In the fall of 2023 the Beerhunters attended the 17th Austrian Icehockey Classic Tournament In Austria.
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Note from the Organizer - Mike Upton
Entry:
Our entry into the 2023 Austrian Ice Hockey Classic has been accepted.
As of now we have 10 skaters and a goalie that have expressed interest in participating. I would like to add a couple more.
Invitations have been extended to Mike and Ian Bell.
Financials:
I have not received any financial info from the organizers (entry fee including the gala at the castle and hotels)
Tournament Details:
The tournament games are Wednesday September 27 to September 30. The castle party is September 30.
I will try and arrange the following
September 24 - Oktoberfest.
September 25 - Pick up game in Fussen/Kaufbeuren.
My tentative plan is to fly into Munich arriving Sept 23 (depart Sept 22 from Toronto)
Stay in Munich Oct 1 and return to Toronto Oct 2.
Hotels:
-
- Munich Sept 23, 24
- Fussen Sept 25
- Zell am See Sept 26,27,28,29,30
- Munich Oct 1
Of course your plans may be different but you should be in Fussen for Sept 25 and Zell by Sept 26
NY Times Article About Old Timer Hockey
Trip Summary:
Russ has helped pick out the official 2023 Team outfit for the Banquet
Russ offered to order one if you want - about US $30. I took him up on the offer and got him to order me one!
Roscoe's Blog
Click her to view "Blog - Roscoe Goes to Europe"
In the Spotlight
Here is an “Homage” to Ron… Ron you have come so far over the years!
Hotel Information
The following is the information (e.g. address, phone number) for each hotel during the trip.
Here is the hotel contact information
"Live" Updates to be provided during the trip!
Day 1 - Travel Day Toronto - Munich - Fri Sept 22nd
For those travelling on the Air Canada Flight @ 17:30 (5:30 p.m.) - Dave Meston is bringing a small stick bag and has scheduled a meet for 14:30 (2:30 p.m.) at the Air Canada Check-in location.
Need to coordinate with Phil on how to get to the airport. Fly overnight to arrive in Munich Sept 23rd.
Phil’s wife drove us to the airport - on her birthday no less!! Used the YYZ express which bypasses any line and headed to the domestic lounge for a drink and some food.
Day 2 - Munich - Sat Sept 23rd
Weather Report
Arrived in Munich and toon the SB8 train into Munich and dragged out luggage over to our hotel, Hotel Ibis Munchen City.
We lugged our baggage to the S trains and took to the main Munich train station for 13 Euros.
Since we are arriving at different times in Munich (I think I’m [Mike U] last) let’s meet at the Ibis hotel at 5:30 to head out for Saturday evenings festivities. I think the Augustiner in the pedestrian zone. That will give the ‘Newbees’ a look at central Munich.
Dinner was at the Augustiner in the main square where lots of Schnitzel and Chicken was consumed. Not to mention a few 2-litre mugs of beer, Folks then headed to the Irish bar for more drinks. Ireland was playing Rugby in the World Ruby Championships so there was a lineup to get inside - so we settled for a table outside. Laster we returned to the hotel to have more beer and watch the Blue Jays game,,,
Day 3 - Munich - Oktoberfest - Sun Sept 24th
Today marked our first official day of the trip starting at Oktoberfest.
Our Oktoberfest tickets are for 12:00-5:00 at the Hofbrauhaus tent. It’s not a bad walk so I am going to suggest we leave the hotel at 11:30.
Heads up!! The price of beer went way up this year between 12.60 - 14.90 euros or $13.45-$15.90 for a 1-litre beer!! Luckily, our entry into the tent comes with two beer tickets. We have reserved tables at the Hofbraeu Festzelt: 2 tankards of beer, a Bavarian appetizer and a chicken dinner. Click here for a copy of the menu.
This years tent had us sitting off to the side on the main floor across from the elevated band. Music was traditional Oktoberfest songs as we ate our spread of food and beers.
Some of us stayed till closing as the music slowly changed to more modern dance music. We drank and shared stories with folks from around the world. Eventually, when it was time to leave, many guys forgot the sacred rule of “Leave no Beerhunter Behind!!!” and each of myself and Roscoe were left to find our way back to the hotel alone - amazingly we both stumbled and found our way back sharing details of adventure at the morning breakfast.
Day 4-5 - Kaufbeuren - Mon Sept 25th and 26th
Monday
Monday we travel from Munich to Kaufbeuren (about an hours drive) to meet up with some German friends and have a few drinks. Here we will also meet up with the Portland Maine team and check into the Hotel Goldener Hirsh.
The Hot Docs have confirmed we will be playing a mini round robin "friendly" on Monday night with them, Portland and us. Starts at 8:30 p.m. in Kaufbeuren. They have also arranged for a post skate get together at a local pub.
The “friendly” hockey was played on some very slushy/slow ice with the Beerhunters finishing b the top 3. The banquet was at the local watering hole and once again the Hot Docs insisted on hosting the event - not allowing us to pay for our drinks!! (first 5 min only - photos area has complete video).
Tuesday
The Portland Maine team have arranged for an "optional" 2 hours of ice on Tuesday morning for pick up morning skate. 8:00- 10:00.
Tuesday is also a travel day from Kaufbeuren to Zell Am See. A trip that takes about 3-7 hours to drive.
We decided to opt out of the optional skate as it was another late night of drinking and some folks decided to not take the autobahn in favour of the more scenic back routes thru the mountain passes. Myself and Gord put our lives in the hands of Phil and took the mountain roads all the way to Zell Am See. The trip on the extremely windy and at times treacherous mountain roads took us about 7 hours. Despite the time it took us to navigate our way, Michael Church holds the record for the length of time to drive as his navigator “Navigator Paul” entered the wrong address into the GPS for our hotel in Austria, sends in Mr.Church and the lovely Mrs. Church to completely the other side of Austria. Despite leaving about an hour before us - he arrived at the same time!! Not a happy camper who was in desperate need of a large scotch!!!
Needless to say, dinner was delayed a bit but finally the team sat down to have a nice meal and head to bed early in prep for the 5am wake up call to start off the tournament.
Day 5-9 - Zell am See - Tues - Sat Sept 26, 27, 28, 29, 30th
Weather Report
There is lots to see and do do in Zell Am See during any free time between games. You can go on hikes, ride the gondola to the top of the glacier, ski, golf, hike, do guided tours, etc.
Just go to the website at; https://www.zellamsee-kaprun.com/en Or you can load the Apple iOS app:
Click here to download the IOS tourist app for Zell Am See
Tuesday
Arrive and check into the Hotel Zum Hirschen.
Tournament Schedule:
- Wednesday 06:00 (yes that’s am) Vs Team Jensen Can/USA
- Thursday 13:00 Vs EHC Bulach Oldies Sui
- Friday 13:00 Vs Veivarit Tuusula Fin
- Saturday 18:00 Vs Delta Hockey Club USA
- Banquet at Kaprun Castle to follow Saturday’s game.
Wednesday
With the game being scheduled for 6 a.m., against team Jensen Can/USA, today is a good day to do some sightseeing, skiing, etc. Mike Upton is planning to drive the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. It is a 47 km drive with 36 curves/switchbacks (wish I was driving a sports car not an SUV) that has stunning scenery. Grossglockner.at
After the several hours of driving from Munich, folks decided to opt for a walk around the late in lieu of doing some more driving. The walk took just over 3 hours to circumnavigate the lake.
The Old Musketeers
Dinner Options
Instructions for ordering: By table (either table 20 or table 22) pick your main (fish, pork or spaghetti), and desert (ice cream or strudel). No mixing and remember your order!
Thursday
Today's game is against the Swiss EHC Bulach Oldies.The weather was spectacular! The game was at 1pm followed by beers and schnapps in the parking lot… It was a hard fought game that could have gone either way, however the Swiss got a few bounces and took out the Beerhunters.
After a fabulous dinner, the team took in the light show down by the lake under a full moon.
Video of the end of the show;
Friday
Today's game is against Finland's Veivarit Tuusula.
After the team dinner, many of the guys watched the first round of the Ryder cup where Russ shared some scotch and “Russ’issms”.
Saturday
We close out the tournament with a game against the Delta Hockey Club from the U.S. followed directly after by the castle party.
Phil, Mike U, and Roscoe took the opportunity to head out and drive the “switchback highway” up to the highest mountain peak in Austria.
Day 10 - Munich - Sun Oct 1st
Today we head to the Movenpick Hotel at the Munich airport.
Tribute to Mike Upton
Michael Church and Dave Meston (long time members of the squad) helped honour Mike Upton for all his work in “herding the cats” yet again!! A fitting ending for our time in Europe.
Special thanks to Michael Church and Sandra Church for co-ordinating the gifts and ceremony (first 5 min only - photos area has complete video).
The majority of the team headed back to Munich to the Movenpick hotel at the airport. Not to be out done by Michael Church, Ron Perryman decided to head to the wrong Movenpick in downtown Munich instead. He got the hint when he passed the entry gates to Oktoberfest that he was likely at the wrong destination! Most folks dropped their cars in favour of taking a taxi from the hotel in the morning. Phil did not have a good experience in returning the car as Hertz claimed he added some damage to the car - something that I did not witness and that he plans to follow up on as they doubled his bill.
The last team dinner was had in the dinning room at the Movenpick where many folks got their last taste of genuine German schnitzel. This was followed by watching the last Toronto Blue Jays game to see where they would be playing in the post season. Go Jays Go!
Day 11 - Munich - Toronto - Travel Day - Mon Oct 2nd
Head to the airport to catch flights back home.
To get to the airport, there is no airport shuttle anymore. So we arranged a 6 person taxi to take us to the airport which ended up being 45 Euros (we paid her 50 euros). Once at the airport the check in at Air Canada was not well organized with ling lineups. The staff were not trained well and did not know if the Aeroplan services to allow for free baggage. I ended up giving up and paid 70 euros, got a receipt and will try to get a refund. From discussions with others - Some others would not leave the line until they honoured the free bag.
Our plane was changed to a Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” that are very smooth and quick as they can fly over 40,000 feet and combined with the fact that I had an aisle seat in the exit row, made for a very enjoyable flight (exit rows are worth the upgrade for long flights).
Ron’s experience at duty free was met with a serious setback when he approached the store only to find the following sign.
I guess no discount alcohol or presents for the folks back home !!
Phil discovered that his high-end (and fee) Amex card does not get him access to the premium lounge, making him question why he is paying the annual fees. Something else to look into back at the ranch.
In Toronto, we all said our goodbyes, I grabbed the stick bag and headed back home by limo - another successful and extremely enjoyable trip for the Beerhunters!!
#22
Roster
Here are the contact emails for all the players. You can send emails to individuals by selecting their email address or send a note to all the players using the group email icon below.
Use this to send an email to all Beerhunters
Click on an email below to send an email to a specific individual.
- Mike Upton <uptonmike04@gmail.com>
- Russ Defranco <russell_defranco@yahoo.com>
- Mike Borsch <hockey@borsch.ca>
- Ron Perryman <rperryman@groupspire.com>
- Dave Meston <dmeston@ilap.com>
- Gord Mount <gordmount3@gmail.com>
- Kevin Rolston <kjrolston@gmail.com>
- Paul Link <paul.link77@yahoo.com>
- Jeff Sisson <jeffsisson39@gmail.com>
- Phil Stewart <livs4hky@gmail.com>
- Michael Church <churchm@caleywray.com>
- Roscoe Statchuk <ross.statchuk@rogers.com>
- Floyd Simpkins <floydsimpkins@gmail.com>
Directions
Click below for the Google Maps directions from Munich to Kaufbeuren
Here are directions from Ibis hotel in Munich to the hotel in Kaufbeuren
Here are offline (i.e. PDF) directions from Ibis hotel in Munich to the hotel in Kaufbeuren
Click below for directions from Kaufbeuren to Zell Am See
Here are directions from the hotel in Kaufbeuren to the hotel in Zell am See
Here are offline (i.e. PDF) directions from the hotel in Kaufbeuren to the hotel in Zell am See
Click below for directions from Zell am See to Munich hotel
Here are directions from the hotel in Zell am See to Munich
Here are offline (i.e. PDF) directions from the hotel in Zell am See to Munich
Flights, Parking, Car Rentals and Check-In Tips
Flight on Air Canada
Here are the flights that we are watching. For now, you can only book "economy basic" for the flight back. For comparison, these are the prices for an "economy basic" flight there and back. (i.e. A fee applies for your seat and bag(s) and there is no flexibility - cancellations, etc).
Fee Types - Comparison for Flight Over:
Mike B and Phil
Air Canada Flights Fri-Mon
- Toronto - Munich (AC 836)
- Friday Sept 22nd 17:30 - Sat Sept 23rd 07:45
- Munich - Toronto (AC 837)
- Mon Oct 2nd 11:50 - Mon Oct 2 15:00
Full size “Shaggin Wagon” - Hertz
- Munich Train Station Hertz - Sept 25 Noon
- Munich Airport - Oct 1 Noon
- Walking Directions to Hertz
Kevin Rolston, Dave Meston - Russ and Paul
- Toronto - Munich (AC 836)
- Friday Sept 22nd 17:30 - Sat Sept 23rd 07:45
Mike U
Air Canada Flights Fri-Mon
- Toronto - Munich
- Depart Toronto at 7:50 pm (Sept 22) and arrive in Frankfurt at 9:50 am (Sept 23)
- Depart Frankfurt at 12:15 pm and arrive in Munich at 1:10 pm
- Munich - Toronto
- Depart Munich at 12:00 pm (Oct 2) and arrive in Frankfurt at 1:00 pm
- Depart Frankfurt at 3:00 pm and arrive in Toronto at 6:00 pm
Michael Church and Sandra
Sandra & I arrive in Munich Mon Sept 25 @ 7:45 am. Gord arrives @ 11 am from somewhere in mainland Europe. He’s spending the previous week travelling around with his son. Gord won’t have too much baggage. I’m going to bring Gord’s hockey bag & sticks to Munich from TO. Sandra & I may go straight to Kaufbeuren depending on whether our flight is on time, etc. We’ll bring Gord’s hockey stuff with us to Kaufbeuren. We’ll give Gord his gear there after he buys me some beer. I think Gord plans to take the train downtown from the airport to hook up with Phil & you.
Jeff Sisson
Flying into Vienna on the 20th, returning from Zurich on October 5th.
Ron and LA
Air Canada Flights Fri-Mon
- Toronto - Munich
- 17:30 departure Friday Sept 22nd
- Munich - Toronto
- Mon Oct 2nd 11:50 - Mon Oct 2 15:00
Roscoe
Friday September 22
Air Canada Flights Fri-Mon
- AC 9614
- Depart YYZ 20:30
- Arrive MUC 10:15 +1
Monday October 2
- AC 837
- Depart MUC 11:50
- Arrive YYZ 2:00
Floyd Simpkins
Floyd will already be in Europe doing a river cruise. He is meeting up with the team in Zell Am See
Car Rentals
Renters should also be aware that American Express cards are often not accepted. Many, especially North Americans, would prefer to use these if they have them due to the insurance coverage provided. Be sure to check before booking.
Parking
If you decide to park your car at the airport, pre-purchase your parking ticket for the week as you will get a discount and simply print a copy of the barcode. When you arrive at the airport simply scan your barcode at the machine. When you arrive back home - simply scan the same barcode at the automated gate and the gate will open.
One tip is to make sure to take a picture on your phone of where you parked your car so that you can find it when you return!
Click here to reserve your parking.
YYZ Express
Going to try to use YYZ Express to book a "reserved time" for going thru security. You can only book a spot 4 days in advance.
- "YYZ Express is an online reservation program that helps passengers flying out of Toronto Pearson speed through security screening queues. Experience expedited access to screening without a membership. Schedule your reservation for screening ahead of time or when you’re at the airport."
Money Exchange
For those who need to grab some Euros, the best option appears to be Continental Currency Exchange. They have the best competitive exchange rates (Currently 1.4899 CAD). They are located in major malls like Yorkdale Shopping Centre or Pickering Town Centre. They also give a discount to government employees - so I just showed my OPG employee card and got a discount.
Sharing Photos - Using QuMagie
NOTE: QuMagie replaced Qphoto. If you previously used and/or installed QPhoto, you can delete it and use QuMagie (effective Aug 2023).
You will now see "Click Here" links where you can view and downloads including the download of photos of events. You may be required to 'validate' a password to access photos so you can contact me and I will provide you with the required password. You also can now contribute to these photos. In order to post photos on the website and because these can be quite large - we will need to share the photos using a special app on your phone called "QuMagie". These photos will automatically be linked to the website.
For this event the "Folder" where you upload your photos/videos is called "2023 - Beerhunters - Germany...". So save your files to "Shared Photos/Hockey/Beerhnters/2023 - Beerhunters - Gernamy"
Details on How to Load QuMagie onto Phone
How To? - View Photos and Install "QuMagie" App on Iphone or Android Phone to Post Photos
Tournament Itinerary:
Here is the link to the tournament website
June 17th, 2023 Update from Mike
Vs Team Jensen Can/USA
Thursday 13:00
Vs EHC Bulach Oldies Sui
Friday 13:00
Vs Veivarit Tuusula Fin
Saturday 18:00
Vs Delta Hockey Club USA
Aug 9th, 2023 Update from Mike
Greetings everyone.
It is getting closer to the trip.
FLIGHTS
I have been tracking the cost of flights and there doesn't seem to be any price drop. I bit the bullet and booked the following. It was a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the direct flight.
- Depart Toronto at 7:50 pm (Sept 22) and arrive in Frankfurt at 9:50 am (Sept 23)
- Depart Frankfurt at 12:15 pm and arrive in Munich at 1:10 pm
- Depart Munich at 12:00 pm (Oct 2)and arrive in Frankfurt at 1:00 pm
- Depart Frankfurt at 3:00 pm and arrive in Toronto at 6:00 pm
ROSTER
- I need to provide a roster by the middle of August
- Please provide your date of birth.
- Please provide the number on your Toronto Beer Hunter white sweater. If you don't have a TBH white sweater please let me know what number you have on a white sweater.
- I have also been asked to provide a team photo. Could someone send me a team photo from 2019.
ACCOMODATION
I enlisted the assistance of a travel agency for booking our hotels. She has informed me that payment is due soon.
I will be sending out individual invoices in the next few days. Not everyone is staying all of the days between Sept 23 and Oct 2. I have broken the trip down into the following
Part A
- 2 nights at the Hotel Ibis Muenchen City, buffet breakfast included
- Reservation at the Hofbraeu Festzelt: 2 tankards of beer, Bavarian appetizer, chicken dinner, reservation fee
Part B
- 1 night at the Hotel Goldener Hirsch in Kaufbeuren, buffet breakfast included
Part C
- 5 nights at the Hotel zum Hirschen in Zell am See, buffet breakfast and 4-course dinner daily
Part D
- 1 night at the Hotel Moevenpick Munich Airport, buffet breakfast included
I will include in the email I send which of A,B,C, and D you have been booked for and whether it is single or double.
You can either pay the travel agent directly by calling in your credit card info or you can etransfer me the money and I will pay the travel agent.
The travel agent is
- Doris Clark
- Smolka Tours
- 732 576 8813
- US Toll Free 800 722 0057
GIFTS
I am open to suggestions for small gifts that we can give to the teams we compete against. We will probably need around 100 - so size matters.
The Hot Docs have confirmed we will be playing a mini round robin on Monday night with them, Portland and us. Starts at 8:30 in Kaufbeuren. They have also arranged for a post skate get together at a local pub.
Mike
Sunday Sept 17th Update from Mike
Well in only one week most of us will be at Oktoberfest(it’s 3:00 pm in Germany as I write this). Then we pick up stragglers in Kaufbeuren and Zell.
I hope most of you are in hockey shape as I am not. I haven’t skated since last December but plan on playing on Tuesday as my training camp.
I had a call from the Portland Maine team that we are meeting in Kaufbeuren. They have arranged for 2 hours of ice on Tuesday morning for pick up morning skate. 8:00- 10:00.
They invited us to join them. I will leave it up to you if you want to participate.
So final check list
White Beerhunters sweater ( or white sweater)
Red second sweater
List of hotels we are staying at
How to Train in from Munich Airport
So you successfully made it to Munich but are at the airport. Now how to get to the main train station.
Follow the green “S” signs to the S1 or S8 trains. These are the only trains at the airport and both go to the main train station. The only trains are the S1 or S8. The S1 and the S8 both stop at Hauptbahnhof, the central station. So take the first one that arrives.
You can buy the tickets for the S-Bahn at a machine (which can be switched to English) or either at the DB travel center or at the info (left luggage) desks of the airport.
Single trip ticket is EUR 10,80 per person.
Now just make your way over to the Hotel Ibis
Tax-free Shopping – How to get your VAT refund for Purchases in Germany
When you make a purchase in Germany, the price generally includes 19% VAT. If your place of residence is outside the EU and you take your purchases home with you, the VAT can be reimbursed. Here's how it works:
- Complete the export certificate for your purchases.
- Present the certificate along with your purchases and receipts at the customs office. You will also be required to present your passport and a plane ticket issued for the current date. Note: The custom office is past check in and security in Munich.
- Present the customs office confirmation at a Global Blue station at the airport. Here you can obtain your VAT reimbursement.
Please note: Without confirmation from the customs office, you will not be refunded VAT.
Here are the locations of the Global Blue exchange stations:
Value-Added Tax (VAT) Refund for Purchases in Austria
Non-EU-residents can request a refund of the value-added tax for goods they purchased in Austria.
- All of the following requirements must be met:
a) The invoiced amount must exceed Euro 75.00.
b) Your passport must indicate a domicile/residence outside the European Union (EU).
c) You must export the item(s) with your personal luggage within three months of purchase.
d) You must show the item(s) to customs officials and obtain a stamp before leaving the European Union.
Note to d): When leaving Austria to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, you must obtain your customs stamp from Austrian customs officials either at the airport or the border crossing.
When leaving Austria to any other of the neighboring states (which are all EU members), you must obtain the customs stamp from the custom authorities of the last EU country you visit before leaving the EU (this does not include airport transit and connecting flights).
Example:
- If you fly into Munich, go by car/train to Austria for a ski/hockey vacation, and then fly back to Canada from Munich, you get your stamp from German customs officials.
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