGER Oktav - Weingut Dr. Heger Kaiserstuhl
With this Grey Burgundy the grape is greyish but the flavours say “green” with kiwi, lime and honeydew melon notes accented by herbs.

Mains
Auf der hautgebratenes Steinbuttfilet auf Wurzelgemüse mit Stockfischravioli
Crisp skin Turbo fillet on root vegetables with dried cod ravioli

Medaillon vom Kalbsfilet auf Provenzialischen Gemüse mit Lorbeerkatoffeln
Medallions of veal fillet on provencal vegetables with bay leaf potatoes

Served with:
2005 Rosso Di Montalcino Lisini
Lisini’s 2005 Rosso di Montalcino is especially generous in this vintage. It reveals attractive notes of black cherries, wild herbs, menthol and smoke on a medium-bodied frame, with excellent length and lovely balance. It is a beautiful Rosso to drink now. The wine’s structured personality works best at the dinner table

Dessert

Karamellisierter Tonkabohneneisauflauf
Caramelised tonka bean ice cream cake

Alpenländische Käseauswahl mit Tessiner Feigensenf
Alpine cheese selection with Swiss fig mustard

Aperitif
Chateau du Breuil XO Calvados




Seehotel Überfahrt – Rottach–Egern - Bayern

9th November 2008 – 1930hrs

Gourmet Restaurant Überfahrt

The art of chef Christian Jürgens with 2 Stars Michelin

Apéritive:

Champagne Mailly Grand Cru mixed with a puree of Fragolino grapes and green apple.

Amuse Bouche - (Amusement for the mouth)

Served on a wire helix rack on 3 levels.

The Art of Christian Jürgens The Art of Christian Jürgens

Cornet Filled with Creamy Mackerel Tartar
Potato waffle with interwoven sardine
Cracker topped with Antipasti

and

The Art of Christian Jürgens The Art of Christian Jürgens

Brioche topped with smoked ham /prosciutto and celery foam. Perhaps the best celery aroma I have ever tasted.


Christian’s Fischsuppe mit Krebsen
Gelierte Fischsuppe mit Sauce Rouille and Basilikum Pesto
Jellied fish soup with scampi on rouille sauce and basil pesto.

The Art of Christian Jürgens

Jakobsmuscheln & Blumenkohl
Jakobsmuscheln und Blumenkohl auf Kapern und Rosinen
Scallops with Cauliflower on a Caper and Raisin jus

The Art of Christian Jürgens

Kartoffelkiste & Ei

Gefüllte Kartoffelkiste auf Trüffelmousseline mit Perigord Trüffel
Filled potato box on truffel mouseline and shaved perigord truffel over.

This is Christian Jürgen’s signature dish which is a which is a steamed potato box filled with egg yolk, fried for 9 seconds to crisp the outside and warm the egg yolk then set on a truffles mousseline. When one cuts opens the box the soft egg mixes gently with the mousseline creating a nothing but yummy taste in the mouth. Over the years Jürgens seems to have perfected this dish. It now has exactly the right proportion of every element. What a technical masterpiece!

The Art of Christian Jürgens The Art of Christian Jürgens

Served with:
2006 - Vernacchia di San Gimignano Trabusti – Toskana Italy
A minor white-wine grape of ancient origin grown in the Tuscany region of Italy. Traditionally used to produce dry white wines that need to age at least a couple of years to mellow. Also used to create sweet golden white wines. The colour is pale straw yellow with hints of green. The Aroma is refined, intense and fruity. The taste is dry, pleasantly fresh but soft and balanced, with toasted almonds. This wine is well suited to seafood, especially shellfish, as well as light meat dishes.

Main:

Hirschkalb
Oberbayrischer Hirschkalbrücken mit Preiselbeer – Pfeffersauce
Deer calf fillet with a cranberry and pepper sauce

The Art of Christian Jürgens The Art of Christian Jürgens


Served with:
2004 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Salcheto, Toskana, Italiano
A selection of grapes from the older and best-exposed vine yards. It undergoes long maceration, pumping over at the beginning and then crushing and delestage - all at a controlled temperature. It is aged in Slavonian oak barrels and Allier barriques. Deep ruby color, with black reflections. Hits the nose with mineral aromas, followed by a defined scent of cherry and withered violet. Full-bodied with silky and firm tannins. Very elegant on the palate. Perfect with roast meats and meat sauces.

Dessert:

Zitrone
Amalfi Zitrone kandiert and gefüllt
Candied Amalfi lemon filled with vanilla ice cream and mousse and sprinkled with sea salt

The Art of Christian Jürgens The Art of Christian Jürgens The Art of Christian Jürgens

Zitrone and a pre-dessert refesher of chilled pineapple soaked in campari

Pastisserie

A selection of cakes and tortes from the trolley followed by coffee and pralines

The Art of Christian Jürgens The Art of Christian Jürgens The Art of Christian Jürgens

Served with:
2005 Saarburger Rausche Riesling Auslese Geltz – Zilliken, Mosel
A very pale, lemon yellow wine with a typical green tinge. The nose is fairly simple, with exuberant yet steely lime fruit, although perhaps there are some notes of petrol coming through. The palate is bitingly fresh, with sharp, piercing acidity. This supports a good layer of blossom and lime cordial fruit, with a very clean, sweet, viscous texture. A truly marvelous dessert wine form the heart of the Saar Ruhr / Mosel.

Aperitif

SLYRS Single Malt Whisky 2004 Schliersee, Bayern, Deutschland
Fermentation in new oak barrels made from American White Oak with 225 liters volume.
Slyrs Bavarian Malt Whisky is produced in what might pass for a picture-postcard Scottish landscape, by a mountain lake near Munich.

The man behind the project, Florian Stetter, whose family firm has made schnapps and liqueurs for generations, got the idea of producing his own whisky after visiting Glenfiddich distillery in 1994.


Restaurant Notes:

Christian Jürgens – background

"Der Feinschmecker" voted him 2nd in the competition "Highest Mover of the Year 1998" thanks to his special commitment and creativity. His next success came in November 1998 when he was awarded a Michelin Star, only one year after having opened the restaurant. From 1999 until 2001 Mr. Jürgens wrote a column for a well-known daily newspaper on his „little cookery school” that was very popular with its readers.

In the jubilee edition of the magazine “Der Feinschmecker”, the restaurant “Am Marstall”, of which Christian Jürgens was both Head Chef and Managing Director, was awarded the title Restaurant of the Year 2000. The Aral Schlemmer-Atlas wrote about him: “We experienced a master performance at the highest level, the best possible expert preparation and a grandiose interplay of finest aromas” and awarded him four cutleries. The "Varta-Gourmet-Führer" awarded him two chef’s hats and thus made him one of the best twenty restaurants in Germany. „Besser Essen und Reisen“ awarded him two Gallic cockerels and made him one of the best thirty in their guide. The Gault Millau awarded him 16 points.

Christian Jürgens took over the entire culinary responsibility as the Head Chef at Burg Wernberg on 1.5.2001. The 30-room Relaix-Château luxury castle hotel includes a regional restaurant, one of the most modern conference centres in Europe and the gourmet restaurant “Kastell”. After only a short while, the "Kastell" was awarded two Varta chef hats, four cutleries in the Aral-Schlemmer-Atlas, 3 "F" in the Feinschmeker, 16 points in the Gault Millau and one Michelin Star. In 2002 the Feinschmecker awarded the restaurant „Kastell“ 3 ½ „F“ and the Varta Guide awarded it 2 of its coveted hats. In October 2002 the Aral-Schlemmer-Atlas evaluated the restaurant „Kastell” with 4 spoons and “arrow pointing up” and made Christian Jürgens the "Highest Mover of the Year 2003" out of a total of 3000 tested restaurants.

The biggest honour of his career up to this point was bestowed upon him on 27th of November 2002, when he was awarded the second Michelin Star! He was thus deemed to be one of the 17 best cooks in Germany and one of the 50 most successful cooks in Europe.

The “icing on the cake” was bestowed by the magazine “Die Bunte”, by catapulting the restaurant from 64th position the previous year to 17th place in 2002. The magazine “Capital” drew a conclusion of all of the year's evaluations in all guides at the end of 2002. It came to the result that Christian Jürgens was the shooting star in the cooking scene and put him in 18th place in their list of Germany’s best cooks.

In the 2007 ranking by the magazine “Der Feinschmecker” Christian Jürgens came in 9th in the list of the 10 best cooks in Germany and 1st in the list of the best country hotels.

15.6.07

Reich Wing Nuts

The chief executive of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) says nuclear power is a viable alternative to coal-fired power in Australia.

Anti Nuclear Poster from Australia 1998

But in order for Australia to have a viable nuclear power industry, Ian Smith says four or five nuclear power plants would have to be built on the east coast.

Anti Nuclear Poster from Australia 1978

"This would mean, power stations would go on the main grids and would supply electricity into those main grids. A normal fleet of four or five nuclear stations would produce something in the vicinity of 5,000 mega-watts of power," he said.

Q: How much power does a modern nuclear plant produce and how does that compare with typical coal, hydro power, wind power & solar power? Why do nuclear power, wind power & solar power all "cost" more (in cents per kWhr) than conventional fossil-fuel power?

A: How long is a piece of string? If you install enough wind or solar power stations you can easily compete with nuclear, but what you have is a difference of scale - wind and solar are generally smaller, but you can have more of them. Nuclear costs more because it is a very complicated and dangerous technology. Coal is also a dangerous technology, but it's not complicated. With nuclear, you've got all the mining and related hazards and then you've got the radioactivity that has to be contained - it's 2 to 3 times more expensive then coal. Nuclear will probably never really be cheap, simply because of the safety costs.

Anti Nuclear Poster from Australia  1983

Nuclear power plants require vast amounts of water to keep them cool. Sea water is not viable due to its corrosive nature. Just where is all this fresh water supposed to be coming from in a country that barely has sufficient fresh water for its own population. Are we going to start building massive desalination plants next to these power stations and what will be the cost of those at the end of the day. The Howard goverment already says that desalination plants are to expensive to build for the amount of water they produce. Obviously to expensive for drinking water but not for producing nuclear power when you are sharing in the profits. Dubya and Dubious, what a team.

The thing that is deeply disturbing here is that now that I live in a country of approx. 86 million people which is serviced by eight nuclear power plants I have to wonder why Australia with only 20 million people requires 5 of them. Do our politicians really believe that all Australians are mug punters???

Germany is in the process of closing down their plants at vast cost. About the only thing most Germans are sure about right now is the dire need to abandon nuclear power, evidenced by the "Switch Off and Rethink" mantra stamped on billboards and in newspapers, buzzing from television sets, and crossing people's lips throughout the nation. And tough policies enacted by the red-green government have laid an incredible groundwork for that move -- not just for Europe's wealthiest nation to become nuclear-free in the next 15 years, but for renewable-energy suppliers to double their output to provide one-fifth of Germany's power within the same period.

atomkraft_nein_danke

By mid-century, the country expects to derive more than half of its power from renewables. Between now and 2020, when the last plant is scheduled to close, Germany's nuclear-power stations expect to produce about 6,000 additional tons of spent fuel. In the last five years, thanks to this singular piece of Green legislation, Germany has doubled its production of renewable fuels like wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and biomass, which now comprise more than 10 percent of the total energy supply. Using essential free-market principles, the country has begun a radical re-mixing of its energy system which, if things go as planned or better, means Germany will be running on at least 65 percent renewables by mid-century.

Currently there are 435 atomic reactors generating electricity in 31 countries across the globe. They fill 6.5 percent of the world's total energy demand and use close to 70,000 tons of enriched uranium per year. Atomic plants produce one-sixth of the total electricity supply -- roughly on par with hydropower.

Just who stands to make all the money from the contruction and running of these new plants in Australia. Here in Germany the main supplier is Siemens, the Australian plants would be in the main be contructed by Westinghouse and Halliburton if Mr Howard had his way.

Westinghouse Electric Company provides fuel, services, technology, plant design, and equipment for the commercial nuclear electric power industry. Siemens owns Westinghouse. Rumsfeld is an ex Board of Directors and a major shareholder. Rumsfeld is, after all, the same man who was photographed shaking hands with Saddam Hussein back in the 80’s when America was selling him arms. If the reports are true, these may have included biological agents such as the germs for anthrax and botulism — from what I’ve read, the UN reports following the first Gulf War indicated that the biological strains which Hussein had in his possession were identical to those produced in the US.

So let’s make certain we have this right…the United States sells arms to other countries when it’s expedient for them to do so, and then turns around and criticizes those same countries for actually keeping them. Anyone else see something pathological about this?

Halliburton’s business dealings in Iran helped fund terrorist activities there—including the country’s nuclear enrichment program. It was Dick Cheney who directed Halliburton toward aggressive business dealings with Iran—in violation of U.S. law—in the mid-1990s, which continued through 2005 and is the reason Iran has the capability to enrich weapons-grade uranium.

So if Australia was to go ahead and have these 5 new nuclear stations built we would be looking at nothing more than lining the pockets of people like Bush,Cheney and Rumsfeld who profit so greatly from selling nuclear technology whilst putting Australia's eco system at potentially huge risk whilst at the same time adorning the east coast of Australia with five potential terrorist targets. No doubt there are some very lucrative offers for a place on the Board of Directors for Mr Howard should it all go ahead. Considering the state of superannuation in Australia now I guess he may well need a payment equivalent to that of which Rumsfeld was payed for sitting on the Westinghouse board of USD$190,000 a year. Nice work if you can get it.

I feel that Australia needs to have a full referendum on the signing of any agreements for the contruction of nuclear plants on Australian soil. This needs to take place after a lengthy environmental impact study which hopefully will last long enough to see that Howard, Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney do not stand to make a cent from their implementation. Any agreements signed by Howard prior to the end of his term as Prime Minister need to be declared null and void until Australians as a whole vote on the issue. Australia has sufficient renewable resources in solar, hydro and wind to far outway any supposed benefits that nuclear power plants would bring us. Howard can no longer stand there and say that he is doing his bit to meet emission standards by trying to get these plants approved as his stance on the Kyoto Treaty shows it to be a bald face lie.

no_nuclear_au

Keep Australia free of nuclear power plants and we will not face the dilemma that Germany is now facing as it tries to scale down and close its existing nuclear plants and dispose of thousands of tons of toxic waste. Don't be a mug punter be a stand up Aussie and nip this farce in the bud before we all end up paying for it and our children's children as well.

Slide Into Summer

After some time away from my Blog I have finally found some time to add a little more. The last couple of months have been given over to friends on tour from Australia, a trip to France and various other events such as the local four day rock festival. After going through the hottest April in history for Germany, our late Spring has turned into a semi monsoonal season with torrential rains and massive electrical thunderstorms brewing regularly.

Had a great weekend down in the Alsace in Colmar and Eguisheim. Everything was excellent albeit for the sore hips from sleeping 2 nights on the ground with only a sleeping bag for padding. Mate, I'm getting old!!!! Next year it will be an air mattress for Jimbo or it will be a hotel. The festival was great this year and the cheeses and wines as usual, simply magic. The weather was also brilliant with 27-28 deg each day. Warm nights too for sitting under the stars and drinking a red. New pics are up on Flickr. Got to mumph some seriously good ham and veal pie as well as the mandatory quiche and pure pork salami for which the region is famous. The Biofestival food is always good and I really pigged out there as well. Also had the best rotisserie chicken I have ever tasted.
Colmar Bio / Eco Fair Colmar Bio / Eco Fair Colmar Bio / Eco Fair

Spent a lot of time sampling and purchasing bio Alsace whites and some lovely reds from France and Italy. The main food hall was a massive affair with a local orchestra and world music bands providing entertainment. They always put on a playground area for the kids as well adults and this year they has an incredible selection of bizarre bicycles in all shapes and forms. Fantastic.

Stopped off on the way back at Strasbourg to view the Notre Dame cathedral ( a true gothic classic) and for contrast we also stopped in Speyer to see the dom (roman era contruction) and the old town. Amazing stuff. God how I love this place. It is always doing my head in from every angle with sights that fill me with wonder.

Strasbourg – Notre Dame Cathedral Strasbourg - Notre Dame Cathedal

Two old mates Bruce and Paula dropped in on their way through Europe for a few nights and we spent some lovely hours visting the local sights which included castles and medieval villages.
Schloß Außerbach Schloß Frankenstein

A couple of very late evenings ensued whilst sampling wines from across Europe and munching an array of cuisine that was in the main German but also included some french cheeses. It was amazingly good to see them both after more than 25 years and it served as a stark reminder of how easy it is to fall out of touch with people and what a loss that can ultimately be. I hope will see each other again before to much time sweeps past again.

Darmstadt annually hosts the Schlossgrabenfest which is a four day concert in the city centre. They put on over 80 bands, on 4 stages and the entry is completely free. The music ranges from rock and pop, to soul, hip hop, alternative, reggae, tribute bands and blues right through to jazz. Several of the acts were very good and some were just downright terrible. However, it was a mix for all tastes and all types. The weather true to form cracked up completely on Saturday night. It is the third year in a row that the festival has been totally awash. I do wish they would try a later date further into Summer. Some of the bands that played were Sweetheart a 70’s Galm tribute band doing T-Rex, Alice Cooper etc. Very entertaining indeed. Hole Full Of Love an AC/DC tribute band was excellent. Really tight covers and the guy palying Angus had all the moves. It really went right off. Sushiduke and Die Happy were also very good. It was the first year that they had introduced any form of security to stop people bringing in their own alcohol supplies. This was a shame as the beer was terrible and served in plastic cups which you had to purchase for one euro. I hope next year they have the common sense to review this as a lot of people complained about the lack of choice in beers and the cheap, tacky cups. Despite all a good was had by all. What's not to like about four day freebies :)

Next month the next wave of Aussie visitors sweeps in from southern Queensland. I am fully expecting yet another bomb crater to appear in the wine rack but as they say,” War is hell, Grace!” My partners sister has her 50th birthday shortly so we are gearing up there for a bit of a bash as well. I will head back to Berlin at the end of the month to stay a couple of nights in The Kempinski Bristol and to see some mates who will marry next week before heading off to live in Hong Kong, where one of them has a contract with the World Wildlife Fund. I have already nick named them ,” Panda Patrol”. Life here is always busy and I am forever finding less and less time available than I require to do all the things that I want to. The need for greed. Summer in Europe …… Bring It On !!!