Ein Prosit, ein Prosit Der Gemütlichkeit

We had friends visit us from Good Ol' Deutschland this past week and on Sunday night were treated to a nice dinner at the Hofbräuhaus here in Las Vegas.

We've been there before with other guests and it remains a popular destination. The food, beer, music, and atmosphere are authentic. Curry wurst, Jaegerschnitzel, German Chocolate cake, and cheese cake were on the plates.

But I have to say one thing - if you want to end your stay and still be able to hear, ask to sit in the 'Biergarten' portion of the restaurant in the back. The main hall in the front of the restaurant is non-stop LOUD! The Biergarten is actually larger than the main hall and is quite nice - and you'll be able to carry on a conversation without the need for shouting at the top of your lungs! Really, my ears hurt all the way home and were ringing most of Monday!!

As often as we've been there, I've yet to pick up a souvenir of the place. I wanted a stein that said 'Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas' on it but they wanted like $180 for one. Nope! So I saw this odd shaped stein and picked it up for about $15. I didn't realize this was part of a set - this one is the female with Dirndl version and then there's a male with Lederhosen one. It's cool and one day perhaps I'll complete the set.Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Zweibrücken 'Horn' Stein

I've been busy here at the Ol' Berg Homestead being in de-acquisition mode pulling out toys and whatever and trying to get them boxed up for sale on fleaBay (eBay seller: marxtoynut). During the past couple of years I've amassed a veritable mountain of boxes and packing material which is taking up far too much room in The Cave. Hopefully this year as I sell things I'll solve several problems

a) getting rid of toys/collectibles
b) getting rid of boxes
c) getting rid of packing

each sale takes care of all three categories - just a little bit at a time.

One of my prized collections is the beer/wine/spirits related items. Shot glasses, beer mugs, beer steins, coasters, bottles, even toys like vehicles, railroad cars, and breweries, etc.. But after many years of collecting they have to go. Not all of them will be on the chopping block but a great many will simply need to go, like this one. It's a nice looking souvenir 'horn' stein from Zweibrücken, Germany measuring 8"(20.32cm) H from an unknown manufacturer.Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Zweibrücken 'Boot' Stein

Until we can get our external hard drive fixed (the one with nearly all our pictures on it) I've had to start taking photos all over again from scratch. Drinking vessels made from boots or in the shape of boots are always popular and this souvenir from Zweibrücken is a nice example with its bright colors, Old West boot style, and a picture of the restored Zweibrücken Schloss (it was in the plaza in front of this Schloss that Bettina and I celebrated the West-East German unification back on 3 October 1990, at 0:01). 

The stein has no makers mark but the word 'handarbeit' (hand made) appears on the bottom of the shoe. There is also no designation as to the volume it holds but it measures 6 1/8" (15.55cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

'The Ringer' Beer Glass

Here's a good example of a novelty glass or mug, it's just a normal looking glass with a bicycle type ringer on the handle meant to get the attention of the bartender I s'pose - that is, if you were allowed to bring your glass into the bar!

Parkbräu Bier .5l 'P' w-Tophat Stein (Bierkrug) from Rastal - Ceramic

Next up in our Beer/Wine/Spirits paraphernalia series is this 1/2 liter stein (Bierkrug) from Parkbräu Bier. The stein was made by Rastal GmbH & Co.KG located in  Höhr-Grenzhausen in the Westerwald region of Germany. Steins like these are for the serious beer drinker, or at least crazy collector's like me :-) Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Parkbräu Beer .5l 'Bent P' w-Top hat Keramik Bierkruug (Ceramic Beer Stein)

Have you ever heard the saying, "They were born to sing", or "They were born to play sports" or something to that effect? Well I was born to collect and have been doing it almost as long as I can remember. One of my earlier assemblages had been coffee mugs followed by some beer mugs and steins. Nearly all of those earlier acquisitions are gone now with the exception of several given to me as presents so it was no surprise to me that I latched on to beer paraphernalia while stationed in Germany. Parkbräu was the local brewery and so it was that a bunch of their stuff just sort of gravitated to the Berg household. Here's a nice ceramic stein, or bierkrug in German, with an older style Parkbräu  'P' w/Top hat logo. You'll notice the top serif of the 'P' is bent upwards and holding the mug while the lower serif is bent downwards. Later style logos had a straight serifs. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Parkbräu Bier (Beer) .4l Monk on Mug Stein (Bierkrug) - Clear Glass

Here's a nice clear glass .4l bierkrug (or beer stein, or beer glass, or beer mug - take your pick) from Parkbräu Bier from Zweibrücken /Pirmasens in Germany's Rheinland-Pfalz state. I call this one the 'Monk on a Mug' design as it depicts the Parkbräu Monk motif used on some drink ware and decorative accessories. This was one of the first photo's taken with my new 'toy' the MyStudio MS20 available from Amazon.com

The MyStudio MS20 Professional Tabletop Photo Studio Kit w/ 5000K Continuous Lighting for Product Photography, consists of a vacu-formed cyclorama infinity background, light stand, and three bounce cards. The cyclorama measures 20" (50.8cm) W x 20" (50.8cm) D x 12" (30.48cm) H and is made of a sturdy frosted white plastic. The light stand is made of sturdy enamel coated steel members which allow for the light fixture to be raised or lowered (albeit with a little work). There are three bounce cards: a large one attached above the light fixture, and two smaller, portable ones that are attached to cardboard stands. Be aware that after photographing your subject you'll still probably have to adjust for brightness, or contrast, or midtone, etc .

Now, if inclement weather keeps me from shooting outside on the patio, I can move operations in the house (if the subjects aren't too big!).

Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina