Oktoberfest 2011: night views and energy costs

 

Only during Oktoberfest-time the second biggest Munich church St-Pauli offers interested visitors  (against a fee of 3 EUR) to climb up one of its towers. The view from there at the "Theresienwiese" and the huge beer tents is simply breathtaking...Yesterday I was pretty lucky and climb the almost 300 steps up and enjoyed a very colourful and magic view...

 

However once I was up there and saw all those attractions and lights I start wondering about the energy consumption. so today I checked somestatistics and found out that the famous Oktoberfest uses within 17 days as musch electricity as 1200 households for one  year. The 750 customers get the final product via 3 underground and 16 above the ground transformer stations, 43km of cables and 160 feeder stations, Very often the energy usage of the festival is compared to a town with 20.000 inhabitants!

 

Another curiosity is the fact that for some years, asthe festival was first held (1810) everything was working without current. Only in 1866 did Werner von Siemens find "das dynamoelektrische Prinzip" and developped afterwards the first electricity generator...

About Gemeenlandshuis Delfland/ de Huyterhuis in Delft...

 

One of my favourite old houses in Delft always catch (my) sight with its beautiful fassade decorated with several coats of arms...De Huyterhuis, also known as Gemeenlandhuis Delftland, was built in 1505 as the luxurious home of Jan de Huyter, who became rich by selling beer. As of 1645 the in late-gotic-style built house is property of the "Hoogheemraadschap van Delftland", the decision-maker about dikes, canals and all buildings on water. This institution is taking care of the water levels in regio Delftland.  Restauration had taken place two times: in 1888 and in 1931-1933.

During the Open-Monumentendag 2011 the employees were dressed up and were giving tour to all curious visitors. I found that their clothing help in going back in time and made the tour even more pleasant! Inside one may admire a huge collection of old maps from Delftland-area dating back to 1606.

Church " St.St. Konstantin and Elena", Mirkowo, Bulgaria/ Параклис Свети Константи и Елена, Мирково

 

One may see from few kilometers the golden cupola of the cute little church "St. St. Konstantin and Elena" on a hill before the village Mirkowo. Mirkowo is located in the "Podbalkana", around 80 km away from Sofia. My great-grandmother Nevena was born there, few kilomers further in the town Pirdop my grandfather, the father of my mother, was born....

 

The cute little church has opened its doors in the spring of 2007 and offers a great view to the surrounding fields and mountains. The interior colourful paintings show very well the typical decoration for Bulgarian Orthodox religious places. There is a small drinking water post and a stone cross in front of the church too...

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Below I am also attaching a picture of my great-grand parents (in the middle, standing: baba Nevena and djado Spiridon) and my grand parents (on the left, standing: my grandma Vera and grandpa Alexi) from 1955. On the right site, standing, is the brother of my grandpa: djado Gosho and his wife, Milka. Sitting in front are the parents of my great-grandmother from Mirkowo: her father was a priest. I really love this picture!

Colourful street art in Sofia city center...

 

This summer the street Shishman in the city center of Sofia was closed several times for street performances. End of June before the first closure of this kind creative local artists decided to make the street a touch more colourful and beautiful...So they started painting the ugly grey electricity boxes there....and now we have some masterpieces which stay and make pedestrians smile or stop for a look or picture!

Very often people ask me if I dont see the holes in the streets, the old fassade of some buildings, the begging persons in the street...Yes, I do see them, yes it hurts. But thats why I like to share here the good pcitures, the happy souvenirs, the ones who brings smiles on faces! I look for the signs of the incredible, the different, the good spirit...and I found it this time in a bunch of painted boxes:-))) and say thanks and BRAVO to the artists...