No matter what the season, many Germans love to sit outdoors, eating and drinking all the while.

The photo was taken on 22 February at the Biergarten at the Viktualienmarkt in Munich in the early afternoon.

This is winter, but we just bundle up and do what other nationalities might only do in warmer temperatures. Germans are hardcore when it comes to eating, drinking, and having a good time – outdoors.

There is an old saying Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, nur schlechte Kleidung (There is no bad weather, just insufficient clothing).

München Viktualienmarkt in February 2012

 With friendly permission from Margit Appleton, a Munich resident, and an avid photographer.

More about Margit on:

http://lifeinmunich.posterous.com/

http://interculturalmusings.blogspot.com/

We took another stroll through Oberursel on this rather grey day in August. I noticed some things for the first time, even though they must have been here for ages.

Such as this mural, which looks like it filled in the former entrance from the street to a court yard.

Mural of a cider press in Oberursel

The Brauhaus Vetters hosted some guests in the Biergarten – for eating out and drinking beer, Germans do not need sunshine, thank goodness.

Brauhaus Vetters Biergarten on a cool day in August

We have gone down this road many times on foot, but never really noticed this fountain. Well, Oberursel is THE Brunnenstadt (town of fountains), so we are blessed with quite a few fountains around the area and might not perceive them anymore.

Fountain in Oberursel

What looks like autumn leaves are fallen leaves on a bad summer day in August.

Summer temps and sunshine in Germany abandoned us about three months ago.

The beer garden season has no official opening date. Whenever the weather turns nice, every Kneipe (pub) with an outdoor setting, moves its tables and chairs outside. This spring, we got to sit in the beer garden as early as the beginning of April.

Beer garden in Germany

The pub Zum Adler in downtown Oberursel is not your typical beer garden. This is an old building off the old main street, and the proprietor is known for his homemade Apfelwein (alcoholic apple cider, what else – we are in Germany).

The benches are lined up in the courtyard entrance, which had to be high enough to let the loads of apples come through by tractor. Guess nowadays he has found a different route for his apples to come in.

Beer garden business might be down this week as the temperature has dropped to 18°C (65 F). This morning it was chilly with 7°C (45F). If you are heading to Germany, bring some warm clothing, just in case.

Last night we went to Null Zwo in Bad Homburg to watch the game Germany – Australia. Great game, especially with Germany beating Australia 4:0.

Null Zwo's Biergarten in Bad Homburg

Again, the Biergarten was full with people eating and drinking. There were no signs of a slowing economy.

Our waitress was dressed appropriately.

A plate of roast beef

This dish was advertised as Roast Beef “Englisch”, yes, Englisch in quotation marks. At € 12,50, this almost equaled the price of four tall glasses of beer.

We had a very good time watching the game with friends while cheering for Germany. Our teenage son reminded me a few times to behave better and refrain from rooting too loudly. What would I do without him?

Children seldom misquote. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.

-author unknown -

Another Friday night out with my husband saw us at our favorite pub Zum Adler in Oberursel.The cool and rainy weather in May has turned into a fairly warm and humid one by now. And a cold beer tastes really good right now.

Any German beer will do...

The painted rock with # 10 identifies our table to the waitress. What looks like an American number 7 is a German 1.

Most Biergarten come furnished with a TV screen nowadays, such as Zum Adler (you can spot the big DU on the screen). This one is built into the framework of the adjacent half-timbered building.

Any Biergarten will do...

as long as it comes with a screen to watch the World Cup games.

Tomorrow evening I will be at the Null Zwo pub in Bad Homburg watching Germany play Australia while sitting outside and enjoying good German beer.