Oktoberfest in Pune India

I made it a point to attend the Oktoberfest this year. This is the sixth year that it is being held in Pune and I kept missing it for one reason or the other. It was a three day affair, held at the race course and conducted by the Indo-German Chambers of Commerce.

Having a ring side view of the horse race was an added privilege as that was a part of the Oktoberfest. (more on the horse race in the next post) 

In fact horse races in the presence of the Royal family (in 1810) marked the close of the event that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria. The decision to repeat the horse races in the subsequent years gave rise to the tradition of the Oktoberfest. A painting of the horse race held in 1813. 

picture source wikipedia

  Coming back to Pune, the German band Die Sulmtaler was in attendance and I must say that they did a good job of keeping the crowd entertained.

Matthias was liberal with his smatter of Hindi “Maja aa raha hai?” 

Many had turned up in the Dirndls. 

Almost all hit the dance floor (or swayed with the music) 

The kids too had a gala time

There were photo opportunities for many

Some liked to be clicked 

but I found that the candid ones were better and had a natural appeal 

The second day being a Saturday, the dance floor was jam packed, so many decided to make do with the table top 

A special mention should be made about the beer and the German food. 

and the sale of the food coupons was brisk

Had the opportunity to witness the "tapping" of the beer keg. (and drank some beer directly from the keg)

The only thing that I found out of place were the plastic glasses.

I mean when you think of beer you always associate it with beer bottles or beer mugs 

Have compiled some videos with more photographs. 

Noticed that these videos were also uploaded at the PuneOktoberfest FB site. 

Delft Pottery

 

The tag says that it costs 550 Euros for the set. A bit steep I must say but when you look at the effort that has gone into the making of this pair, I think it is worth reconsidering.

Had been to the Delft Pottery in Netherlands about six months ago. A visit to the factory is worth it if you are in Netherlands.

 

They take you through a set of articles that are on display with special mention about how it was made. For example “The Night Watchman” is a collection of 480 tiles of 18x18cms.   

 

The original painting of 1642 by Rembrandt was 13 ft x 16 ft. It took more than a year for two master painters to convert this on to the tiles by individually painting them by hand.

 

The best part was that the tiles were sold even before the painting was over. To this day the owner has loaned the set to the museum so that the visitors can enjoy this unique piece.

Before you enter this section, there is an audio visual display giving you a brief history of how Delft pottery came into Netherlands.

 

Time stands still on this table with the Delft pottery. 

King Willem III has donated his collection with the condition that it will be exhibited in a "dignified fashion"

 

 

Some of the other exhibits

 

 

I admire this model who agreed to wear all this pottery and walk the ramp

The old drafting board that was used by them is also one of the exhibits

Further down one can have a glimpse at their factory where each piece is physically examined by a person and final touches given with the help of a leg operated “pottery wheel” 

 

In another corner one can see the artists painting each piece. Don’t miss the transistor in the background. I observed these transistors even in the factory where it was splashed by the paint and wet mud, but who cares, music is more important. 

 

 

Further down there is a display of the items that are for sale.

 

 

 

 

All in all a good experience. Have made a 8 min video with more photographs:

 

Washrooms

It is interesting to see the different signs that are put up in the washrooms of hotels and restaurants.

Some are very simple like these

 

These are from a hotel in Amsterdam.

 

The entrance for this one is a common one (for Men and Women) This was in California where we had brunch at the Cliffhouse. The type of art used here is from the early fifties.

This is from La Bularia, an eating place in Amsterdam. From the drawings, one can make out that it is a Spanish joint.

 

 

One that I saw in France

 

 

I don’t know where I clicked this but the braille letters at the bottom indicate that they have thought of the blind people too.

 

In case people can’t read the “Ladies” sign, there is a picture of a girl alongside it. The drawing of the girl is in Mario Miranda style, but not actually by Mario. This is at the Baga beach, Goa (Hotel Britto)

 

Talking of toilets, I found this feedback system installed in Singapore airport (Changi) very interesting. After using the toilet, you can give your feedback by just pressing a button. What a simple and effective way for instant feedback.

 

Like me, all must have pressed “excellent” as can be seen here.

Coming back to washroom, this is one sign which needs no description. Every Indian anywhere in the world will know the meaning of this. Clicked this in an eating place in the suburbs of Mumbai.