Germar's Monthly Updater

December 2000: Big Bear, Hanover, and Christmas in Garmisch-Partenkirchen Beginning of December I went skiing to Big Bear. The ski resort is located in the San Bernadino Mountains east of Los Angeles. It's about a three hour drive away from San Diego. The slopes were decent, although all snow was machine-made. The view from the mountain is quite pretty looking down on LA on one side and on the deserted hinterland on the other. Skiing in America is a bit different from skiing in Europe. First, there are regulations everywhere, thanks to U.S. liability laws. Those assume that it's the fault of the ski resort if a skier falls and breaks his leg. Rules on how to appropriately behave can be found on lift tickets, on huge boards placed throughout the resort (like the one below), on lift poles, and even in restrooms. "Always stay in control" is really a kind reminder when you sit on a toilet. Secondly, people don't get upset when standing in line. When I was a kid, it was always part of the sport to push as quickly as possible to the front of the line. Don't do this in America! You might loose your "ticket privilege". Thirdly, it's hard to find a decent restaurant. The only place to eat food at the Big Bear resort is in the basement of a building - a room without windows and designed in the style of bad fast-food restaurant. Mid of December I flew to Germany. I visited first the University of Hanover and gave a talk about UV measurements. Below are some colleagues from the Radiation and Remote Sensing Research Group of the Institute for Meteorology and Climatology. The picture was taken in the Herrenhäuser Garten, a great park in Hanover, located in walking distance from the university. Hanover is a pretty town, full of historical buildings. Below is the opera house, which was built in 1852 in the center of the city. Some half-timbered houses have survived the centuries and still provide a beautiful sight: From Hanover I took a night train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It was the first time that I was travelling in a sleeper. The monotonous sound from the wheels is quite relaxing and so I easily fell asleep. The time in Garmisch-P. was filled with Christmas celebration, visiting friends, skiing on Zugspitze, and the New Year's Eve Party, this time blended with a sledging tour. When I arrived, I went for a walk, enjoying the beloved landscape of my homeland. It's different during every season and this time meadows shrouded in mist provided an almost mystical atmosphere. I was surprised that so close to Christmas chicken were still running around. Finally Christmas was there and I celebrated the feast with my family. Below is our Christmas manger standing below the Christmas tree. It was build by my father and is a model of a typical bavarian barn like the one two pics above. Usually, there is plenty of snow on the mountains during Christmas. The year 2000 was unfortunately an exception. In order to give you some impression how Garmisch-Partenkirchen should look like in winter, I present some pictures below, which were actually taken during my Christmas vacation in 1999. The small village of Farchant, located just a couple of miles north of Garmisch-P. at the foot of the mountain shown above. The mountain below is the Kramer, located north of Garmisch-P. The Brünselskopf as seen from the balcony of my house in Garmisch-P... ... and a snow-covered small tree just below the balcony. Watching a sunset from the "Wank," with Garmisch-Partenkirchen lying below, is an unforgettable view. The picture below is the other way round: observing the Wank when the last rays of sunlight hit the summit. As on all mountains surrounding Garmisch-P., there is also a cross on the Wank. And I think it is a most beautiful one. I took the cable car up on Christmas Day and enjoyed the sunset. Brünselskopf during sunrise (this one was actually taken during Christmas 2000 :-) The last view on Alpspitze before I flew back to San Diego the other day.

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