The Theresienwiese is renowned for the Oktoberfest, but there are many other great events taking place on this ground all year round. In December, we went there to enjoy the Tollwood Winter Festival, a charming Christmas market. We savored delicious hot wine and were pleased to spend some Christmassy hours together.

In our building, the Center for Stroke and Dementia Research (CSD), several research groups with different affiliations (Synergy, DZNE and ISD) are working together. To interact on a regular and casual basis with each other, groups alternately organize a happy hour for the whole CSD. This time, it was our turn to organize it, together with the AG Schmid, AG Edbauer and AG Fluhrer. The Mario Kart theme was “Fantastico!”

It is always hard to decide, which mountain to climb. However, the Brünnstein (1619m) was a fantastic choice. After a panoramic ascent to the summit we enjoyed a well-earned lunch at the Brünnsteinhaus. Even though it was drizzling a little around midday, we had a splendid time.

Traditionally, we go to the Oktoberfest together with several groups from our institute. After an inspiring lecture by Adriano Aguzzi we went to the “Wiesn” to have some beer and enjoy the jolly atmosphere. Before leaving, we took a ride on the “Rotor” to feel the centrifugal force on our own bodies and noticed “It sucks to be a sample!”

A cold beer, a tasty meal and a great atmosphere is typical for a Bavarian beer garden. To enjoy this and the summer sun we biked to the nearby “Waldheim”, an over 100 years old beer garden with several large chestnut trees. As soon as we returned to lab, it started raining. Lucky us!

One of Munich’s highlights is the river Isar. Especially in winter, the charm of the Isar and its banks is breathtaking.  We met at the Praterinsel and started walking southwards, soon leaving the city behind.  Sunshine, glistening snow and the comforting murmur of the Isar accompanied us to our destination, the Waldwirtschaft in Großhesselohe. There we warmed up and enjoyed a great Bavarian lunch. Reinvigorated we started our return journey to the city. After a total of 14 km, we …

During Christmas time, there is a large number of Christmas markets in and around Munich. We chose to visit the small Christmas market at Harras, which stands out by its welcoming and familiar atmosphere. Just a few subway stops away from the lab, we enjoyed the great variety of delicious food and drinks to get stoked for the Christmas holidays.

We challenged ourselves in climbing the 903 meter long and up to 15 meter high rope course in Munich Grünwald. With mutual support we accomplished all the climbing elements. After this fun activity, we enjoyed the sun in the “Biergarten” to reduce our adrenaline levels back to normal.

There is nothing better than having a tasty meal and one or two Bavarian beers after work. Therefore, we visited the Haderner Augustiner. In this typical Bavarian restaurant just around the corner, we spent an enjoyable and amusing evening together.